by tradesmeninsights | Jun 23, 2010 | Marketing Tips, Social Marketing
Sometimes you’re better off using video to get your point across. It lets you demo your product and even have customer testimonials telling their peer groups how good your product is. Video works!
This may not be a surprise to some of you, but are you taking advantage of those videos by doing video marketing? Video marketing places them online, and hopefully you are doing a social media program that encourages posting videos.
One advantage of putting them online is that they will be there forever and will keep generating leads because of your key words and tags.
Forrester Research found that videos were 50 times more likely to show up on the first page organically than traditional texts.
I recently read a post from Amy Porterfield in Social Media Examiner, 16 Tips for Successful Online Video Marketing, that outlined some helpful hints when doing online video marketing. Here are 6 quick tips:
- Make your title count – make sure appropriate key words are in the title
- Content is king – make sure you give them good stuff
- Include your URL in video – give them a way to contact you
- Don’t forget branding – make sure your logo is prominently displayed on the screen
- Always provide an HTML link – lead with a link to where you want to drive them
- Go beyond YouTube – embed it in your website and blog
Amy also gives you 10 ways to supercharge your videos.
Don’t miss an opportunity to extend your credibility by using online video marketing.
If you like this article, you might like, Why Online Video Attracts Professional Tradesmen.
by tradesmeninsights | Jun 16, 2010 | Marketing Tips, Social Marketing
I believe LinkedIn is one of the most under-utilized social media tools, and I’d like to share with you my thoughts on how you can make the most of it.
- It’s a way to stay in front of your connections on a regular basis.
- It’s a way to build thought leadership and credibility.
- It’s a way to talk to people who share the same interests that are not in your network.
The LinkedIn webinar shows the ins and outs of LinkedIn for businesses. The webinar shows manufacturers and marketers how to harness the power of this social media tool by teaching how to grow contacts, join groups and use it to promote your thought leadership and ultimately generate leads. If you are in sales, customer service or general management, LinkedIn knowledge is a must in the toolbox of business tools
The webinar will be Tuesday, July 13 at 2 PM EST. Registration is closed.
Please pass this on to business associates.
by tradesmeninsights | Jun 15, 2010 | Marketing Tips, Traditional Marketing
Many of the clients we represent go to market through independent reps, so I thought I’d have one of the leading ones give manufacturers some tips on how to hire one.
Bill Via, who is President of CSV Marketing, has been a long-time friend and represents some key lines in the Industrial/Construction markets. I’ve asked him to give his insight on how to hire a rep. Enjoy.
I’m amazed at how Manufacturers choose Manufacturers Reps. Over the years, I’ve sat through hundreds of interviews either in person or on the phone and very few of those spent more than a couple of minutes talking about specific account details, in fact, I’m reasonably sure that they themselves had never spoken with their own customer base located in the territory. It seems the decision is often largely based on an initial personal connection.
Some years ago, I sat through a workshop at the now dissolved National Independent Representative Association on this very subject; the conclusion of the presenter and the attendees was that the decision on who was to be anointed as the manufacturers newest agent was made within the first three minutes of meeting the rep!
Why is it that we’re treated differently than if that Manufacturer was hiring a direct salesperson, when often the existing commissions might be multiples of the cost of a direct sales person.
Here are 6 things you should do before hiring a new manufacturers rep:
- Prior to the initial call, contact existing accounts and find out whom they work with, who helps them move product.
- On the initial call, ask the rep what his or her main accounts are and would it be acceptable to contact them for an endorsement.
- Ask for details on each Regional Manager to identify commonality or expertise within the group.
- Now it’s time to make a face-to-face visit and not at the Bob Evans closest to the airport. You need to get a clear picture of your potential new partner and the facilities and means of support they offer.
- The next question will have some of my Rep brethren squirming. How many lines do you have and where do we fit in the ranking? It’s fair to get an understanding at the time commitment available to your products.
- Finally, your new prospect should give you every Principles contact information they have and you should consider contacting them for an endorsement.
Reps take one of two directions, growth through acquisition (adding lines) or you can pick Product line partners that fit your focus, philosophy and long-term expectations. Your entering into a relationship that could last an entire business lifetime and like a marriage, it’s best to take your time during the courtship.
Bill can be reached at [email protected] or 440.967.9300.
by tradesmeninsights | Jun 10, 2010 | Marketing Tips, Social Marketing, Twitter
I don’t know why people are afraid of Twitter. Most of the world suffers from ADD anyway and wants something short and to the point. Politicians use the 10 second sound bit all the time to grab our attention. Do you know why? Because it works! 10 seconds isn’t a lot of time, so they give us one idea to think about.
Twitter is the ideal platform to state your case and engage your reader. I recently read a post by Cindy King on Social Media Examiner, 12 Tips to Engage People on Twitter, and wanted to share her thoughts. Here are 6 of my favorites:
- Publish Something Useful – Sounds trite but true. Give a fresh perspective to the conversation and see what happens.
- Retweet to Acknowledge Others – This gives them reach and starts the viral effect we all want.
- Answer Other People’s Tweets – You can’t get engaged until someone starts a conversation.
- Ask for Help – Tell people what you’re looking for and you might be surprised as to what comes back.
- Introduce Yourself to New Followers – Make it personal, after all, that’s what social is all about.
- Say Thank You – If someone acknowledges you or retweets your message, say thanks. Beyond being a common courtesy, it starts to build a relationship.
Those are some of the ways I try to engage my followers.
What are some of the ways you use Twitter?
by tradesmeninsights | Jun 8, 2010 | Marketing Tips, Social Marketing, Twitter
Contractors are busy people, and the 140-character message is just enough to peak their curiosity and have them click through to your message.
Twitter is one of the social media tools that can be used as a tool for your company’s social media marketing strategy to generate online traffic and a pipeline for new business leads. Over the past year, the leading traffic generator to my blog has been Twitter.
Twitter Usage In America: 2010 is a new report derived from the Edison Research/Arbitron Internet and Multimedia Series. This report is derived from three years of tracking data on Twitter usage in the United States. It is filled with rich information that can help guide the use of Twitter for your agency and its clients.
Twitter is more of a broadcast channel than many realize. The majority of users never post anything…but they are definitely reading and clicking.
Here are some highlights from this comprehensive study and its untapped potential for marketing, advertising and your agency’s new business:
- Awareness of Twitter has exploded over the past twelve months. The percentage of Americans who are familiar with Twitter has surged from 5% in 2008 to 87% in 2010. Twitter is a natural “companion medium” to other media channels – in particular, as an accompaniment to live TV.
- Despite equal awareness, Twitter trails Facebook significantly in usage: 7% of Americans (17 million persons) actively use Twitter, while 41% maintain a profile page on Facebook.
- Nearly two-thirds of active Twitter users access social networking sites using a mobile phone.
- Twitter users split between habitual “Tweeters” and those who access occasionally. The majority of Twitter users are “lurkers,” passively following and reading the updates of others without contributing updates of their own but they are listening, reading and clicking.
- Twitter users are far more likely to follow Brands/Companies than social networkers in general. Twitter users frequently exchange information about products and services.
- 51% of active Twitter users follow companies, brands or products on social networks.
- Most (70%) regular Twitter users do post status updates to some social networking service (likely Facebook). Twitter appears to be functioning as more of a broadcast medium compared to Facebook and many other social networking sites and services.
- Marketing and business use cases for Twitter far exceed similar usage for social networking websites in general.
The full 49-page study, full of interesting graphs and data, is available for download: Twitter Usage in America: 2010 – Complete Report
If you like this post, you might find these interesting:
B-to-B Marketers: Tips on How to Optimize Twitter
What Kind of Twitterer Are You?
Twitter: How Useful is This Tool for B-to-B Marketers?
If you like this post, please pass it on.
by tradesmeninsights | Jun 2, 2010 | Marketing Tips, Marketing Tools, Social Marketing
If you’re reading this blog, then it would be safe to say that you aren’t asking the “why” or “should” we be using social media. What you’re looking for are ways to answer the “where” and “how.”
Companies should follow, not lead their customers in the social media arena. I read a post recently from Jay Baer, one of social media’s thought leaders, Four Ways to Find Out if Your Customers are Active With Social Media, and I thought I’d share some of the highlights:
- Hire a Spy – There are companies out there that track down your customers and see what they are on and to what level (scary thought). Flowtown and Rapleaf are two of the leaders.
- Ask – It’s too obvious, isn’t it? In your regular business conversations, ask if they are active. If you have an online lead generation form, add data fields for LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
- E-mail Behavior – Add links to your social outposts in your e-mails.
- Gmail Stalking – Twitter, Facebook and other outposts have incorporated a function that allows you to see if they are using their services and invite them to connect with you.
If you like this post, you might like:
How B-to-B Marketers Can Make Good Use Out of Facebook Fan Pages.
Follow Companies on Twitter: Keep Tabs on Your Competition or Customers.
Sometimes you’re better off using video to get your point across. It lets you demo your product and even have customer testimonials telling their peer groups how good your product is. Video works!
