by tradesmeninsights | Oct 2, 2012 | Marketing Tips, Marketing Tools, Social Marketing
From a B-to-B perspective, I believe LinkedIn is probably one of the best and most under-used tools in social media.
Think about it. You normally link with people who have similar business interests. Why not let them know your thoughts on subjects using your blog content as one of those sources? I have over 800 connections and through those, I have the potential of reaching over 10 million folks that are connected to my connections. Chances are if someone likes what I have to say, they will share it with others not only on LinkedIn, but on other social platforms.
- Your profile views also drive traffic to your blog – if you put a link to your blog homepage.
- Make a conscious effort to add 2-3 new contacts each week – people you meet at networking events or business functions. LinkedIn even prompts you to invite people who are linked to others you’re already linked to.
- Join Groups – there is a search box where you can look for people, companies or groups. Type in some key words and phrases and see what kinds of groups already exist that you should join.
- Start a group – if no group exists, start one. What better way to establishing credibility in a specific market segment.
Most importantly, you need to become active! LinkedIn is one of my best sources for traffic to this blog.
You need to update your profile, post status updates, post links to blog posts, participate in group discussions and answer questions.
Don’t waste an opportunity.
by tradesmeninsights | Sep 26, 2012 | Marketing Tips, Social Marketing
As you get more involved in social media, you need ways to manage all your activities. Social media can and is time-consuming, and you really need a plan to help you manage your time and resources.
I recently read a post by Heidi Cohen, How to Develop a Social Media Editorial Calendar, that brought up some good points on how to organize and manage your time.
Here are some highlights:
- Set goals – Be realistic and start small, but if you don’t set goals, what do you measure it against?
- Know your target audience(s) – You need to talk to each of them in their persona.
- Build an editorial calendar – Coordinate it around other marketing activities like trade shows, association meetings or new product launches.
- Integrate with other marketing promotions – Social can stand alone and by integrating it into your other marketing activities, you get more bang for your buck.
- Determine appropriate content categories – Identify and regularly write on these topics. Some examples would be new products, industry news, training, installation tips, etc.
- Allocate appropriate resources – Remember, if you’re the quarterback of this, you don’t or shouldn’t have to do all the heavy lifting. Lean on internal experts from engineering and product management to help out in their areas of expertise.
Those are some tips that I use. What are you doing to help manage your social media?
by tradesmeninsights | Sep 19, 2012 | Marketing Tips, Social Marketing
In the manufacturing arena where competition is fierce, some companies have turned to blogs as a way to increase brand awareness, become a thought leader in their space, increase their web traffic and generate leads. If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know I keep preaching the importance of a blog in your overall marketing plan, but I also stress the commitment needed to do it right and accomplish all your objectives.
I recently read a post from ThomasNet, 6 Ways to Ensure No One Reads Your Blog, and I thought I’d share them with you(tongue in cheek), so if you are considering blogging, these are the things you don’t want to do.
THINGS NOT TO DO
- Post only things about you, your company and products – People do want to know about what you do, but they are also looking for help/guidance in their field of work. We have a rule of thumb that 1/3 of posts should be about you, 1/3 about the industry you serve and 1/3 about what other people have said about the industry.
- Offer nothing original, helpful or insightful – That will surely keep them coming back. You need to answer the question, “What’s in it for me?” from the reader’s perspective. They should be looking at you as an expert in the field.
- Ignore issues that customers want to hear about – What keeps them up at night? What are some controversial issues going on in the industry or associations you belong to?
- Don’t have a keyword strategy – One of the big benefits of social is that by using keywords and phrases will help you get picked up by the search engines.
- Post irregularly – You want people to follow you and it’s hard for them to do that if you post once a month. You need to publish content on a regular basis, even if it’s only once a month.
- Write poorly – You don’t have to be a professional writer, but you need to be able to write and organize your thoughts. Well-written posts have a topic, your take on the topic and a conclusion for folks to think about and hopefully respond with their thoughts.
While I hope you’ve enjoyed my sense of entertaining you, on a serious note, blogs are great marketing tools. But like all tools, you need to know how to use them.
by tradesmeninsights | Sep 12, 2012 | Marketing Tips, Social Marketing
We’re all overworked and underpaid. Time for most of us is a resource we don’t seem to have enough of, and for those of us who write a blog, it sometimes seems even more scarce.
Time, or the lack thereof, can influence the quality of not only content, but also continuity of your post. We need to remember the reason why we’re doing a blog in the first place – generating exposure, thought leadership and potential customers.
I recently read an article by Brian Milne in ProBlogger that gives you some suggestions on finding time to write. Here are some highlights:
- Get up early – I find this is a great way to start the day. It’s quiet and your mind is clear.
- Write at lunch – Brown bag it and get away from the office (and all the distractions) and write a post on a nearby park bench.
- Stay up late – This one doesn’t work for me as I’m not a night owl, but I know plenty of people who do their best work in the dark (no pun intended).
- Utilize apps and shortcuts – use your mobile device to snap a photo and upload images. Take advantage of WordPress features to streamline posting.
- Get some help – find others within the organization to write or go out and hire outside writers.
- Accept guest posts – I’m sure there are like-minded people out there that you admire and respect that can give a different perspective on issues that are near and dear to you.
What are you doing to find time?
by tradesmeninsights | Sep 11, 2012 | Marketing Tools
Do you read industry blogs and wonder if your company should get involved in blogging? Blogging can be a valuable marketing tool that gives your organization a way to prove its expertise.
In order to tap into the values that blogs offer, manufacturers need to ask themselves certain questions and make several decisions before their blog goes live. This webinar will help participants find out if a blog should be a part of their marketing plans and what all is involved in starting one.
Join us on September 25th at 2:00 p.m. EDT for the free one-hour webinar.
This webinar is available for viewing on our YouTube channel – click here.
by tradesmeninsights | Sep 5, 2012 | Marketing Tips, Social Marketing
Social forums are an ideal way for B-to-B companies to demonstrate their expertise and knowledge. Forums are intended for people to exchange ideas and gather info. There are several to choose from… Quora, HighTable and LinkedIn to name a few. Most of my experience has been using LinkedIn.
A recent article on Social Media Examiner by Kane Russell gives tips on using social forums in a B-to-B setting. Here are some highlights:
- Comment from the perspective of a thought leader – answer questions and provide qualitative and quantitative supporting evidence. Acknowledge alternative solutions.
- Respect other users – don’t argue but address disagreements using examples and data to make your point.
- Join the conversation – respond directly and acknowledge what others have already said.
- Be consistent and cover subject comprehensively – do this on both where you have expertise and on topics outside your business experience.
- Add links where necessary – but make sure they are relevant.
If you haven’t participated in a forum, please expand your horizons and try. It’s a great way to learn and make new friends.
