by tradespeopleinsights | Apr 17, 2009 | Marketing Trends
Social media allows us to engage each other and start a conversation which hopefully turns into a relationship.
I’ve been in the ad business for over 3 decades, and over the years have used the tools available to develop targeted programs to reach our intended audiences. We were so busy telling people how good our product was that we seldom took the time to ask any questions or listen to what the customers had to say. In other words, most of our communications were one way.
Today with the advent of social media, we have so many options to reach our target as does our target to get info on a particular product or service. Web 2.0, for example, allows customers to participate in dialogs, forums and surveys that let their opinions be known. We as marketers should be happy about this as it affords us valuable insight into the minds of customers (you ask questions, listen and respond).
Back in the day before the Internet was invented by Al Gore, a lot of us used to practice another form of B-to-B marketing (belly button to belly button) where we actually sat down with a customer or prospect and had a conversation with them.
Unfortunately in today’s world, people for the most part don’t have time for these kinds of encounters. Social media allows us to begin the engagement process, so hopefully as we build a relationship, we can ultimately have that face-to-face just like the good old days.
Marketers need to rethink the way they communicate to customers and prospects. Quit selling and start listening.
by tradespeopleinsights | Apr 17, 2009 | Marketing Trends
I guess there is no surprise in this Nielsen/NetRatings study:
“Low-income tradesmen spend more time online from their home computers than do high-paid professionals.“
Makes sense, right? After all, white collar surfs the net while at work, whereas those who work in factories or at construction sites probably don’t have a chance to use the Web while on the job.
Nielsen’s Peggy O’Neill says: “They’re more likely to come home and spend time checking email, chatting online, playing games, and visiting stores than someone who has been online all day long.”
For her research, O’Neill used Claritas Prizm clusters based on ZIP codes and neighborhoods where people live. She looked at the home-based Web surfing habits of all 62 clusters and found that …
the top five Net users were low-income, blue collar workers who burned about 12 hours online per month.
Chatting on instant messenger, clicking through Wal-Mart online and visiting entertainment sites such as Emazing.com were the most popular activities for the top five clusters.
Those who spent the least amount of time online — about seven hours per month — were high-paid professionals.
O’Neill said, “When these people get home, they don’t have a great need to surf the Web.”
What an opportunity! Reaching blue collar consumers at home through the Internet, social and viral media may be the next big idea for emotionally connecting with this broad and loyal audience.
Read more about the study blue collar workers favor home Net use.
by tradespeopleinsights | Apr 17, 2009 | Marketing Tips
Social media allows B-to-B marketers to “really” talk to professional tradesmen in a way that builds a relationship of trust.
In a one-way conversation, like in a trade ad or a TV ad, the viewer gets information about a product or service delivered in a well-crafted, beautifully produced manner. The presenter has his 30 seconds to make an impact and then it’s all up to the listener to act upon the presentation.
In a two-way conversation, like in any social media space, the reader gets information about a product or service delivered in a simple, approachable manner. The reader seeks what he’s interested in and starts a dialog. With that door open, the reader can ask a question and start a dialog with a presenter he sought. Once the presenter responds, a conversation ensues … and a trusted friendship is often formed.
And wouldn’t you most likely trust the advice of a friend rather than a presenter you don’t know? And by virtue of the fact that YOU sought out this presenter, the bond of trust is even stronger.
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by tradespeopleinsights | Apr 17, 2009 | Marketing Tips
Blogging – you have so much to say and you want to be sure someone out there will read all those golden nuggets of information. Promoting your blog should be no different than promoting a new product. Your marketing strategy should include both push and pull strategies.
For social media, the pull part of the equation includes:
- solid content
- sound SEO strategy
- select key words
- encouraging incoming links
Push strategies can include many things, but the most obvious is e-mail. A recent post by Dean Rieck, How to build your blog using good old e-mail outlines ways to drive people to your blog. Here are 5 highlights:
- Offer an RSS feed. Many people prefer a reader over e-mails. Dean suggests that if you offer a subscription to your blog by e-mail, many will take you up on it.
- Start an opt-in newsletter. This is a great way to build a list with people outside your blog. Remember if you start a newsletter, make sure your readers are getting value or they’ll opt-out as quick as they came in.
- Post a subscription box on your site. Sign-up boxes usually work better than links that take you to a sign-up log.
- Encourage subscriptions everywhere. Beyond your home page, put your subscription box everywhere. Most blogs have templates so each page can include one. Put on your web site, your Linkedin and Facebook accounts. Some even include it in their e-mail signature.
- Manage your list. This by far is one of the most important elements. The old saying “garbage in garbage out” applies in this case. I use Constant Contact, but there are others like Aweber and Icontact, to help manage my e-mail lists. Their fees are minimal for what you get and are an easy way to deliver and monitor your activity. You need an accurate list to promote special products, pricing or events.
by tradespeopleinsights | Apr 17, 2009 | Marketing Trends
Brands are no longer defined by marketers, but by the very people we hope to influence – our customers and potential customers.
B-to-B marketers have to embrace the new engagement marketing (social media) as a viable way to target and talk to both customers as well as prospects. This is about developing a two-way conversation between you and your prospect.
Think about it – it’s like dating. If on your first date all you do is talk about yourself and don’t let your date get a word in edgewise, where do you think this relationship is going?
Instead, if you talk less and ask questions about her and her interests, you’ll engage her in a conversation which might lead to other things based on what is learned by both sides.
Engagement marketing works the same way. You need to ask questions, listen and respond. Customers know they have choices and want to be treated as partners, not prospects.
As a B-to-B marketer, it is increasingly important to establish customer loyalty because without it, it becomes an issue all about price and that’s a road no one likes to go down.
Engagement marketing is about a process that invites, engages, nurtures and then consummates into a sale. Once you do get the sale, you must continue the dialog and turn that customer into an advocate.
by tradespeopleinsights | Apr 17, 2009 | Marketing Trends
B-to-B marketers looking for ways to reach the professional tradesmen on the go have a new tool to consider – mobile advertising.
Emarketer forecasts that advertisers will spend 3.3 BILLION on mobile ads by 2013 up from 648 million in ’08.
As consumers (both B-to-C and B-to-B) embrace mobile technologies at an ever-increasing rate, emarketer predicts that 2009 may actually be the point where advertisers start shifting attention to mobile.
The industry’s turning point started with the introduction of the Smartphone, then the iPhone. 3G led to faster connection speed and the rise of Internet browsing and WI-FI connectivity kept the ball rolling. 4G is due out this summer and who knows what the next advancement will be. The only thing we know for sure is that it’s coming.
