For those of you who are still getting your feet wet in social media, here’s a book that will help you get started. It’s called Content Rules by Ann Handley and C.C. Chapman.
It gives you insights on how to create blogs, podcasts, videos, e-books and more. It’s an easy read and they break down the book into three sections – content, how-to section and examples of success stories.
If a picture is worth a million words, then what’s a video worth?
B-to-B marketers are finally coming to realize that video is an important marketing tool. What some don’t realize is that putting it on your website may not be the best place to house it. Video should be housed somewhere like YouTube. From a branding perspective, start your own channel on YouTube. I don’t know a manufacturer that couldn’t take advantage of this marketing tool.
Here are some interesting stats:
Anyone can get into the video game today. You can buy a good camera for around $300 and there is editing suite software available that almost anyone can use.
Here are just a few of the ways that video can be effectively used for B2B business challenges:
So if you haven’t taken advantage of video, you should give it a try to see what kind of new activity will come your way.
Depending on what industry you’re in, the rule of thumb is that it takes anywhere from 5-9 times more effort to get a new customer than to keep an existing one. So why don’t we spend more time nurturing the ones we have?
We’re all guilty of taking customers for granted sometimes. I read an article on marketingprofs.com, The 7 Ps of Customer Retention that I thought was appropriate. Here are some highlights:
Those are some suggestions on how to keep your current customers happy.
I recently attended Content Marketing World in Columbus where I got a glimpse of the 2012 Channel Preference Study by Exact Target. The study gives insights to different channels – direct mail, email, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Mobile Twitter and SMS.
What surprised me in this world of “Post PC Era” where mobile seems to be taking over the world, that the old standbys of direct mail and emails are still alive and well.
Email is by far the most acceptable due in part to the channel’s familiarity, flexibility and universality with 91% using it on a daily basis. The key to success today is audience segmentation, data-driven insights and relevant content.
Direct mail – in an online world, the fact that 65% of consumers have made purchases as a result of a direct mail piece validates the channel. Interestingly, direct mail is the only unsolicited message that isn’t viewed as inappropriate by consumers.
So from a B-to-B point of view, what are you doing to capitalize on these two channels?
Here are some tips:
Those are some suggestions from me. What are you doing to capitalize on these two channels?
We’re so focused sometimes on our traditional ways of promoting our products that we sometime overlook the obvious. Today we have a guest post from Jeff Drust, VP Marketing at CDS (Catalog Data Solutions). CDS is a leading provider of software for product search, configuration and online CAD solutions. Enjoy.
Marketing organizations need to continually come up with new ways to get in front of the ever evolving selection and buying process. Industrial part and component suppliers can now do this in a more efficient way; realign their selling processes with the new buying process and turn it to their advantage with a new content type – CAD downloads like Brennan Industries.
CAD downloads as a type of marketing content, are both highly relevant and valuable to both parties. Industrial suppliers offering CAD downloads of their components (e.g. bearings) or engineered products (e.g. motors) create multiple benefits:
If you’re interested in case studies and testimonials on the use of this type of content, search for “online cad downloads case studies” or see some at https://www.catalogdatasolutions.com/.
By Matt Sonnhalter, vision architect at Sonnhalter.
I don’t think any manufacturer out there would argue the importance of training. What manufacturer wouldn’t want to ensure their customers are trained properly on how to use their products or informed on their latest product offerings. Plus, training offers manufacturers a way to further differentiate themselves from competitors as well as continue to build their brand with their customers.
There are many ways to approach and handle training; from how-to videos and online training courses, to traditional, printed instructional manuals and sales people demonstrating products in the field. But sometimes there is no substitute for in-person training.
One manufacturer that is leading the way for in-person training is Viega. I should note that Viega is a former client of Sonnhalter. The Viega Education Facility, located in Nashua, NH, is a stand-alone, dedicated building for training and I have to say, a pretty impressive facility. It first opened up in 2006 and since then, over 10,000 people have completed training sessions. Viega averages over 200+ days of training per year, with attendees ranging from architects, contractors and engineers to apprentices, distributors and even Viega employees. Currently there are over 13 standard courses covered in two-day, three-day or five-day sessions.
Here are some course examples: Radiant Design, Piping and Controls, NFPA 13D Fire Sprinkler, Geothermal & Solar and Commercial Radiant Heating & Cooling. Every year, Viega revamps existing courses and adds new ones to encompass the latest technological advances, industry requirements and the newest practices. You can find details for all the individual training sessions as well as register and schedule your training online at www.viega.us/en/service/training..
I’ve had the opportunity to attend a Viega training session. This 2-day training session was focused on continuing education for media partners and included editorial staff from leading trade publications and associations. The training session included classroom discussions about systems and applications within residential, commercial and industrial environments as well as hands-on time to experience several manufacturers’ products and tools.
We were exposed to many different technologies and options as the training was not exclusive to Viega’s products. I personally had the opportunity to experience a wide variety of hands-on applications, from threading pipe and installing a radiant flooring system to pressing various materials (copper, stainless steel, PEX, carbon steel pipe) with the Viega ProPress® system.
It is great to see the level of commitment Viega continues to put behind training and education. I realize not every manufacturer can have a dedicated training facility or the resources to support it, but every manufacturer should have some level of product training.
What are you doing to ensure you are keeping your customers trained?
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