“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 have really enjoyed the Winter Olympics this year. Perhaps it is because of the especially cold and snowy winter we have endured – or perhaps it is that I am truly in awe of the athletes who can spin, jump and fly on skis. And it is easier than in years past to indulge in Olympic fever, with a multitude of media channels providing in-depth exposure. Television and online dominate the coverage, and corporate sponsors have embraced both. Visa or other sponsors go beyond logo inclusion and running tv spots, many have very extensive integrated campaigns – including social media.

Social media has played a big part of these games. Even companies who are not officially sponsors have tried to get in on the action
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As a new medium for delivering a message, mobile marketing has been thrust into the spotlight - ready or not. As B2B marketers, we have to realize is that it’s about increasing our creativity (choosing the right format and targeting the right message) to reach the right audience. No more are we limited to a brief text message (“Send a text to 22222 to see if you’ve won”) to collect limited information or try to communicate a more involved marketing message.

With the advent of technology platforms like e-readers (is the Kindle on your Christmas list?), smaller computers (my Smartphone is better than your Netbook), portable entertainment units (if I could ever get my son off the PS3) and even navigation systems (yes, your GPS is watching you) the doors are opening to many more possibilities for your message to reach your B2B audience. But which one is the right one for you and what’s the right message to send?

Part of learning how these
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You have to cut back your marketing budget. There’s no easy answer on what to keep and what to sacrifice. But by investing more time—not more money—online marketing can still be an effective part of your btob marcom program. Even in uncertain times.

Focus on content.
This is the first, and persistent, item on my list. You must commit to producing fresh and valuable content. Better content means a better site, search rankings, and user experience—which support better conversions. If you aren’t willing to commit to producing content then there’s no point in reading on.

Leverage social media.
More marketers are using social media,
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A few weeks ago, I presented a new technology to a group here at Godfrey. I started off by asking if any of them were twittering? A few (mostly under the age of 30) were, but the majority of those in the room had not heard of Twitter.

So what is Twitter? It is designed as a service for friends, family, and co-workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent "updates".

Text based posts or “tweets” are limited to 140 characters and can be sent to the Twitter web site, SMS, to your mobile phone, instant messaging or a third-party application such as Facebook.

USA Today recently ran a good article summarizing the history and craze of Twitter. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/2008-07-20-twitter-tweet-social-network_N.htm

Sounds like another way to stay
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I attended a major semiconductor industry trade show last week. It’s always great to see the creativity and passion that B-to-B marketers pour into creating a positive trade show experience for their customers and prospects. Cool displays, working demo’s, educational seminars, even the hospitality functions. They are all part of the experience.

We are big believers in the personal selling power of trade shows. Unfortunately, many of these marketers miss a big opportunity by failing to put the same amount of effort and investment into creating a great web site experience for their customers and prospects. After all, a major industry trade show typically takes place once a year and lasts just a few days. The web, however, is 24/7/365. It deserves to be as creative, functional, educational and engaging as any trade show booth.

We go through an exercise with marketers where we walk through all of the elements of a successful trade show, and then apply
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More sophisticated sites offer product comparisons and tools that enable customers to better choose their own solutions. But even something as simple as a brochure, offered as a free downloadable pdf, can go a long way towards deepening the relationship between you and potential customers.

As you provide customers with tools and information, remember to instill a level of confidence. Customer testimonials are helpful, but only if they are genuine and presented well.

Validation from outside sources, like trade organizations and government agencies, also goes a long way toward instilling confidence in your company. Consider including their logos on your Web site where visitors will see them.
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A recent article in B2B Magazine cites moves by B-to-B media companies Reed Elsevier, United Business Media and Ziff Davis that, collectively, point to the difficulties trade publishers are having in managing the migration from print to online.

Ziff Davis filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing a decrease in revenue from print advertising and subscriptions. UBM announced that it had restructured CMP and eliminated the CMP name. And Reed Elsevier put its Reed Business Information unit on the block.

While we are not happy to see reputable trade publishers suffering, the future belongs to those who leverage technology and find, or hold on to, the B-to-B audience. As we discuss in our white paper on this topic, trade magazine publishers once owned the franchise as aggregators of information.
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I’m back in the creative seat again. I volunteered to step in and head our creative staff after we agreed Jim Everhart, my predecessor, should spearhead our hyperintegration efforts.

I’m looking at things from a slightly different perspective now – a perspective of someone with a lead “creative” title and responsibilities. As I remove my account manager hat, something strikes me. We creative folks have more tools at our disposal – blogs, podcasts, email marketing, and the list goes on. Our primary function has always been to think of new and unique ways to tell our client’s story, demonstrate a benefit and craft compelling ways to reach out to a marketer’s various constituents – engineers, channel partners, integrators, other influencers and ultimately, end-users.

Sure, we still need to apply our traditional creative skills, but we now have these new, exciting tools at our disposal.
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Once you get customers to your site, make sure it’s a site you’re proud of. Keep it clean and uncluttered. First impressions are important and provide opportunities to immediately engage visitors with information that meets their needs.

Begin by providing a brief description of who you are, including the products and services that you offer, along with language that relates to the visitors need or problem. Don’t give people a reason to leave your site too early. Addressing their “pain issues” up front rather then burying them deeper in your site will encourage visitors to stay longer. Avoid industry speak, and keep your history and mission statement off the home page, reserving this valuable real estate to tell visitors how you can help them. Make the site easy to navigate and the source of relevant content that is short, simple and to the point.
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