by tradesmeninsights | Aug 4, 2009 | Marketing Trends, Social Marketing
According to an article on www.mashable.com by Adam Ostrow, a new report from Forrester Research shows the number of social networking users have doubled since 2007. There are 55.6 million adults (about 1/3rd of the U.S. population) that visit a social networking site at least once a month (up 15% from 2007 to 18% in 2009).
In the B-to-B community, a new report being unveiled this week at The B-to-B and ANA Conference in Chicago shows significant increases by B-to-B marketers in using social media. Marketers are using social as a marketing tactic for generating demand. Here are some highlights:
- 66% of marketers are now using social media up 20% from 2007.
- 57% are now using social media channels up from just 15% in the earlier survey.
- Among the newer media tactics, blogs top the list.
- 81% of B-to-B marketers are currently using LinkedIn compared to 25% in B-to-C.
- Twitter ranked highest among B-to-B (70%).
- Facebook is the most used overall site (74%) and among the B-to-B marketers (60%).
- Social media objectives have changed – brand building has decreased in favor of demand generation.
This is good news that the B-to-B community is getting their arms around social.
What are you doing?
by tradesmeninsights | Jul 29, 2009 | Marketing Trends, Social Marketing
I’ve used Global Spec online marketing for several of our clients who target engineering, technical manufacturing and industrial professionals. They are well respected and a great source for qualified leads. During the 1st quarter of ’09, they surveyed marketing executives on trends and challenges facing them for the balance of year. 555 surveys were completed. There are really no big surprises here–marketers are going to have to do more with less and online is going to be used because of accountability. Here are some of the highlights:
- 73% stated that customer acquisition and lead generation is their primary goal.
- Top 3 challenges: 1-too few resources. 2-not enough qualified leads. 3-improve ROI
- Top 3 marketing channels: 1-online directories/websites. 2-e-mail marketing to house lists. 3-SEO
- 29% spend more than 50% of their budget online
- 48% will spend more of their budget online
You can read the entire white paper here.
by tradesmeninsights | Jul 1, 2009 | Marketing Trends, Social Marketing
Why should B-to-B companies use Social media? Oliver Young from Forrester Research sums it up, “Marketers who embrace social media will outdistance competition, build community following and boost loyalty.” Is there a better time than now to start making that impression? People are still buying things, and with budgets being tight, decisions 
are often made on relationships. I’m a firm believer that folks have to know, like and trust you before they start buying from you.
Laura Ramos, a marketing analyst for Forrester Research agrees in a recent interview with BtoB Online Marketing. She says today that most B-to-B buzz is around driving awareness, but it will ultimately have a bigger impact on things like customer loyalty and advocacy. With social media, you can give customers a way to engage with other customers and with like-minded individuals that can talk about the best products and services. Seeing a community like this is a much more compelling experience for prospective buyers than a case study or a pre-selected happy customer. Ramos went on to say that for B-to-B companies, social success will be about creating communities. The relationship is important, not the channel.
According to Lee Odden in a recent presentation at the Online Marketing Summit in Minneapolis, “Despite such optimism and benefits, social media is new territory for most companies. The notion of engaging customers in social is a new paradigm and will take a shift in thinking for most organizations to adopt. Companies that properly plan and implement social programs can reap a variety of benefits,” said Odden. These include:
- Building thought leadership
- Improving customer relationships
- Improving recruiting
- Reducing customer service costs
- Improving search engine results
- Increasing media coverage
- Influencing sales
So what’s a company supposed to do to take advantage of these opportunities?
- Identify a niche
- Make a plan
- Get senior management to buy in
- Get started by listening first
- When you do start communicating, make sure you always answer the question, what’s in it for them?
The opportunies are there for B-to-B marketers. Let’s make sure you take advantage of them.
Other posts that might interest you, Improving sales productivity and collaboration with social media – Laggards steps to success, by Nicky Jameson
by tradesmeninsights | Jun 18, 2009 | Marketing Trends, Social Marketing
Many manufacturers are still leery about social media in a B-to-B arena. Since we deal with the professional trades, we know most of the editors very well and recently asked many of them to participate in a survey on social media. The majority of them are responsible for end user books that serve the likes of plumbers, electricians, HVACR contractors and mechanical contractors.
Here are some highlights:
Editors are using the social tools, and if for no other reason, you should be using them to communicate about your brand.
While some editors are currently writing blogs, more are anticipating doing them in the future.
Editors are looking for success stories involving social media.
Although most editors believe their audience isn’t that social savvy today (35.2%), they think that will improve dramatically in the next year (64.7%).
Here are the results:
1. Are You Using Any of the New Social Media Tools?
LinkedIn – 88.2%
Facebook – 64.7%
Twitter – 35.2%
Blogs – 29.4%
Online Forums – 23.5%
2. Do You or Another Editor on Your Staff Write a Blog for Your Publication?
Yes – 35.2%
No – 64.7%
3. If no to Question #2, are you planning on Doing a Blog for Your Publication?
Yes – 52.9%
No – 41.1%
4. Is Social Media and its Impact on Business on Your Editorial Radar Screen?
Yes – 76.4%
N0 – 23.5%
5. Have you Written Articles on Social Media and its Impact or Future Impact on Your Readers?
Yes – 35.2%
No – 64.7%
6. Do you Think Your Readers are Aware of Social Media as it Relates to the Business Aspects of Their Lives?
Ye s- 35.2%
No – 64.7%
7. Do you Think Your Readers will Become More Involved in Social Media in the next Year?
Yes – 64.7%
No – 41.1%
8. Do You Think Your Readers are Using any of the following Social Media Tools?
LinkedIn – 47.0%
Facebook – 41.1%
Twitter – 11.7%
Blogs – 35.2%
Online Forums – 52.9%
by tradesmeninsights | Jun 16, 2009 | Marketing Trends
I recently attended a webinar where the key speaker, Roy Young, President of MarketingProfs, shared key findings from the study on trends and spending strategies for B-to-B marketers. Highlights include:
- Reduced budgets
- Marketers are sharpening their focus
- New media is on the rise
- Emphasis is particularly strong for search marketing, webinars, emails and company web sites
- Digital and traditional tactics are being woven into an integrated marketing program
The implications are a trend toward the adoption of digital tactics, which started before the economic crisis, but have been accelerated by B-to-B marketers having to do more with less. Marketers have found that buyers want to be in control. The seller’s success depends on engagement and trust.
The study represented a broad range of B-to-B clients in both small, medium and large categories. While traditional tactics still remained the dominant player in 2007 and 2008, 2009 budget tactics now were including more of the social media mix.
To read the entire study, B-to-B marketing in 2009: Trends in Strategies and Spending
by tradesmeninsights | Jun 12, 2009 | Marketing Trends, Social Marketing
A
new product is on the horizon that will have a major impact upon online communications.
Let me give you a heads up. The next big tidal wave will be made available to the general public later this year. It’s the top trending conversation on Twitter and is becoming a hot topic in the daily news cycle.
Google Wave is a new real-time communications platform. It’s one of the top Google product launches and is expected to redefine online communication. It’s being heralded as the next evolution of email.
Click Here to check out the Google Wave Developer Review
This will be an all-in-one communications tool. You only need Google Wave open to manage your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, project management, email, etc. It will also replace lots of communications and can easily be embedded into your web site or blog
“(Wave) could very well be the game-changing communications tool that everyone has been waiting for.” Ben Parr, Associate Editor for Mashable
To learn more about Google Wave, check out Mashable’s Google Wave: A Complete Guide. Also be sure and sign up for Google Wave updates by clicking here
