by Fronetics | Sep 16, 2014 | Blog, Content Marketing, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy, Supply Chain
I work with companies from the supply chain and logistics industries to identify and execute strategies that will grow their business. Too often I see companies who have invested time and money into developing a B2B inbound marketing strategy and have fallen flat. Here are six reasons why inbound marketing strategies tend to fail:
The ideal customer is not being targeted
A successful inbound marketing strategy will attract and engage the “right people” – ideal customers. It is therefore essential that time is taken to understand who the ideal customer is, the needs of the customer, and the customer’s pain points. Your company’s website, social media presence, and email communications, should speak to your ideal customer.
Content is not published consistently
A common pitfall is establishing a blog, but only publishing content on a sporadic basis. To establish your company as an industry leader and gain leads, you need to publish content on a consistent basis. For example, your company needs to commit to publishing blog content every Tuesday.
Content is not quality content
All content is not equal. If you want your inbound marketing efforts to succeed, your content needs to be quality content. Your content should be well-researched, sourced, and edited. Grammatical errors and misspellings are inexcusable.
More isn’t always better
It is easy to sign up for a social media account. I’ve seen many companies who have decided to jump into social media feet first and have established many social media accounts, only to become overwhelmed. If you want your inbound marketing strategy to succeed, it is more important to be active on one social network than inactive on five.
Lack of strategy and commitment
A 2014 study of B2B marketers found that companies that have a strategy in place are more likely to consider their efforts effective than companies that do not have a stated strategy in place. Companies that do not have a strategy in place, and who do not have someone in charge of the strategy tend to fail.
A focus on sales
Content that informs and educates attracts and engages. Content that is “salesy” not only fails to attract and engage, it turns customers away.
Is your inbound marketing strategy falling flat? Assess your strategy – honestly. Has your company fallen prey to these common pitfalls?
by Fronetics | Aug 26, 2014 | Blog, Content Marketing, Marketing, Strategy
A 2013 survey of B2B marketers by LinkedIn found that when it comes to lead generation, customer testimonials and case studies are considered the two most effective content marketing tactics. Why are customer testimonials and case studies so effective? Because they are content that is valued and trusted by B2B buyers.
How can you write a B2B case study that generates leads?
Here are five elements of an effective case study.
- A case study is a story. Case studies that read like a story succeed. Case studies that are written, for example, as a sales pitch fall flat and fail to attract and engage prospective buyers.
- Case studies are not a sales pitch. Inform and educate through the sales pitch, but do not “sell.” An effective case study will generate new customers and sales.
- Prospective buyers turn to case studies for concrete examples. Make it easy for the reader to obtain the information desired. Bullet points, quotes, and lists are all examples of how you can deliver the highlights.
- Keep it short and sweet. A case study should provide the prospective buyer with enough information, but should not go into the minutia.
- Include these three components: the challenge, the solution, and the results.
by Fronetics | Apr 10, 2014 | Blog, Marketing, Social Media
Return on investment (ROI) is not a metric which is well suited to measuring the value participating in social media can bring to a company. And, unfortunately, there is no distinct metric or formula that can completely capture the impact, value, and ramifications of participating. Because of this, many companies choose not to participate in social media. This is a mistake. While measuring social media ROI may not be as easy as pie, it can be done. And, more often than not, participating in social media will yield a positive ROI.
Investing just six hours a week in social media can yield a positive ROI
According to the 2013 Social Media Marketing Industry Report, 92 percent of respondents reported that spending as little as six hours a week on social media increased exposure to their business. Sixty-four percent of respondents reported that by spending as little as six hours a week on social media they were able to see lead generation benefits. In addition to increased business exposure and lead generation benefits, respondents also reported that participating in social media reduced marketing costs. Specifically, 38 percent of companies with 1,000 employees or more reported that social media decreased marketing expenses and 62 percent of businesses with 10 or fewer employees reported a decline in marketing expenses. Social media was also found to benefit companies with respect to gaining marketplace intelligence–71 percent of respondents who spent at least six hours per week on social media reported an increase in marketplace intelligence.
More exposure, more traffic, more leads, more customers
Turning to an example, SFJ Material Handling Equipment, a family-owned company established in 1979, is the largest stocking distributor of new and used material handling equipment in the United States. The company has more than 53,000 followers on Twitter (and is gaining 200 to 400 followers per week), more than 38,000 Facebook likes, and has more than 2,000 Google+ followers. The company reports that nearly 20 percent of their website traffic is driven by social media. Stafford Sterner, President, notes “If you’re trying to reach out to totally new markets, then you might want to do Facebook and Twitter. If you’re comfortable building that relationship with people or companies you’re close to, then it’s LinkedIn.”
Another example is that of Kinaxis, a supply chain management company. Kinaxis launched an online social media campaign with the objective of doubling leads and web traffic numbers. The campaign included two online comedy series (Suitemates and The Late Late Supply Chain Show) and the launch of the company’s 21st Supply Chain Blog. The campaign was successful–web traffic increased by 2.7 times and leads increased by 3.2 times.
When executed correctly, your company can realize a positive ROI on your investment in social media.
Not participating in social media is a mistake your company can not afford to make.
by Fronetics | Apr 10, 2014 | Blog, Marketing, Social Media
Return on investment (ROI) is not a metric which is well suited to measuring the value participating in social media can bring to a company. And, unfortunately, there is no distinct metric or formula that can completely capture the impact, value, and ramifications of participating. Because of this, many companies choose not to participate in social media. This is a mistake. While measuring social media ROI may not be as easy as pie, it can be done. And, more often than not, participating in social media will yield a positive ROI.
Investing just six hours a week in social media can yield a positive ROI
According to the 2013 Social Media Marketing Industry Report, 92 percent of respondents reported that spending as little as six hours a week on social media increased exposure to their business. Sixty-four percent of respondents reported that by spending as little as six hours a week on social media they were able to see lead generation benefits. In addition to increased business exposure and lead generation benefits, respondents also reported that participating in social media reduced marketing costs. Specifically, 38 percent of companies with 1,000 employees or more reported that social media decreased marketing expenses and 62 percent of businesses with 10 or fewer employees reported a decline in marketing expenses. Social media was also found to benefit companies with respect to gaining marketplace intelligence–71 percent of respondents who spent at least six hours per week on social media reported an increase in marketplace intelligence.
More exposure, more traffic, more leads, more customers
Turning to an example, SFJ Material Handling Equipment, a family-owned company established in 1979, is the largest stocking distributor of new and used material handling equipment in the United States. The company has more than 53,000 followers on Twitter (and is gaining 200 to 400 followers per week), more than 38,000 Facebook likes, and has more than 2,000 Google+ followers. The company reports that nearly 20 percent of their website traffic is driven by social media. Stafford Sterner, President, notes “If you’re trying to reach out to totally new markets, then you might want to do Facebook and Twitter. If you’re comfortable building that relationship with people or companies you’re close to, then it’s LinkedIn.”
Another example is that of Kinaxis, a supply chain management company. Kinaxis launched an online social media campaign with the objective of doubling leads and web traffic numbers. The campaign included two online comedy series (Suitemates and The Late Late Supply Chain Show) and the launch of the company’s 21st Supply Chain Blog. The campaign was successful–web traffic increased by 2.7 times and leads increased by 3.2 times.
When executed correctly, your company can realize a positive ROI on your investment in social media.
Not participating in social media is a mistake your company can not afford to make.
by Fronetics | Apr 8, 2014 | Blog, Content Marketing, Logistics, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy, Supply Chain
Content is king. By creating and distributing valuable and relevant content in a strategic and consistent manner you will be able to create demand for your products and services and will be able to drive profitable customer action. That being said, while content is king, content doesn’t go far (actually it goes nowhere) without distribution. Wise words by BuzzFeed’s Jonathan Perelman: “Content is king, but distribution is queen and she wears the pants.”
For content to be successful for your business you need to do more than create content – you need to distribute content. Moreover, the content needs to be delivered consistently over time, at the right time, and in the right place.
For your company this means taking the time to identify the distribution channels that are the right fit for your company, your content, and your goals. It also means taking the time to learn how to distribute content via these channels effectively.
For example:
- LinkedIn and Twitter are good candidates for letting people know about the white paper your company just released, whereas Pinterest is probably not a good white paper distribution channel.
- Levering your 140 characters for Twitter is key, but taking those same 140 characters to LinkedIn or Facebook will likely result in you falling flat.
- Distributing your content multiple times a day via Twitter is essential given the short lifespan of a Tweet; however, distributing content multiple times a day via email will not be well received.
Content will help you move the needle. Content will drive profitable customer action. However, your content, no matter how valuable it is, will not be seen and therefore will not be effective if you do not have a solid content distribution strategy. If you want results, remember who wears the pants.
This post was first published on DC Velocity.
