by tradesmeninsights | Mar 24, 2011 | Marketing Tips, Social Marketing, Traditional Marketing
Online media is the fastest growing media platform in history. Second only to Google, YouTube has emerged as an easy-to-use search tool.
As a manufacturer, are you capitalizing on this powerful tool to disperse your message? You don’t need a “Hollywood” production. As a matter of a fact, the ones done on a mobile phone would do just fine. We’ve done “man on the street” interviews with contractors at will-call counters and on jobsites asking their opinions on tools and other products.
Did you know – Videos convey more info per minute than any other media and 65% of the public like to learn via videos.
These were only a few of the facts that I learned from a recent post by Jon Miller from Marketo. His post, How to Optimize Your B2B Marketing and Sales with Online Video outlines how to use videos to engage prospects in different stages of the buying cycle.
According to a Universal McCann study cited by Brightcove, people find product information and research most compelling when delivered in video format. MarketingSherpa claims that online video is a close second to word-of-mouth communication when it comes to influencing key decisions. No other media channel communicates a deeper, richer message or leaves a more lasting impression than video.
He also offers 10 online video strategies you may find helpful. Here are some highlights:
- Search optimize your video with a text summary – Use key words to highlight main points and make sure you include the URL.
- Integrate video into your e-mail marketing programs – Deliver relevant info pertinent to who they are and where they are in the buying process.
- Leverage social media – Promote across all marketing channels including your blog and both personal and business profiles.
- Feature on you website – Embed videos where appropriate to promote products, company news or new product promotions.
What are you doing to capitalize on your videos?
If you liked this post, you might also like:
Busy Executives Prefer Video on Web.
Make Video Part of your Direct Marketing Plans to the Professional Tradesmen.
Online Video Marketing: A Great Way to Educate the Professional Tradesman.
by tradesmeninsights | Mar 23, 2011 | Marketing Tips, Social Marketing
If you’re active on Twitter, you probably have gotten a “thanks for the RT.” Saying “thank you” helps build brand loyalty and brings a conversational aspect to your tweets. We all struggle on what’s the correct etiquette for thanking someone on Twitter. Do you always have to say thanks? Are there other ways to show your gratitude?
Angie Schottmuller from Interactive Artisan recently did a guest post on Jay Baer’s Convince and Covert that was right on target with helpful do’s and don’ts regarding etiquette. Here are some highlights:
DO’s
- Follow the user – Review their profile and if they are a good fit, follow them.
- Reciprocate – Scan their tweets and see if one is applicable for you to RT.
- Retweet a Retweet – This is a good way to recognize the user and put quality content back into the stream.
- Conversational Mention – Reply with a conversational response about the post to get a discussion going.
DON’Ts
- Don’t put numerous RT’s back-to-back.
- Avoid peak content hours.
- Don’t put out a generic thanks. Always include a hashtag.
If you like this post, you might like:
7 Ways to Use Twitter to Generate Traffic and Leads.
by tradesmeninsights | Mar 22, 2011 | Marketing Tips, Social Marketing, Traditional Marketing
If you’re into social media, you’re doing it with a purpose in mind. You have a story to tell and you want to tell it to a certain type of person. This holds true no matter what type of marketing you’re doing (traditional or social).
But when you’re developing your content, do you ever consider at what stage your reader is at in the buying cycle? By segmenting your content to include all stages of a buying process (awareness, consideration, evaluation and purchase), you’ll be sure to hit all your potentials at their stage in the buying process.
I recently read a post from AdamHolden-Bach from Mass Transmit called Using Content Marketing to Understand Your B2B Audience that I thought was spot on.
Here are some highlights on segmenting your markets:
- Awareness – These folks have just begun the process. Provide educational content (blogs, white papers, webinars) and make it easy for them to receive it (do make them register to get it).
- Consideration – Once they know about you they want to know how you stack up against the competition. Provide them product comparisons, case studies or other material that shows why your product is better.
- Evaluation – They want to understand the solutions you provide and how they would benefit their business.
- Purchase – Use social channels to broadcast new products, upgrades, special offers to help incentivize the customer.
As you’re creating content, identify which stage it falls into. Use tracking methods over time, for instance to gauge interest and tell you at what stage most of your audience is at in the sales cycle.
What are you doing to segment your marketing?
If you liked this post, you may also like:
2011 Trends: Content Marketing is Critical for Social Media Success
2011 Trends for B-to-B Bloggers
by tradesmeninsights | Mar 17, 2011 | Marketing Tips, Marketing Tools, Traditional Marketing
2D bar codes are growing in use across the world (usage quadrupled in 2010) and the USA for the first time leading in the number of scans according to 3GVision.
Businesses that don’t understand how to use 2D codes think that they’re just a way to drive people through to a mobile landing page. But businesses that get it are using them in a variety of new and innovative ways — all of which lead to increased customer loyalty and greater revenue per customer. I recently read a post by Jamie Turner from 60 Second Marketer that outlined several ways businesses can take advantage of these 2D codes. I’d like to share some highlights from his post along with some insights from my perspective:
- Websites – Add a 2D code to the contact page so visitors can download your contact info to their smartphones.
- Business Cards – Add the code to your card for the same reason as the website.
- LinkedIn & Facebook – Add the code and position yourself as a forward innovative thinker.
- In-Store Point of Sale & Coupons – Provide instant coupons at the counter of your distributor.
- Packaging – A great way to differentiate yourself at the store level and give your customer reasons to buy. It also helps in the Big Box stores where you are restricted to their rules on merchandising and promotions.
These are some of the ways I see manufacturers using 2D codes to set themselves apart.
What are you doing to capitalize on these codes?
If you like this post, you may be interested in:
QR Codes: Are Manufacturers Missing an Opportunity?
by tradesmeninsights | Mar 16, 2011 | Marketing Tips, Social Marketing
You need to know, like and trust someone before you’ll recommend them, right?
That holds true not only in our day-to-day interactions (human), as well as our relationships online. Social media has put the power in the hands of the consumer and is rapidly closing the gap with word of mouth.
A recent post on eMarketer.com was highlighting a recent study by Global WebIndex “Annual Report 2011” that outlines the shift in behavior regading social media. Highlights include that usage of social sites are shifting from creating content to distributing it.
The human element remains key when it comes to trust. An example is users worldwide reported nearly a 50% increase in their trust for social network contacts.
So what does this mean for you and me? It means people who know, like and trust us, whether it’s in person or on a social site, are more likely to listen to a recommendation from you. Pretty neat if you ask me, and it reinforces what lots of people are saying about starting to build relationships on the social platform.
So what are you doing to build that trust so people are asking you for recommendations?
by tradesmeninsights | Mar 15, 2011 | Marketing Tips, Marketing Trends, Social Marketing
Here’s an interesting interview in The Smart Van from one our own, Aylie Fifer, on how the aging workforce may put companies at risk and what they need to know about technology trends.
The interview highlights areas on how service firms are using social, how the older generation can learn from the younger ones and the role of mobile devices and what impact they will have moving forward.
