B2B marketing campaigns tend to play it straight. But for bedding manufacturer Leggett & Platt, a funny thing happened after it debuted its latest ad campaign. It discovered that using comedy as a B2B marketing vehicle can spark some serious business.

For B2B marketers, clear and concise writing is a key element in making sure their messages resonate with their target audiences. But, in light of the growing alignment between sales and marketing departments, B2B marketers sometimes struggle with writing sales-related copy that will grab the attention of customers and prospects. In this book excerpt from "Advice from the Top: The Expert Guide to B2B Marketing," Casey Demchak, author of "Essential Sales Writing Secrets" (Trafford Publishing) and a member of BMA Colorado, shares some building blocks for writing strong sales material.

By Larry Fleischman

Bruce Springsteen may be best known for his rock music, but B2B marketers would do well to borrow a lesson from the lyrics from The Boss's tune, "Human Touch." "I just want someone to talk to/and a little of that human touch." The lyrics could be a rallying cry for rediscovering the value of a reliable, real time, voice-to-voice telephone conversation between prospect and seller.

BMA Chicago Chapter Marketing Innovators Luncheon Seminar: Lisa Baird, Chief Marketing Officer, United States Olympic Committee

9/25/2012 | Chicago, IL

BMA New York Chapter Event: Go and Grow

9/27/2012 | New York, NY

BMA Colorado Chapter Roundtables: Event Success - Tools and techniques to prove the value and determine the ROI of your event marketing

9/27/2012 | Denver, CO

BMA NorCal Chapter Marketing Strategy Roundtable: Marketing Communications Strategies for the Real World

9/27/2012 | Palo Alto, CA

BMA Carolinas Chapter ProAds Awards

9/27/2012 | Charlotte, NC

SEE ALL UPCOMING EVENTS> 

'Buyer personas' in the content marketing compendium

Adele Revella is founder and president of the Buyer Persona Institute, which helps B2B companies develop so-called "buyer personas" for their content marketing strategies. Revella, who has worked with more than 5,000 B2B marketers, is the author of the just-released ebook, "For Compelling Content, Let Your Buyers Be Your Guide." She spoke with BMA Buzz about the role that buyer personas now play in B2B marketing.

You may want to give your mobile marketing budget a kick-start. Marketers should devote 7% of their budgets to mobile rather than the current allocation of less than 1%, according to a new study released by the Mobile Marketing Association. The study took an unusual approach to crunching the numbers. It bypassed the traditional equation that share of time should equal share of budget. Instead, it looked at an ROI analysis of mobile based on actual market cost, mobile's effectiveness, U.S. smartphone penetration and phone usage data.

The 7 habits of highly effective social marketers >

It's time to start your company's New Year resolution >

Three secrets to opening the CEO door >
Marketing attribution: The next metric >

How can I make my emails stand out in a crowded inbox? >

Email marketing secrets and lies: Segmentation >

Vice President of Marketing
Argyle Executive Forum, New York, NY

Argyle offers B2B demand generation and marketing solutions through a network of 6 core memberships that convene IT and other functional decision makers. In addition to IT, it convenes CMOs, CFOs, General Counsels, HR and Customer Care. Argyle produces over 200 events a year for clients.

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