by Fronetics | Oct 3, 2018 | Blog, Content Marketing, Data/Analytics, Logistics, Marketing, Social Media, Supply Chain
Use these three steps to calculate your social media ROI and prove the value of your investment.
As supply chain and logistics businesses are finally recognizing the merits of content marketing, and more specifically social media platforms, many are looking into implementing a program at their companies. But it doesn’t take much research to realize what an enormous investment it is. And how difficult it can be to prove social media ROI.
We understand the time and money it takes to successfully implement and manage a social media strategy as a part of your content marketing plan. Many companies we talk to need help convincing management that it’s a worthwhile investment. To that we say, use data!
[bctt tweet=”We understand the time and money it takes to successfully implement and manage a social media strategy, as a part of your content marketing plan. Many companies we talk to need help convincing management that it’s a worthwhile investment.” username=”Fronetics”]
But what data should you use? How do you quantify certain benefits, like growth in brand awareness? And do you really have to keep track of all the hours you spend managing social media, crafting new tweets, etc.?
Here are three simple steps to start proving your social media ROI.
Infographic: 3 steps to prove social media ROI
(Made with Canva)
Final thoughts
Once you’ve calculated ROI for your social media platforms, it’s time to think strategically about optimizing your content marketing resources in terms of allocation and timing. Having hard data helps you answer questions about which initiatives are most fruitful, what language engages your audience best, when your efforts are most likely to pay off.
Ultimately, this data-driven approach lets you continually adapt to the needs of your audience, ensuring an ongoing, robust ROI.
Have you had to prove your social media ROI? What strategies did you use?
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by Fronetics | Sep 27, 2018 | Blog, Content Marketing, Current Events, Marketing, Social Media
Also in social media news, September 2018: Twitter launches audio-only live streaming, and Facebook Creator Studio is going global.
The kids are back to school, football is back on tv, and the leaves are starting to change colors. This can only mean one thing: fall is officially upon us. What does this mean for our most popular social media platforms? Similar to battling dropping temperatures, it’s time to heat things up to keep users engaged and active.
Especially for Facebook. In a new survey by the Pew Research Center, users revealed how their engagement with the social media platform has changed in the wake of privacy and security concerns. Most notably, 44% of Facebook users ages 18 to 29 reported deleting the Facebook app from their phone in the past year. Despite the fall chill, Zuckerberg and his crew need to continue heating up their security updates and find new ways to gain user trust and ensure user privacy.
Here’s what else has been happening in September with the hottest social media platforms and how the latest updates help businesses gain exposure and target new audiences.
Here’s your social media news for September 2018.
Facebook Expands Ad Pixels to Group
Facebook will now allow pixels to be added to a brand’s Facebook Group. This expanded feature will enable marketers to track user growth, activity, and engagement with their websites. Facebook is hoping the new update will boost attention for Groups as an advertising avenue. “Facebook Groups are the new email for brands. They get push notifications. The engagement rate of Groups is extremely high. It makes sense they’re going to put a pixel in there, just like you would with email, because now through groups you can track conversions,” says Nik Sharma, Director at Hint Inc.
Snap Inc. Announces New Webinars for Ad Tools
Snap Inc. announced two upcoming webinars that provide more insight into how Snapchat can boost marketing campaigns for advertisers. These webinars are “for advertisers who want to learn more about the Snap Pixel. From how it differs from other pixels, the optimizations and attribution it enables, to implementation and troubleshooting, we’ll cover everything you need to know to power your eCommerce campaigns.” Though Snap’s niche is young adults, the app is working overtime to provide more advertising options, including performance tracking and user engagement.
Twitter Rolls Out Audio-Only Live-Streams on Twitter and Periscope
Twitter launched a new audio-only option on its app and Periscope. The popular feature, available on Facebook since 2015, has been heavily requested by users for years. “Broadcasting with audio only in Periscope is something the community has been asking for, and have been doing already by covering the camera lens. Sometimes people are not comfortable being on camera, but they still want to broadcast and interact with others via Periscope’s powerful chatroom feature.” writes Periscope engineer, Richard Plom. The new feature allows users to hear content without being locked to a screen. This will help businesses tap into the podcasting trend (streaming without video), creating new ways for users to tap into a brand’s content.
Facebook’s Creator Studio Launches Globally
Facebook officially launched Creator Studio globally, “providing one central place for Pages to manage their entire content library and business.” Publishers and account managers can now manage content, interactions, insights, video publishing, and much more in one central location.
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by Fronetics | Sep 24, 2018 | Blog, Content Marketing, Current Events, Logistics, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy, Supply Chain
A new generation of buyers, digital natives, is shaking up the B2B purchasing landscape. Is your business ready to meet them online?
Digital natives, who now make up the majority of the B2B purchasing landscape, have completely changed how vendors need to market and sell to buyers.
[bctt tweet=”Digital natives, who now make up the majority of the B2B purchasing landscape, have completely changed how vendors need to market and sell to buyers.” username=”Fronetics”]
In fact, according to a study of millennial buyers by Merit, some 73% of 20 to 35 year olds are involved in product or service purchase decision-making at their companies. Not only that, about half of all B2B product researchers are digital natives — and the number is rising by the year, according to a Google/Millward Brown digital survey of buyers.
It goes without saying that the B2B purchasing landscape is going through a radical shift. Here are 6 ways that digital natives have changed B2B purchasing — and how companies have to respond.
6 ways digital natives are changing B2B purchasing
1. Product searches begin with a generic web search.
This means that companies now have to focus on SEO and producing informative content. First impressions are everything in B2B markets, and when it comes to digital natives, your first impression is conveyed through every piece of content you produce and distribute online.
2. They bypass sales people.
So companies should aim to switch from primarily outbound marketing to inbound marketing. This doesn’t mean that salespeople are going to be out of jobs. But it does mean that sales and marketing need to work together in new ways.
3. Online search, vendors’ websites, and peer/colleague reviews are their most important sources of information.
It’s time to place focus on SEO, website development, social media, influencer marketing, and B2B review sites. Again, your reputation depends on your online content. Are you establishing your brand as a trusted source of information?
4. They prefer short bursts of information, often in visual formats.
Not only that, they find phone calls tedious and disruptive. Companies need to be strategic about the type and format of any content they distribute. Emails and websites should be mobile-friendly, and visual formats like infographics are a highly effective way to present dense information.
5. Social media is a preferred source.
These digital natives are relying on social media for information on brands, products, and services. How does your social media presence stack up?
6. They know what they want by the time a salesperson enters the process.
This new generation of buyers already has a clear idea of the value they expect from a vendor by the time they’re ready to move down the sales funnel. So vendors need to deliver on the promises made by their content.
How is your company accommodating the research and purchasing habits of digital natives?
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by Fronetics | Sep 20, 2018 | Blog, Content Marketing, Logistics, Marketing, Social Media, Supply Chain
Online searches, vendor websites, and peer recommendations are the top 3 resources for B2B buyers.
As a marketer, it’s not enough to just know about the B2B buyer’s process. Your success rides on your ability to understand how your buyers are getting their information — and, more specifically, where they’re getting the information they need to make a purchasing decision.
So where are they getting most of their information? I can tell you, it’s no longer from sales reps.
In our digital era, buyers are heading straight to the internet to gain valuable insight before making purchases. Thanks in large part to social media, mobile technologies, and the world wide web, buyers are becoming increasingly self-sufficient. In fact, 70% of the buyer’s journey is complete before a buyer even reaches out to sales. This means they have already spent a fair amount of time educating themselves with the enormous amount of information available to them on the internet.
[bctt tweet=”70% of the buyer’s journey is complete before a buyer even reaches out to sales. This means they have already spent a fair amount of time educating themselves with the enormous amount of information available to them on the internet.” username=”Fronetics”]
Is your content marketing meeting buyers where they are? Here are the three most important sources of information for B2B buyers.
Infographic: 3 top resources for B2B buyers
(Made with Canva)
Takeaway: Get in early
Listen, your prospects are forming their opinions about your business and your products based on what they find on the web, and early on.
This new reality may seem daunting, given how much of the purchase decision-making process occurs before you have the opportunity to engage with a potential client. But in reality, this changing climate offers serious opportunities for businesses to demonstrate their expertise, without turning buyers off with overt sales pitches.
To make the most of the potential purchaser’s experience with your business, content is key.
A robust content marketing program builds brand awareness, establishes trust and rapport with prospects, and generates traffic to your website. Thoughtfully generated and curated content catches the attention of buyers and keeps them interested in your business through the time of purchase.
With a well-thought-out, data-driven content marketing strategy, you’ll be ready to meet digital natives where they are.
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by Fronetics | Sep 18, 2018 | Blog, Content Marketing, Current Events, Logistics, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy, Supply Chain
Ask yourself these five questions before you dive headfirst into an influencer marketing campaign to set you on the right path.
We’ve been writing a lot lately about influencer marketing and how it can work for the supply chain. These campaigns can be extremely effective — but getting the most bang for your buck requires a strategic approach from the outset.
Before you start an influencer marketing campaign, ask yourself these 5 questions.
5 questions to ask before starting an influencer marketing campaign
1. Why do I want to use influencers?
According to Natasha Lekwa, influencer marketing and social media editor at Snapchat, it’s important to “make sure you have a clear idea why you want to use influencers.” Answers might include boosting brand awareness, gaining followers, or increasing sales, to name a few. But each of these answers will lead you to a different strategy.
Being fully and deliberately aware of why you’re embarking on a campaign will help you set key performance indicators, determine your audience, and “envision what success will look like at the end of the campaign.” You’ll also be able to choose strategically the best platform to use, based on your content and target demographic.
2. Who are my influencers?
It may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how often businesses dive into an influencer marketing campaign without having fully identified key influencers in their sector.
Lekwa suggest using hashtags to search Instagram for appropriate influencers and advises not just focusing on the obvious influencers in your industry. In fact, exploring influencers in other related industries can help expand your reach.
3. Who are my micro-influencers?
[bctt tweet=”Micro-influencers can give you a much higher ROI than big stars, and audience engagement tends to get higher as social niches get narrower.” username=”Fronetics”]
So you’ve identified your major influencers. Now you can start thinking about your “micro-influencers,” those with 10K to 100K followers. “Micro-influencers can give you a much higher ROI than big stars, and audience engagement tends to get higher as social niches get narrower,” Lekwa says. And since engagement is the name of the game when it comes to any kind of social media marketing, micro-influencers can be enormously valuable.
4. What are your terms?
Since influencers tend to be content creators at heart, they often have plenty of great ideas. But it’s important that your goals are transparent and aligned.
“It’s important to be on the same page,” says Lekwa. “Having a clear contract that spells out what each side will execute will help manage expectations for both your team and for the influencer.” In fact, Lekwa points out that influencers generally appreciate having guidelines and “the big conceptual themes of a campaign handed to them.”
5. What is my own value?
Approaching influencers can be intimidating. As Forbes writer Andrey Slivka points out, “As you might expect from people who get deluged with free stuff, influencers can be hard to impress.” This means you need to be clear and specific when you approach them about what you have to offer.
“Especially with micro-influencers, who are building their brands, what you offer doesn’t always have to be monetary,” Lekwa says. Often, brands can offer influencers exposure, the prestige of having their own brand associated with a larger business, or the resources to improve their content production.
Influencer marketing can be daunting at first, but it’s a powerful tool of the supply chain. If you lay the right foundation, an influencer marketing campaign has the potential to expand your brand’s reach exponentially.
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by Fronetics | Sep 17, 2018 | Blog, Content Marketing, Logistics, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy, Supply Chain
Today’s B2B buyers are mostly digital natives who get the majority of their purchasing information from online searches, vendor websites, and peer recommendations.
From a content marketing perspective, knowing where your buyers get their information is critical to an effective strategy. So what are most important sources of information for today’s B2B buyers? 20 years ago, you might have named things like product info sheets or sales reps. But not anymore.
B2B buying has completely evolved, thanks in large part to the increasing percentage of digital natives who now make up the B2B purchasing landscape.
Is your content marketing strategy meeting buyers where they are? Here are the three most important sources of information for B2B buyers.
3 top sources of information for B2B buyers
1. Online search
Not only is an online search the first move for 62% of B2B buyers, 94% of buyers report using online research at some point during the purchasing process. And this isn’t a surprise, when you consider that, according to a study of millennial buyers by Merit, “some 73% of 20 to 35 year olds are involved in product or service purchase decision-making at their companies.”
[bctt tweet=”Not only is an online search the first move for 62% of B2B buyers, 94% of buyers report using online research at some point during the purchasing process.” username=”Fronetics”]
So what does this mean for your business? Gone are the days when a simply thinking about keyword rankings was enough to boost your SEO. In our four-part series on writing for SEO, we address how search engines and the search landscape have changed over the past several years. Improving your search ranking can seem like a complex process, but in the end it all boils down to one thing: quality content, presented in a clear and compelling manner.
2. Vendor websites
So buyers conduct their online search. And if you’ve done your content marketing homework, they find your business. How does your website stack up?
According to Bain’s global customer insights chief Eric Almquist, by the time they reach your website, buyers “will have already formed a strong opinion about many aspects of the value expected from a vendor.” For this reason, your website should “provide a wealth of information on these types of value, with details on where… products have been successful.”
Your website should be one of your primary assets. If you don’t give visitors plenty of easy, attractive opportunities to convert on your website, content marketing won’t generate leads for you. Your content should be organized and clear, presented with the goal of helping your potential customers. And opportunities for conversion should be everywhere.
3. Peers and colleagues
As digital natives step into purchasing roles in the supply chain, they’ve “brought their consumer habits to the B2B world,” says Almquist. This means that a big part of the purchasing process involves review sites, where purchasers seek the opinion of their peers and colleagues. “Reviews will tell the buyer how a vendor performs on many ease-of-doing-business elements long before the buyer has actual experience with that vendor.”
This aspect of content marketing can seem daunting for many businesses because of the perception that what’s on these sites is completely out of your control. But with the right strategy in place, review sites are actually a big opportunity for your business.
For a start, vendors “should encourage customers who are advocates of the company to provide reviews on relevant sites.” It’s also important to take an active role on these sites, responding to customer reviews — even the occasionally inevitable bad ones.
Says Almquist, “First impressions matter as much as ever in B2B markets. Today though, that first look comes through websites, user forums, and quick case studies, not flesh-and-blood sales pitches.”
With a well-thought-out, data driven content marketing strategy, you’ll be ready to meet digital natives where they are.
What sources of information for B2B buyers do you focus on?
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