One of the most important decisions made in B2B marketing centers around choosing the right media (print, online, social, events, pr, tv/radio etc) to deliver your message. The question each year is how much of your budget do you assign to each category.  Overwhelmingly marketers are being bombarded with the notion that print as a media is becoming a less relevant part of the mix.

Is that true though?

Not based on recent research conducted by Readex Research. In a Media Usage Studies survey of 2,095 professionals between September 2010 and May 2011, when asked which media is used regularly in their work, respondents shared that:

• 77%  regularly use of search engines,
• 74% regularly use print publications,
• 74% regularly use e-newsletters,
• 55% trade/industry publications websites.

Furthermore, the survey revealed that “Of the nine forms of media listed, 55% indicated they used five or more, and only 5% indicated they used only one.” What we learn here is that instead of one media form (digital) replacing another (print), individuals are increasing the number of media types they are using in their work.

Translation: To increase the strength of your marketing, your message needs to permeate all the media channels being used by your customers. And according to this survey, PRINT must be one of them.

The internet is evolving, and online marketing strategies are evolving with it.  In the past year we’ve seen some major changes in the ways visitors find websites; traditional advertising is no longer as much of a mainstay as it once was; social media campaigns are growing in influence while organic search results remain the foundation of most strong online marketing operations.

Here is what a survey of over 4,000 internet users by Forrester Research in 2010 reveals about how users find websites:

• 61% of adults say they still find websites using natural search results; 39% of those users say they trust these results.  57% of consumers under the age of 18 say they trust search engine results – and the majority of all of these users say they trust search engine results more than they trust social networking results or even major media advertising like television.  Search engine results remain the number 1 traffic driver online – as they have since this survey began in 2003.
• The next biggest traffic driver is referrals.  Word of mouth is so effective that 1 out of every 3 consumers surveyed say they visit websites their friends and family tell them about via email.
• Paid advertising is now the least effective method of driving traffic to a website.  Paid advertising will still get you impressions, but it’s harder than ever to translate those impressions into views – or conversions.  A mere 3% of surveyed adults say they visit websites from paid advertisements.  The effectiveness of paid search advertising has dropped by 10% since only two years ago.
• Social media marketing has been holding steady as a major traffic driver.  16% of adult internet users find websites through social media profiles and links.  This is the same percentage as follow television ads to websites – and a lot less expensive for internet marketers!
• Reiteration is good.  20% of users who view a paid advertisement online choose to search for that website’s organic results before visiting the website.  These organic results add validity to your site; users trust them more than they trust your paid advertisement.  Be sure to market yourself in more than one way.

How does Age Impact Surfing Habits?

• Social media has been gathering ground for consumers of all ages but has a particularly powerful influence over surfers age 30 and below.  Even though organic results are still the primary way younger consumers find websites, social media is a close second – above even personal recommendations and word of mouth.
• Surfers age 55 and up are significantly less interested in social media (only 7% use social media to find websites).  They are far more likely to rely on referrals from friends and family to find websites.  They also are influenced by print media and interested in content.

In Conclusion:  Additional Tips for Success

• Your paid ads aren’t worthless just because other forms of marketing are taking center stage.  Consider that your paid ads can offer you real-time analytic information along with their functionality as ads.  This analytic data is useful for improving all aspects of your campaign.
• Impressions matter.  Just because your ads don’t seem to be driving clicks directly doesn’t mean they aren’t adding to the overall awareness of your brand.  Remember that many users now view search results after viewing an ad and then navigate to a website – focusing on multiple aspects of your campaign can help target these users.
• Mobile marketing is of growing importance.  1 in 3 internet users under the age of 18 browse the internet at least once a week on their mobile phones.  Target these users to increase your success.

The best approach to marketing your website in 2011 is not to utilize any one form of online marketing by itself – but to combine all of these tools into an all-encompassing, fully integrated campaign.

Post written by Spencer Belkofer of Lumin Consulting.

The reality of branding from a B2B perspective is that marketers were never really in control.  The only control marcom exerts is in communicating the framework for the brand—identifying what the image should be, articulating the brand promise, etc.  However, it’s the customer perception that either validates what we communicate or denies it.

B2B social media enables customers to validate or deny the brand message en masse and in a public, transparent forum.  Customers don’t control the brand, the company does in its behavior throughout the buying cycle and beyond.  If what marcom is communicating about the brand is consistent with the experiences of the buyer, then that should be reflected in the social sphere.

Is B2B Marcom Staying True to the Brand?

Where brands  get into trouble—seemingly “lose control”—is when there’s an inconsistency between what’s being communicated and the company behavior.  If you say you offer great service and you really don’t, then your customers will communicate your lack of service in social media.  Does that cede control of your brand to the customer?  In my opinion… no. Customers  aren’t controlling the brand.  They’re simply reacting to an inconsistency between what marcom is saying and the company’s behavior.  eMarketer points this out in a recent study where a “majority of respondents agreed that the brand must define what a company or product is, and that message should be communicated via various PR and marketing channels, including social media, and that the most effective way to communicate about a brand was to stay true to its message.”  The study also mentioned that when it comes to social media, marketers strayed from the brand message in superficial attempts to create a presence in the social sphere that was inconsistent with the true brand message.

If marcom is saying one thing and the company is behaving contrary to what’s being communicated, the gap will likely be bridged in the social sphere.  I’m not talking about isolated incidents where someone wasn’t happy with the company’s service and complained on a social media site.  There will always be instances where a customer wasn’t completely satisfied, but it’s how the company handles the dissatisfied customer (or not) and the overall long-term satisfaction of all customers that either supports or rejects what marcom communicates as the true brand message.  Aaron Pearson says it best in his blog post, Integrating Social Media with Corporate Website: How Far Can We Take This?, “…ultimately your customer decides what your brand really stands for.”

Are B2B Organizational Silos Preventing Social Media Success?

Because social media impacts more than sales and marketing, organizations need to integrate the stakeholders of social media, such as customer service, tech support and R & D.   As Aaron suggests, “There needs to be a better spirit of cooperation between IT, marketing, advertising, public and corporate communications, sales, and customer service.”  That’s a tall order for large B2B companies where social media is often owned by different groups within the organization, each of which firmly maintains its silo.

So much of the brand image depends on the experience of the consumer and the behavior of the company beyond marcom messages.  Social media quickly uncovers inconsistencies in brand image and actual behavior.  That’s where strong B2B brands have an advantage–they practice what they preach.

Share what your company is doing to integrate social media stakeholders.

Here are more resources on social media-driven organizational changes

Gaura Mishra shares six “seismic shifts” in marcom that are the result of social media. http://www.gauravonomics.com/blog/360-degree-marketing-redux-how-the-social-web-is-changing-the-marketing-communications-ecosystem/

Bob Liodice explained in Advertising Age how the practice of integrated marketing communications (IMC) is impacted by social media and why marketing needs to remove functional silos or at least interconnect them. http://aaasite.org/conferences/2010/Liodice.pdf [Link opens a pdf doc]

Cisco attempted to break down its silos and became a more collaborative organization, after which, John Chambers was named CEO of the year.

Well this week’s #B2Bchat on print advertising and where it fits into today’s marketing mix was a lively discussion. Based on the conversation and what you will read below, from a B2B perspective print advertising (publications and direct mail) has a place and it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere soon.

That’s good news for publishers, and as you will read, marketers are using both channels, print and online, to compliment one another.

Enjoy the read and special thanks go to @KentHuffman for moderating this week for me.

Where should print advertising fit into today’s B2B marketing mix?

• @NathanRKing: Print advertising should be there along side of the digital elements – everything should work cohesively.
• @lewiswebs: Still finding some old-school thought that print is necessary in the marketing mix.
• @b2bento: Nowhere! Without exceptional creative use (like augmented reality, QR) – print advertising is dead.
• @fearlesscomp: Print should be in the mix for one simple reason. The mail box is empty today.
  • @NathanRKing I see @fearlesscomp’s point – less clutter in the mailbox = more visibility for direct mail.
• @kseniacoffman: I treat print as a way to support the pubs in our space; sad I know. Though research @chuckmartin1 shared today suggests 66% of b2b buyers rely on trade press for information – http://bit.ly/d2JKr3.
• @joezuc: Print remains important as one of several media available to marketers that can be optimized for a particular opportunity. With variable print publishing, the same level of personalization that goes in web based communications can now be in print.
• @mentormarketing: I have seen @Vocus use Print to drive Social Media to some success [from my outside perspective].
• @anetah: Understand your customers/prospects preferred marcom channels … Print may or may not be a right fit. Must know your audience.
• @MikeTek: Depends on your market. Some are best reached online. Print has its place, but its shrinking.
• @evoklarry: Print advertising is not dead. Many choose to reach industry professionals through their trade publications.
• @BrennerMichael: Print will always be part of integrated mix but influence is down for sure.
• @martinehunter: Print not dead. Trade pubs still relevant to many b2b buyers, should be in the cohesive mix.
• @ChuckMartin1 Anyone look at the thinness of the B-B pubs lately? Not sure there is a strong print fit.

How have your expectations from print advertising changed?

• @lewiswebs: Never expected much from print – such a low conversion rate – wouldn’t expect that to improve now.
• @fearlesscomp: Print should be part of the mix, but a small part. Buyer personas should drive media selection. Again, buyer personas should drive media selection. Go where buyers go.
• @joezuc: Once again, with variable print publishing, we can have higher expectations again. Anyone here get a postcard with a PURL on it?
• @anetah: Must be relevant w/ print advertising… Targeting, personalization, geo targeting…RELEVANCY is key.

Will the percentage of spending in print advertising increase or decrease in the next 12 months? Why?

• @Karimacatherine: It will decrease but I see print become more relevant because they are competing with so many other media.
• @NathanRKing: Less advertisers could mean better placement in publications for the same cost. Better visibility.
• @Renbor: Stay about the same if you consider pubs and direct mail.
• @fearlesscomp: Print is declining and will continue to decline. I recommend we develop personas and allow users to set preferences. Want print – ok. Want Twitter-OK, want email-OK
• @joezuc: I believe it will decrease, but the money that remains in print will be optimized as it is integrated with online campaigns.
• @EVOKLarry: Print medium doesn’t allow for the same level of creativity as interactive, nor immediacy of return.
  • @NathanRKing: @evoklarry but keep in mind that good print has such high visibility, thus better brand recognition.
• @BrennerMichael: Down for certain! Not dead. I still read print and I have a budget!

What is the main benefit you get today from print advertising?

• @ToniGoSaintsRou:  The value of print ads is not always in immediate sales, but more in reputation & trust building.
• @lewiswebs: Reaching that lead you haven’t reached otherwise, but that’s fading fast.
• @janetdmiller: Print helps establish brand. As a search marketer, without traditional media, it’s tough to get brand searches.
• @NathanRKing: Print is still reaching customers and allows you to target by location (local pubs) & interests (industry/trade mags). Print also allows businesses to reach consumers who aren’t that into social media. (not everyone checks facebook daily).
• @EVOKLarry: Prints biggest benefit may be the targeted approach.
• @mentormarketing: I see the benefit in the shelf life of a print piece which exceeds the tweet lifecycle just started tracking.
• @ckburgess: Longer attention span for print! Longer shelf life.
• @ cuferg: Print increases brand awareness if done well and into targeted trade pubs.
• @EeeGeee You can’t click the escape button… Print is visually friendly, but the downfall is its price efficiency.

What drives the continued decision to advertise in print? Safety? Target Audience? Results?

• @lewiswebs: Target audience should dictate using print and should drive the results you want.
• @EVOKLarry: Clients who invest in their brands, invest in print. Those who are willing to forgo long tail for short gain don’t.
• @ChuckMartin1: Well-accepted measurements (BPA audits, etc.) and habits.
• @ Karimacatherine: What drives print advertiser is known territory. they’ve been doing it for ages.
• @phylliskhare: For my clients still using print – it’s about age demographics

How do you define the success of a print campaign?

• @Renbor: Success is always defined in terms of sales and/or new customers.
• @janetdmiller: Tough to measure offline (print) to online, but I like to try to measure via offers and online signup.
• @cuferg: Most print, the results are nearly impossible to track. WOM results play into it, target audience readership most certainly.
• @lewiswebs: All roads lead to lead gen – did it bring the prospects we expected.
• @fearlesscomp: Measure results against business goals.

What ways do print and online advertising work best together?

• @lewiswebs: Integrated approach with consistent message and branding is best
• @eeegeee: As mentioned before, direction to website & also print ads can have promotions and benefits (as well as special online promos)
• @NathanRKing: Print can work brand awareness, digital can help close the sale.
• @b2bspecialist: Print & online will work well if they are integrated. Ad in print goes to ad on site/ Article in print goes to article on site
• @janetdmiller: I think print (and other traditional media) do a nice job at driving awareness and brand searches.
• @SUPPORT2point0: Q9: Print and digital like PB&J. Can’t make a quality sandwich with half.

Has the introduction the iPad had any impact of your thinking?

• @Renbor:  It will enhance print ads as more people read traditional print on iPad.
• @fredmcclimans:    Yes, the iPad has me rethinking the way that journalism is created (melding of medias). Can’t wait til the markets full of iPads, dPads (droid pads) & mPads (msft pads). New energy for publishers!
• @NathanRKing: iPad will allow for more interactive ads in digital publications.
• @jeremyvictor: It certainly has impacted my thought process relative to contributing content to publications – more interested now.

As I said, it was a lively discussion, and a lot of good thoughts were shared. Thanks to all who participated. Join us for next week’s #B2Bchat on LinkedIn, Thursday, June 10th at 8pm Eastern (5pm Pacific) by following the hashtag #B2Bchat! Follow @B2B_chat for updates.

It’s easy to be impressed by new smart phones, touch screen displays and other technologies that seem to appear out of nowhere.  But there’s always evidence right in front of us that reveals what our lives might be like in the future if we only pay attention. These changes have, and will have profound effects on marketing.

Individually they can be viewed as breakthroughs, but they complicate marketer’s ability to achieve ROI.  Why?  Innovations don’t integrate well with established technologies.

We’ve all professed our sophisticated integration, but the reality is we live in a disaggregated and inefficient marketing world.  Lack of integration isn’t all our faults. As a culture, we suffer from a lack of platform integration.  Despite the fact that consumers overlap their media, various media platforms aren’t connected, especially in a manner that would allow measurement.  But that will all change.

In this three-part series I will investigate the future of marketing from the customer experience (today’s post), the marketer and then the implications on channel mix today and for the future.

So let’s take a peek into what our business and social lives might be like in ten years from the customer’s perspective.  I’ll paint a picture of our future in an attempt to encourage you, and possibly give you ideas that will help us all realize this future sooner.  I won’t predict flying cars and surrogate beings, but rather, a more probable future based on research and technology trends from today.

Lets look at our world ten years from now, in April 2020, through the eyes of Jessica (the most popular baby girl’s name in the U.S. in 1995).

She is a 25-year-old professional woman, and this is a perspective on what her typical workday might be like:

6:00 A.M. – Jessica’s Cloud Acquisition Device (CAD) wakes her up with her favorite songs or sounds.  The Cad is cradled on her nightstand in one of many Cloud Acquisition Ports (CAP) located throughout her apartment.  Jessica voice-enables the 10-minute snooze and drifts back to sleep.

• the cloud will run all our applications and data delivery:  http://bit.ly/9w4teD
• device integration is the future of the internet:   http://bit.ly/cGfCOn

6:10 A.M. – The sweet sounds of encouragement wake her up again, and after 15 seconds shifts to a voice-calendar reminder of her day’s schedule.  Jessica’s cloud is tailored to her life, with calendar, personal and work database, music, television programs, movies, internet, social networks and more – all contextually delivered and selected to improve her efficiency and happiness.

• contextual search will become much more refined:  http://bit.ly/buhdUb

6:20 A.M. - Jessica grabs her CAD and plugs it into the port next to her bathroom sink where it displays world and local news, financial market activity and weather on a video screen.  Jessica catches up on news while she gets ready for her day.

• TV’s will become intelligent video portals for streaming content:  http://bit.ly/dAfSzw

7:15 A.M. – Jessica grabs her CAD from her bedroom CAP and brings it into the kitchen where it wirelessly connects to the CAP.  Her mother calls her to remind her about her father’s upcoming birthday, and the CAD seamlessly transitions between news and the video chat session with her mother.  After the call, Jessica voice-enables her calendar and adds her father’s birthday and a reminder to shop for his gift when she gets home tonight.  The CAD is charged wirelessly, eliminating the need for cords.

• technology eliminates the need for wire cords: http://bit.ly/ajbCvy

7:45 A.M. –  Jessica attaches her non-invasive, audio/microphone button behind her ear (over the external acoustic meatus bone which transmits sound without ear damage). Then she is out the door and into her electric car.  Her CAD delivers music and podcasts to her ear button, which is legal while driving because it doesn’t block external noise. Her CAD still seamlessly integrates with her car’s audio and navigation device, and verbal commands direct her music, traffic reports synched to her destination, news, internet search or phone call options while also providing audio navigation (if necessary).

• Non-invasive headphone conducts through bone: http://bit.ly/avIeiD

8:10 – As Jessica parks in her building, her CAD  synchs with her monthly parking status (paid) to open the gate.

8:15 A.M. -  As she enters her office building, the international coffee chain using location-based services reminds her that she has 12 credits left.  This is the only audio advertising reminder she has enabled Monday-Friday.  Once in her office, Jessica plugs her CAD into the CAP, which recognizes her location and delivers her business desktop through a CAP screen.  She removes her ear button because the audio and microphone wireless systems in her office are highly focused and efficient.

9:30 A.M. – While doing research for a 10:00 A.M. client meeting, Jessica discovers the most recent and relevant contextual data available for her client’s products.  Her options are organized by news articles, research, business strategies, trademarks and legal issues, competitive products, pricing and customer insight.  Search results are no longer organized by “video, images, blogs, books and discussions” because these options exist within each result.  Each option is organized chronologically, with search variable control.

• The future of contextual search:  http://bit.ly/aCUjBZ

Noon – Anticipating a lunch break at 12:30, Jessica voice-enables her food option network and chooses a Thai salad from the salad restaurant around the corner from her building.  The salad is purchased with her CAD-enabled, password protected bank account, and the salad is ready to be picked up at 12:30.  She dons her ear button and leaves the office.

At the restaurant, Jessica grabs an impromptu candy bar at the counter and pays by swiping her CAD.  All of a sudden Jessica remembers she needs a birthday card for a co-worker, but doesn’t know where a card shop is located near her building.  She voice- enables a search for “birthday card shop” and audio directions for a pedestrian are delivered.  Once the card is purchased using her CAD, Jessica returns to the office to work while she eats her salad (some things never change).  All her social networks are integrated into a single user interface allowing her to stay in touch during her day without spending too much time on it.

• Location based and personalized advertising: http://bit.ly/ddYF8B

2:30 P.M. -  A client meeting begins and Jessica uses her CAD as the lead device for the team.  It plugs into the CAP in a conference room and establishes audio and videoconference connections to eight locations via the invites in the calendar.  Jessica selects the presentation from her CAD and seamlessly controls the screen that everyone sees during the meeting.  Data reduction technologies have transformed our ability to share large files over pipes that have not expanded as much as they have in other countries. All CAP’s have file reduction filters that reduce the density of data to enhance speed.

The conference is recorded and notes are logged for future access and work flow.

5:30 P.M. - A good friend calls Jessica and invites her to a social meet-up that night where live auditions are being broadcast for a popular reality TV show.   Live video venues stream concerts, theatre, church, government proceedings, legal disputes and parades, with screens and sound closely replicating the feel of being there.  This becomes a more affordable and accessible means of attending “live” events.  They agree to meet at 6:30.

• Streaming from live events:  http://bit.ly/bsMjAs

6:30 P.M. - Jessica uses her CAD to buy admission and dinner while at the event.

8:00 P.M. - Once home, Jessica plugs in her CAD and settles down at the portable screen on her coffee table.  Reclining on the couch, she enables her online persona, which accesses her profile that was previously created and saved, including likes and dislikes for every category relevant to her.   Her search results offer a plethora of gift ideas for her father, easily purchased and delivered without any concerns about identity theft or creeps hacking her real identity.

• Online personal profile: http://bit.ly/btlihX

11 P.M. - Once in bed, Jessica voice-enables her alarm and reads from her wireless reader, which drifts to sleep-mode after Jessica.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this peek into our collective future and it’s given you some inspiration for innovation.  Don’t settle on expected marketing.  Know your target, research the options and create a marketing plan that will engage and inspire.  Let me know what you think.

In my next post, I’ll report about Jessica’s world from the marketer’s perspective.  What will these technology innovations mean for us as we try to sculpt the most effective marketing plans?  Until then, enjoy the moment.

---

About The B2Bblogger: Dan co-founded the Chicago public relations and search engine optimization firm, Vivid Ascent, to change the definition of integrated marketing.  By placing Internet behavior at the center of how people buy, public relations, advertising, website design and social media become much more powerful.

Prior to Vivid Ascent Dan was the Global Director of Advertising for Accenture.  He spent the first twelve years of his career at J. Walter Thompson and was President of the International Advertising Association (IAA) Chicago Chapter for five years. You can read more from Dan at Vivid Ascent’s PR, social media and SEO blog or follow him on Twitter @danielmobrien.

---

In my effort to connect you with the information you care about, I find myself on BtoB blogs pretty much all day. With the execption of Folio announcing the closing of magazines or the restructing at publishing companies,  I’ve seen little to no chatter at all about print advertising in 2010.

Tom Pick, on The WebMarketCentral blog, just yesterday did offer an interesting perspective when he asked the question, “Will content marketing kill trade publications?” While interesting, it does emphasize what I am not seeing or hearing – and that’s how one should incorporate print advertising into the 2010 marketing mix.

That just seems odd- for this time of year to not be hearing the marketing mix discussion including print. Doesn’t it? I’m clearly all in for social media…but as Gary Vanderchuk describes in this video – Social is business, not a tactic, but a mindset that permeates throughout the entreprise. With that as our definition, as planning is taking place for 2010, can it really be possible that companies are completely eliminating print? Can that be a wise decision?

Take the recent Pew Internet Survey where we learned these average user ages: Twitter 31, Facebook 33, and LinkedIn 39. Current retirement age is 65 [I'd argue 70 after this recession]. In that 32 year range (33 – 65), what end of it do the decision makers in your industry fall? I’m betting more likely than not closer to retirement age than Facebook 33.

Sure it is important to get in front of these influencers on Facebook, but my point here is that the entire workforce has yet to become digital natives (shameless plug: tune in for the #B2Bbookclub Wed at Noon for the Trust Agent definition). So quite a large percentage of the targeted decision making, purchasing power demographic, may in fact still be reaching for that print publication as soon as it arrives.

Now don’t get me wrong…I believe Ballmer when he stated, “All content consumed will be digital, we can [only] debate if that may be in one, two, five or 10 years.” But my money says for certain it won’t be in 2010, leaving you with decisions to make for your 2010 marketing mix.

Right, I mean don’t forget that old school idea…put your website address in your print ad…buyer sees it, she turns to her computer and goes directly to your website. No Google page ranking to contend with, no other contextual ads for her to get distracted by, just straight from the magazine to your doorstep. (Your website being ready to convert them is a discussion for another post.)

Now this is not a one size fits all suggestion either. A recent CRNtech issue I had my hands on was just 24 pages, that’s thin. So the industry you are in clearly has a significant impact on whether or not print advertising should be included in your marketing mix for 2010. My hope is that these are the decisions you are struggling with.

As I’m suggesting that print remains a viable vehicle for your 2010 marketing plan. The medium itself has suffered more as a result of the recession and budgets being slashed versus it not being a viable method to reach and influence buyers. A truly integrated marketing program – one that surrounds your buyer in all channels (including print) — enhances your brand presence in their mind. The more places your brand can be the greater opportunity you have to influence them.

I simply think it is to soon to call the grim reaper for print advertising, print’s not dead. What do you think?