Research Outlines Marketing Best Practices Based on Consumption Patterns of Blogs, Video, RSS and Online Networks

The study, The Rise of B2B Applications-Based Media, reveals that the usage of emerging media among IT decision-makers has increased considerably over the past year, with video and blogs experiencing the most increased usage for work-related information. This latest study is part of TechWeb's ongoing Business Technology Media Engagement Research series.

Key study highlights include:

-- Increased Usage of Emerging Media Applications: business technology decision makers are utilizing emerging media applications more frequently to obtain work-related information, as compared to last year.

-- More Growth Expected: business technology decision makers currently using emerging media intend to consume even more in the coming year - even those who are not currently using emerging media applications.

-- Engagement with Emerging Media Leads to Action: when business technology decision makers interact with emerging media, they continue to look for related information.

For more information on this research, email Scott Vaughan.

Blogs, RSS, podcasting, social networks. As the Web has evolved, the time it has taken new technologies—even grass-roots, beneath-the-radar developments—to move from concept to mainstream has become shockingly brief.

And while we've moved beyond the idea that Web 2.0 technologies will replace wholesale what's come before them, marketers more than ever before must remain vigilant about keeping up to date with what's cutting-edge.

Even in the b-to-b world, where the hype bar is set rather high, marketers can't afford to miss the next big thing in online marketing.

So here are the big five Web/tech trends worth watching right now—and what they mean for b-to-b marketing: Read the complete article on BtoBOnline.

Proving ROI, using new technologies and leveraging partner marketing were key topics at Red Herring's CMO 2008 conference in San Diego last week.

The conference drew more than 300 senior marketing executives, mostly from b-to-b companies, who shared strategies for competing in today's challenging business environment.

One of the hot topics was partner marketing, with presentations by several executives whose companies use channel marketing models.

Stephen DiFranco, corporate VP-corporate and channels marketing at chip maker AMD, discussed how the company has leveraged its partner channel to confront rival Intel Corp. Read the complete article on BtoBOnline.

Search marketing continues to grow and morph, and by all accounts 2008 will bring more of the same.
A major player in the search world is Jeffrey Pruitt, exec VP-search at search agency iCrossing and president of the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO). BtoB recently asked Pruitt to talk about current and future trends in search marketing and the biggest challenges marketers will face in 2008. Read the complete article on BtoBOnline.

Small and midsize businesses are increasing their use of Web 2.0 tools as information sources, providing greater opportunities to marketers that are trying to reach this audience, according to a new study from market research company Bredin Business Information.

The study was based on an online survey in August of 338 business executives at companies with fewer than 500 employees. It examined which online tools SMBs use, how they use them to receive business information and the implications for marketers using Web 2.0 tools to reach SMBs. Read the complete article on BtoBOnline.

Second Life has been called virtual reality and said to work like a 3D social network, heralding the emergence of the 3D Web. But all these terms fall short of accurately describing this unique environment. And the baggage they bring with them menaces literal-minded marketers looking to exploit Second Life's huge potential for reaching and engaging with qualified customers.

Baptie Online has invited John Jainschigg, Executive Director of CMP Metaverse, the virtual worlds consulting and custom events business of CMP Technology, and Fiona Gallagher of Sun Microsystems to share their insights, experiences and the interactive opportunities to reach target audiences.

This webcast is hosted exclusively on Baptie.com, the leading community of sales and marketing executives in the technology industry. To view this webcast archive, you must be a member of the Baptie community. If you are not yet a member but qualify, you should register on the baptie.com site.

For more information about CMP's Metaverse services, email John Jainshigg, Executive Director, CMP Metaverse.

What's the role of Second Life for business? What steps can marketers take to explore these new online communities, invest wisely and achieve outstanding results?

Join John Jainschigg, Director of CMP Metaverse, and Kathy Mandelstein, Director of Worldwide Developer Programs for IBM, for best practices on securing strong ROI from metaverse investments. CMP is the only global multimedia company registered as a metaverse developer, and IBM is one of the largest and most successful users of Second Life, and a strong proponent of 3D virtual reality as a strategic tool for collaboration, customer engagement and marketing. Moderated by Kate Maddox, Senior Reporter, BtoB Magazine and Media Business. View the webcast archive....

To receive the complete list of questions asked on this webcast, and the answers, email John Jainshigg, Executive Director, CMP Metaverse.

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.