I suspect Theodore Levitt was a do-it-yourselfer around the home.

He was the esteemed marketing professor who coined the maxim, "People don't want to buy a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole!" Probably said it when his neighbor told him to return the drill he borrowed and go buy his own.

Anyway, it's a notion I've been thinking about lately. Not because his pithy saying so neatly reflects buyer expectations, but because I spent quite a bit of last year fixing stuff. Which means I drilled a lot of holes.

In the seven years we've lived in this house, I've probably accumulated enough drills, sanders, electric screwdrivers, saws, clamps, paint, plumbing fixtures and miscellaneous hardware items to... well, build a new house.

Looking around my basement the other day it struck me that for each new project I tackled, I couldn't resist buying another tool - or two. So, I wondered, "Could my existing tools have done the job just as well?"

Now, Theodore's proposition doesn't just apply to consumers or business buyers. It applies equally well to marketing communicators. After all, we use plenty of tools in our jobs. And lately it seems you can't bat an eyelash without a new one popping up. Over the past year alone, services like Klout, Google+ and Facebook for Business gathered steam.

But as we gaze longingly (or perplexingly) at each new tool, it's easy to lose sight of the real objective - the quarter-inch hole.

So as 2012 unfolds, let's see how the old tools might make some new holes that more closely reflect changing buyer behavior and attitudes.

Here goes...

Website: Think of your site as a general contractor that coordinates all buyer communication. That's because you can now expect every decision maker (no longer just the early influencers) to visit at some point in the buying cycle.

• Categorize material by buyer role and problem to be solved as well as by industry.

• Write text that is introductory and less paragraphy. Let other tools take over from there.

• Start curating and incorporate links to valuable external resources.

• Start with a measurable goal. Spotlight your top subject matter experts, establish industry thought leadership, or become the source of day-to-day customer advice in the business.

• Vary the articles to include commentary on industry happenings, new ideas, personal stories and responses to what others write.

• Comment on other blogs related to your industry.

• Keep each paper to a single takeaway message.

• Instead of generic "customer success stories" use case studies as proof points. Write to a specific audience, pain point or barrier to adoption. Try hard to provide measureable customer data.

• Consider the full range of uses for whitepapers, including research, business or usage trends, analysis, technical overview and thought leadership.

• Hire a professional to produce the work or provide advice. Don't lose sight of "the hole" in favor of being too creative.

• Use video to interview industry analysts or customers, introduce new concepts, promotions, how-to's and animations.