Online content in the sales and marketing industries is constantly changing. The Marketing Sphere represents recent good reads from our digital circles about B2B marketing selected by PointClear colleagues.

The 7 Biggest Misconceptions of Successful B2B Marketing

Russell Glass of Marketing Profs says branding could be more important in B2B campaigns than in business-to-consumer because of the length of the purchase cycle.  Among seven myths that undermine b2b marketing success, Glass also suggests too much emphasis on last-click attribution, ignoring the power of display ads together with direct response, and more concern about getting in front of the right company instead of the right people. Via MarketingProfs

LinkedIn Adds Facebook-Style Mentions In Status Updates And Home-Page Comments

LinkedIn is adding a Facebook-like feature that allows users to link to connections or companies in the status-update field. When published, that connection or company would be notified they have been mentioned. Jordan Crook writes the new feature “will make it easier for you to start conversations with your network while also enabling you to respond in real-time when someone begins a conversation with you.” Via TechCrunch

Every marketer should take a sales guy to lunch

Steve Gershik of StackMob offers 20 smart and funny B2B marketing adlibs to Craig Rosenberg’s Funnelholic regular feature.  Gershik opines, “In B2B, the idea of a funnel is myopic. So is the idea of a waterfall, a pipeline or any other metaphor that leads marketers to believe that leads flow in a linear fashion.” Via Funnelholic

CMOs Set to Spend More on New Tech Than CIOs

The chief marketing officer's need for advanced marketing tools will require an unprecedented level of cooperation with IT in the future, Icreon CEO Himanshu Sareen writes. CMOs will be expected to analyze data from social networks, use customer relationship management and content management systems software for advanced analytics. "Marketers should also be able to translate the technologies business value while collaborating with the IT team," Sareen writes. Via Wired