B-to-B Insights : True or False

Dispelling five modern myths of B-to-B marketing

“Your Web site is your office, the formal place of your business,” says copywriter Susanna K. Hutcheson. “Your blog, Facebook, Twitter—these are the water cooler and the lunchroom. Informal places where you make contacts, much like the golf courses and country clubs of the 1950s.”

3. The myth: Direct mail is dead as a B-to-B lead generation tool.
The reality: Direct mail is still very much alive.

Despite the prediction that e-mail would make snail mail obsolete, the Winterberry Group reports that spending for direct mail marketing in the U.S. was $58.4 billion in 2007, a 5 percent increase over the previous year.

“Although much B-to-B lead gen has moved online, direct mail is still very effective,” says copywriter Ed Gandia. “In fact, in working with clients on lead generation strategy and campaigns, I’ve found that response to direct mail campaigns can sometimes be higher than that of e-mail. Also, I find direct mail to be extremely effective in lead-nurturing efforts—often much more so than e-mail.”

How could this be? According to Gandia, with so many B-to-B marketers rushing online during the past five years, a strong, personalized direct mail piece actually stands out. And pieces that stand out often get read, which leads to greater response and high return on marketing investment—even higher than many e-mail and social media efforts, in some cases.

“In the end, you need a little of everything. Direct mail alone won’t save you,” Gandia admits. “But [it] can be a crucial part of a successful B-to-B marketing mix, regardless of what might be more fashionable or hip at the moment.”

4. The myth: E-mail marketing is an old-school online marketing channel and, with spam filters and firewalls, doesn’t work anymore.
The reality: It does, despite the challenges of e-mail deliverability.

Some marketing theorists dismiss e-mail marketing as outmoded push or interruption technology. Their belief is that prospects shun communications sent to them and instead respond only to communications they initiate and control, like social media, blogs and online search.

But research shows that people still pay attention and respond to e-mail. A study at Loughborough University found that users take action, on average, in less than two minutes upon notification that new e-mail is waiting for them.

The most effective e-mail marketing, however, may not be renting outside e-lists of B-to-B prospects. A better strategy is to build your own opt-in e-list, typically by offering a free e-newsletter subscription or other valuable free content. According to a report by Forrester Research, opt-in lists (such as e-newsletter subscriber lists) retain 49 percent of their subscribers over time—more than double the retention rate of compiled or harvested e-lists.

5. The myth: White papers are old hat—a transparent marketing ploy masquerading as real content that B-to-B prospects see right through.
The reality: Free content—and that includes white papers—has never been a more effective marketing tool than it is today.

Web 2.0 evangelists champion blogs over white papers, presumably because blogs are user-generated content and therefore more unbiased, while white papers are company-generated content and therefore promotional.

However, in my view, when it comes to quality and value of content, white papers often trump blogs. Many blogs are unfocused ramblings of an individual whose credentials are unknown or unproven. White papers, though they may have marketing objectives, are carefully crafted to deliver valuable content—because without good content, they won’t achieve their marketing goals.

“Social media, blogs and user-generated content are of great value, yet have one major shortcoming,” says white paper writer Michael Stelzner. “They require constant innovation and fresh content to transform lookers to prospects. Alternatively, the single, well-crafted white paper can deliver a steady stream of quality leads for literally years.

“Given shrinking marketing budgets and greater pressure to perform, I would stick with what we know works.” Stelzner notes that a recent study by TechTarget places white papers the No. 1 marketing material among buyers.

Bob Bly is a freelance copywriter and the author of more than 70 books, including “The White Paper Marketing Handbook” (Racom). You can find him on the Web at www.bly.com, e-mail him at rwbly@bly.com or phone (201) 385-1220.

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