Blogs

B2B Social Media works but don’t forget the customer insight

I’ve recently had the privilege of chairing a round table discussion at the CatEx Spring Conference and what an insightful experience it was. My fellow contributors represented a good cross section of B2B distance sellers with a wealth of knowledge gained from being at the front line of customer acquisition and retention.

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What makes a good Project Manager?

From strange geek speak to researching the best way to get unwanted furniture removed from our old offices, on to collecting sales management and board reporting requirements for our CRM system there really is no 'normal' project area.

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Thank Q for That…

Suppression. By its very nature it's always been viewed as a bi-word for the removal of data. In the dark old days of mass marketing and the huge amounts of data purchased for acquisition campaigns, that was fine. It was accepted as an essential step to managing costs, the public perception of brand and, above all, response. And to some extent, it still is.

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NDAs - Confused?

Whether called an NDA, a Non-Disclosure or a Confidentiality Agreement the main purpose of an NDA is to protect your company’s and the other party’s confidential information.

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B2B the new consumer

B2B marketers have always been at a disadvantage when it comes to segmentation. Unlike our B2C colleagues we don’t have geo-demographics and lifestyle characteristics and as a consequence rely on business classification and other business variables to target customers and prospects.

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Friends vs. Functionals

Forget the 4 - or worse - 16 personality types that other theories have come up with - way too complicated. In the interests of mass generalisation I have developed a theory by which you can split everyone you meet at work into (varying degrees of) 2 categories - the Friends and the Functionals.

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Gazing into my crystal ball!?

While clasping my morning coffee, I came across an interesting comment piece focusing on the growing trends in marketing and the shift towards digital media. I found it amusing that the contributors where predominantly from an ‘online’ background and, needless to say, the article was a little one sided!

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Data, Downton and Identity theft!!

Firstly a very happy new year to one and all. As we struggle back to work, feeling a little weary after the festive excesses, we are slowly waking up to the realities of 2012. In a business context it promises to be a challenging year. The primary challenge being that nobody has any vision. It feels like we are heading headlong into a thick fog and instinct dictates that we must lift our foot off the accelerator.

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Top Tips for New Suppression Targets

Earlier this month the DMA announced that it has committed to the Direct Marketing industry increasing the use of suppression files by 25 per cent in 3 years time. Part of a series of tough green targets it has agreed with Defra, the DMA hopes this will reduce waste and fend off the threat of statutory regulation.

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DVLA: Slick Strategy?!

Ok. I confess. I hadn't realised the youthful photograph that adorns my driving licence is not good enough anymore being over 10-years-old. While it might not sound like terribly negligent behaviour on the surface, I had also forgotten to inform DVLA that I changed my address 2 1/2 years ago.

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