The document discusses strategies for business-to-business marketing and communications. It recommends establishing a human connection with customers to differentiate from competitors. It suggests using industry publications and websites to run informational ads with calls to action. It also advises using a call center for direct response campaigns to further build relationships and provide consultations to potential customers. The goal is to build brand recognition through a coordinated public relations communications plan across websites, blogs, social media and public speaking.

1. Lorri Wyndham
Corporate Culture & Communications Consultant
Mountain Group International
Strategic Marketing
To maintain growth and within your market place, we must consider the best ways to initiate,
engage and maintain a relationship with your target market. To reach your potential customer
we must consider the venues most like to reach the largest market. Business to business
marketing can be very sterile with an “all business all the time feel”. Our approach should
include a human touch that separates us from our competition.
General advertising in a business to business market can be challenging. The traditional
venues for outbound marketing of TV and radio are very expensive considering these venues
reach the general public and not necessarily our target customer when they are in a place to
receive our information.
For the purpose of business to business, we will consider print advertising in industry
related periodicals. Our ads however must be informational and include a call to action in
terms of a request for more information, be it services, white papers or consultation. When
working with these periodicals we should consider a stronger presence with their web-based
venue as opposed to traditional print. Online articles and article comments will allow our
customer base to ‘hear the voice’ of our company instead of just being fed our message.

2. The results of the call to action from our general advertising should be answered by a
direct-response campaign. We will utilize our call-center to contact those who have responded
to our message. This is an opportunity for our representatives to once again put a human
touch on marketing. The call center reps should ask if the information that was requested was
received. They should determine if the information full filled the needs of the contact and if
further information is wanted or needed. Direct response calls should be considered
informational. The representative should not be scripted; however a check list of information
and points should be targeted during the call. The representative should consider themselves a
first line Account Manager in building a relationship with the customer.
The sales promotion aspect of our plan should include “free consultation”. The
consultation should be a half hour conversation either in person or over the telephone. This
conversation should be helpful and informative answering the customer’s questions and
offering advice. The call should NOT be a 30 minute business pitch. The purpose of the call is
to build on the relationship, which will eventually end in a signed contract. Again, we want to
have the human touch and a feel that we are working with the customer to achieve their goals.
If at all possible the customer should have the opportunity to meet the call-center
representative who contacted them, in an effort to make the customer feel there is a level of
cohesiveness and a company-wide interest in their success.
Our public relations efforts should be considered a ‘Communications Plan”. We will
communicate via the web our philosophy, expertise, and sales promotions by the blog on the
homepage of our website. This will benefit us two-fold in that the constant updating of our

3. home page will increase our search engine optimization and will also breed a curiousity that will
bring the reader further into the site. Blog posts should be announced and linked back to the
website via social media venues such as our LinkedIn profile, Twitter, and our Facebook page.
These venues will be monitored for the opportunity to communicate with the public should
questions or comments be posted on these sites.
We will further build on this communication plan, actively seeking opportunities for public
speaking and interviews. This is an opportunity for us to be seen as industry experts as well as
putting a human face on the company.
All of these efforts should be approached with the idea that we are building brand
recognition. Growth and profit cannot be achieved if our customers do not know who we are,
what we do or how we can help them.