According to a recent study by BtoB Magazine, 93% of all B2B marketers are engaged in some form of social media marketing, with most focusing on popular channels like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. This reinstates the fact that Social Media provides marketers with the opportunity to make the process of lead generation informal, relevant and contextual. For marketers to get noticed by the Lead there are some social media must haves such as a Corporate Twitter account, LinkedIn Group account, etc.

Social media lead generation software  should be a planned effort because it is now one of the most effective ways to generate website traffic. It provides great opportunities for B2B marketers to connect with prospects directly in a casual and friendly manner.

According to Social Media Marketing Report 2011, “The overwhelming majority (93%) indicated they were employing social media for marketing purposes.” This report indicates that social media provides direct reach out to prospects and it matters how ably the marketer is able to focus lead generation software efforts on the top 4 social networks to market his business.
Important Must-dos

Marketers must be accessible in the top 4 social networks -
* Facebook – One of the best sites to engage audiences by showing them different ways in which the product can be applied or used.* Twitter – A micro-blogging site that creates brand awareness instantly.* LinkedIn – A conglomeration of the corporate crowd, it is a great networking tool that can be used for marketing automation purposes.* Digg – A good networking site that reflects whether a product is accepted by target base.

Marketers need to ensure that there is enough buzz happening in these groups because social media enables people to usually identify with the virtual persona and hence, it is important to create an honest one.
In the article Search Dominates Social Networking For Product Discovery, Study Says, Lee Odden states that “SEO was (correctly in  opinion) deemed most effective at generating sales and Social Media as most effective for achieving Public Relations and customer engagement objectives.”

Therefore, social media contribution in lead generation can be summarized as follows -* Since social media represents conglomeration of people from different background, conversations made about the product or technology or service has a wider reach. These conversations in turn become basis for a purchasing decision thereby fueling lead generation efforts.* When a product is discussed in social media, people take it per se and not as a message sent out by the marketer. A word-of-mouth referral is accepted without much fuss because it is emotion-based and not driven by marketing campaigns.
 



Fact 1 - Marketing qualified leads are baselines to measure marketing efficiency.

The Marketing funnel is a measure of investment versus return and defines the stages and processes involved in this journey of translating effort to results. The Sales Funnel shows how large volumes of leads entering the system get narrowed down as time goes on.

In the traditional Sales Funnel, which is basic and is focused on showing the transformation of leads to customers, a company drives various marketing campaigns to bring in interested Leads. Then, Sales takes over to find opportunities (purchase intent). The Leads which show interest are sent proposals and quotes and if the offerings meet their needs, the prospects, who have so far traversed the funnel, become the new customers for the company.

Websites started playing a crucial role in lead generation when Internet marketing became popular. Determining the source of the visitors, their level of engagement with the content on the site, their reaction to different calls to action on the site and their interaction with the company (via form fill or request form before the sale is made) became qualifiers which decide if a Lead is worthy of entering the Sales Funnel.
Marketing until now has always been considered as a cost centre, not playing an active role in primary lead generation efforts.  However, the entry of Marketing Automation platforms have ensured that companies are able to measure the ROI for their marketing activities, and marketing can stake a claim on part of the revenue.  ‘Marketing Qualified lead Rate’ will become a relevant measure for marketing efficiency and success, both from a marketing initiative perspective and from marketing’s ability to effectively screen out low potential contacts.

Fact 2 – Lead Generation is a Marathon; Marketing Automation makes it a Sprint.

A key reason for the Sales-Marketing disconnect is that companies are losing huge amounts of money because of a misalignment within their organizations. Today, there is a huge increase in the number of channels marketing uses for creating brand awareness and for generating leads.  Despite this, there is a visible shortfall in the number of quality leads generated by the marketing team. A difference in perceptions is where the divide between Sales and Marketing starts.

The Sales and Marketing disconnect largely reduces the effectiveness of the marketing campaigns and the efficiency of Sales’ efforts to pursue and close deals. Therefore, Marketing Automation makes lead management a real-time collaborative process. Here, the communication process is two-way where Sales provides input to help Marketing optimize its campaigns and, Marketing runs targeted campaigns to drive quality leads.

Marketing automation software platforms provide a solution for resolving the sales and marketing split and keeps both happy by ensuring a sales funnel full with qualified leads.

Used optimally, marketing automation can actually deliver extraordinary results in a short time-frame. Also, it significantly shortens the time between lead generation and lead closure because it recognizes the buying process as a group activity and hence takes into account all activities by an enterprise at different times before qualifying them as a ‘sales ready lead’.

Also read on - Lead nurturing software, Lead scoring
 

The Vedic Mathematics by Bharati Krsna Tirthaji is a book that teaches methods to solve mathematical problems prevalent during the Vedic period. The book imparts a magical charm when trying to solve the algorithmic calculations giving the reader an immense sense of joy and excitement. The applications taught by the author through this book can be applied in the current educational system for solving all arithmetical problems. Vedic mathematics which is based on 16 sutras helps solve not only numbers but advanced theories in mathematics also. The book reveals the ancient techniques for solving mathematics in a simple manner that can be easily understood.


Many are petrified at the mention of mathematics. The Vedic Mathematics book provides an opportunity to the scared souls to solve the problems through an engaging manner. The author Swami Sri Bharati Krsna Tirthaji was an important spiritual icon in the 20th century. He was a bright student with a terrific memory and immense curiosity. Besides his proficiency in mathematics, science and humanities he was also eloquent in languages especially Sanskrit. He taught Sanskrit and Philosophy in local schools and ashrams. He studied the Vedanta and absorbed the Vedic philosophy for eight years along with spiritual practices. He participated in several international religious conferences.

Students who are skeptical about this subject can benefit a lot as the book teaches simple methods to solve the problems. Those who want to improve their mastery over the subject can buy The Vedic Mathematics book by Bharati Krsna Tirthaji from any online bookstore. In fact this book is a wonderful diwali gift that individuals can buy either for themselves, for friends or for those who need help. This book is popular and in great demand and it can be easily bought from any online shopping bookstore in India. The online shopping bookstores also offer fabulous discounts during the festive occasion of diwali and readers can get double benefits.

Online shopping has become one of the preferred modes as it helps in saving time. The readers can browse through the collection at their own pace and clinch some lucrative deals. The online bookstores also have special discounts for the club members and this is a truly rewarding experience for both book lovers and those searching for information. So those who are still mulling over what gifts to buy for diwali can end their agony by buying the Vedic Mathematics book from an online bookstore. This decision will also be a memorable one for the receiver.

Also read on - Gifts for Diwali, Online books
 


Unhindered communication is one of the factors for easy and fast developments today. The present era cannot survive without communication. Procuring information is vital for all businesses. Due to consistent information businesses are able to gauge the market activities of customers and plan their next business strategy accordingly. Communication has to be fast, precise and consistent to facilitate prompt decisions and make progressive developments in business without delays.

The use of mobile technology has provided us the benefits of faster communication and it has become an indispensable part of our lives. Cellular phones and wireless devices have initiated the trend of remaining in touch with the surroundings while on the move without causing any disturbances or inconveniences. These mobile devices require sophisticated and advanced technological applications in order to enable communication for its users.

Besides being carriers of sound waves that enable two people to talk and hear each other these mobile applications provide the facility to indulge in online shopping and games, watch movies, listen to music, check emails, conduct business, seminars, meetings etc., and many other such functions. As the users are getting accustomed to the benefits of the mobile world they are demanding better features such as high levels of integration, flexibility, reliability and security.

To provide these features to the customers businesses have to employ solutions for development of mobile applications. Developing mobile applications is not child’s play and there are several factors that need to be considered. The mobile applications have to be designed to include capabilities such as location based services, mobile media streaming, messaging and syncing, mobile advertisements and ad engines, mobile VoIP, games and social networking.

The need for mobile application development experts is a necessity to ensure that the conceptualization of applications, designing, development and testing applications is carried out perfectly without any scope for errors that may become the cause of rejection amongst the users. These experts have the know-how on how to make the applications compatible with different platforms and devices.

They know that integration is a priority and thus develop the applications that help in integrating with third party components such as billing systems, feeds ads and content. The applications developed are intensely secure giving the users the freedom to use them without any concerns. A reliable mobile application development professional provides the businesses with unfailing maintenance and support services. They are thorough with the software product development process and provide businesses with customized, excellent and effective product lifecycle management solutions.


Know more on -  Distributed agile development , Independent verification
 
Strategically situated from Vienna on the river Danube close to Austrian and Hungarian borders, Slovakia is one of the most is politically stable EU Member States. Also known as the central European leader in economic development, Slovakia is known to have an open economy. It is situated in the heart of Europe, and its capital, Bratislava, is the focus for investment in the country, and is undoubtedly the center of interest among investors that are interested in investing here. Geographically, Slovakia is at very centre of Europe, with a tremendous combined market potential.

The economic climate
The Slovak Government has set comprehensive and deep structural reforms that have focused on developing a business friendly environment for investors, and this allows for provision of regional investment and employment aid for investment or expansion projects of industrial production, technology centers, strategic service centers, and complex tourism centers. Slovakia has been named as one of the 20 most investor friendly countries in the world by the World Bank. The labor productivity in terms of GDP per hour worked demonstrates a very strong labor productivity growth in Slovakia. The investor friendly policies that have been adopted by the government are the main force behind the acute raise of foreign direct investment. The Slovakian economy continues to grow due to a significant progress in the macroeconomic stabilization and structural reform.

The main business opportunities and cities in Slovakia
The automotive sector is currently one of the fastest growing sectors in Slovakia. Due to the low cost base of Slovak businesses and its membership in the EU, it is possible to reduce costs and increase profits.  The main areas for business in Slovakia include the Automotive Industry, Clothes and fashion, Food and drink, environment, and education and rural development training. While the main cities that can be considered for a business expansion in Slovakia is Bratislava, Koice, Preov, Ilina, and Nitra.

Overcoming the Challenges with a business expert
When expanding business overseas, it is no easy task to gain a stronghold in an unknown territory which may be laden with many unforeseen pitfalls. Every country has different laws, and it is a challenge to be with all the details of the various countries. Planning ahead along with a reliable partner is the key when starting a business in Slovakia. Problems in business can happen at any point, but with the assistance of a professional, it is possible to keep all difficulties at bay. You can get all the necessary assistance in various areas of business like HR, Legal, payroll, expatriate advice, international accounting, employee benefits, etc.

Also read on - sas compliance, expat tax advice
 
Sherlock Holmes has been listed as the most portrayed film character, by the Guinness World Records. He has being played by 75 actors in 211 films, besides the many plays, TV shows, radio serials and computer games he has also appeared in . The author, Arthur Conan Doyle a physician by training and a writer through boredom, does not possess a good writing style. Although he preferred writing historical romances, his inclination is visible in the early Holmes stories, especially the first novel, A Study in Scarlet (1887), which is really only a detective story with a romantic narrative.

Sherlock Holmes:The Complete Novels and Stories:(Vol 1) by Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan is the  first  of a two volume set containing all Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s published works featuring Sherlock Holmes. Put in as a collection of the original publication, this volume includes the first two novels – ‘A Study in Scarlet’ and ‘The Sign of Four’, followed by the collection of short stories and ending with the third novel- ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’.

The short stories includes Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes besides a wonderful collection with some of the well-known mysteries such as “The Red-headed League”, “The Adventure of the Speckled Band”, and “The Final Problem.” Of all the stories in the book, Arthur  Doyle’s first novel, ‘A Study in Scarlet’ is where he introduces the famous consulting detective Sherlock Holmes to the world. But review of Sherlock Holmes:The Complete Novels and Stories:(Vol 1), mention this as the authors weakest novel.  The second work, which is also a novel – ‘The Sign of Four’ though a little better as per the reviews, it still falls short of general expected quality writing. Most reviewers have suggested skipping these two novels and starting from his collection of short stories.
 
The short stories are generally sharp-witted and endearing but with a mix of some exclusively amusing ones like the ‘The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle’ or the unsettling ones like ‘The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb’ and even wacky ones like ‘The Five Orange Pips’ where the author makes Holmes and Watson handle the Ku Klux Klan, “The Man with the Twisted Lip” and “The Musgrave Ritual”. But the best story in this volume as far as his writing and story form goes is the third Holmes novel, ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ . After buying Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels and Stories:(Vol 1), one gets hooked on to the mysterious murder and the strange puzzles brought in by Holmes and Dr. Watson in the stories.

Online shopping portals today offer you the authentic version of the book with the appropriate price and a paperback cover. When you have to buy books online, it is essential that you choose only the reputed and best portals that provide quality service, zero to nominal delivery charges, easy payment options and must deliver the consignment on time.


Also read on - Erich Segal's Love Story, Buy books online
 
B2B Lead generation efforts succeed only when the rate of lead conversion is more than expected. This is possible only when a marketer’s lead management program takes into account the intent expressed by a Lead in the different phases of decision making. Consciously or unconsciously, every visitor to the marketer’s website leaves behind a set of clues, which can convey a lot of information on the Lead and his intentions.

Visitor Type
Enterprise buying decisions are taken by multiple people. Hence, to understand the stage of the decision making process an enterprise buyer is in, it is important to understand the roles of different people who participate in the decision making process. Enterprise visitors on any B2B website can be broadly divided into three types: the early researcher (research analysts, managers etc.), the influencers (Senior managers, Directors) and the decision makers (Vice Presidents, C-level executives). By looking at the kind of content researched and the time spent on the site the marketer can understand the role of the visitors in decision making process and the stage of decision making their company could be in.

Buying Cycle
All B2B buyers go through an elaborate buying cycle, before they ultimately purchase a product or service. Multiple visits from an enterprise, showcasing an interest in different types of content on a website can indicate the phase of the buying cycle the company is in. The different phases of a typical B2B buying cycle are: research, awareness, evaluation and purchase. Understanding the phase of decision making a visitor lies in is important because it can help the marketer plan for timely nurturing, engagement and sales pitching.

Lead Intent
While browsing a website, enterprise visitors usually spend more time on content and information that closely meets their intent. For example: 
  • In the research stage,  a person would spend time getting an overview of what the company is into, what are the solutions they offer, people behind the company, news coverage’s, customer testimonials etc.
  • In the awareness stage, they spend more time understanding the product by reading things like whitepapers or user guides
  • In the evaluation stage, buyers look for options such as free-trials, price lists, feature comparison charts 
  • In the purchase stage, prospective buyers interact with the sales representatives of the company and finding out about any discounts, offers, closure and delivery details.

Analyzing the time spent by a visitor on different types of content on the website demonstrates how serious the buyer is and helps the marketer pursue the L emanagement ore proactively.

By correlating all the factors above, marketers can easily understand the ‘Lead Type’ of the visitors and the stage of decision making they are in. Based on this analysis marketers can decide on the next plan of action- whether to wait for the lead management to return and perform more activities on the website which shows their seriousness to purchase or, if they are already at the later stage of decision making by initiating contact and furthering the lead nurturing process. Also, analyzing leads and their behavior on the corporate site can help re-evaluate the website and make it more intuitive for visitors. It would be best to group information searched by different Lead types in one place or by leading a visitor through different stages of information in such a way that it helps them progress to the next stage of the buying cycle.

Click here for more on: marketing automation, marketing automation system