If your supply chain company isn’t active on social media, know that your competitors are. Here are three ways social media can help the supply chain, improving processes and expanding your audiences.
I remember my first supply chain job after college. My boss was stuck on the word “social” and didn’t see any value in social media at the time. He believed that you came to work to be productive and that social media was counterproductive. There was no need for a crossroads between social media and the supply chain.
Fast forward a few years — ok, maybe more than a few — and there are still plenty of supply chain companies that aren’t utilizing social media to help grow their brands. Social networking isn’t about being social; it is about facilitating communication and collaboration, distributing content, and engaging with target audiences. It’s about making processes more efficient using innovative technologies, like automation tools.
[bctt tweet=”Social networking isn’t about being social; it is about facilitating communication and collaboration, distributing content, and engaging with target audiences.” username=”Fronetics”]
As part of a comprehensive content marketing strategy, social media can actually help your supply chain company meet ROI benchmarks. Utilizing social media increases your brand’s visibility and promotes transparency. The distribution of high-quality, thought provoking content will help your target audience see you as an industry leader, which will help you boost sales and increase customer engagement.
Here are three ways social media can help the supply chain improve communication, increase information sharing, and engage with new (and current) customers.
Video: 3 ways social media can help the supply chain
Recommendations
Still apprehensive about diving into social media? Try not to focus on the ‘social’ aspect. Instead, focus on using the tools available through social media platforms as a means to get things done.
Looking to increase leads? Increase engagement with potential customers through content? Find innovative ways to grow your target audiences? Find ways to support these goals through social media.
And if you’re not comfortable in the social media world (we think you need to be), find younger professionals on your team that are. Encourage these employees to find new and exciting opportunities to increase visibility and engagement through social media.
What ways do you think social media can help the supply chain?
You have to take the long view with content marketing, allowing time for your strategy to develop, your brand to build authority, and your sales cycle to play out.
When you undertake a new content marketing program, you’re making a big investment. So it makes sense that you want to start seeing immediate results. But it’s important to understand from the get-go that content marketing doesn’t really work like that. Yes, you’ll start seeing incremental results within the first few months. But what we tell our clients is that things aren’t really going to start cooking with gas until the 12-18 month mark.
I’ve written before about why you shouldn’t give up on content marketing after a short period of time. While you’ll probably see growth in web traffic, improved social reach, and generally better engagement metrics like time on page, you’re not likely to see new leads or sales to speak of in the first few months after instituting a content marketing strategy.
And that can be hugely frustrating. But the key is understanding that content marketing isn’t a gimmick, and it’s not a short-term strategy. It’s a long-term solution that, if allowed to germinate and grow for the long haul, helps you build brand awareness, grow your audience, and generate new leads and sales. When it comes to content marketing, your goal is to be the tortoise, not the hare.
First off, content marketing isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. You need to develop a strategy that works for your business, and that doesn’t happen overnight. When we first engage with a client at Fronetics, we generally take 30-45 days to do an in-depth dive into the company’s data to develop a custom strategy that aligns with the client’s specific business goals. It feels exhaustive at times, but it always ends up paying off.
[bctt tweet=”According to the Content Marketing Institute, 11% of companies without a documented content marketing strategy find their efforts successful, compared to 60% of companies with a strategy in place. ” username=”Fronetics”]
Keep in mind that only 11% of companies without a documented content marketing strategy find their efforts successful, compared to 60% of companies with a strategy in place. And that number rises to 86% when the company designates someone to lead the strategy.
The bottom line? Skipping this step to rush to results will pretty much ensure that your efforts won’t be worth it.
Building trust
In addition to the time it takes to develop a strategy, becoming an authority — and earning the trust and loyalty of your audience — takes time. Your goal is to be a consistent source of information and value, building your brand as an expert in the area.
It goes without saying that this doesn’t happen overnight. But it’s extremely well worth the effort and the patience. Remember that the average B2B buyer consumes between two and five pieces of content before making a purchase decision. If you can position your business as the premier expert on the subject by having the best, most informative, most helpful content available, you’ll have a leg up in the buyer’s decision.
Let the sales cycle play out
Once your strategy is documented and in place, and you begin to create and curate consistent, well-researched, high-quality content, there’s also the process of letting your sales cycle run its course. You need to allow your target audience time to find you and complete thorough research about you and your competitors before making a decision.
After all, content marketing can’t shorten your sales cycle. But lead nurturing with content can keep moving your prospects down the sales funnel. And content can help your sales team close deals. But you can’t expect a buyer to read your first blog post today and make a big purchase tomorrow. That’s just not realistic.
I cannot urge you enough: Don’t give up on content marketing before you give it time work. Hang in there long enough for your initial investment to pay off, and don’t be afraid to adjust your strategy along the way. If you stick with content marketing, it will generate those leads and sales you’re looking for.
Supply chain and logistics marketers need to incorporate social advertising into their content market strategy (and budget) to stay on top of marketing’s biggest driver.
The way audiences use social media channels is constantly changing. As marketers, we need to make sure we’re adapting to these changes. One of the biggest changes we’ve seen so far in 2018 is the increased use of social advertising.
Social advertising is a paid form of paid digital advertising on social media platforms. For example, the advertising platforms provided by Google, Twitter, and Facebook involve “targeting and presenting ads based on relationships articulated on those same services.” Oftentimes, social advertising is one part of a larger marketing strategy.
Sounds easy enough to implement, right? Well, there are so many options and so many more users. If you’re taking the time and money to invest in social advertising, you need to ensure that you’re using the right platforms and getting in front of your target audiences.
[bctt tweet=”With over 3.5 billion internet users worldwide, it’s easy to see the reach ads on social media platforms can have. Facebook alone has over 2 billion daily active users. 2 billion! ” username=”Fronetics”]
In Social Media Examiner’s new report, it’s hard to dispute that social advertising is anything but powerful. With over 3.5 billion internet users worldwide, it’s easy to see the reach ads on social media platforms can have. Facebook alone has over 2 billion daily active users. 2 billion! That’s a lot of opportunities for distributing your content and gaining new followers.
Here are some powerful statistics to prove the weight of social advertising and why it’s worth your time and pennies.
Infographic: A look at social advertising for B2B marketers
For the first time in years, Social Media Examiner’s report revealed that marketers are more focused on lead generation than cultivating a loyal fan base. What does this mean for you? The focus has shifted from engagement to metrics and automation.
As marketers, we need to watch for increased use of chatbots and other marketing automation tools that can help supply chain marketers become more efficient and more successful in earning and converting leads.
Also in social media news May 2018: Pinterest gives businesses more control over how users view their content, Snapchat offers skip-free ads, and Facebook is re-opening application reviews and chatbot development.
At the beginning of May, Facebook hosted its annual developer conference, Facebook F8. This year’s keynote speaker, CEO Mark Zuckerberg, focused on rallying developers to continue building for his platform, despite the recent controversies.
Facebook also used its annual conference to kick off some new initiatives, including:
Clear History: a new privacy feature allowing users to delete data Facebook has collected from sites and apps that use its ads and analytics tool. This will allow users to scrub some of their browsing history from Facebook’s data store.
Instagram’s new video chat: Instagram’s messaging has lacked video chat capabilities, until now. The new feature was created to win over users who currently prefer Snapchat for video chat.
Translation abilities on Messenger: Facebook is slowly integrating translation abilities for Messenger, starting with English to Spanish translation, with hopes to expand to other languages in the future.
[bctt tweet=”Clearly WhatsApp is doing something right, announcing their stories feature, WhatsApp Status, officially reached 450 million daily active users. ” username=”Fronetics”]
But Facebook isn’t the only social media giant looking to gain new traction with users. WhatsApp, Snapchat, and even Pinterest have been making changes to increase user engagement. And clearly WhatsApp is doing something right, announcing their stories feature, WhatsApp Status, officially reached 450 million daily active users. This is a tough reality for Snapchat, who previously dominated the video stories space, but now only has a fraction of the daily users as WhatsApp.
Here’s your social media news for May 2018.
Marketers prepare for European Union’s GDPR laws
The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a new set of laws that provide “greater protection for consumers’ privacy and set strict guidelines on how personal information is collected, stored, and used.” These radical new laws will dramatically affect the way user data is collected and stored by businesses in Europe, including U.S. companies that do business abroad. The laws officially go into effect on May 25, 2018, nearly two years after they were initially passed by the Parliament. Fronetics is staying on top of these changes and will provide updates on any changes that occur.
Facebook clarifies advertising processes and data practices
At Facebook’s F8 conference, the platform explained the basics of how Facebook advertising works and answered tough questions about its advertising practices. Vice President of Ads, Rob Goldman, writes “We do not tell advertisers who you are or sell your information to anyone. That has always been true. We think relevant advertising and privacy aren’t in conflict, and we’re committed to doing both well.” He also highlighted how users can control, manage, and even delete their data from the site to opt out of ads.
Snapchat tests 6-second unskippable ads
On May 15, Snapchat started running six-second unskippable ads on select Snapchat shows. Once reluctant to run ads on their app, Snapchat is opening up to the idea after a tough year since becoming publicly traded. The new ad format called, yes, Commericals is hoping to boost advertising revenue and increase business opportunities.
Pinterest rolls out new business profile and insights
Pinterest just announced its new business profile that allows brands to “highlight the content that they want customers to see first such as their latest pins, specific boards, or most recent Pinterest activity on their site.” The new feature also allows brands to create statistics reports, including the total number of people who saw or shared your pins in the past month. These new changes are expected to go live in the next couple of months.
Facebook reopens app review process
In light of the Cambridge Analytical scandal, Facebook had stopped all application review and chatbot development efforts to focus on its privacy and data policies. But they have officially reopened the app review process “after making some changes to make it more comprehensive and grounded on ensuring that each of [its] APIs creates value for people, is transparent, and builds trust.” The improvements to Facebook’s platform policies and programs hope to encourage continued use of its products, including chatbots.
Instagram experiments with improved explore section
Not far off from Facebook’s tried, and failed, Explore Feed, Instagram is now testing a redesigned Explore tab for users to discover new content and organize that content into relevant topic channels. The new tool “is still personalized for you, but the content is now organized into topic channels, so you can browse across your interests and go deeper on any area you’d like.” The Explore tab will be available in the next few weeks.
Instagram adds improved tools for businesses to connect with customers
Instagram is adding the ability for businesses to receive new messages from customers. Originally these messages were filed into a pending folder and now they’ll be available directly in a business’ inbox. The app is also added improved call-to-action buttons, “which allow users to complete transactions through popular third-party partners without having to leave Instagram.” Additional features include the ability for businesses to star and filter customer messages.
Influencer marketing capitalizes on the relationship between popular influencers and their followers to help your organization reach your target audience.
By now you’re aware of the latest marketing trend: influencer marketing. For decades, Hollywood elite have been used to promote everything from make-up to movies and now this trend is taking over the most popular social media sites.
[bctt tweet=”Why is influencer marketing so effective? Because buyers trust influencers talking about your products and services more than they trust you talking about yourself.” username=”Fronetics”]
Influencer marketing is a form of marketing in which marketers identify individuals that have influence over potential buyers and create marketing campaigns and activities around these influencers. Why is this so effective? Because buyers trust influencers talking about your products and services more than they trust you talking about yourself.
Is influencer marketing here to stay?
Linqia’s latest report, The State of Influencer Marketing 2018, shows that companies are already taking full advantage of this marketing trend. The report shows that 86% of marketers used influencer marketing in 2017, and 92% of marketers that tried it found it to be effective.
But don’t just take our word for it. Here are some statistics that prove you should pay close attention to this trend.
Infographic: Influencer Marketing and the Supply Chain
With 39% of marketers planning to increase influencer marketing budget this year, B2B companies are quickly seeing the leverage that influencers can have over their target audiences. By teaming up with the right influencer, marketers can easily reach thousands of potential consumers, increasing website traffic and leads.
The bottom line: influencer marketing can be an extremely effective aspect of a B2B business’ content marketing strategy.
Have you tried influencer marketing? How was your experience?
These metrics to benchmark marketing performance will give you insight into how your brand stacks up against your competition.
A few months ago, the winter Olympics were in full swing, and Mikayla Shiffrin became the youngest slalom champion in Olympic alpine skiing history. Shiffrin achieved this incredible record, not only working to beat her best personal performance, but also that of her biggest competitors. After all, you don’t become a two-time Olympic gold medalist without the knowledge — and drive — to beat out the world’s best athletes.
You have to know how your competitors are performing to be the very best at what you do. That goes for Olympic athletes and supply chain companies alike.
We call this benchmarking performance. For we marketers, it’s important, albeit difficult, to find metrics to benchmark marketing performance. We tend to turn inward to focus on key performance indicators (KPIs), like website traffic, social engagement and conversion rates. But it’s time to start looking outward, as well.
[bctt tweet=”Competitive benchmarking gives brands the ability to benchmark their marketing performance against that of their competitors, giving you the knowledge and drive you need to improve your performance and chance of success.” username=”Fronetics”]
Competitive benchmarking gives brands the ability to compare themselves against a number of competitors using a set collection of metrics. These metrics allow you to benchmark marketing performance against that of your competitors. This will give you the knowledge and drive you need to improve your performance and chance of success.
Here are four metrics to benchmark marketing performance against your competitors.
4 metrics to benchmark marketing performance against your competitors
1. Content
Benchmarking your content allows you to compare the differences and similarities between you and your competitors’ types and relevancy of content. Are they focusing on video content or blog posts? Are they creating infographics? How often are they posting content?
2. Social activity
Knowing what social media platforms your competitors are using is critical in today’s digital marketing world. Are they having success on a specific platform? Are you using the same platforms? And how often are they posting on social media? How do you compare? Knowing when and where to post on social media can help get you in front of your target audience.
3. Social engagement
You’re posting and tweeting, but are audiences interacting with your content? Benchmarking your social engagement against your competitors lets you see if and how audiences are interacting with your posts and videos. How many likes and shares are you receiving? And how many are you competitors?
4. Keywords and topics
We talk a lot about the importance of keywords and topics. After all, that’s how audiences are searching for — and finding! — your brand and your competitors. Using online tools like SERPS, you can easily determine how you and your competitors rank for specific keywords and topics.
Analyze and adjust
Use these metrics to benchmark marketing performance. Once you have collected data, you can start analyzing your results. How does your marketing strategy stack up against your competitors and industry leaders?
Benchmarking allows you to see strategic opportunities — what you’re doing well and what you need to improve. You’ll gain valuable insight into what your competitors are doing better than you. Use this knowledge to improve your strategy. After all, action is key!
Which metrics to benchmark marketing performance do you use?
