What if you were a B2B marketing manager and a media rep called on you and said, "I have just the circulation you need. Every one of our subscribers is in the industries you serve. They all have expressed an interest in one or more of the products you make or services you provide. What's more, they have actually expressed an interest in YOUR products or services. Now don't you want to invest some marketing dollars to turn their interest into leads for your sales force?"

Well, would you? Of course you would. How could a B2B trade magazine make such claims? It couldn't. But you may be sitting on a "circulation" that can. It's your prospect (or inquiry) data base. And if you haven't been cultivating it and turning inquiries into interested and qualified leads, then you've missed out on one of the most efficient marketing communications tactics you could have been using during the 2009 economic downturn.

As we turn the corner into a recovery, take a fresh look
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The economy has taken a down turn but that doesn’t mean marketing tactics have to completely dissolve – it just means they have to adapt. There are various cost-effective ways to continually reach your audience, whether to generate leads, build brand or maintain awareness. The key is to continually integrate them into your marketing program throughout the year.

E-newsletters have become a very popular marketing tool and with the cut back of marketing dollars, you can definitely “do more with less”. Make sure that you not only develop an engaging piece but you reach your audience on a regular basis - whether weekly, monthly or quarterly. Think “campaign”, not just a single deployment.

To help drive traffic to your e-newsletter and grow your database, update your web site to include standard links to sign up for the newsletter. Integrating them into the navigation or including them at the bottom of each page will allow your audience
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E-mail never takes a vacation. After a week out of the office, I came back to an overflowing inbox. Buried among the angry red urgent flags and endless conversation trails of my co-workers were my opt-in e-newsletters. As I began the battle against my inbox, I considered the plight of every e-mail marketer. What chance did these non-essential, preference-based communications stand among the mountain of the must-do-right-now tasks? What determined, my finger poised above the delete button, which marketer’s messages would be spared, and which ones sentenced to an unopened death?

Here are some ideas on e-marketing tactics to increase your chances of inbox survival.

Break through the clutter.
Make sure your subject line is short and demonstrates a reason to read the e-mail. The shorter and more compelling the subject line, the higher the response rate.
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