Marketing Mix | B2Bbloggers.com - B2B Social Media and Content Marketing

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.

Thanks to everyone who joined us for the first #B2BChat – a weekly twitter conversation for B2B marketers. The chat came together quickly – Kent, Jeremy and I briefly discussed via email, set the time and date for the first chat, and off we were!

With minimal promotion (barely a couple of hours before the chat) we got about a dozen people participating and helping shape the chat going forward.

First, about the chat – the objective is to bring B2B marketing community on Twitter together while discussing topics relevant to us as B2B marketers. There are many great chats on Twitter, but none specifically focused on B2B, so the #B2BChat fills this gap.

About the moderators, under the umbrella of @B2B_Chat:

Jeremy Victor (@JeremyVictor) is the founder of Make Good Media and Editor In Chief of B2Bbloggers (@b2bbloggers)
Kent Huffman (@KentHuffman) is CMO of BearCom, a wireless solutions provider in Dallas TX, and also tweets as @WirelessWoman, bringing together wireless community on Twitter
Ksenia Coffman (@KseniaCoffman) is marketing manager at Firetide, a wireless infrastructure company in Silicon Valley; she tweets for @Firetide

We started off discussing key challenges facing B2B marketers today. A few take-aways:

We are still grappling with the role that social media should play in the marketing mix. Nobody advocates ignoring it, but setting priorities and allocating the time can be a challenge.
Dealing with squeezed/reduced budgets and headcount resulting from the 2009 recession and at the same time dealing with the increased need to produce new content on a regular basis for all the phases of the buyer process … what @JeremyVictor is calling the “2010 B2B Marketers Dilemma.”
Content creation demands for the new channels can also be overwhelming, creating a marketer’s dilemma in the form of the old-fashioned ‘writer’s block,’ as @joezuc pointed out.
Tying in social media with lead generation (or even determining if it can be done) is also a challenge. @b2bento commented: “Convincing clients that Social media is NOT another demand generation channel [is a struggle]. Without crossing the thought leadership and engagement bridge – jumping to lead generation is suicidal.”
Social media resource allocation and understanding the changing nature of the digital buyer

The second item on the agenda was to discuss expectations and the chat format going forward. The feedback was to center each discussion around a particular topics. Some of the suggestions:

Facebook for B2B marketing.
Integrated marketing and not fall into a social media only focus –
How Print Advertising is being thought of right now
Marketing Software
Direct mail
Marketing dashboards
Email marketing
CRM software to monitor multi-channel efforts

Other topics for consideration: setting up user groups and best practices working with the sales teams. All ‘core’ B2B marketing tactics – no fluff here. On the other hand, we will explore how integration with social media and implementing viral campaigns can benefit our traditional strategies – we are not luddites after all.

It is important to point out direct mail elicited quite a conversation! Here are a few tweets to prove it.

What can you expect next from #B2BChat? Weekly conversations on the topics that interest you – the B2B marketer: thoughts, questions, opinions and best practices that will help you do your job better, while connecting you with the business to business marketers on Twitter.

Follow @B2B_Chat for updates and join us on every Thursday at 8 pm ET. Topic for the next discussion will be posted shortly! DM or @ relply to @B2B_Chat with questions and suggestions for upcoming topics.

Join us!

About the B2Bblogger: Ksenia Coffman is senior marketing manager at Firetide, a wireless infrastructure mesh company, where she is responsible for Firetide’s marketing strategy and technology solution partnerships. Her articles on wireless infrastructure appeared in various publications, including Security Products, Law & Order, SecurityInfoWatch.com and Communications News. An ASIS member (an international association for security professionals), she is a frequent speaker at industry events, including ASIS workshops and IWCE conferences. Ksenia launched @Firetide – with 800+ followers, it’s is one of the most active Twitter accounts in physical security and wireless infrastructure space. You can read more from Ksenia at Mesh Without Wires blog.