[Posted by Laura Ramos]

Last week, the Customer Strategy Group is
held its inaugural summit on customer engagement – an intimate,
executive conference designed for B2B marketers who manage customer
reference programs, advisory boards, and the emerging area of online
communities.  I spoke to about 75 marketers and sponsors about “Understanding the Value of Customer Engagement”.

In my most recent blog post at B2B Marketing POSTs, I look at what I learned from the morning keynote sessions.

[Posted by Laura Ramos]

Customer reference programs, advisory boards, and customer councils are vital activities in B2B marketing. But these activities risk sliding into second-class status among
executives if marketers fixate too much on numbers and not enough on
creating community involvement among these highly-engaged customers.

[Posted by Laura Ramos]

With economic recovery still distant, business marketers look to 2010
and wonder what’s in store. How do you do more with less resources is a
common question I hear from CMOs, VPs of Marketing, and marketing
directors with whom I speak daily. Modern marketing can not scale effectively without automation.

[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?)

[Posted by Laura Ramos]