by tradesmeninsights | Apr 20, 2009 | Marketing Tips, Marketing Trends, Traditional Marketing
I’m reminded that we should stay on top of new trends but not to throw out or ignore all those traditional things you’ve been doing like e-mails. In other words, “don’t throw out the baby with the bath water.”
E-mails are still the most accepted way of receiving info so why not use it to push some of your new social media toys.
We all want to be part of the newest and sexiest stuff. Social media is a hot topic. It is extremely popular, in part because it is inexpensive and can easily be measured. But it can and should be integrated with more traditional strategies such as broadcast e-mail programs.
I read a post this morning on B2B online marketing, Traditional marketing:not hot but still important, that I thought would be appropriate to share with all the B-to-B marketers out there.
Here are some simple reminders:
- Adopt an integrated approach. Mix the new with the old. Want to promote your blog or e-newsletter? What better way than using your e-mail list.
- Re-evaluate best practices you’d applied in the past. Find out what works best for your audiences. If you’re not sure ask them via a survey, focus groups or really do it the old fashioned way and pick up the phone and call them.
- Stay on top of new trends for old strategies. New tools won’t serve you well if the foundation is weak. Here are some recent tips they found for email marketing,landing page optimization and lead nurturing during a recession.
What are you doing to stay ahead of the game?
by tradesmeninsights | Apr 17, 2009 | Marketing Tips
You need to connect quickly in the subject line in order for them to open an e-mail. Look beyond pitching your product and talk about issues that hit their hot button. Don’t know what those are? ASK!
Tradesmen are busy people like the rest of us, and when they get a marketing e-mail, you had better make clear (WIIFM) what’s in it for me in the subject line. They want to know how your product or service will help them on a jobsite.
According to MailerMailer, 74% of all e-mails are opened within 24 hours. Which means if the email isn’t opened soon, then it probably wont be.
I read a post recently form Arthur Middleton, Making your B-to-B e-mail campaign a success, which he outlines 4 tactics that will help you become a reliable source of info. Here is my take on them as it relates to my audience, the professional tradesmen:
- Be a e-newsletter publisher. Look beyond just promoting your products and talk about industry issues that are affecting tradesmen. Give them inside information on marketing trends.
- Leverage the knowledge you get from these contractors. Find out how and why contractors make their decisions. Ask them to be on an advisory panel or participate in a contractor study.
- Preview your e-mail. Make sure preview panes are very much on point because if you don’t make your point quickly, they won’t open your e-mail.
- Create a mobile version. These contractors use mobile devices to stay connected, so make sure to use a smaller version of your logo, and state your claim (WIIFM) within the first few sentences.
Those are my thoughts, I’d like to hear yours.
by tradesmeninsights | Apr 17, 2009 | Marketing Tips
B-to-B marketers are so busy pushing out messages using traditional methods to promote their brand that they sometimes forget about the strength of social media to self-identify themselves by searching for solutions or information on the Internet.
Social Media is the most powerful set of tools for branding that has ever existed for connecting with customers on an emotional level.
The brand that a marketer is selling is not merely a logo, a package or a sign on a wall. A brand is not what you want it to be or what your ad says it is. A brand is not even the definition you give to it.
Quite simply, a brand is how your audience feels about you. It’s what they say about you when not encumbered by advertising promotion. Or unencumbered by the paid media around you. So when your “friend” on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin says they just found the best hot dog in town, you believe them. Much more so than a TV spot.
What better way to receive an endorsement for a product than to get that endorsement from a trusted friend? And that’s what social media is all about.
It’s a simple idea and it works.
by tradesmeninsights | Apr 17, 2009 | Marketing Tips
I can’t tell you how many corporate blogs I’ve been on that are treated as just another venue to sell product or try to pump up stock prices. They just don’t get it and wonder why blogs aren’t working.
Companies need to learn it’s not about them anymore, it’s about your customers. They call it social media for a reason – because it’s about people.
If companies want to have a successful blog they need to deliver relevant content that talks about ways to solve your customers’ problems. They need to deliver it in a conversational (human) way using terms that their customers are familiar with.
It’s all about people and that’s why it’s called social media, not marketing media.
A recent post by Chris Baggott, How to make the most out of your corporate blog, highlights ways for companies to be successful:
- Research the key words that drive your business.
- Create titled, individual blogs for different market segment and target those key words.
- Encourage employees to create content.
- Solicit feedback from your customers.
In other words, do your homework and think strategically. Business blogging is a way to make your customers/searchers happy they found you because you have answered a need.
by tradesmeninsights | Apr 17, 2009 | Marketing Tips
Social media allows B-to-B marketers to “really” talk to professional tradesmen in a way that builds a relationship of trust.
In a one-way conversation, like in a trade ad or a TV ad, the viewer gets information about a product or service delivered in a well-crafted, beautifully produced manner. The presenter has his 30 seconds to make an impact and then it’s all up to the listener to act upon the presentation.
In a two-way conversation, like in any social media space, the reader gets information about a product or service delivered in a simple, approachable manner. The reader seeks what he’s interested in and starts a dialog. With that door open, the reader can ask a question and start a dialog with a presenter he sought. Once the presenter responds, a conversation ensues … and a trusted friendship is often formed.
And wouldn’t you most likely trust the advice of a friend rather than a presenter you don’t know? And by virtue of the fact that YOU sought out this presenter, the bond of trust is even stronger.
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by tradesmeninsights | Apr 17, 2009 | Marketing Tips
Blogging – you have so much to say and you want to be sure someone out there will read all those golden nuggets of information. Promoting your blog should be no different than promoting a new product. Your marketing strategy should include both push and pull strategies.
For social media, the pull part of the equation includes:
- solid content
- sound SEO strategy
- select key words
- encouraging incoming links
Push strategies can include many things, but the most obvious is e-mail. A recent post by Dean Rieck, How to build your blog using good old e-mail outlines ways to drive people to your blog. Here are 5 highlights:
- Offer an RSS feed. Many people prefer a reader over e-mails. Dean suggests that if you offer a subscription to your blog by e-mail, many will take you up on it.
- Start an opt-in newsletter. This is a great way to build a list with people outside your blog. Remember if you start a newsletter, make sure your readers are getting value or they’ll opt-out as quick as they came in.
- Post a subscription box on your site. Sign-up boxes usually work better than links that take you to a sign-up log.
- Encourage subscriptions everywhere. Beyond your home page, put your subscription box everywhere. Most blogs have templates so each page can include one. Put on your web site, your Linkedin and Facebook accounts. Some even include it in their e-mail signature.
- Manage your list. This by far is one of the most important elements. The old saying “garbage in garbage out” applies in this case. I use Constant Contact, but there are others like Aweber and Icontact, to help manage my e-mail lists. Their fees are minimal for what you get and are an easy way to deliver and monitor your activity. You need an accurate list to promote special products, pricing or events.
