Lately, I’ve noticed how hard it is to find time to write a blog post. Fall is busy at Canyon with 2010 planning and concepting. With so much going on, it’s tough to catch up on my Google Reader, let alone create an inspirational and motivational blog post.

No matter your workload, it’s important to remember your company is creating blog content that is read by your clients, potential prospects and leaders in the industries you serve. Here are some helpful tips to stay on the ball:

• Get Inspired! Use your coffee break to read other blogs related to your industry. A few of my faves are Convince and Convert, Direct Daily, Ask A Copywriter.
• Keep a notebook. Jot down ideas throughout the day. Some of the best ideas come at the most inopportune time.
• Make it relevant. Think about how current events relate to your business, for example: A Golden Opportunity, Don’t B a ‘Donkey’ – Think b4 U Tweet, Hablas Español?
• Have back up. Keep some posts in the queue.
• Take a break. Schedule guest bloggers that can give your audience new insight.

Using these tips makes it easy to keep your blog fresh and relevant so readers will keep coming back. Remember don’t forget to have fun.

How do you stay motivated for writing posts? Where do you find inspiration?

I recently read an article by Andy Rutledge called “It’s Not About the Website” that got me thinking about the creative process of web design and the struggles that come with it.

Designers often become frustrated because they feel a lack of respect for their expertise. And, clients grow impatient when their design team fails to follow their wishes. This confrontation can inevitably lead to unnecessary rounds of revisions and a website that doesn’t meet the user’s or client’s needs.

So, what do we do?

1. Communicate.
   As an agency, we arm ourselves with complete knowledge of our client’s business, their industry and the market. We don’t just deliver a pretty design, but a website that becomes our client’s business and marketing solution.
2. Study the target audience.
   It’s easy for an agency and a client to get caught up in their visions of how the website should be. But, in the end, the final design needs to benefit the end user and, it’s the designer’s responsibility to research and keep the end user in mind.
3. Develop trust.
   I believe that the designer needs to keep the client in the loop. Designers like to be perfectionists, so showing an “unfinished” layout is undesirable, but this could lead to wasted time in the end if the design is rejected by the client.

Have you visited any great websites lately? Do you have any tips to add to this list?

We’ve all seen it. Trade publications are getting thinner and thinner; media outlets are shutting down every day; readership is down; there’s even a Twitter feed dedicated to documenting media layoffs and closures. So, how are B2B marketers supposed to reach their target audiences effectively? 

1. Leverage the media’s online presence. Since more and more business professionals are going to the web, blogs and online news sites for information, it is a good idea to shift ad dollars and PR efforts toward the online versions of trade publications.
2. Can you say value-add? Advertisers are in a great position to negotiate value-added extras that include e-mail distributions, banner ads, special insert sections and, best of all, magazine subscriber lists.
3. Do it yourself. B2B companies that offer multiple products and services can position themselves as thought leaders and subject matter experts by publishing their own media in the form of print and e-newsletters, online resource libraries, blogs and more. This is a great way to reach your customers directly and build an ongoing, one-to-one relationship.

Have you cut your advertising budget, or shifted your funds elsewhere? What do you think of the trade publications getting thinner and thinner? What strategies have you used to maximize your B2B marketing budget?

Today is a very special day—it’s 09/09/09, which is the last set of repeating single-digit dates that we will see for almost a century. It’s all over the Internet and consumer marketers are taking full advantage of this play on numbers.

The 99 Cents Only Stores have a huge countdown and prize giveaway. The company also garnered a lot of PR with the nine, 99 cent weddings that will take place on 09/09/09.  Pei Wei sent an eblast exclaiming “The Great Ramen Exchange is coming 9-9-09!”  Apple launched its new iPod nano and iTunes 9 and was rumored to maybe even launch a digital album on this auspicious day.

Consumer marketers are always looking for reasons to celebrate and generate sales. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; in fact it’s quite ingenious. Often times in B2B marketing we are so focused on the customer’s needs that we don’t take advantage of opportunities to get them excited about our products and services the way consumer marketers do.

We’d love to hear about great B2B marketing tactics that really made a splash with their customers and their bottom line. Have you seen a B2B campaign that took advantage of a fun date, seasons or holiday and really knocked your socks off?