Savvy B2B Marketing

Heather

Don't stop believing (or blogging)

I am very bullish on B2B blogging.  I believe it is a critical way to provide prospects with a conversational introduction to your company when they are in research mode.  Hubspot's research  on the state of inbound marketing has shown that "Blogs remain the most important social media channel".  85% rated their blog as Useful (or higher) in business importance.  46% had acquired a customer through a blog generated lead. 

I believe the real reason blogging is on the decline is that blogging isn't easy!   My post on the Top Ten Rules for Blogging has never been more relevant.  There are some steps you can take to make your blog more effective and less painful to implement.  Techniques like this very post where we "crowdsource" answers to hot topics requires us not to write a full elaborate post but rather just a paragraph or two.  I would argue the information is even more relevant and valuable than a single post by only one of us because you can easily see multiple opinions and approaches.

Hang in there.  Blogging isn't dying.  In fact we are just getting starting to really see from companies the kind of conversational tone and transprancy that actually produces thought leadership. 

Wendy

Blog writers are going to be the new black 

I think that blogs are going to become more and more important as we all turn to the internet for our news. As a matter of natural selection, however, only those that stay on target and that constantly add value to the reader will survive. The other ones that, for lack of a better word, simply “pose” at being a blog will fall away.

This means that smart companies are going to have to hire blog writers. A well written post can get your company noticed much more than an expensive campaign sometimes can. Like the tech writers of yore, it's the blog writers who are going to understand how to write for the net, inject voice, and how to place the words on the page so that the reader can scan for the information she needs.

A good blog writer will be worth her weight in gold to any company.  

Stephanie

A Must-Have

As Ardath Albee said in a Focus roundtable last week, a blog is non-negotiable. In a world where B2B marketers are relying on prospective buyers to find them online -- and where fresh content ranks high -- a blog is critical to building and maintaining visiblity.

Just as with every other bit of content, marketers need to produce blogs that resonate with their prospects and customers. Going forward, I envision more B2B blogs being structured for easy navigation by role and stage in the buying process.

Jamie

 Not dead, but evolving

Blogging is far from dead. Although it may seem old hat to those of us who've been at it for a while, there is still massive untapped potential in the audiences who have yet to engage with the medium. However, I see blogging evolving at a pretty fast pace. Blogs now have to compete against a wide array of other social media. To be viable and stand out from the crowd, the B2B blog of today and tomorrow is going to have to step it up a notch or two. The same old-same old isn't going to cut it. Companies need to get focused on their strategy, understand the needs of their readers, set realistic goals, and get creative with their content. I think we'll also see more hybrids - combining blogs with other formats like micro-blogging, email, etc.

Things will evolve, but as long as there's a hunger for information, blogs will be stickin' around.