12 ways to connect with customers, generate leads and conduct research in a difficult environment.

In the interest of public health, your trade shows and conferences have been cancelled. It’s an essential move—but what do you do if these shows are essential to your marketing strategy. If you’re in technology, or, ironically, in healthcare, it’s likely that they are. So, what do you do?

Medical marketing awards events are exciting. A great excuse for a new dress. A night of sweaty palms, high fives, and team celebrations.

Even if you tend to skip these sorts of competitions—as we do—because “It’s all about the results, not awards”—you’re secretly glad when a client enters a campaign you’ve sweat blood over. I still remember

Once you, and/or your agency, have developed a positioning strategy for your new medical or technology product, how do you evaluate its strength? Does it really set your product apart? Will it work beyond the initial launch, once your competitors have a chance to respond? Is it the best position for you? While you can never be certain of a position's strength, there are two steps you can take to increase your confidence.

A clearly defined unique value proposition (UVP) and positioning strategy are key to the launch of any new medical device, diagnostic, or informatics product. Before you start, it’s important to remember that the UVP and positioning development process are rooted in a clear understanding of your customers and what drives them emotionally. If you need some insight into developing emotional drivers, start with our personae development post.

In a recent post titled "Digital Marketing Strategies for Medical Device and Diagnostic Companies," Jacqueline Murray made a convincing case for why healthcare marketers should ignore social media at their peril.  And now, LinkedIn has published the results of a survey of what it calls "Content Revolutionaries" that provides step-by-step instructions for how B-2-B marketers can use the LinkedIn professional networks effectively.

Part One: An Effective Creative Brief

For many marketers, attending creative presentations is one of the best parts of their job.  But, let’s face it, while seeing the marketing strategy for a new product launch come to life in words and images can be exciting–it can also be stressful.

After 28 years leading a B2B agency through change, I can honestly say that the trends I see developing this year offer unprecedented opportunity for marketers and agencies alike. 2014 is a different animal, and it’s one that offers you new power.

To gain that power you need to have those trends and a clear action path on your radar.  Our  new publication, 2014 Trends in Marketing, offers actionable insights from DardenLentz and: