I recently read a statistic in The Economist from the Chinese government for 2007 that I found to be quite astonishing: the number of Internet users in China has reached 210 million, up more than 50% from 2006 (more than three times the number in India).  What’s more, Morgan Stanley predicts China will surpass the US total within months.

On a visit to China in August 2007, I was fascinated to hear various college-aged, American, Canadian and Chinese students discuss their use of the Internet and their frustration with certain sites simply “disappearing.”  Censorship by the Chinese government is certainly a very controversial topic and it shapes the way the most populated country in the world is using the Internet.  This is also the case because the Internet is used so commonly as a social networking forum for China’s youth.

Although only about 16% of China’s population is using the Internet, the fact that such an overwhelming majority of these users are under the age of 30 (more than 70%) should indicate that we are only on the cusp of monumental growth of Internet users in China.  Already, China boasts more mobile-phone subscribers than the US, Japan, Germany and Britain combined and mobile messaging and streaming advertisements are already extremely prevalent there.

When will US-based companies start to seriously shift or dedicate large portions of B2B online marketing budgets to China?  Will the attention from the 2008 Olympic summer games expedite the process of foreign influence and business in China?

Certainly US-based consumer brands have gained healthy traction in China, but with the difficult restrictions put on foreign companies by the Chinese government including foreign investment and license and permit requirements, “capitalizing” on this emerging market has already proven difficult.  However, considering the technology focus in China coupled with its maturing market, it seems like only a matter of time before Internet users in China demand more from the world and their own government in the form of an all-encompassing Internet environment.

What are your thoughts on this?

Many of our clients have indicated that vertical industries are an important target audience and most provide technology solutions specific to these industries. Still, we often see vertical industries (the most common being financial, government, healthcare and manufacturing) as a secondary or tertiary target audience in a broader marketing program. Why don’t more vendors create marketing programs that target vertical industries?  Don’t they have the content assets specific to the industry(s)? No additional budget to target this audience? Or do they simply not know how to go about creating or implementing such a program? The answer is likely a combination of these issues. I am surprised however at the number of clients who have solutions for vertical industries yet little to no content created beyond data sheets or brochures.

I have had the opportunity to work with several clients on successful vertical marketing programs. The most important element is to have a well thought out content strategy that addresses the needs in the industry by guiding people through different phases of the buying cycle. An integrated approach works best, a mixture of white papers, case studies, demos/trials, analyst papers, webcasts, data sheets, etc. This variety provides useful information to the user whether he/she is in the early stages of research, consideration or product trial. Reviewing your competitors’ content can also help with determining any content gaps that need to be filled.

The same rules apply with marketing programs that target a broader audience. Seems like common marketing sense, right? Then why aren’t more vendors implementing vertical programs? My educated guess is that they do not have the bandwidth to create the specific content required. The content that targets the broader initiative is top priority. My suggestion is to create the vertical content simultaneously with the broader content. This way both sets of content will have format alignment while addressing different audiences. And, paying writers and/or analysts for one big job will be more efficient than several one-offs down the road. Once the right content is created, targeted promotion to select the industry should provide great results.

Given the current IT marketing environment - reduced or locked down budgets, the transition from print to online media, and other factors - it’s no surprise that the demand continues to grow for conferences and events providing information on how to maximize and prove the results of online marketing expenditures.  But how can you be sure that these events are really designed to deliver actionable recommendations that can be applied directly by marketers against the most pressing and relevant issues they face?

If you really want to make certain your IT marketing conference or event covers the most relevant and timely industry topics, you really can’t do any better than having a client advisory board of industry experts to provide insights and recommendations.  At TechTarget, we have put together an advisory board that includes representatives and perspectives from leading IT companies like OMD, Business Objects, HP/PolyServe, BEA, Liquid Machines, DataFlux, Microsoft’s Windows Server Business Group; and EMC Corporation, a good way to assure your event will include the right topics presented the right way.

That’s what TechTarget did with its first Online ROI Summit which was held in San Francisco last fall and attended by 250 C-level and management-level IT marketers representing the world’s leading IT companies.  The subjects and areas of concern identified by TechTarget’s advisory board (pardon the pun) didn’t just hit the target; they all truly hit the bull’s-eye, covering the “must know” topics for every senior IT marketer, including: Proving the ROI of IT marketing investments; Web 2.0; and Closed-loop Lead Management.  All of which reflect TechTarget’s unique perspective and expertise as a leading provider of proven branding and lead generation programs to over 1,000 of the world’s leading IT companies.

Another factor contributing to the success of the 2007 TechTarget Online ROI Summit was the high quality of the attendees.  To strengthen its client relationships TechTarget focused its efforts on assembling only the key decision makers from its leading client companies for this event, with over half of attendees at the CEO/CMO/VP/Director level; 30% managerial-level; and the balance consisting of IT marketing generalists and agency representatives.  As a result, the Online ROI Summit actually delivered the often touted - but seldom delivered - high-level peer networking opportunity in an event setting.  The 2008 Online ROI Summit will offer “Bird of a Feather” networking activities designed to facilitate and enrich peer relationships among the leading IT marketers.

The 2008 TechTarget Online ROI Summit - coming to the Northeast April 24 at the Boston Marriott Newton - will feature a number of improvements and enhancements, including a second day - April 25 - of intensive workshops on topics identified as “critical” by the TechTarget ROI Advisory Board, attendees of last year’s event, and recent client survey results: Web 2.0: The Latest on “New Media” Performance and How They Deliver ROI; Selecting Content to Match the Buying Process; and Life after Lead Generation: Best Practices on Why Lead Generation is No Longer Enough.    

But perhaps the most compelling reasons to attend the 2008 Online ROI Summit are summarized in the attendee feedback from the 2007 Online ROI conference.  You can read even more actual client feedback on this Marketing Interactions blog. 

“I want to thank you for a great presentation and a fantastic conference.  We learned so many valuable online marketing strategies and we are putting together a list of recommendations for our management team.  Thanks again and I look forward to attending other events in the future.”

-Manager of Lead Generation

“The people I met at your Summit were of the highest caliber - it was quite a group. I’ve also been blogging about it and talking it up to friends - hoping you’ll have one again next year. It was wonderful to hear firsthand from C-level panels who spoke candidly about how they do business and what they want.”

-B2B Marketing Strategist

Will we see you at the 2008 TechTarget Online ROI Summit?