by tradespeopleinsights | Apr 17, 2009 | Marketing Tips
I can’t tell you how many corporate blogs I’ve been on that are treated as just another venue to sell product or try to pump up stock prices. They just don’t get it and wonder why blogs aren’t working.
Companies need to learn it’s not about them anymore, it’s about your customers. They call it social media for a reason – because it’s about people.
If companies want to have a successful blog they need to deliver relevant content that talks about ways to solve your customers’ problems. They need to deliver it in a conversational (human) way using terms that their customers are familiar with.
It’s all about people and that’s why it’s called social media, not marketing media.
A recent post by Chris Baggott, How to make the most out of your corporate blog, highlights ways for companies to be successful:
- Research the key words that drive your business.
- Create titled, individual blogs for different market segment and target those key words.
- Encourage employees to create content.
- Solicit feedback from your customers.
In other words, do your homework and think strategically. Business blogging is a way to make your customers/searchers happy they found you because you have answered a need.
by tradespeopleinsights | Apr 17, 2009 | Marketing Trends
They are the hard-working men and women of America. They drive the products to market. They build the towers of business. They dig the foundations of dreams. They serve America in every capacity.
They are the blue collar tradesmen, working class heroes we sometimes overlook.
They have been all over this social media stuff long before the rest of us jumped on board. They have been building relationships with friends and business associates from around the world, across the country and around town for decades. They adopted these amazing communication technologies not as a narcissistic plaything but as serious tools of industry.
They are the ham radio operators, the CB truckers and the Nextel two-way cell users. They go by names like Gladys and Night Rider and Bubba and they are the real pioneers in social media.
What makes any of us think this group of users will avoid this brave new world? They are logging on in record numbers. According to one survey, while the universe of blue-collar social media users is less than 10%, they are the fastest-growing segment.
As their jobs dwindle, they are learning new trades and finding new jobs through the use of SM.
Blue-collar men and women are a critical part of the conversation.
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.
