Business-to-government (and business-to-business) marketing is most effective when it communicates value. The best B2G marketing is based on compelling content focused on problems solved and clear solutions offered. Read more about why content-rich marketing materials will reign in 2009.

This is the latest in an occasional series on webinar marketing. Why so much focus on webinars? Because they’re relatively inexpensive to produce, particularly when compared to road shows and other live events. Webinars are an increasingly important tool in the lead generation activities of marketing departments of tech companies. But, if they aren’t done right, the Return on Marketing Investment (ROMI) will be adversely impacted.

Read on for five common pitfalls to avoid in your next webinar or series.

Your customers and prospects receive lots of offers to attend webinars. How many emails and other invitations have you received this week urging you to a product or solution webinar? How many have you received today? The important question: how many have you paid attention to and why? For more on how to put together a great webinar, read Maximize the value of your webinars.

Without further ado, here are the pitfalls:

1. Poor branding.

Read more about how to brand your webinars here. This is a big deal, and often a shortcoming for too many companies. How do you measure up?

2. Lack of content

If your webinar is a thinly-veiled sales pitch or you don’t have important information to communicate to the marketplace, a webinar strategy may not be your best option. Read more about why content comes first.

3. Failing at the follow up

We all know that follow up is where a lot of our best laid marketing plans too often fall apart. Make sure the follow up strategy is in place before you launch the webinar. How many days after the webinar will sales follow up? What will be their approach? How will they further quality leads? And, importantly, what role do you expect the webinar to have in your sales process?

4. Missing the mark

It is critical, of course, to deliver great content in a webinar. Secondly, it’s just as critical to use your webinars to build and reinforce your corporate and/or product brand. But make sure the two are not mutually exclusive. It is possible to distance your topic too far from what your company does. Just because you think prospects will opt into a webinar on a hot topic doesn’t mean hosting it will further the objectives of your organization.

5. Not getting the word out

This is Marketing 101. The marketing database and/or list to attract visitors to your webinars has to be a good one. Consider a distribution strategy that includes ads and sponsorship in influential industry media, through partners and other vehicles. Some media groups saturate their readership with emails for webinars, and a small business can get lost in the shuffle. Others are more targeted to industries, verticals, etc. It usually makes sense to opt for the latter.

For more on how to hold webinars that drive revenue, contact sales@q2marketing.com.

Join Q2 Marketing’s Becky Sheetz-Runkle April 23, 2009 at The ASBC’s Fifth Anniversary Conference and Gala: Celebrating a Culture of Collaboration and Success. Becky will present at 9:45 and 10:45 on the hot topic: 11 Essential Steps for Marketing to Government.

This breakout session is for senior decision makers and marketing professionals looking to maximize the ROI of their marketing dollars, grow their company and shape perception. Offered at two times during the full-day conference at the Sheraton Premier, Tysons Corner, the presentation will challenge government marketing myths and reach buyers. Focused on best practices in government marketing, this instructional session will cover:

• Leveraging media to be seen as a thought leader
• Marketing that supports and fuels sales
• Developing and distributing content, including case studies, white papers and op/eds
• Knowing when to spend and when to save your marketing dollars
• Creating a fluff-free marketing strategy
• Marketing ROI and measurement

  Register and learn more here: http://www.theasbc.org/events/event_details.asp?id=32782.

Federal research firm Input Inc. anticipates that the economic stimulus bill will generate $4.5 billion in new information technology spending from state and local governments in the U.S. This is good news for service providers who have been increasingly chasing those decreasing dollars.  

We’re all getting ready to close the book on 2008 and many of us are looking optimistically to 2009. At least I hope you’re putting your game face on getting ready to take on the world.

Q2 is looking back affectionately on a terrific 2008. If you had any part to play in helping us achieve this milestone year, our most sincere thank you! We provided web strategy and development, public relations, advertising, tradeshow strategy and support, collateral development, strategic messaging, branding and more to many new and returning clients. We’ve proudly gained a record number of new clients and, even more proudly, continue to serve the needs of many returning software and services businesses. 

Below are some observations and trends from 2008 that we hope will help you get a jumpstart on a successful new year. These range from analyst findings to our feet-on-the street observations.

Federal sector stays strong

Many of Q2’s clients, friends and business associates provide services to the federal government. If these individuals are fearful of a slumping economy or a change in administration, they aren’t letting on. These tend to be a tough and resilient group of people anyway, determined to be successful no matter what.

Still gold in the IT hills

The tech industry will still grow, with the exception of hardware, according to the latest from Forrester.

Good business principles still in style

Companies with business models that were not entirely viable before the economic slowdown are struggling with traction, funding, etc. Many companies with great ideas, service, delivery, savvy and sound principles are well positioned to win. An oversimplification perhaps, but sometimes life is simple.

Many business owners and marketing executives are wisely looking for a flat 2009 versus focusing on growing the business. However, we talk with companies, many selling to the public sector that are hiring and growing. There are healthy organizations out there.

D.C. Tech sector strong

The Washington, D.C. area is still a burgeoning region in the tech sector, just ask the Inc. 500.

SEM and direct marketing are the spending trend winners

Direct marketing spending predictions are hot.

Search marketing is already a proven winner. Chances are it’s usurped some of your marketing budget.  

So what can I do?

Here is some of Q2 Marketing’s uncommon sense wisdom for a down economy. It’s timeless.

Come back frequently for our tech marketing New Year’s resolutions and more practical insight.

Ok – you have probably just go through a budget review and, knowing the climate, I am sure some of you had some programs cut. When reviewing what to continue or add in 2009, don’t forget about web seminars [or webinar]. This type of program is exceptionally valuable and inexpensive. It allows you to demo your product for an audience without the expense of travel.

Web seminars allow you to highlight the benefits of your solution in a controlled environment. Seeing how the solution works is more tangible for a prospect but without the commitment for an on-site demo. And here are a few things to keep in mind in order to create a successful web seminar program.

1. Don’t try and show the whole system. I am sure that your solution is the best one out there, but remember that people’s attention spans are short, especially when it comes to web seminars. Keep your demo short and sweet. Show the features/functionality that are in the most demand. Whet their appetite to see more. Remember this is just one step within your sales process. The main goal of the web seminar is to have the prospect request an on-site demo, which is where the real sale will happen.

2. Create a storyline. I am not talking about creating a fictional story. That will drive people crazy. But it is important to ensure that the demo has a logical flow from beginning to end. You need to control the flow by not jumping from screen to screen in a random manner. That will confuse the viewer and indirectly imply that the solution is complicated and hard to navigate.

3. Reduce options shown. Remember you are not there to show everything the system can do. Make sure to reduce the number of fields and options shown. Stay away from the “administrator view,” you will want to demo from the typical end-user view.

4. Do live web seminars. If you are going to do the program, do it right. Do not record a seminar that can be downloaded without any interaction from your company. Web seminars are the best arena to help move a prospect – take advantage of it. Live seminars allow you to directly answer questions and engage with the participants.

5. Focus on industry hot points. You, of course, are an expert in your industry – you know what is going on and what topics are hot. Take your web seminar program and create a series that focuses on these hot topics and show how your solutions address those concerns. This allows you to turn a product demo into an industry educational seminar as well as to turn your company into an industry thought leader.

6. Promote the program. Make sure that you are actively promoting the program. The program cannot be just another page on your site. If it is, it will fail. Inside sales should be pushing it; the seminars should be highly visible on your web site; and marketing materials should be using it as a call to action.

Adding a web seminar program is an inexpensive way to promote your solutions. It also is a natural extension to your sales process. By following the above tips, you can create a highly successful program or strengthen an already existing one.

Best of luck and we wish you a happy holiday season!