Eloqua’s “Juan Eloqua” Campaign: Email Creative at Its Best

August 24, 2010 – 5:28 pm

The email below from marketing automation vendor Eloqua is part of one of those rare B2B campaigns that combines email marketing best practices with an impeccably executed creative concept. In the process, what is otherwise a fairly straightforward “get your free report” lead nurturing program is elevated to a degree that allows it to really stand out from the clutter.

One of the things I admire most here is the extent to which Eloqua took a single, powerful concept: Juan Eloqua (an homage to the old Juan Valdez Colombian coffee ads) and wove it so cohesively throughout the creative. Read More »

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By Howard Sewell | Posted in B2B Marketing, Graphic Design, Lead Nurturing, email design, email marketing | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (1)

Banner Ads I Like: Adobe

August 19, 2010 – 5:52 pm

When it comes to banner ads and online advertising in general, I will confess a prejudice for clean and simple. Multiple frames, flash animation – they may look cool but in my view they’re more often a distraction to the reader, and a crutch for copy that was too long in the first place.

So I particularly admire marketers who succeed in utilizing the banner medium for ads that eschew the bells and whistles that are the stock in trade of today’s too-cool-for-you Mac jockeys, and opt for designs that (gasp) get their message across with a minimum of fuss.

Take these ads by Adobe. Adobe has a clean, elegant brand that works effortlessly across all media, but these ads take it a step further. I’ll guarantee that during the review cycle someone in the approval loop at Adobe said: “You’re going to fit that much copy on a single frame?” but here it works. The white space, the way the text aligns very intuitively so you know what to read, and what to read next. Read More »

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By Howard Sewell | Posted in B2B Marketing, Banner Ads, Interactive Design, Online Advertising, Online media | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

5 Ways To Incorporate Direct Mail Into Your Marketing Mix

August 17, 2010 – 6:41 pm

Pop Quiz! Direct Mail is:

a) more expensive than email
b) quaintly old-fashioned
c) regaining popularity in B2B circles
d) often overlooked as an effective way to reach customers and prospects.

Answer: (e) all of the above. Yet many B2B marketers continue to be allergic to the idea of using direct mail, simply because it seems such a throwback in our mobile-social-online era.

Old fashioned, yes, but used smartly and effectively, direct mail can play a vital role in a well-rounded, integrated marketing plan. Direct mail is tangible, personal, and gives you a measure of creative license that’s increasingly difficult with email, where even minor graphics can be a sure-fire trigger for spam filters.

Here are 5 areas that make ideal candidates for including direct mail in the marketing mix: Read More »

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By Howard Sewell | Posted in B2B Marketing, Database Marketing, Demand Generation, Dimensional Mail, Direct Mail, Installed Base Marketing, Lead Management, Lead Nurturing, direct marketing | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Are Webinars too Popular?

July 19, 2010 – 12:02 pm

Last week I was interviewed by BtoB Magazine for an article, “Webinars: Are They Worth It?” that appeared online today. The article contains some valuable insights on where Webinars fit in today’s B2B demand generation mix, and is definitely worth a read.

As always, however, only a fraction of my original conversation made its way into the final piece, so here are some additional thoughts on the topic:

In the interview, I suggested that many companies rely too much on Webinars, often for the wrong reasons: 1) because Webinars don’t require the tedious content creation process that a white paper demands, and 2) because their salespeople demand Webinars on the assumption that they generate “better leads.”

However, in my view, relying too heavily on Webinars as a lead generation tool is simply setting the proverbial bar too high, and doing so can eliminate a large subset of prospects who may have a genuine interest in your product or service but just don’t have the time or the inclination to attend an event.

When are Webinars a fit? The two scenarios where I think online events make most sense are: Read More »

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By Howard Sewell | Posted in B2B Marketing, Database Marketing, Demand Generation, Webinar Invitations, Webinars, direct marketing, email marketing | Tagged , , | Comments (2)

Getting the Most from Salesforce.com: A Conversation with David Taber

July 15, 2010 – 1:58 pm

Salesforce.com is a dominant player in the CRM category and an integral part of many companies’ lead management, database marketing, and demand generation programs. Yet in my experience marketers often have a love-hate relationship with Salesforce, a tool originally designed for salespeople that now, like it or not, has become a critical part of the marketing machine.

To learn how we marketing types can get more from Salesforce.com, I spoke recently to David Taber, CEO of CRM consultancy Saleslogistix and author of the Prentice-Hall book, Salesforce.com Secrets of Success.

HS: What would you say is the biggest misconception about Salesforce and the way it’s used in most companies? In other words, how do people use Salesforce in ways for which it was never intended or designed? Read More »

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By Howard Sewell | Posted in B2B Marketing, CRM, Database Marketing, Demand Generation, Installed Base Marketing, Lead Management, Lead Nurturing, Marketing Automation | Tagged , , , | Comments (2)