There’s a lot to learn from the construction industry – one so vital to our economy and yet so vulnerable to economic cycles. So here’s the question of the month: How do we plan when the future is murky at best?

Learn how the HVACR industry is dealing with the regulations and standards imposed regionally, nationally and globally.

This is my follow-up to the 10 things I was looking forward to the most at SXSW this year. I think the two matched up pretty well.

Learn about Godfrey insights that can help you understand 6 misconceptions that B2B marketers tend to make when communicating with the “Mind of the Engineer”.

Show an engineer you appreciate them by letting them know you appreciate all they’ve done to help make modern life possible.

When it comes to pitching for new business, I’ve heard some fairly wild theories in my day. For example, if the client’s color is yellow, everyone should wear yellow to subconsciously appear as though the agency is “one with” the client. Or, everyone should sit in a very specific fashion so the first thing the client sees is the agency, thereby establishing a dominant position.

Bang. Head. Here.

Having been in the game for over ten years now, nearly six of them with Godfrey, I know a thing or two about responding to RFPs. Or RFQs. Or RFIs. Or RFwhatevers.

When specifying commercial building projects, it’s a team effort among architects, designers, engineers, and contractors. They will work with the building owner or facility manager to reach the best solution for the project. It’s important to understand how each party works together, and what their concerns are, in order to reach each audience with the right message.

If you want to win in the NFL, there’s a lot you can learn from B2B. For starters, here are five important lessons that NFL teams can learn from B2B marketers.

Art galleries and movie theaters might help you stir a few B2B marketing ideas. But nothing beats your own manufacturing facility.

Technology may have blurred the lines between B2B and B2C, but at a fundamental level those lines are still there. And blurry or not, some of them aren’t going to be crossed anytime soon. Here are six reasons why B2B and B2C will always differ.

For many B2B companies it can be a struggle to align all four of the P's with the realities of a business-to-business marketing strategy. See how Motorola Solutions has evolved the thinking behind the model.

These four ruminations might just be what you need to bring your company to the social media front.

As B2B marketers continue to wrestle with the ROI of social media a recent survey indicates that it is being used by millennial B2B buyers to gather information, seek advice and comment upon the B2B buying decisions that they are making.

It is standard practice to present multiple options when working on a creative concept. After the research phase is completed and the overall strategy is developed, the creative team gets to work to figure out the best way to communicate that big idea. Naturally, the best ideas are presented to the client to show a range of thinking. Sometimes what you see is not what you expected, or sometimes it is just different. If you’re having trouble committing to a concept, ask yourself these three key questions.

I'd like to issue a challenge to the entire world of B2B. I'm inviting you to submit your list of B2B companies whose contributions changed the world in 2012. Submit your nominations as comments to this blog and provide a brief explanation (less than 100 words).

Are you starting to think about your marketing strategy for 2013? While identifying the next campaign or product launch comes first, don’t forget to organize how you’re going to create and distribute your plan. Here are some tips to keep your internal content creation process running smoothly.

Earlier this month, RAGAN’s PR Daily put out a piece called “12 traits of highly successful people”. As I read it, I couldn’t help but think that many of these same principles (most of which ring so true) also apply to successful B2B organizations.

John Deere apparel. CAT® footwear. Armor All™ vacuums. All highly recognized brand names, but who knew they made these types of products? Well, actually, they don’t. They are products of manufacturers who believe in the potential of brand licensing. With the right pairing of license and product offering, manufacturers can bypass entrance barriers in a crowded marketplace through higher brand recognition, stronger customer preference and a perceived quality differential. But, there are considerations when choosing such a strategy…

Valuable lessons can be learned by B2B marketers on the power of individual interviews from the Joe Smith Collection recently donated to The Library of Congress. The Smith collection includes 238 hours of poignant, revealing interviews of virtually every rock and entertainment star of the era.

In two previous posts, I suggested the Millennial cohort is moving into B2B management positions. New research from The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project sheds more light on how their tech-savvy, always-on nature may inform the B2B purchase decisions they are increasingly a part of.

Facebook® is now worth billions of dollars. But marketers are having a tough time getting dollar one from using social media. Let’s dig into why Facebook and other social media sites run into problems when evolving their business model from cultivating friendships (a.k.a., social networking) to growing cash crops.

The stats are all over the board regarding the B2B benefits of Facebook, with much of the feedback indicating a lag in Facebook popularity compared to other social media outlets for usefulness in B2B. Statistics aside, if you’re one of those in the “I’m skeptical about Facebook” camp here are several considerations that might help you rethink your position.

We have written about the importance of customer insight and unified marketing. For B2B and technology-oriented companies, it isn’t always easy to think beyond the product features. But here is one example of a marketer who is launching a new initiative to build the customer perspective into its global marketing organization.

Whether you’re a content strategy veteran or are just getting started, Margot’s new book "Content Strategy at Work" is a must-read for everyone. Read on to hear about Margot’s inspiration for writing the book and her thoughts on how b2b marketers can leverage content strategy with clients.

What kind of content do prospects and customers respond to most? Storytelling.

As B2B marketing efforts become more integrated, the line between paid, shared and earned media is becoming blurred. A successful marketing plan must incorporate all three, with focused messaging and strategic outreach. Find out what role PR plays in the overall marketing plan.

Today’s technology has so utterly changed the world of B2B insight that any organization can develop insight experts on marketing topics. This (hopefully) humorous post highlights the differences between insight efforts today and yesterday.

We must optimize PR efforts for search using tools and keywords that empathize with all audiences. Let's talk about SEO using a tried-and-true PR acronym, RACE. Fortunately, optimizing PR for search is a RACE you can win. Find out how.

This month’s collection of all things Social Media takes a step back to examine the tools of the trade.

B2B marketers are sometimes in a quandary about the validity of qualitative research, including, in-depth interview methodology. This post will be helpful in explaining how in-depth interviewing can produce valid results and may be a better alternative to traditional focus groups for deeper, richer insight.

Selling a movie like “Hunger Games,” which takes place in a futuristic dystopian society (the “Games” are an annual contest in which children fight each other to the death) is just as complex as completing a B2B sale. What can marketers learn from this movie’s success?

A visit to a large B2B company’s headquarters inspired the above question. Find out if your company has their headquarters on straight.

When writing website content for your global audience, consider the language you’re using. Make it easy to understand and translate by the international users. Here are some things to consider.

Millennials are moving onto B2B buying teams and influencing product and service purchase decisions. Are you in present in the right places to engage with them?

In the world of B2B communications, some dealers, distributors and sales people are using e-tablets as a communications tool, often for sales presentations. But in a technology toolbox crowded with smartphones and laptops, it’s hard to figure out the real value of e-tablets and digital readers. Are they just another digital gimmick -- or the most disruptive force since Gutenberg’s printing press?

This blog covers understandings and agreements, or social contract that should exist between an interviewer and respondent for a positive outcome and to an honor an implicit professional code of ethics.

How do you know if your social media program is really resonating with your audience? Which tweets have resulted in conversions on your website? The following blog gives some tips on how to begin setting up an analytics strategy.

Millennials are moving onto B2B buying teams and influencing product and service purchase decisions. Are you ready to communicate with them?

Customer Relationship Management has been around for quite a while now, and has been a key item in many B2B marketing strategies. It's lost a little of its sexy veneer— no longer the hot buzzword of a decade or so ago. Here are some tips on how to change your thinking, and your approach, to CRM.

There are some certainties to the typical January workday. There are no free treadmills at the gym, lots of leftover cookies floating around and my rationalizations such as "I'm not really breaking the resolution if I..." But I'm convinced there are a few B2B resolutions that are easier to keep.

The Public Relations Society of America recently unveiled their list of 12 trends that will change the PR industry in 2012. Noted on this list is the convergence of brand management and reputation management functions within organizations.

Part four of a four-part series to help B2B marketers understand more about this powerful qualitative research methodology and the “how tos” of conducting, analyzing and reporting. This blog covers how to effectively analyze and report insights gleaned from depth interviews for B2B marketers.

Cheap digital readers and e-tablets are making it easier to consume content digitally, which means B2B marketers must consider the impact of the medium on their message – including branding and content strategy.

Recently I launched my first Facebook advertising program. I’ll be honest: I was skeptical. After all, no one clicks on those little ads—or do they?

When Godfrey decided to produce our first e-book, it was quite the undertaking. Here are five tips I picked up along the way.

Part three of a four-part series to help B2B marketers understand more about this powerful qualitative research methodology and the “how to’s” of conducting in-depth interviews. This blog covers how to effectively plan and conduct in-depth interviews for B2B marketers.

As 2012 B2B marketing planning should be in full-swing, I find myself internally rationalizing the necessity of early planning. A topical analogy seems evident as the 2012 Presidential Election is one year from today.

If the objective is to appeal to the audience, then why do so many B2B companies approach communications like a bad first date--only talking about themselves? There is a better way.

Part two of a four-part series to help B2B marketers understand more about this powerful qualitative research methodology and the “how to’s” of conducting in-depth interviews. This blog covers advantages of in-depth interview methodology over traditional focus group for B2B marketing research.

Part one of a four-part series to help B2B marketers understand more about this powerful qualitative research methodology and the “how to’s” of conducting in-depth interviews.

In the wake of Mark Zuckerberg’s keynote presentation at the Facebook developer conference, f8, last week, there are a few new words you will need to add to your FB lexicon – real-time serendipity, open graph and timeline. In this article, we'll take a look at what each of these changes is and what it means for your business.

The changing landscape of interactive marketing, social media and digital technology challenges marketers to become proficient in these new areas of advertising in a relatively short time. But, as busy, working professionals, how do we find the time to learn about them?

Today, decision-makers include Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y (or Millennials) and now Gen U. Each demographic is unique. Delivering messages and information using appropriate channels is becoming more complex and challenging. Gaining insight into our audiences is critical if we hope to reach prime decision-makers.

Question and Answer sites have been around a long time but there have been some new additions to this category, including ones that have social and search implications.

Building a solid, lasting perception of your company depends on how well you align short-term marketing initiatives with larger brand objectives and common-sense brand stewardship. As you battle to defend and grow your brand, keep these five basic tips in mind...

A recent study released by the Pew Research Center found that 65 percent of adults who spend time on the Internet are using social networking sites. What does this mean for B2B marketers?

As hockey great Wayne Gretzky once said, there is no point in bothering to go where the action has been, but rather it is more important to go where the action will be. That concept, my friends, is true for so many things in life—not just hockey, but also to social media and measuring its success.

LinkedIn recently released their second quarter financial results, including the fact that there are now 11.5 million users. If you are looking to make the most of your company’s presence on LinkedIn, here are five suggestions for where to start.

A Regular Roundup of Social Media Musings
by Anna Gerz & Mike Wilt

This month’s collection of all things Social Media explores bureaucracy’s move toward the instant media and we mix business with pleasure at BlackBerry’s expense.

Skewed survey results, due to preconceived ideas, can be built right into the wording of questions. Here are 6 tips for avoiding this pitfall.

"If you could say it in words, there'd be no reason to paint." Speaking to the value of artistic expression, American realist painter Edward Hopper would have most certainly extended his candor to the field of illustration.

Do you ever hear this around your office: “Research is too expensive. And anyway, we know who our customers are.” We recently completed a project that proved how, in B2B marketing, a little insight leads to a better strategy, which drives a better creative solution. And it isn’t as difficult, time-consuming or expensive as you might think. 

A Regular Roundup of Social Media Musings
by Anna Gerz & Mike Wilt

This month’s collection of all things Social Media peeks behind the curtain at Google+ and starts to look at Facebook’s “awesome” announcement.

A few scenarios outlining pros and cons of Groupon-like Daily Deals for B2B companies.