Association memberships can add up quickly, especially when each individual or department signs up separately. Centralize the budget for dues, subscriptions and sponsorships, then negotiate group discounts.

Document (and use) additional benefits of membership, such as directory listings, sponsorships, advertising and speaking opportunities, list rental and discounted event attendance.

Follow the B2B Marketing “Tip of the Week” every Monday for a short, practical recommendation to improve your marketing effectiveness. Looking for suggestions in a specific area? Tweet me your request @ThinkSpringMktg or contact me.

Tired of clip art and poor imagery in your company’s PowerPoint presentations? Make it easy for non-marketers to maintain your brand image by creating an accessible library of approved images.

Purchase, crop and save a variety of brand-appropriate stock photography and illustrations in formats compatible with your presentation software. Solicit input from frequent presenters on new content they need to tell their stories, and add new images regularly.

Follow the B2B Marketing “Tip of the Week” every Monday for a short, practical recommendation to improve your marketing effectiveness. Looking for suggestions in a specific area? Tweet me your request @ThinkSpringMktg or contact me.

Make sure the resources allocated to your next event match its potential. Set a clear goal up front and drive all event-related activities toward meeting it.

Common goals include: number of booth visitors and number of leads generated during the event, and number of sales appointments set and opportunities produced within a certain timeframe following the event.

Remember, few tradeshows produce new business directly; set up a mechanism to track and measure leads over time as they mature into qualified sales opportunities.

Follow the B2B Marketing “Tip of the Week” every Monday for a short, practical recommendation to improve your marketing effectiveness. Looking for suggestions in a specific area? Tweet me your request @ThinkSpringMktg or contact me.

Before clicking “invite” on your next meeting request, take time to set clear expectations and use everyone’s time wisely. Define the meeting objective in one sentence and make sure it can be accomplished in the time allotted. List the take-aways you want to collect from the group discussion.

Lastly, identify a clear role for each participant. Limit attendees to active contributors; use a summary email to inform others of meeting findings or status updates.

Follow the B2B Marketing “Tip of the Week” every Monday for a short, practical recommendation to improve your marketing effectiveness. Looking for suggestions in a specific area? Tweet me your request @ThinkSpringMktg or contact me.

If this cry for help sounds familiar, don’t panic. There’s no time like the present to set your course.

Follow these five steps to expedite your marketing roadmap:

1. Start small

There’s no minimum timeframe for planning. What’s important is defining activities that will help the organization achieve its objectives. Tackle the next six weeks or 90 days and work your way up to a six- or 12-month plan.

2. Prioritize

The marketing wish list will always exceed available resources, so be realistic. Focus your plan on your top three channels, products or organizational objectives and how to support them. Sort potential activities into categories: Required, Desired and Nice. Execute programs in the same order.

3. Delegate

It’s marketing’s job to support organizational goals—not to create them. Ask leadership to share their objectives. Use sales targets, revenue plans and product business plans for guidance. This information gathering will speed your timeline and engage the team.

4. Dedicate time

Like oil and water, strategic thinking and day-to-day marketing tasks don’t mix. Schedule 60-minute blocks of uninterrupted time to draft your plan: no email, no phones, no meetings. If you’re in a high-traffic area, work in a conference room. Make a checklist of items you need to complete, and set a reasonable goal for each work session.

5. Expect revisions

Every plan is a working document, one you will likely adapt as market conditions or business priorities change. When this happens, be flexible, involve others and use the plan as a communications tool. Add or change activities with the same Required-Desired-Nice categories used to develop the plan.

As with any skill, the more you plan, the more proficient you’ll become. And, even a small plan trumps a reactive, ad hoc approach.

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Successful, strategic marketing stays in touch with the organization at all levels. Don’t rely solely on your manager to convey market news or company updates; develop relationships with your peers across the organization. Meet periodically with sales and product management colleagues to stay in tune with active projects and potential needs.

Follow the B2B Marketing “Tip of the Week” every Monday for a short, practical recommendation to improve your marketing effectiveness. Looking for suggestions in a specific area? Tweet me your request @ThinkSpringMktg or contact me.

Nothing fuels stronger response than talking to the right people. So are you? Pull a random sample of your house list and audit the records. Look for decision-maker names and titles, record completeness and accuracy of information. Work with sales, or a firm that specializes in database marketing, to improve your data quality.

Follow the B2B Marketing “Tip of the Week” every Monday for a short, practical recommendation to improve your marketing effectiveness. Looking for suggestions in a specific area? Tweet me your request @ThinkSpringMktg or contact me.

Too often, a company’s “about” boilerplate reads like a dispatch from the legal department: it’s wordy, vague and certainly not memorable. Transform this essential real estate with a focus on specifics. Identify the industry or clients you serve, the key competency that sets you apart from the competition, and 1-2 phrases that support your claims.

Test your message by substituting a competitor’s name; the best content applies solely to your organization.

Follow the B2B Marketing “Tip of the Week” every Monday for a short, practical recommendation to improve your marketing effectiveness. Looking for suggestions in a specific area? Tweet me your request @ThinkSpringMktg or contact me.

Make it easy for sales reps, executives, the product team and other stakeholders to know what’s happening in marketing. Publish a calendar that shares drop dates and target audiences for lead generation efforts, ad campaigns, tradeshows and customer communications.

Issue frequent reminders with links to the calendar and examples of upcoming programs. Proactive internal communication builds a strong base of support for the marketing department.

Follow the B2B Marketing “Tip of the Week” every Monday for a short, practical recommendation to improve your marketing effectiveness. Looking for suggestions in a specific area? Tweet me your request @ThinkSpringMktg or contact me.

End the year with a set of New Year’s resolutions for marketing. What will you do differently in 2012? What new benchmarks will you strive to achieve?

Make at least one aspiration a BHAG: a Big Hairy Audacious Goal. Get inspired and bring positive energy back from the holiday vacation.

Follow the B2B Marketing “Tip of the Week” every Monday for a short, practical recommendation to improve your marketing effectiveness. Looking for suggestions in a specific area? Tweet me your request @ThinkSpringMktg or contact me.