by Fronetics | Mar 3, 2016 | Blog, Content Marketing, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy
Source: Rosaura Ochoa | Flickr
Here’s how marketers can launch a B2B social media program that grows business.
A recent Harvard Business Review article discloses that a number of B2B CEOs still believe social media isn’t right for them, that it’s a tool for the B2C segment. In reality, many B2B marketers successfully leverage social media to engage potential customers, gather market intelligence, build brand awareness and reputation, discover and intercept customer problems, and influence purchasing decisions before sales calls are ever made.
In short, if you are not in the B2B social media game, you are missing out on enormous business opportunities.
Getting started with social media can seem like an intimidating task, especially if your C-suite is skeptical of the benefits. Here are six steps to launching a B2B social media program that will grow your business to its full potential.
1) Speak in the right terms.
Convincing management that you want your team to spend more time on social media to gain “followers” or get “shares” might be a hard sell. To win support, focus your argument around the factors that are most important to them. Lead generation, lead nurturing, conversions, sales, ROI, profits: this should be the vocabulary with which you approach this conversation.
2) Create a strategy — and put someone in charge.
Only 11% of companies without a documented content marketing strategy find their efforts to be 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. Working with an experienced marketing consulting firm, like Fronetics, you can develop an inbound marketing strategy that aligns with your business objectives. And whether someone on your team heads up execution or you outsource that responsibility, the leader should continually monitor analytics and tweak the strategy accordingly. Which brings us to…
3) Determine which analytics to track.
In the B2B world, it’s not about shares, likes, or impressions, though those numbers speak to your brand exposure. (Read more about so-called “vanity metrics” here.) Leads generated, conversion rates, sales, and ROI are going to be the things you’ll want to track. If you have a good, flexible strategy in place, these metrics will help you adjust your efforts to ensure you’re achieving your business objectives.
See: The Six Marketing Metrics Your Boss Actually Cares About.
4) Develop quality content.
Twenty-seven million pieces of content are shared every day — and a large portion of it is crap. A social media presence could be pretty pointless unless you’re using it to push content that is original, high quality, and representative of your brand. One of the biggest mistakes B2B companies make is using social channels to push a sales pitch. You’ll quickly lose your audience, who is turned off by a strong sales pitch. Social media is about engaging your audience, building brand awareness, and offering valuable information.
See: Three Elements of Good Content.
5) Decide which channels are right for your business.
Who are you trying to reach, and what are you trying to tell them? These are good questions to ask when trying to determine which platforms will comprise your social media program. There’s a wealth of information out there about which channels are used by whom and when. You’ll also want to choose channels that you’ll be able to maintain regularly and which play to your strengths. As an obvious example, if you don’t have the capability to make videos, YouTube probably isn’t for you. Remember, you’ll likely want to work through several different channels to reach a maximum number of potential customers.
See: Which Social Media Channels Should Your B2B Business Use?
6) Follow your competitors.
Following your competitors is a great way to stay up to date on what they’re doing, especially if you don’t have a ton of time or money for competitive research. And when I say “follow,” I don’t mean “copy or imitate.” I mean subscribe to their blogs, engage with them on social media, and like and share their content that you find meaningful for your audience. This way, you become part of the industry conversation happening online, and you know exactly what your potential customers are seeing from (and how they’re reacting to) your competitors.
See: The Role of Social Media in Supply Chain Intelligence.
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by Fronetics | Mar 1, 2016 | Blog, Content Marketing, Marketing, Strategy
A new digital marketing program helped one firm reinvent itself after traditional methods proved ineffective.
A prominent marketing firm was experiencing an all-too-familiar predicament: They had a great product that, for some reason, was not selling. They had been following their traditional marketing regimen; however, something about the purchasing landscape seemed to have shifted, and in a way that rendered their methods ineffective.
Then, a new content marketing program changed everything in just a few months. For the better.
The firm’s business was real estate marketing, and their great product, a community of new homes in a highly desirable location. Real estate, like so many other sectors, has experienced a major shift in buyer behavior in just the last two decades, with the majority of research being conducted online. The firm realized that a digital marketing strategy, unlike traditional print ads, could better reach a wider audience of potential homebuyers.
In less than 90 days after implementing the new content marketing program, sales increased by nearly 40%. Within the year, social reach grew by 325%, web traffic by 250%, and sales by 300%.
Download this case study to learn how the firm achieved such remarkable results.
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by Fronetics | Feb 22, 2016 | Blog, Content Marketing, Current Events, Marketing, Strategy
Content marketing grew one real estate marketing firm’s sales by 300% in less than a year.
Consumers are increasingly going online to conduct research before making a purchase. And that holds true for even the largest investments.
The National Association of Realtors reports that a whopping 94% of Millennials who recently purchased a home relied on websites in their search process. And that’s not just a generational phenomenon — the majority of Baby Boomers (84%) and 69 to 89 year olds (65%) did online research while seeking a new home as well.
Real estate marketers have an enormous opportunity to get their properties in front of more potential buyers through content marketing. With an inbound marketing strategy, customers who are looking for a property like yours will come to you through their own online research.
Take, for example, this case study about a prominent real estate marketing firm in one of the most competitive markets in the U.S. When traditional tactics weren’t bringing in the kind of business needed to sell 1,500 new-construction homes in a new planned community, the firm turned to a new content marketing program to increase web traffic and build brand awareness.
The results were almost immediate. The new digital and content marketing efforts drastically increased web traffic, conversions, and sales. In just 90 days, sales had increased by 37%, and in less than a year, a whopping 300%. At least one-fifth of buyers were sourced directly from the website.
Download this case study to learn more about how content marketing helped the real estate marketing firm drive traffic to their website and increase sales.
by Fronetics | Feb 3, 2016 | Blog, Content Marketing, Marketing, Social Media
A blog post not only stays around longer than a print ad, it can better engage potential customers.
The 24-hour news cycle has evolved into the 24-second news cycle with the rise of online media outlets and social media. So, when it comes to advertising your business, generating leads, making sales, and being perceived as a thought leader, you must consider the lifespan of your print ad and its purpose, versus the lifespan of a well-orchestrated blog and its potential.
Though often confused, there is a distinct difference between advertising and marketing. With a print ad, you are obviously advertising your business concisely, with a limited number of words and images. But, this form of advertising has a limited lifespan (only as long as that piece of print media is in the hands of a reader). So, it should be only one small piece of your marketing puzzle.
In contrast, a blog bridges advertising with progressive marketing techniques. It reaches your target demographic in a different way by conveying knowledge and building trust. It works on improving your “image” as well as branding your company as a thought-leader. A blog makes a more personal connection with the reader, while an ad is very obviously trying to sell something — and consumers gravitate toward knowledge rather than a simple sales pitch.
Looking at Longevity
A blog can live on indefinitely. What you post today may still be relevant and a popular read several months from now. Because of this, your company can reach a larger number of consumers within its target demographic for a long period of time, surpassing a print ad’s capacity for results. A blog also reaches consumers in a more relevant, memorable way. Marketing experts would agree: Getting your clients or customers to remember you is half the battle.
Your company’s advertising can include the placement of an ad in print media like newspapers, magazines, or direct mail. Print ads through community newspapers or direct mail flyers are useful for specific purposes, like targeting customers in a localized area.
But, you will find that advertising of this kind comes with a sizable price tag and has limited benefits. According to a Marketing Profs digital report, print advertising ranks as the largest expense of most marketing plans, with public relations and marketing strategies rounding out the important trio.
So how long will a print ad live? According to a marketing study published by Fast Company, a newspaper ad has a maximum lifespan of 2-3 weeks, and an ad placed in a monthly magazine may live up to three months.
In contrast, when a blog post goes live, it may generate the most hits within the first week, but it will continue to serve as available content that consumers will access for months, or even years, down the road. If the blog is well constructed, you may find that a year later it is still ranking in the top five search results for certain targeted long-tailed keywords.
So, it is important to consider the “quality of life” of your blogs and print ads. A blog feeds consumers’ need for more information before they commit. In fact, prior to contracting your services or buying your product, your potential customers will research the topic online and read blogs posts that present information in a vendor-neutral format.
Successful businesses react to this by creating a constant stream of this fresh content, organized into a library of posts (that stand the test of time), then use that content as bait to attract potential prospects. One study revealed that when it comes to blogs, the combination of proper timing and useful insight can result in a 33% higher lead conversion rate and a 38% increase in revenue over the prior year.
Blogs’ Benefits and Social Media
When you publish a print ad, you’ll never really know what your readers think about it. With a blog, you get feedback and you engage the reader, who is also a potential customer. It creates a more viable connection and provides greater insight that you can leverage to garner more customers through:
- Tracking and analytics: Feedback is a powerful tool. Google Analytics can tell you what types of articles are capturing your readers’ attention. You can learn how much time they spend on a page and how they share it. You can leverage this information to determine what sort of content you need to create to reach more customers and generate more leads.
- Shares and comments: Readers love to interact with online content, reading and commenting to express their opinion or thoughts. The comment section of your blog can become a community of readers. If a reader found your blog insightful or inspiring, they may also share it with their contacts or friends through social media. Your business becomes a part of a larger community that is connected through dialogue.
Advertising in any form, digital or print, is only a single component of any complete, multi-level marketing process. Innovative marketing today must include several different components, like well-articulated blog posts that utilize SEO, and connect potential customers to your company by offering information they can use. Blogs are a long-lasting porthole to your business, the product or the services you offer, and your professional insight or vision.
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by Fronetics | Jan 7, 2016 | Blog, Content Marketing, Marketing, Supply Chain
Last year was big for content marketing within the logistics and supply chain industries. While companies in general had been hesitant to adopt an inbound marketing approach, many caught on and found this strategy to have a major impact on business in 2015.
Fronetics has helped many clients achieve their goals through targeted inbound marketing efforts. Our data-driven approach aligns business objectives with a marketing program that delivers results with a targeted ROI.
Here are the top content marketing articles in 2015:
1. Five reasons companies in the supply chain and logistics industries should use inbound marketing
Though many companies within the supply chain and logistics industries tend to disregard inbound marketing, it actually can be a wildly successful strategy. Here are five reasons why companies in these industries should be using inbound marketing. Read the full article.
2. Content and Social Media: A Perfect Match for Customer Engagement and Business Growth
This guest blog by Kecia Gray, former vice president of corporate marketing & communications at Transplace, discusses how social media has become an integral part of Transplace’s marketing and communications strategy. It has been key to expanding brand awareness and the company’s thought leadership in the logistics and transportation space. Read the full article.
3. Content as a marketing tool for the logistics and supply chain industries
Fronetics Strategic Advisors conducted a survey focused on the use of content within the logistics and supply chain industries found that companies are using content as a marketing tool and are realizing results. Read the full report.
4. Report: Content use within the logistics and supply chain industries
The survey on industry content use conducted by Fronetics found that companies within the logistics and supply chain industries are creating more content than ever before. Respondents reported using content marketing in order to strengthen overall brand awareness, generate leads, and establish the company as an industry leader. Read the full report.
5. All content is not created equal. Why you need good content.
Good content drives profitable customer action, while bad content is a waste of time and precious resources. What makes good content, and how can you get it? Read the full article.
6. Get Results from Content Marketing by Telling Great Stories
Guest author Thijs Messelaar, a 15-year content-writing veteran, explains how the best content marketing is like a really good story. You must engage your audience emotionally to get them interested in you and to earn their trust. Read the full article.
7. Content marketing ROI for reverse logistics companies
Inbound marketing is effective in garnering consumers’ attention, but it is important to assess return on investment. Reverse logistics companies can use a fairly simple formula to calculate content marketing ROI. Read the full article.
8. Content marketing for the logistics and supply chain industries
Fronetics developed a content marketing guide specifically for companies within the logistics and supply chain industries. In it is step-by-step instructions, templates, lists, and samples to walk you through building your own content strategy. Read the full article.
9. Using inbound marketing to market and sell luxury real estate
Many luxury real estate firms are already using digital and social media to carry the lifestyle brand they’ve built around their properties into the online world. With the use of inbound marketing, they are creating new virtual “touch points” to connect with affluent buyers. Read the full article.
10. Six digital and content marketing tasks to outsource
Outsourcing several digital and content marketing tasks can help companies enjoy a reduction (or cost savings) in operating costs, improve their focus on core competencies, and let employees concentrate on their highest and best use. This article identifies six areas where companies can leverage outsource partners to support their digital efforts. Read full article.
If you are looking to increase business in 2016, consider contacting Fronetics to develop a content marketing strategy. We work with you to create an individualized plan for your specific situation and needs. We identify challenges, trends, and opportunities and take action so that your content marketing program constantly evolves and delivers results.
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