This section highlights the tools and tactics that marketers are employing, such as webinars and online video, due to the urgency to create interactive, engaging experiences across all prospect and customer interactions.
The following infographic comes courtesy of the Content Marketing Institute(CMI) and Demandbase. It’s a perfect introduction to content marketing for companies that are just coming to grips with the concept. There are so many content options available to marketers today, and it’s often difficult to visualize the ideal role each content type plays in the typical sales/marketing funnel.
BrightTALK, a SaaS provider of webinar and video technology, recently released a new attachments feature that enables marketers to upload documents alongside their webinars and videos.
While content marketing might be king, effectively distributing content assets is creating a challenge for B2B marketers. The Internet has become increasingly fragmented: Professionals use an expanding array of social media networks, forums, blogs and online publications to find the latest knowledge and expertise. As web sites overflow with different types of content, including white papers, webinars and videos, marketers must engage the right people in the right place at the right time and track engagement to determine ROI.
Until recently, video was often relegated to the list of things B2B marketers did "just for fun" – or at least it wasn't a major part of their campaigns. But video has now become an integral component of B2B demand generation initiatives, and companies are implementing video-based strategies to educate and engage prospects and customers.
Brainshark, Inc., a provider of cloud-based online and mobile presentations, has reported customer growth in new verticals, including pharmaceuticals, technology, insurance and financial services. Companies in these industries are using the SlideShark Team Edition platform for multi-user presentation functionality and to get improved insights into how their users access and interact with content.
Guerbet LLC, U.S. subsidiary of the Guerbet Group, a leading multinational diagnostic imaging company, says it is using SlideShark Team Edition as its primary vehicle for disseminating product marketing materials and messaging, according to a press release. SlideShark provides a flexible platform supporting a range of communication opportunities – helping facilitate one-on-one discussions, as well as larger group presentations, the company said.
Brainshark, Inc., a provider of online and mobile presentations, announced a set of new features for SlideShark Team Edition, a multi-user version of the company's SlideShark mobile app for viewing and sharing PowerPoints on the iPad.
Sitecore recently announced its partnership with Brightcove, a provider of cloud content services, to launch new online video capabilities designed to help marketers increase website traffic and strengthen digital marketing campaigns.
The new Brightcove Video Cloud Connect for Sitecore, developed in partnership with Agency Oasis, enables customers to sort, manage and publish video assets directly from Sitecore’s Web Content Management System (CMS), using the Video Cloud online video platform.
KnowledgeVision Systems, a provider of cloud-based tools and services for creating online, on-demand and live multimedia presentations, has closed an additional $2 million in Series A financing from a group of investors led by GrandBanks Capital. The company said it plans to use the new funds to strengthen its market positioning and support global expansion.
The Concord, MA-based company’s tools — KVStudio and Knovio — are designed to enable users to create synchronized online video and audio presentations that combine their best communicators with PowerPoint slides, web pages and applications and supplemental material, and make them available from web browsers and mobile devices anytime, anywhere.
KnowledgeVision is a tool for rapidly creating interactive online video experiences from the assets and talent you already have at hand. KnowledgeVision synchronizes video, audio, PowerPoint, graphic images, animations, just-in-time footnotes, and virtual handouts into an online presentation format that’s unparalleled in its power and flexibility.
By Michael Doyle, Executive Director, Virtual Edge Institute
According to the 2010 BtoB and IBM Studio Study, State of Virtual Events, 60% of marketers plan to increase their use of virtual events in 2011. As more marketers turn to virtual as a way to identify and qualify sales leads, sales organizations must evaluate if their sales teams are equally prepared to sell and close these virtual leads.
