Apparently, the ultimate "targetability" of Google AdWords to B2B product searchers is clawing revenue away from traditional B2B trade rags and websites which, in the past, used to be the only "targeted" way to reach the actual decision makers in the B2B space.

Not so anymore...

Marketers use AdWords to reach consumers with tightly targeted messages as consumers seek tightly targeted information, which is a decent thumbnail description of business-to-business publishing's model.

I guess I'm a little concerned about this, as someone already stated:

"If Google can slice and dice [information]," said one b-to-b publishing executive, "and give highly qualified users to very targeted advertisers, then what do you need a trade publication for?"

Really, the value of trade rags is in the content, but the content usually can't survive without the ads. (how many of you remember actually paying for a trade magazine...most are very much free...)

The shining star in all of this is that B2B sales cycles are not typically completed in a day, and ads placed in B2B trade pubs reach potential buyers at a very different stage of the purchase/decision cycle than will a targeted ad via Google. When B2B ad salespeople are out there selling ads, they need to bring this up as a topic.

Moreover, B2B ad salespeople need to accentuate their own website's draw and come up with unique revenue models to support and augment the print ad revenue.

[via AdAge - TRADE PUBLISHERS WARNED OF GOOGLE'S IMPACT ON MAGAZINES]

[also - MarketingVox - Google Threatens B-to-B Publishers]