Hard to believe another week is behind us and we're fast approaching month two of 2013! Well here's our Friday round up of some of the most useful B2B marketing and event marketing stories we've come across this week.

• Our favourite post of the week is from our trusted friends over at eConsultancy's. The article beautifully illustrates that some of the age old principles of marketing, such as A/B testing and personalisation, are still very much present and more importantly still effective today. Check out this image - testimonials have been used in advertising for over 100 years! It goes to show that these essential basics are crucial to any successful marketing strategy - if you don't get these right, it's unlikely your creative tactics will fly either. This approach not only applies to marketing, but to business and life in general. Don't ignore the basics. Check it out for yourself: Nine conversion techniques from the 1920s to try today 

• Social Media Today talked about "B2B Marketing: What the Organization of 2017 Will Look Like". Sounds pretty futuristic - but it's only 5 years away! It's an entertaining read - although the scariest part for me is their prediction that many B2B marketing leaders will have no marketing background and there'll be a new breed of “math marketers”. I can't stand maths! What are your thoughts on where B2B marketing is heading?

• Marketo has been very active with their event marketing series and here is a blog with the top questions asked in one of their recent event marketing webinars

• We know that the "one size fits all" style of marketing is long gone - and this applies to content too. Now with so many companies marketing at an international level, rolling out a global content strategy is crucial. Simply having a multilingual website isn't going to cut it. eConsultancy's article on "Developing a multilingual content marketing strategy" provides some useful pointers to get started. If you're launching into new emerging markets this is a helpful read.
• Check out this insightful case study from Marketingsherpa - focusing on the results of a targeted persona strategy. They outline 5 steps that helped this company lift leads by 124%- worth checking out their learnings.

• "Hashtag" was crowned the word of the year in 2012. It's an important tool in any marketers digital ammunition. I really liked this straightforward article from B2B Marketing - reminding us of some of the "Simple Tips to Make Your Hashtags Work"

That's it from us for this week. Have a bright weekend wherever you are!