NEW: Fred Schebesta

Online marketing goes beyond maintaining a website and sending emails. It’s now about integrating many available tools, as today’s podcast explains.

B2B marketing online

This week I spoke to Angela Schuster, who worked in online marketing at ASX-listed Integrated Research, an Australian software company that sells IP telephony diagnostic tools. Schuster, who has recently left to start her own consultancy on web integrated marketing, talked to me about:

• How Integrated Research used online marketing to win big companies as clients.
• Five tips on business to business online marketing.

Dowload the podcast here. 

Here are the key take-away messages of the podcast:

Integration is key. The strength in online marketing is to integrate all the available tools. Don’t just think of it as website.

Online marketing isn’t simple and most companies are sure what they should achieve online, many people think it’s a website and email. They don’t think about how they are going to drive traffic, how people will respond. Needs to be more strategic thinking applied.

Content is king. You really need to make sure that content is of value to readers, not just marketing hype. It needs to be perceived as value by readers, especially if you are wanting them to give you information. Instead of trying to sell something, offer advice to solve a problem. Later when they want to buy, they are more likely to engage with you.

Don’t focus on lead generation, focus on lead qualification so you can present real prospects to the sales team. Build a group of leads, qualify them and then you’ll know when they are ready for the sales person.

Tracking and metrics are absolutely critical. True marketing value needs to be measured in contribution, sales, revenue or profit. You need to implement strategies that allow you to track marketing activity to sales. That will prove marketing value without a doubt.

Angela and Fred are keen to take questions.

Next week: Fred will talk to a top copywriter (who supplies Fred’s business) about seven ways to write sizzling copy.

To read more Fred Schebesta blogs, click here.