ABI Named In Top BtoB Agencies

ABI has made BtoB Magazine’s Top Agencies for 2009.  You can download the full listing here: Link

From the article round-up:

B-to-b ad agencies faced a challenging 2008, as the economy started to slow in the early part of the year and plummeted in the fourth quarter. By the time the wreckage was tallied, total ad spending was down 2.6% from 2007, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus.

However, many b-to-b agencies succeeded in growing their businesses last year—some reported their most profitable year ever—by focusing on understanding their clients; developing relevant, compelling creative; and expanding into new areas such as green marketing and social media.

Three Ways to Use LinkedIn for BtoB Marketing

By Doreen Zoellner

LinkedIn started as a networking tool and it’s very much geared toward individual career development — which is how many people came to the site in the first place.  However, people are using the site to build connections for their business with some success as well.  In other words, the site is no longer just about resume building — it’s about building business.

The site is also adding new elements that let businesses network the same way businesses do. You can see ABI’s LinkedIn page here: Link

Here are a few ways you can use the site to help build business in BtoB:

1.)  Question and Answer

This function allows you to post questions about your business or market and also answer questions.  It’s a good resource for information either if you’re simply reading the posts or posting a question of your own.  But answer questions is a great way of demonstrating your knowledge on a topic.  Like any good PR, however, you want to be careful about overtly promoting your products or websites.

2.) Sharing Links

Videos, articles, pod casts, websites…these are all very easy to share on the site.  Today, you don’t have to create everything in order to be seen as a thought leader.  Interesting, insightful or even controversial links can be a great way for you to add your perspective and share with your connections.

3.) Join Groups…or Form One

If you’ve been trying to reach a niche (or not so niche) market, finding them on LinkedIn may be a great first step.  As the member of a group, you can post question or comments as well as links and videos.  It’s also possible to create connections with new contacts that share your same business interests.

Remember, with everything involved with PR, you don’t want to be too overt in your promotion.  Creating good connections depends on supplying good information.

Doreen Zoellner is an Account Associate in the London office of ABI marketing public relations.

New LinkedIn Group: Growing BtoB Sales During the Recession

So how is BtoB different than other arenas of marketing and sales? For starters, BtoB tends to be more long-term investment oriented. There is also more potential to decommodify a product or service. Articulating value, however, is vital. This group offers some solutions and give you an opportunity to pose questions, cite challenges that you face, and get answers.