For B2B Market Research Professionals

The Online Panel Quality Wars: All Market Researchers Benefit — Especially B2B Tech

by Brad Bortner, November 20, 2009

At the same time that online quantitative research has taken off, dubiousness abounds about the representation of the online panel sample. Buyers ask: Are panels representative of the markets researchers use them for? What can we do about the moral hazard . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

How B2B Technology Buyers Use Social Media

Support Forums Rank Highest Among Emerging Tactics

by Laura Ramos, October 26, 2009

Technology buying is a highly considered, collaborative process, one ideally suited for social interactions. To see how emerging digital media affect the process, Forrester surveyed 1,217 technology decision-makers to find out which online sources will . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Rewrite The Netbook Story For Business Technology Buyers

Position Netbooks For Business Use — Especially In Emerging Markets

by Jennifer Belissent, Ph.D., October 9, 2009

For a device that originated in the concept of the $100-laptop, the netbook certainly hasn't been fully marketed to emerging markets. Nor have firms really marketed netbooks for serious business use. Netbooks have become known as companion devices for . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Reach Real Global B2B Tech Audiences With Virtual Events

New Tools And Best Practices For B2B Marketing Beyond Borders

by Jennifer Belissent, Ph.D., October 6, 2009

The downturn is turning out to be a double whammy for tech marketers. Budget cuts and a significant drop in the effectiveness of tried-and-true tools, like trade shows, make calls to reach wider audiences through traditional marketing activities problematic. . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Turning Your B2B Web Site Into A Community Hub

Social Media Marketing That Is Persistent, Consistent, And Scalable

by G. Oliver Young, Peter Burris, September 30, 2009

Social media is becoming a major focus in business-to-business (B2B) marketing. However, many marketers are allowing their community marketing approaches to emerge out of piecemeal technology purchases and community participation. To embrace a customer . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

B2B Lead Management Automation Market Overview

Multiple Vendor Choices And Confusing Claims Slow Adoption

by Laura Ramos, September 22, 2009

Lead management automation (LMA) requires a degree of process maturity many business-to-business (B2B) firms don't possess, resulting in underachievement by vendors and users alike. Yet, the benefits of adopting LMA are clear: B2B marketers that successfully . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

The Seven Deadly Sins Of B2B Channel Enablement

Channel Partners Sound Off

by Tim Harmon, July 17, 2009

Current economic conditions are laying bare what's not working for channel partners, exposing issues ranging from channel conflict, to the "channel usability" of technologies, to community disenfranchisement. As companies try to move more volume through . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

B2B Digital Marketing: A Global Deep Dive Into Local Decision-Makers

Map Local Marketing Mix To How Buyers Inform Purchase Decisions

by Jennifer Belissent, Ph.D., July 6, 2009

Expanding into new markets requires tech marketers to sharpen local marketing strategies. Buyers in emerging markets, shaped by distinct cultures, languages, and channels, buy according to local business criteria and information sources. Buyers gather . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Start Your Global Social Media Strategy Locally

Insights From Forrester's Social Media Analyst Day

by Jennifer Belissent, Ph.D., June 25, 2009

A group of tech marketers and Forrester analysts recently engaged in an all-day Forrester event in London on the use of social media in a B2B marketing context. Our discussions focused on trends in social media adoption by B2B technology buyers and nascent . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

B2B Marketers: Tap Into Social Networking Sites To Energize Community Marketing

by Laura Ramos, June 17, 2009

Social networking sites let members connect and share ideas, insights, and experiences. Business marketers see membership on social sites swell but wonder if marketing there will raise awareness or generate demand. Rather than treat social networks like . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Case Study: MetricStream Builds B2B Community With ComplianceOnline

by Laura Ramos, June 17, 2009

As a premier destination for content, training, and advisory services dedicated to regulatory compliance, IT governance, and corporate risk management, ComplianceOnline is a model online community that delivers two million visitors annually to MetricStream's . . .

For Technology Sales Enablement Professionals

B2B Digital Marketing: A Deep Dive Into Insurance IT Decision-Makers

by Ellen Carney, Emily Van Metre, June 2, 2009

Insurance professionals seem unlikely candidates for social media use. They trust familiar information sources, value personal relationships, and are generally risk-averse. However, this group's interest in social media is not only on par with their peers . . .

For Technology Sales Enablement Professionals

Demand Insights: Predictive Analytics In The Financial Services Sector

How IBM Helps Banks And Insurers Get The Business They Really Want

by Ellen Carney, June 2, 2009

Banks and insurers do a great job acquiring customers, but they fall down when it comes to cross- and upselling other services. Few financial services institutions even know if the customers they have are actually the kind of business that they want. . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Effective Customer Reference Management Anchors B2B Community Marketing Efforts

by Laura Ramos, May 27, 2009

Customer references validate product claims and streamline the sales process, both vital activities in business-to-business (B2B) marketing. Yet, even as program budgets grow and reference pools swell, customer reference management risks sliding to second-class . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Mobile App Stores Are Important To Biz Users

App Stores Must Make Their Stores Sing To Business Buyers

by Michele Pelino, May 21, 2009

The Apple App Store for iPhones opened in mid-2008 and grabbed the attention of independent application developers and mobile device users as a software distribution channel for new mobile applications. In turn, the Apple App Store's success is causing . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Technology Populism Shapes The Collaboration Vendor Landscape

A Bottom-Up And Top-Down Selling Approach Is Required

by TJ Keitt, April 28, 2009

The transition from IT to business technology (BT), technology populism, and the down economy are changing businesses and the collaboration vendors that serve them. The door has opened to new vendors that appeal to the less technically savvy users in . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Vive La Difference In B2B Buyer Behavior

by Jennifer Belissent, Ph.D., April 24, 2009

Social media is a global phenomenon creating profound change in B2B buyer behavior and the nature of the relationship between technology buyers and vendors. While social media is evolving into a valuable marketing tool, local adoption of social technologies . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

B2B Marketers' 2009 Budget Trends

Dollars Shift To Digital Tactics As The Recession Provokes Deep Cuts

by Laura Ramos, April 24, 2009

What a difference a year makes. Compared with our year-end 2007 study, the outlook for business-to-business (B2B) marketing budgets is, not surprisingly, dire. Facing budget reductions of 23% on average, most marketers try to fend off deeper cuts while . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

The Down Economy Pushes B2B Digital Tactics Ahead

Integrate Email, Digital, And Search Marketing To Make The Marketing Mix Pay Off

by Laura Ramos, April 24, 2009

As the current recession continues through 2009, a company's marketing mix must produce sales-ready results using less expensive channels. Digital marketing creates engaging, interesting experiences that rival personal selling without the cost of travel . . .

For B2B Market Research Professionals

Watch Out For The Landmine Of B2B Online Research

Challenge Vendors, Consider Geography, And Confirm ID To Succeed

by Brad Bortner, April 17, 2009

Business-to-consumer (B2C) online panels have taken off in the US and are gaining steam elsewhere. But business-to-business (B2B) online panel growth has been more fitful because there are fewer business decision-makers who wish to join panels, and incentives . . .

For Technology Sales Enablement Professionals

Role Profile: The Chief Information Security Officer

Understanding And Marketing To Security And Risk Professionals

by Emily Van Metre, Eric G. Brown, April 15, 2009

The chief information security officer (CISO) drives technology and services decisions that ensure compliance and protect the company's IT assets and brand. Knowing these stakeholders will help your sales force start the right conversation with a prospect, . . .

For B2B Market Research Professionals

Market Researchers Demand High Panel Quality

New Initiatives Can Help With Quality — Particularly With B2B Sample

by Brad Bortner, April 3, 2009

The rapid embrace of online panels as a primary method of quantitative research in the US and Europe is a Faustian bargain. Online panels enable cheap, fast insights, but the quality of respondents is a concern. This concern is exacerbated for B2B, where . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Expand Globally, Market Locally

Adapting The Four Ps Of Marketing To New B2B Markets

by Jennifer Belissent, Ph.D., March 31, 2009

Taking the show on the road — expanding into new markets — is a daunting proposition for tech marketers. New markets mean new requirements, including not only product features, but also price, promotion, and placement attributes — the Four Ps. New geographic . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

B2B Digital Marketing: A Deep Dive Into Software Decision-Makers

by G. Oliver Young, Laura Ramos, March 31, 2009

Buying business software is a highly considered, collaborative process, one ideally suited for community interactions. Recently, Forrester surveyed software decision-makers to see how digital and Web 2.0 media affect their buying process. Overall, respondents . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Inquiry Insight: Globalization And Emerging Markets 2008

Forrester Clients Understand That To Think Globally, They Must Act Locally

by Jennifer Belissent, Ph.D., March 16, 2009

Forrester clients are immersed in the challenges of globalization and expanding into emerging markets. Client inquiries on how to best meet these challenges range from broad questions about operating in a global or multinational environment to more specific . . .