Laura Ramos [Posted by Laura Ramos]

A worldwide recession and social media have swept up B2B marketers
in a perfect storm, tossed between tighter budgets and the demand to do
more online without guideposts or established benefits. Opportunities
and challenges abound for marketers targeting other businesses through
a direct sales force or channel partners. Before 2010 planning — and
the push to pump up the pipeline to make year-end revenue goals — hit
full stride, now is an excellent time to step outside your daily
routine, tune up B2B marketing strategy, and learn new best practices.

Sound intriguing? If so, have I got a deal for you!  (Oh, c'mon, you suspected a pitch was coming, now didn't you?)

On September 17, 2009 (Thursday) I am leading a full-day workshop in Cambridge, MA on "Making B2B Marketing Work". This
workshop brings B2B marketing peers together to explore and discuss how
marketing has changed in light of the digital/social media shift and
the pressures imposed by the current economy. It will help you think
through a number of issues — how to stretch budget dollars by better
integrating digital and physical tactics, tap into social media, drive
healthier pipelines, target and qualify your best customers, and create
a marketing technology infrastructure that increases efficiency through
automation – just to name a few of the top takeaways. You will also
gain hands-on experience assessing your integrated marketing accumen
and lead management maturity while hearing "tricks of the trade" from
our expert panel (who join us at the end of the day.)

You may want to check out Forrester's site for further workshop details if you need answers to the following questions:

  • How do I optimize my marketing mix in 2010?
  • What are the best practices for generating, and managing, demand?
  • How do I better integrate digital and social media into my campaigns?
  • How do I improve marketing's working relationship with sales?
  • How do I make my Web site generate better leads?
  • What are the best social media tactics to use?
  • What technology investments should I make in 2010?

In my rather "un-humble" opinion, I've found participants feel that the two best features of this workshop are:

1) Networking and interpersonal interaction. The workshop is
intimate (typically between 7 adn 15 participants) which gives you the
opportunity to spend time with peers (and the analyst, of course!)
talking about what matters to you and how you have been making B2B
marketing work. Participants from Tech and non-Tech industries share
experiences and learn from each others' successes and mistakes.

2) Talking with the panel of experts.  Plan to stick around
to enjoy the wine/cheese reception for further networking and to meet
with our expert panel. I'm gathering the invitees now, but past
participants included experts in search marketing, community
development, demand generation, and marketing automation. The
discussion is lively and really gets to the heart of "what should you
do in practice to make B2B marketing work?"

Will you join me?  Hope to see you there!

Cross-posted from B2BMarketingPOSTs.