The Secret To B2B Social Media?
Today I presented on the Focus webinar titled “The Secrets to B2B Social Media Success Revealed” where I discussed how to integrate social media into your marketing mix.
The bottom line: the question is no longer “Should we?” but rather “How?” we begin to align our organization around the new/old social world. I speak about this paradox in my presentation which you can access below.
Top Takeaways From Blogwell Philly 2010
On Tuesday, November 9th I was fortunate enough to attend and participate in Blogwell Philly 2010. This was my first effort as a “Live-Blogger” and I hope the speakers feel that I captured their presentations well. Coming away from the event, I wanted to share some of my top takeaways from the amazing experience.
To review, Blogwell is an event sponsored by the Social Media Business Council, a ”community for social business leaders at large companies.” The event titled “How Big Brands Use Social Media” highlights 8 real-life social media case studies. Disclosure: The Philly leg of the Blogwell tour was sponsored and hosted by my employer: SAP.
Integrate Social Media Into Your Marketing Mix
As a results-oriented marketer you want to only deploy your precious time and budget into marketing programs that work. At the same time, you know that social media has changed the marketing landscape: shouting to prospects with endless email offers may produce leads but you’re worried about the longer term implications to your market.
You may have heard that social media can improve not only your more traditional tactics but also allows you to engage with your prospects sooner in the buying cycle. It may even allow you to identify those influential network hubs whose recommendations can mean big referral business for you. So how do you incorporate social media into the marketing mix?
The 4 Cs of Social Media
Social media is a paradox: it is the physical representation of a revolution in the way consumers obtain (and create) information. At the same time, it is just another marketing channel. The reason I believe marketers are so confused about social media is because of this paradox.
And the reaction of many is to rush into the technology. This misses the point, of course, since social media is about customer relationships and not really about the technology at all. In the past, I have written about the challenges of Social Media and The Brand, the power of Integrating Social Media and Search and asked Why Do You Tweet? Social Media And Your Personal Brand. So I thought it was best to identify a clear framework for marketers to use to create successful social media strategies.
Tweet Chats: Organized Chaos or Untapped Marketing Opportunity
While tweet chats can appear to be organized chaos from an outsider’s perspective, they are a fantastic way to enhance your experiences on Twitter by connecting and sharing with other individuals interested in the same topics. For those that are unfamiliar with tweet chats, they can be defined as prearranged discussions that happen on Twitter through the use of a predefined hashtag. The chat hashtag is used to link the tweets together in a virtual conversation so that all participants can follow along. Formal Twitter tweet chats are arranged in advance and occur at a specific time. They also may include a formal agenda with a specific leader/speaker/moderator or they might involve a free flowing discussion between all participants. Read more
Whatever Happened to Marketing Strategy?
The realities and pressures we all face in today’s economy are not easy. Too many times, the reaction of B2B Marketers is to pull out the fire house and start fighting the latest fire. I think one of the most important factors to success in B2B markets is simple: Strategic and Integrated Marketing Plans.
Oh and that means thinking ahead. (Disclosure: as a dedicated rant, this post is full of copious amounts of sarcasm).
8 Essential Social Media Resources
Whether you are just beginning to dip your toes into the “social media” waters or are a seasoned professional, there is something for everyone. These resources include everything from how to get started, tips for building a social media community and how to calculate key social media metrics – just to name a few. Read more
Social Media: The Journey Begins With You
Great news, your boss has selected you to create and manage the company’s new social media initiatives. Now like many marketers currently experiencing a similar situation, you probably immediately thought “why me?” and then quickly thereafter “how do I get started?” First off, it is important to note that social media is not synonymous with Twitter or Facebook. According to Duct Tape Marketing, social media is the use of technology combined with social interaction to create or co-create value. Second, similar to any other marketing campaign, you must start by defining your target audience and then setting specific objectives that can be measured. Read more
7 Common B2B Social Media Marketing Mistakes
Social Media has become a hot topic for marketers and currently much of the success is being seen in the B2C space. To help out my fellow B2B marketers, here is a list of 7 common mistakes that B2B marketers make when jumping feet first into social media marketing. Read more
