I just got back to my desk after a week of vacation and 2 days of conferencing at the MarketingProfs B2B Forum and I must say, the conference was one of the best I've been to. I haven't figured out what the underlying reasons were for this reaction, but it was nevertheless a great opportunity to network and change the way you think.
Top events at the MarketingProfs B2B Forum
Here are a few things that absolutely stood out:
- Sandy Carter's talk (from IBM) on the actions they are taking in the social media space. What a great set of examples. (http://www.booksbysandy.com/)
- Amy Africa's website optimization 'family feud'. The format was put on as a family feud instead of the typical PowerPoint and speech with case studies. It was filled with facts and ideas that might not even fit into Santa's gift bag. What a great, invigorating way to get key concepts across. (http://www.eightbyeight.com/)
- The 20 minute one-on-ones put on by experts in different fields. These included web usability, SEO, social networking and others. These were free and certainly give you some great ideas to get you out of your rut.
- he keynotes were great. Steven Johnson certainly made clear how he has been successful at social media and the effects of being of the cover of Time magazine. Barry Schwartz had some interesting points about bringing forth a new moral order.
Key B2B marketing problems
But the interesting question was the difficulty B2B marketers have in determining marketing effectiveness. Especially since they are trying to improve their marketing mixes, deliver better on corporate objectives and finally prove marketing’s contribution to sales. The key areas still looking for answers include:- Last touch attribution
- Objectives-based budgeting v. media-based budgeting
- Sales and marketing alignment and collaboration
- The definition of a lead
- An inward-looking view of marketing as opposed to a consumer-centered approach
I’m sure there are many others. If you have any thoughts, I would love to hear from you.
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