B-to-b marketing budgets appear to be in good shape this year, with more than half of marketers expecting the purse strings to loosen up. While interactive tactics will gain from that increase and see the most growth, traditional media will still command the bulk of the budget. Read the complete article on BtoBOnline.

Budget forecasters are predicting that spending on large events will be down this year. But that's not an umbrella forecast for all types of events. Instead, marketers intend to increase financing for smaller, more targeted meetings such as executive breakfasts and roundtables.

According to a recent study, "B2B Marketers' 2008 Budget Trends," by Forrester Research, which surveyed 369 marketing professionals online during September and October 2007, almost 50% of those surveyed said they would increase spending on executive seminars and events. That represents the largest projected increase among all marketing and advertising budget categories, including public relations, print advertising, direct mail and sponsorships.

Assessing intangibles

"These marketers understand that business decision-makers rely on peer testimonial, face-to-face gatherings and outside authorities to help them assess intangibles like legitimacy, credibility and trustworthiness—factors difficult to convey in both online and traditional activities," according to the report.

Although 27% said they would increase spending on trade shows while 22% said they would decrease trade show spending, survey respondents did admit to spending more on large, trade-sponsored events then any other budget category.

However, according to the study, "Client conversations and other anecdotal stories show that b-to-b marketers waste money when they scurry around last minute to staff the booth and expect show-related traffic, or a favorable booth placement, to produce leads. B-to-b marketers who fail to build interactive campaigns that preview show-specific offers, invite attendees to on-site executive briefings and continue booth conversations via e-mail should look to spend their money elsewhere."

Analyst Laura Ramos, a VP at Forrester and the principal author of the report, explained that marketers are moving away from large events, but added, "they told us that one-to-one contact is still very important in the negotiated sales process that [is going on] in b-to-b marketing and selling." Read the complete article on BtoBOnline.

The 2007 Forrester Research Study just released through American Business Media simultaneously examined more than 800 marketers who operate in the business media space and 800 end-users to provide an assessment of the current state and value of business-to-business media.

In summary, the report finds that:

• Business decision makers (BDMs) are shifting to digital media use at a faster rate than B2B marketers are adopting this media

• Industry-specific media are more effective at reaching BDMs than general business media

• While each of the key industry-specific media demonstrates unique strengths, they are most effective when used together in an integrated manner

• Industry-specific media extend the reach and effectiveness of the B2B marketer’s sales organization

• B2B marketers plan to underutilize industry-specific media in their future spending compared to BDM’s expected use of these media

Download the presentation from the American Business Media website.

Highlights of the findings:

Integrating customer data is the greatest challenge for marketers, according to a survey of marketing industry executives by Alterian. The enterprise marketing software company conducted the survey at its Annual Summit last month.

Forty-three percent of respondents said their e-mail marketing channel is integrated with offline channels such as direct mail, according to Alterian, and 12% said it is integrated with online channels such as search, Web sites and RSS. A third (33%) said e-mail is a standalone channel for them. Read the complete article on BtoBOnline.

The IT vertical encompasses multiple subcategories—networking, security, storage, application development and wireless, to name a few—but companies successfully marketing to the professionals in this space have found there are some strategies and tactics that have universal appeal. Read the complete article on BtoBOnline.

When enterprise infrastructure software and services provider Novell debuted its "Your Linux Is Ready" campaign last August, the objective was twofold: to introduce the company's SUSE Linux platform and to establish Novell as a serious player in the Linux market. Read the complete article on BtoBOnline.

Widgets. Blogs. Social networks. RSS feeds. Wikis. Wireless. The list of applications and services that fall under the Web 2.0 umbrella seems to grow on a daily basis; and as it grows so, too, do the opportunities to market and cross-promote using...Read the complete article on BtoBOnline.

As b-to-b marketers launch new products, make acquisitions and seek to reposition themselves in a highly competitive landscape, they are using a variety of marketing tools and strategies to reach vertical industry segments. Read the complete article on BtoBOnline.

Genalytics, a data analytics software company, announced at the Direct Marketing Association’s DM Days conference in New York last week that it has introduced On-Demand Targeting for b-to-b campaigns. The product is designed to allow marketers to... Read the complete article on BtoBOnline.

CMP executives share highlights of the 2007 Technology Marketing Study and the 2006 Purchase Process Study. Viewers will learn about: indelible trends in technology marketing, and the dynamics that shape them, integration -- how online, print, and events work together to accomplish marketing goals, the importance of managing, not just generating, qualified leads, and the influence of new media types including video, in the marketing mix of the future. Moderated by BtoB’s Senior Reporter, Kate Maddox, this webinar gives the viewer research-based insights on how to successfully market to B2B technology customers. View the webcast archive...

Webcasting provides a unique way to communicate more effectively with widespread software architects, developers, and managers, system administrators, IT professionals, prospects and partners. Webinars incorporate live streaming video, audio and interactive chat technologies to create informative and stimulating presentations at a fraction of the cost associated with in-person meetings and presentations. Beyond cost and time savings, the true value of the Webinar is when the viewer gains valuable insight that contributes to the success of their business or career.

For technology marketers, Webinars have grown into a proven lead-generation vehicle. You can cost-effectively broadcast in-depth messages and interact with a targeted, highly qualified audience in real time. The data gathered through registration, polling, and feedback surveys can build a powerful audience profile. Marketers can use this intelligence to measure the effectiveness of the campaign and build relationships with customers, partners and prospects. Download this document?