As summer officially approaches we take a look at what’s hot this week in digital marketing and what’s especially relevant to B2B. Google will make ranking changes to its mobile versions of Google Search, so Dan Pacifico advises we keep investing in mobile-ready websites and mobile SEO. Big Data analytics can improve B2B leads through a social scoring process, which Leanne Terpak thinks can also help us better understand and target audiences and lead to faster, better marketing decisions. Andy DeBrunner gives us the line on Line, the world’s fastest-growing social network – one that seems poised for a major presence in Asia with implications for B2B. Relevant content presented quickly and easily tops the list of essentials of a great web site, says Jenn Vitello, who offers more insights in her content blog. Speaking of essentials, Andy Hunt adds perspective for all who are implementing marketing automation systems or actively using them now: don’t be afraid to make hard choices between what’s really necessary and what’s just an option. Read on. And find us again right here next week. 

This week we discover the source of missing mobile data from Google Analytics, uncover a dozen ways to make social media data more actionable and welcome YouTube’s new “One Channel” design. We have tips on how B2B marketers can curate content – as we do here – as part of an effective lead nurturing program. And noteworthy in many markets: AT&T and the iPhone will step in with Push-To-Talk services as Sprint shuts down the previous PTT darling, the Nextel network. Read on for details, and post a comment to let us know what you’d like to see more of or less of in the weeks ahead.

Penguin 2.0, a.k.a. “Penguin 4,” is the latest Google search algorithm update we now must consider. It appears that a keen focus on content, a hallmark of best B2B practice, rather than heavy reliance on external links satisfies this bird. Web analytics and the massive amount of data it can produce can be overwhelming. A savvy B2B marketer gets focused and avoids the irrelevant – below are some remarkable analytics guides to help. Vine, which we blogged about last week, is now available for Android devices, dramatically expanding its potential user base; keep considering the B2B possibilities of very short-form video integrated with Twitter and let us know what you think. Jenn Vitello notices that even B2B publishers, the kings of content, are optimizing for mobile. Maybe you should, too? Rounding things up this week, our director of marketing technology considers what makes a site highly interactive, engaging and easy to share – often qualities we want in B2B digital experience. 

This week we highlight the “conversational search” capability unveiled by Google as Dan Pacifico starts to ponder the changes ahead for B2B marketers with natural language processing applied to search. We knew mobile was claiming more traffic:  how about more than one-fifth of all content visits? Other stats from Uberflip document the rise of shareable content and the importance of video. Speaking of video, Andy DeBrunner looks at the B2B potential of Vine, Twitter’s 6-second video service -- talk about tightly crafting your message! Helping us simplify things this week is a primer on the four keys to success in marketing analytics. We wrap things up with a reminder that users – often accessing mobile devices in the field, or in less than ideal settings – deserve our consideration as we design and deliver the content they need. Enjoy.

Welcome, or welcome back as the case may be, to The B2B Weekly Roundup, where we offer our take on some of the key developments affecting B2B marketing in bite-size form. Google’s I/O conference gave us all a glimpse into the firm’s integration plans; Godfrey’s Andy Hunt assesses the impact on B2B.  Separately, we note the opportunity to highlight your company’s deep expertise via web content for improved search results. Leanne Terpak poses a few key questions for marketers on the use of Big Data and suggests the most important thing is to turn insights gleaned into useful actions.  We share the inspiring story of a 17-year-old girl who won a Twitter hackathon as an example of the creativity that awaits B2B marketers in the social media space.  And finally, in case you missed BtoB Magazine’s Media Power 50 report, it’s worth a look; after The Wall Street Journal and WSJ.com, Google and LinkedIn occupy the #2 and #3 positions in the B2B media landscape.  No further comment on that one here, for now.  Enjoy and let us know how we’re doing.

2011 was a whirlwind year for the world of digital marketing and communications. And through it all, B2B Insights was reporting live on the scene.

If “B2B Branding” was a company, it would have a branding problem. Too many business-to-business marketers and senior managements think branding means logos, taglines, business cards and letterhead. It’s a lot more than that today.

A Regular Roundup of Social Media Musings

This month’s collection of all things Social Media sees another UI change at Facebook, proof Google cares what you think and putting blogs in the hands of the professionals.

A Regular Roundup of Social Media Musings

In our inaugural aggregation of social media happenings we look at Facebook Places, the Facebook privacy debate and social network gaming.