HEADLINES FROM FLOYD

I read this in today’s BtoB Daily News Alert.

A new survey found that nearly half of B2B marketing budgets are spent on online tactics such as website development, online advertising, search marketing, webcasts and social media.

The survey was conducted by Hearst Electronics Group and Goldstein Group.

“The sense of urgency to move to online marketing has been felt by leading marketing organizations for some time now, but the extent to which budgets have been redefined is dramatic,” Joel Goldstein, president of Goldstein Group, was quoted as saying.

It’s a bit like the Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889. More and more are staking their claim in the vast online world.

A man who lived by the roadside and sold hot dogs had trouble hearing, so he didn’t have a radio. His eyesight was poor, so he didn’t read newspapers.

But he sold hot dogs in bunches along the highway. He put up signs to advertise and solicited passersby with cries of “Buy a hot dog? Buy a hot dog?”

And people bought the man’s hot dogs. So many, in fact, that he increased his orders for hot dogs and buns. Then he got his son to return home from another city to help out.

“Haven’t you been listening to the news?” the son asked his father. “Haven’t you read the newspapers?”

There’s a world recession, the son told his father. There’s a war. People are losing their jobs.

So the father decreased his orders. He took down his signs. Sales immediately dropped.

“You’re right, son. We’re in a recession,” said the hot dog man.

(A version of this story was posted by Tony Gattari of Achievers Group on LinkedIn.)