InternetVIZ: Dana, you've been involved with the Internet for a long time now, haven't you?

DB: For the past 20 years I've been business reporter, speaker, consultant, and writer and have been covering the Internet since the beginning.

InternetVIZ: As you look around and assess Internet marketing today, what do you see as the most profound change?

DB: The most profound change is the removal of the word "Internet" from it. It's the introduction of mainstream marketing disciplines to the Internet that's the big change. Once we learn what the mainstream has to really offer us, of course, we'll then be in a position to crush our competitors due to our lower cost structure, but that can't happen yet.

InternetVIZ: From a marketing perspective, what are the biggest mistakes technologists are making today?

DB: Just because you must add real-world disciplines to Internet marketing doesn't mean you abandon Internet marketing principles in the process. I've also seen a lot more desperation in Internet marketing generally. Never let 'em see you sweat.

InternetVIZ: What are they doing right?

DB: Internet marketers that adopt real world disciplines and strategies, who integrate the two into a seamless whole, are doing it right. They're now ready for the customer however he or she comes in.

InternetVIZ: Do you believe permission marketing is a successful marketing strategy?

DB: Of course. You don't make a sale unless you have permission to make it. You cannot lead someone down the sales funnel unless they agree to be led. And the more automatic you can make purchases (the more "permission" you can gain) the better off you are.

InternetVIZ: One of the more controversial advertising campaigns today is the X-10.  This company is using "pop-under" ads to force their message on viewers.  This seems to be contrary to everything permission marketing experts have been talking about for the past few years.  What do you think about this strategy?

DB: The X-10 camera is an example of just how cheap Internet ad rates have gotten. A strategy that's so akin to spamming wouldn't stand a chance if you had to pay what we call "market rates" for the space. But when you're talking about CP/Ms of 50 cents to $1, you can sell a simple concept -- surveillance -- and throw out the rest, successfully. The risk is that in pursuing this strategy X-10 is barring itself from future sales -- it's a very short-term deal.

InternetVIZ: How about email marketing?  Do you think this can help lead to increased future sales?

DB: I'm for email marketing.  But it must be based on full permission, because the recipient bears the cost of postage.  The refusal of the paper industry (through the Direct Marketing Association) to accept this fact is encouraging many in the business (including Amazon) to destroy e-mail marketing's effectiveness with notes that are "semi-spam," sent based on a purchase rather than a permission to maintain contact.

InternetVIZ:  So, you believe these two tactics - the X-10 and the Amazon technique - are harmful to a long-term marketing strategy?

DB: Yes.  They are not based on permission and they therefore destroy, rather than build, relationships.

InternetVIZ: Do you believe the B2B space can benefit from being more aggressive in adopting email marketing tactics?

DB: Not more aggressive, more thoughtful. B2B sellers need to develop very deep relationships before the sale. Good e-mail is one way to do that. "Aggressive" e-mail can destroy it.  Good e-mail (in the b2b sense) provides real editorial service and doesn't waste the recipient's time. It furthers the relationship, using information to lead the prospect further down the sales funnel.

InternetVIZ: In recent ClickZ columns and other writings, you've been giving broadband and wireless a lot of attention.  What are the marketing implications of these advances?

DB: Broadband and wireless are the future, many say, so I have to cover it. But I don't think they change the nature of marketing as much as the fadists believe they do.

InternetVIZ: How effective have you found your A-Clue newsletter?

DB: I'm still working. I've lost 8 clients over the last year, representing $6,700 per month in income to me. But I've picked up enough additional business that I'm keeping my head above water, for which I'm grateful. Doing that when the whole freelance writing industry is collapsing around my ears is testament to the success of a-clue.com. It also keeps me sane -- sane is good.

InternetVIZ: To close, do you have one piece of marketing advice you'd like to offer a B2B company?

DB: Integrate all your channels. Use each channel on its own terms, but you do need to be everywhere your customer might be. Marketing is marketing.

(To see what other experts say, click here)

Dana Blankenhorn has been a business reporter for 20 years. He has written parts of five books and currently contributes to Advertising Age, Business Marketing, NetMarketing, the Chicago Tribune, Boardwatch, CLEC Magazine, and other publications in addition to ClickZ. His own newsletter, A-Clue.Com, is published weekly.