This ITAC Marketing Roundtable was hosted at the MaRS Centre, Toronto, Ontario. The discussion was moderated by Bob Becker, Principal, SMA.

• Do the tried and true lead generation activities we all know and love – like face-to-face events, outbound calling and direct marketing – still work?
• How do you build a whitelist of targeted contacts for the lead generation tactics using social campaigns, blogs, virtual meetings, online groups? 

What traditional methods work most effectively  … face-to-face events, telephone call-out campaigns or traditional direct mail?

• While traditional methods have their time and place, the level of acceptance is changing
• A single traditional marketing method will suceed in varying degrees; while random acts of marketing cause static noise
• Tele-prospecting is becoming the weakest marketing method
• Marketing should be more about profiling and less about lead generation
• The key to email prospecting is multiple communications and a great subject heading

What are best practices for attracting attendees to face-to-face events?  How do you get the greatest value out of face-to-face events?

• Face-to-face events should be used to enhance and nurture the sales process
• The definition of an event has evolved from one-to-one marketing to large corporate events to think tank sessions; need to differentiate between supportive events and sales process
• Own one big event per quarter; focus on one and tie it to innovation
• Have team rally behind the event to create opportunity for loyalty and client appreciation
• Do one impactful event instead of smaller ones; consider face-to-face intimate regional events

When conducting phone call-out campaigns, appointment-setting campaigns are becoming common. Should phone/face-to-face meetings be set up with prospects that do not have specific plans to acquire a technology solution?

• Benefit of face-to-face meetings depends on the size of the organization
• Determine lead level scoring via the BANT method
• Focus on the top 25 share of wallet, not sales lead

What social media activity tool is most effective and how do you use it?  What are the biggest downfalls with social media investment?

• There is a new level of consumer; prospects are researching and already have a perception about an organization before even speaking to sales or marketing
• New tools need to be built into comprehensive campaigns
• C-level decision makers are found on LinkedIn and making comments on relevant blogs

• LinkedIn is the preferred peer-to-peer community; not Facebook or Twitter
• Build a community; attach yourself to a community; blog twice per week
• If putting social entity out there – commit to it and do whatever it takes
• Social media is about having conversations – don’t use it as a soapbox

How do you track ROI using Social Media methods?

• Measure ROI in close loop sales where origination is documented
• Set the right expectation with sales team to measure ROI
• ROI can be measured on one-to-one sales but not on overall activity
• Amplification and advocacy can be measured but its ROI cannot
• Online breadth of outreach can be measured as one element of campaign

How to deal with sales that don’t understand marketing?  What are the most effective methods to ensure marketing & sales are aligned?

• Marketing needs to build relationship with sales; engage sales “how can I help you?”
• Marketing cannot forget the complexity of sales; be familiar with day-to-day sales challenges
• For mutual respect, marketing team should spend “a day in the life” of sales to experience the process of getting that signature on the dotted line
• Marketing should be about being a partner to sales to “run down the field together”
• Marketing should consider building strategies, not campaigns; educate sales on future opportunities

Panelists: