I thought the following table by Holger Schulze provides a good high level summary representation of how B2B marketing has changed and what skill set marketers need today. In speaking with several different companies and looking at their marketing operations it’s also a good reference and comparison point to evaluate the level of marketing maturity.
The official version of a web satisfaction case study, based on a project that I worked on a while ago, has now been published. It’s interesting how hours and hours of work can be compressed into a couple of pages. The customer satisfaction results, are very encouraging, but web site improvement is not a one time event, and there need to be a relentless effort in continuous tweaking, and improvement, based on the Voice of the Customer. For B-2-B technology web sites this can be particularly challenging. Enjoy Web_CaseStudy .
Seems like Yes is always the answer, and for pure play on-line companies it’s the obviously true, but is this really the case for B-2-B technology companies? After all, companies don’t exist to have a Web presence, and if the Web is only used as a marketing or sales tool to communicate value (even if it includes e-commerce) then by definition it falls into the category tactical marketing. The various decisions in the Web space or outbound marketing space may strategic in nature, and the Web is probably the best productivity enhancement tool ever, but to the overall business it’s still only a tactic to achieve the revenue, customer service and satisfaction targets, and a tactic is always considered a cost rather than a value builder. So, is there a point for a B-2-B technology business when the Web moves from being tactical and strategic?
