by tradesmeninsights | Jan 19, 2010 | Marketing Tips, Marketing Trends, Social Marketing
For those of us who I will call “Seasoned Veterans” (been in the B-to-B world for more than 15 years), we’ve seen major changes in they way people get info and go through a buying process. Those who are successful today are the ones who have adapted and embraced the changes as they have come along. Let me explain the evolution.
Before the Internet: Product info wasn’t easily accessible, and the only way you could get info is to talk to a salesman. The salesman controlled the buying process and in many cases, they weren’t trusted. It was a one-way conversation where the salesman was doing most of the talking.
Introduction of the Internet: Now customers were able to go on web sites (yours and your competitors) and investigate what was out there to make a better informed decision. They found what they were looking for by going to this new tool, e.g. Google, that allowed them to search by using key words and phrases. Some sites even told you where you could actually buy the product. More advanced sites “in the day” even let you buy the product online. The role of traditional sales was changing. With the introduction of e-mail, people could now ask more questions and make more informed decisions. Marketers had to create content for the web with webinars and white papers trying to convince prospects to buy. The playing field now was more even where the customer had more options and control over the process.
Introduction of Social Media: More and more information is available now, and it’s not necessarily from your web site. People now access LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter to see what’s been said about your product or ask questions of their peer group on which products are better and why. There are blogs, forums and online communities where you can go and get an honest answer (recommendation) from another consumer. You’ll notice I haven’t mentioned anything about the company sales force being engaged to this point. With social media now on the scene, buyers take control of the buying process and as a result, don’t engage a salesman until they are much farther down the sales cycle.
For those who still aren’t convinced Business.com recent Social media best practice:Question and Answer forum report interviewed over 1400 individuals of which 69% currently work at a business that uses social media.The chart below indicates what social can do for you.
So what does this mean to us old timers?
- It means times are changing.
- It means that the consumer is now driving the bus.
- It means if you don’t jump on in some fashion, the bus will leave without you.
- It means we all have to change.
We as humans don’t necessarily like change. It makes us get out of our comfort zone. Social media is just another way we can do our jobs better. It can be a place to follow market trends, monitor brand sentiment, network and even identify unhappy customers. Don’t be afraid of it and don’t be overwhelmed. Start somewhere, go slow, ask for help. As marketers, we need to adapt.
by tradesmeninsights | Jan 5, 2010 | Marketing Trends, Social Marketing
Marketers in the B-to-B world and especially in the industrial or construction sectors are reluctant to try new things. One of the reasons is that in some cases their companies have been doing the same type of marketing for years, if not for decades.
Obviously over the last year or so they have been forced to think “outside the box.” Recent research from Forrester states that consumers (yes, professional tradesmen are consumers too) now nearly spend as much time online as they do watching TV.
Razorfish “Digital Brand Experience Survey” shows that even though consumers are more empowered than ever before, they still desire a relationship with a brand, and a brand has a major say in that relationship. It’s just that brands need to shift their thinking from one-way advertising to two-way consumer experiences if they want to take advantage of the attributes of the digital world.
I’m grateful to my good friend and mentor Michael Gass who passed on this Razorfish research and some key takeaways:
- Consumers are not shutting out brands – they’re interacting with them. 77% of consumers surveyed have watched a commercial or video advertisement on YouTube with some frequency; 69% have provided feedback to a brand, either through a web site or a third-party service like GetSatisfaction.com; 65% have played a branded browser-based game. Moreover, 70% have participated in a brand-sponsored contest or sweepstakes.
- Digital experiences create customers. The overwhelming majority of consumers who actively engage with a brand in digital fashion are much more inclined to purchase products and recommend the brand to others.
- Digital can make or break a brand. 65% of consumers say that a digital experience, either positive or negative, changed their opinion of a brand. Of those, 97% said that their experience influenced whether they eventually purchased from the brand.
- This is the year of the brand fan. According to this study, 40% of consumers have friended a Facebook brand page, and 26 % have followed a brand on Twitter.
Click here for a download PDF version.
by tradesmeninsights | Dec 23, 2009 | Marketing Tips, Marketing Trends, Social Marketing, Traditional Marketing
The answer is both. Contractors are busy folks and they get their info from various sources and sometimes it’s on the fly. I’ve done several interviews of contractors from HVAC/R, electrical, plumbing to general contractors that have said that they get info about how to run their business from both the traditional trade publications as well as various sources on the Internet.
They use the trade publications to catch up on what’s happening in the industry, who bought who, and to read articles to help them run their business. They use the Internet to do research on various things from troubleshooting to new product demos and online training. Some participate in online forums with their peer groups to talk about issues/problems they are having in their day-to-day operations. Most of the Internet activities are done either before or after the normal business day. One example is Contracting Business magazine who sponsors a forum – HVAC-Talk – that’s the leading forum for HVAC professionals to talk to each other. They average over 50,000 page views a month.
Contractors as a whole are lagging behind when it comes to social media. The reasons given range from, “I don’t have the time” to “I don’t understand it,” and with the economy the way it is, my first priority is to stay in business. The ones that get it and are using it have found that it’s another marketing tool to generate new business and stay connected with their customers. Most trade associations haven’t done a good job explaining to their members the possible usages and benefits for social.
Manufacturers shouldn’t be discouraged. Those that have embraced social are reaping the benefits. It’s just another way you can get customers to interact with you. Here’s a great example of a hand tool company, Snap-on Tools, that on Facebook has over 25,000 fans. Every time Snap-on updates their events section or uploads new video or photos, all their fans are automatically updated.
by tradesmeninsights | Dec 17, 2009 | Marketing Trends, Social Marketing, Traditional Marketing
As we all look forward to 2010 in our planning processes, we’re all looking for ways to generate exposure and ultimately leads that turn into sales. Most marketing budgets will still be tight in 2010, and marketers are looking for ways to get the best bang for the buck.
According to eMarketer.com, 75% of small businesses (under 500 employees) plan to increase their e-mail marketing in 2010. 70% will put more dollars toward social media according to Vertical Response data.
B-to-B marketers are using these tools because they are inexpensive and generate quick measurable data. Campaigner and Hurwitz & Associates studied small businesses under 20 employees and found 28% of those that used e-mail marketing considered it inexpensive and an effective way to reach new customers.
Smart marketers will include both e-mail and social into their 2010 plan. That and some search engine marketing and you’ll have a winning combination.
I’d like to hear from you on whether e-mail and social are in your 2010 plan.
by tradesmeninsights | Dec 10, 2009 | Marketing Trends, Social Marketing
According to a recent survey by emarketer.com, B-to-B clients are going to increase their spending in the social media arena in 2010. It certainly makes sense that the ones who have tried various aspects of social must be getting some traction or they wouldn’t be spending more. It’s interesting to note that the 3 top areas they plan on increasing are web sites, e-mails and search. The three main reasons are:
- Thought leadership
- Lead generation
- Customer feedback
What are you planning for 2010?
by tradesmeninsights | Dec 9, 2009 | Marketing Trends, Social Marketing
I think it’s safe to say that social media is here to stay. For those of us who have accepted that fact, we are moving on from adoption to trying to understand how businesses can take advantage of social in a work context today. A recent 2009 Business Social Media Benchmarking study (download a copy) was compiled from approx. 2900 responses and is an excellent overview of how businesses are trying to utilize this media. The report covers both how businesses are using social media to find relevant information and how they judge its success.
Of particular interest to our target audiences using social media as a business information resource, Constuction was at the top of the charts and Industrial was lagging a bit. The most popular media resources for businesses were webinars or listening to podcasts(69%), followed by reading ratings reviews for businesses, products or services (62%). The least popular were saving links on social bookmarking sites (28%) and participating in discussions on third party web sites (29%).
