“Don't say the old lady screamed—bring her on and let her scream.” In his advice on storytelling, Mark Twain’s timeless wit and wisdom holds true in the discussion of online video. Thanks to advances in Internet technology and increased bandwidth over the last few years, online video has emerged as the fastest growing media platform with an estimated 72% of Web users watching online video clips. In the next three years, Web video consumption is projected to double. The message to marketers? Visitors expect a rich experience when they come to your site. As one of the most powerful tools in the marketer’s arsenal, online video offers a wealth of opportunity for rich storytelling, differentiation, brand building and traffic-generation.

The resurgence of video in storytelling
In the 90’s, corporate capabilities videos were commonplace, but distribution was limited to VHS and DVD.
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I didn't mean to be anti-social. Really, I didn't. 

I shut down my Twitter and Facebook accounts recently because I was failing to maintain these on-line representations of me, a B2B marketing and PR professional, in a way that was adding value. In fact I was hardly maintaining them at all. And that's not the way to be social these days, much less helpful. So, I've temporarily unplugged. (Oh, not entirely. I kept my LinkedIn page up and even updated my profile a bit, but that's beside the point).

The point, as my 20-something reverse mentor tells me, is to get and stay engaged. "Commit to 10 to 20 minutes a day," she said. I know she's right. And I know it's a bit early for a New Year's resolution, but I think I have one already. It's a matter of see and be seen, listen and contribute, or risk irrelevancy.

In an impressive study released today, Business.com reports about
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I have been neglecting my blog. I’m not the only one. About 95% of blogs are abandoned—a number from Technorati based on the fact that only 7.4 million of the 133 million blogs have been updated in the past 120 days. But I have been tweeting. Not because the media has hyped it up or because everyone else is (not true actually, as the top 10% of Twitter users account for over 90% of tweets) but because in order to advise b2b clients on microblogging service, I had to experience it firsthand. After committing to it, I honestly see its value as a part of a b-to-b marketing communications strategy.

I talked about the ---More---

When the economic recovery begins to vibrate the sales needle in your industry, what's one thing your customers will demand before they buy? Credible references: Other satisfied customers; proof you have handled successfully their type of application before.

Traditionally we tackled this with reference lists and case study articles, often posted on-line with relevant photography. Why not kick this up a notch with video case studies so prospects can see and hear your customers talk directly about their experience with your firm?

Video has impact and authenticity. It's flexible; it can be used on-line and in sales presentations. It is searchable and shareable on the Web, and views can be tracked and quantified. And there is growing evidence that on-line video has a solid place in B-to-B marketing communications and PR programs.

A recent study by Knowledge Storm Inc.
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Finally, we're seeing some early positive indicators among the headlines about the economic situation. They remind us that, eventually, things will turn around. When, how much and how fast are anyone's guess. And there may be more bumps in the road, depending on your industry and company health.

But as we make our way through 2009 and prepare for 2010, it's time to change our thought process from "marketing in a downturn" to "marketing in the recovery." But it isn't just about remembering what to do with a real budget.

Things have changed.

This recession coincided with other changes in the B-to-B marketing landscape. We think it has accelerated some changes and that the marketing landscape in the recovery will not be the same as the one pre-recession.

• The media have changed. Some of the changes are jarring - some storied print properties have gone out of existence.
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While B-to-B blogs are prevalent, a lot of well-intentioned business leaders have yet to take the plunge for one reason or another. If that is the case with you, here are some things to consider when you’re ready to create your own B-to-B blog. 

1. Choose someone to be responsible for your company blog.

Your company blog is not a marketing tool, it’s a communications tool. For it to be useful, choose someone to over see it who understands your brand footprint, your products and or services and has the ability to communicate those company attributes. Let them be responsible for maintaining the blog. A blog is about being timely and current, so choose someone who has the interest to stay on top of what it is that your company is doing. Choose someone who has the same enthusiasm as you do for your company to succeed.

2. A name, is a name, is a name.

Wrong, wrong, wrong.
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We were recently contacted by Elisabeth A. Sullivan, a staff writer for Marketing News, a publication of the American Marketing Association. She asked if we had noticed a decline in interest in corporate or B-to-B blogging, and wondered if this Web 2.0 phenomenon would prove to be another flash in the pan, disappearing from sight by the time we emerge from our current economic woes. (Read the story.)

We responded that blogging is more than just one thing. As with any other use of a medium, new or old, it depends on your objectives, your market, and your marketing communications strategy.

Specifically, we’ve seen a number of different uses of blogging technology, all of which have a different role in today’s marketing mix:

• As an exercise in executive vanity, they are definitely on the wane.
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Understanding how your audience seeks information at various parts of the buying process is a key factor in determining the right media channels to utilize. While it is not easy or practical to assume everyone in your target market has the exact same motivations and behaviors, there are usually some strong similarities. The Pew Internet & American Life Project has an interesting online quiz, where after ten questions regarding the information technology you use, they can determine what typology group you fall under.

http://www.pewinternet.org/quiz/quiz.asp

I took the quiz, and as it turns out, I was classified as a “Connector.” While I don’t agree 100% with the classification, for the most part it was right. Connectors tend to utilize their cell phones and all of its options quite frequently; they go online to connect with people and manage digital content.
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Earlier this year I posted a commentary about branding in uncertain times. I started the post by writing, “It looks like we are in for some uncertain economic times”. At the time there was some doubt. Today, there is no doubt about it; we are in very uncertain times.

Personally, I am trying not to get sucked too deep into the doom and gloom. I am trying to live in the spirit of the Chinese proverb – “May you live in interesting times”. I am trying to get my head around the idea that these uncertain times are interesting times and the perfect opportunity to rethink what needs to get done and how we have done it before, and how we might do it today.

Uncertain times are not new. There have been survivors of previous uncertain times. Those survivors adopted an attitude that acknowledged that sales don’t completely go away and that the market will rebound.
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It’s time to come to terms with MySpace, Facebook and LinkedIn. Or as some of my coworkers like to call it, “MyFaceSpace.” No matter what you call it or how you slice it, the time has come to familiarize yourself with social networking.

Many of us have found it’s the best way to keep in touch with our kids, old college friends or family living afar. However there is another valuable use for social networking and it lives within the B2B/B2C world.

According to Jake Swearingen of BNet.com, “online networks can help you hire the right people, market your product – or even find a manufacturer.” Social networking opens the door for previous unknowns to “meet” and
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