One of the consequences of the new marketing landscape is that, as you necessarily devote ourselves to learning new technologies and media channels, you can lose focus on the big picture. It takes time and attention to learn how to properly execute a search engine optimization program, and keep it going continuously. It takes time and attention to implement and constantly tweak a search engine marketing program for continuous improvement. And to know, understand and leverage the continuing stream of new media opportunities and techniques available to B-to-B marketers.

There are endless details and procedures involved in optimizing press materials for the 2.0 world, to gain your unfair share of coverage via both traditional (editorial) and non-traditional (direct to audience) channels. Just one example related to this: there are opportunities to devote yourself or others in your organization almost full time to writing, monitoring and contributing to blogs of interest to your audience. Opportunities that didn’t exist a few years ago.

Capturing, analyzing and reporting metrics from your program and tactics is more possible than ever, but also requires an intensive investment of time. Implementing good analytics practices takes immersion, and B-to-B marketers are struggling with how to invest that time without sacrificing some other important activity.

It seems to me that B-to-B marketing today is like a mosaic. Every piece – every “tile” – is vital in its own right, and must be correctly shaped and placed. But it’s the big picture that counts. And you can’t see the big picture if you’re only focusing on the individual tiles. As marketers struggle with learning, implementing, staffing or outsourcing the new pieces of the marketing mosaic, it is clear that an overall plan, strategy and program architecture are more important than ever. They provide context for the detail work and help ensure that you end up where you want to be.