Will the economy finish 2010 stronger than 2009? Most people think it will.

BusinessWeek and Moody's Economy.com teamed up to identify metros where the highest job growth is projected for 2010. Prashant Gopal summarized the findings on November 5, 2009. The list was packed with communities that are closely linked to the energy industry, colleges and universities, and military installations. None of the metros on the list experienced a housing bubble as disastrous as Miami, Las Vegas, and Phoenix.

Another positive outlook can be found in the one-year forecast for job growth prepared by Moodys.com and published by USA Today. The forecast compares 3rd quarter 2010 to 3rd quarter 2009 and the results make it clear that institutions remain the strongest sector of the economy. Click to continue

This is the time of year when many people reflect on past events and set goals for the coming months. We thought it would be interesting to take a look at the most popular B2i Today articles from the past year. Here is the content that B2i Today readers clicked to most frequently:

Educators and Social Networking
What does the latest research mean for companies that sell to the education market?
Up until now, very little has been known about how educators are using social networks and other collaborative technologies, and whether or not they see a value for education. During the November 4th webinar, marketers gained important insights about the different ways educators are using social media and how those differences impact marketing strategies. The information in the webinar was based on a joint research study conducted by edWeb.net, MMS Education, and MCH and investigated how K-12 teachers, principals, and librarians are using social networks.

Recession Resistant Marketing Webinar & White Paper
After the December 2008 MCH webinar, 90% of the survey respondents said they would change their marketing strategies based on the information presented. Were your strategies aligned properly? Did you capitalize on new opportunities in the marketplace?

Jill Watson, Marketing Coordinator with EBSCO told us she used information from MCH webinars and white papers to help her clients learn how to market more effectively to institutions. We'd like to hear your story. Call Jackie Finnegan at 1-800-776-6373 x170 to share how B2i strategies helped you survive in 2009.

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by Suzanna Stagemeyer, Reporter for the Kansas City Business Journal

The Business Journal recently transformed the "Growth Strategies" section of the publication into "Survival Strategies" which is an appropriate place for a story about MCH in 2009. Ms. Stagemeyer interviewed Peter Long and John Hood in mid-November. In the article, she chronicles how economic shifts over the past year have had both positive and negative effects on the company.

Although a subscription is required to read the entire article, the following excerpts highlight the strategies employed by MCH to weather the economic turmoil:

"The MCH philosophy: Sell its way out of the problem. The company stopped hiring but 'took it in the teeth' to keep existing jobs, hours, and pay and benefits…MCH scrutinized costs, dropping out of some trade shows and putting off projects that weren't generating revenue or weren't on budget in favor of doubling down on those that were. It emphasized selling existing products and ramped up e-mails and webinars, a virtually free way of reaching hundreds of customers. Free webinars about the stimulus package spread MCH's reach and reputation as a leading-edge resource."

"A few years ago, Long and Hood sensed threats to the business, with the market for catalogs and mailings being pressured by factors such as rising postage rates, online delivery channels, the green movement, and the Do Not Mail List. So they quizzed clients about MCH's greatest strengths and discovered they had been missing a golden thread that connected the company's functions: representing the institutional market."

MCH is planning for continued growth in the coming year. We’ve created several new positions to better support our clients and we are currently reviewing applications.

We will enhance our client services with a new Customer Service Manager position and by hiring an additional Sales Coordinator. The new CSM will be responsible for our inside staff Sales Coordinators, the client services professionals who ensure that your orders are processed quickly and correctly. We’re also adding a full-time Email Marketing Services Specialist to coordinate our rapidly growing Channel_e email services, and a new Product Manager position that will help us get new product innovations to market quickly.

Click here for full job descriptions. Please share information about our current job openings with your colleagues!

Institutions rely heavily on technology and the benefit of having systems in place that improve productivity. Whether you're managing patient records at a hospital, tracking textbook and supply inventories at a school, or maintaining a membership roster at a church, the jobs are much easier with a computer system. The IT Director often has a large departmental budget that can be spent at his or her discretion. Technology departments exist in some form at almost every institution. By including the IT Director in your next direct mail campaign, you will be reaching a key decision maker with money to spend.

Click here to review datacards that are suitable for marketers of information technology equipment and services and then call your MCH sales representative to get a count on those "why didn't I think of that?" institutions you may have missed.

Click here to request a quote for any of MCH's institutional databases and services.