Does the world need more B2B marketing blogs and tweets?

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The B2B marketing bloggers to whom I subscribe provide a powerful flow of useful information and ideas. The only problem I have is keeping up with it all.

We can all learn from other B-to-B marketers. I try to apply shared ideas, case studies, informative links, eBooks and engaging interaction to the needs of my clients as well as my marketing agency. Whatever your industry, there is so much information available that one of the things I'm most interested in now is how to best receive it, digest it, apply it and, hopefully, pass it on to others. "Contributing to the conversation" is what it's all about.

Here are two great examples of helpful eBooks I discovered from two B2B experts I follow via Twitter. The first, from Proteus B2B, includes tons of tips on B2B emailing; and the second, from Velocity Partners, is all about "Content Marketing."

I subscribe to several B2B blogs via the direct RSS feed link which, automatically notifies me of new posts via email. Most I follow through Twitter, where an interesting 140-character microblog might entice me to check out the rest of the story on their blog. Most of the time, I will then scan across their most recent articles and find other interesting ideas while I'm there.

There are so many great ones, but if you want to learn from one of the best in the business, why not start with Mark W. Schaefer? He's a marketing professor, a B2B marketing professional, and all-around braniac, and he's a master blogger. See for yourself.

Even old dogs can learn new B2B marketing tricks, and I can see now that I'll never quit learning.

I've been in this business for decades, and as much as I thought I knew it all, this year's economic slowdown gave me time to change my mind.

It all began for me when I was given a copy of Seth Godin's book Tribes. Starting reluctantly with LinkedIn, I soon moved on to Twitter and began knocking out an occasional blog. Still, the ideas I've shared haven't been nearly as eye-opening as those I've discovered.

From conferences in Boston to San Francisco, listening to presenters like Chris Brogan, Dharmesh Shah, and David Meerman Scott to name a few, it didn't take a genius to see that I was no genius.

My ego, my professional pride and a lot of curiosity are now driving me to raise my game and apply more of what I'm learning. For example, I got the "outline guide" for this very blog entry from Jason Baer.

In B2B marketing, as in most things, great minds think differently. That's why I'm building a great Twitter list of both like-minded and contrarian B2B marketing professionals. You're welcome to follow it, and all the B2B marketing "braniacs and maniacs" it contains. And if you like, I'll add you to it. Twitter is a great way to be more than a thought follower or a thought leader. You can be a thought shaper, and help ideas grow beyond their point of origin.

I started my blog with the idea of sharing "key words" in the form of "B2B Word on the Street" entries. This blog you're reading now is my first post that takes a different approach.

I hope I'm improving the quality of content and interested in any opinions if you care to share. Please take a minute or so to compare one of my earlier blogs. Here are links to two:

B2B Word on the Street: Repetition

B2B Word on the Street: Can't Wait to Win

-Billy

Billy Mitchell is the president and creative director of Atlanta-based B2B marketing firm MLT Creative. Located on the east side of Atlanta, GA, with a Northeast office in Rhode Island, Mitchell co-founded MLT Creative in 1984 along with partners Craig Lindberg and Glenn Taylor.

Known as the Idea Launch Pad^TM for B-to-B marketers, MLT Creative's services include strategic planning, positioning, brand development, advertising and sales promotions for business-to-business clients.