by tradespeopleinsights | Apr 10, 2009 | Marketing Tips
Invite the reader to become a “FAN” so you can share more information with them
For those of us who have just recently set up a Facebook account for business purposes, we are all looking for ways to maximize our exposure and get the most out of what’s available. In my search for ways to increase my use of Facebook, I ran across a post by Steve Coulson, “5 Tips for Optimizing your Brands for Facebook” on ways to optimize your brand. His tips ranged from the right way to create a profile to developing different content to fans and non-fans.
Here are 3 takeaways I got from his post that would be very applicable for industrial and B-to-B users:
1. Optimize your web site share preview. One of Facebook’s strengths is the viral spread of shared links into new feeds using the links application. This gives you the option of presenting a number of images that can accompany the link.
2. Display different content for “fans” and “non-fans.” For a B-to-B user, this is a great way to invite the reader to become a fan by incentivizing visitors to see exclusive content. This content could be the latest new product or a special promotion.
3. Defining a publishing schedule for your content. If you manage and spread out updates, it allows you to carry on an ongoing dialog with your fans. Facebook offers different types of updates, e.g., links, notes, videos, and Steve suggests you mix them up which would help create more interaction within the first 24 hours. This is important since updates drop out of the newsfeeds after that time period. Also by using a schedule, you can monitor and track which content gets you more traction/conversations.
B-to-B marketers, by using these types of tips, can help set themselves apart and get more conversations going with fans on Facebook.
by tradespeopleinsights | Apr 9, 2009 | Marketing Trends
Perception vs. Reality. Perception is Twitter is for people under 30. The reality is it’s the fastest growing segment for folks 45-54. Another reason B-to-B marketers should be using it.
Twitter continues to have incredible growth, but may surprise you where the growth is coming from. Alexei Oreskovic shared these great nuggets of information regarding Twitter in a recent post for Reuter’s MediaFile blog:
Twitter has seen its popularity explode in recent months with a number of unique visitors to its site increasing by more than 1000 percent year-over-year in February, according to comScore.
Twitter is a rare example of the older people embracing a new web technology at such an early stage, says Andrew Lipman, director of industry analysis at comScore.
Twitter may even be catching on among people who have reached a post-business phase of their lives: of the 4 million U.S twitter users in February, 5.2 percent were over 65 years old.
That shouldn’t surprise me. I’ll be 61 this year and this new technolgy stuff is interesting and not that challenging to learn. I not only use it for business, but as my grandchilden grow, I’m going to be a hip Papa.
by tradespeopleinsights | Apr 9, 2009 | Marketing Trends
Twittering isn’t just for the young and hip anymore. As of February, there were 7,038,000 Twitter users (up 1,382% from last year ) according to Neilsen Netview.
Twittering is fast becoming a go-to tactic for B-to-B marketers. They are finding that brief messages to their followers are allowing them a platform to connect using tips, news alerts, events in near real time. They’re also learning that they don’t have to twitter, but can become followers and listen to what’s being said about the markets or industry in general .
B -to-B buyers are still people and that they buy from other people. Jon Miller ,VP Marketing at software developer, Marketo, says, “If you can build a relationship with a prospective buyer using Twitter before they are actively looking, you build your brand more effectively than you could with much more expensive options.”
B-to-B marketers are finally realizing that conversations are going with or without them. If you don’t believe me, type in your company name in Twitter Search and see what comes up. It may surprise you. Tweets don’t show up on Google Search yet or SEO ranking, but it’s just a matter of time.
Rick Karpinski recently had an article in BtoB Magazine that outlines how the business community can benefit from Twitter and gives examples of what some of the early adopters in B-to-B are doing with Twitter as part of their marketing programs. You can read the full post at: B-to-B Followers Flock to Twitter
by tradespeopleinsights | Apr 9, 2009 | Marketing Tips
Professional tradesmen and contractors are busy people just like the rest of us, and if we want them to read our blogs, we need to give them info that’s timely and informative.
The key objective is to not only get info out, but to engage the reader and get their thoughts and comments.
Business blogs tend to be a bit dry and it’s up to you to keep things interesting. I read a post recently from Alyssa Gregory on ways to engage readers of business blogs and here are some highlights:
- Offer advice. You’re an expert in this field, so offer the tradesman some practical advice on how he can do his job better.
- Talk to the audience. If they’re reading your blog, there’s a reason. Since they share a common interest, you need to talk to your audience, but more importantly, keep an eye on their comments and feedback as this will be good material for future posts.
- Share a personal story. Let them see the other side. This helps in building a stronger relationship.
- Go off topic. Throw in an occasional non-business related post. Everyone needs some comic relief.
- Keep it short and sweet. These contractors are busy, so get to the point and deliver (WIIFM) What’s In It For Me.
- Give up the wheel. Instead of doing all the talking, ask questions and ask for comments.
- Give readers what they want. Don’t ask the contractors for their comments if you don’t do anything with them. Acknowledge comments and answer questions. Their feedback will give you material for future posts and even surveys.
Business posts don’t have to be dry and boring. If you’d like to read Alyssa’s entire post: Ways to Engage Readers of a Business Blog
by tradespeopleinsights | Apr 9, 2009 | Marketing Tips
Will blogs replace e-mail?
After Al Gore invented the Internet, everyone was saying that print magazines that served the trades would be a thing of the past. They said that this old technology would be replaced by the Web. Well since the invention of the Internet, there have been thousands of new magazines launched the old-fashioned way via the printing press.
Darren Rowse from the ProBlogger wrote an article on Hendry Lee from BlogBuildingU. Hendry makes a point that the same was said about e-mails once blogs were introduced.
E-mails lead all other channels by a wide margin in terms of performance. 80.4% of more than 3,000 surveyed choose e-mail as a strong adverting performer compared to 56.8% who chose search.
He suggests a combination of both. Here’s his rule of thumb:
Reach your readers whenever they want and via the content distribution channels and formats they prefer. That almost sounds too simple, doesn’t it. Give the customer what he wants, when he wants it. Brilliant!
He goes on to highlight some benefits to both e-mails and blogs.
Here are some highlights:
E-mail lets you deliver content on a regular basis which promotes recognition… good content creates interest … interest encourages interaction.
E-mail helps you move the prospect down the roads by nurturing a relationship and interaction.
Blogs. E-newsletters are the most popular method of driving people back to your blog… build buzz… create a series of lessons that can be delivered using a sequence autoresponder which will deliver them one at a time over a pre-determined interval.
By using both these tools, you can improve your marketing efforts .
To read his entire post: Blogs and Email How to Get the Best of Both Worlds
by tradespeopleinsights | Apr 6, 2009 | Marketing Tips
I’ve been reviewing dozens of manufacturer’s blogs and have noticed that a number are committing a fatal error. They are trying to be all things to all people.
That brings up the subject of “niche marketing” and in this case, “niche blogging.”
The more general the blog, the less effective it is if you’re trying to reach a particular target audience. This is never more true when you’re trying to reach a specific group of tradesmen.
The purpose of a blog is to have an ongoing conversation with your customer or potential customer. In the case of professional tradesmen, whether they be electrician, plumbers or iron workers, they only have so much time, and when they’re looking for info, it has to be relevant to them. By focusing in on a niche, you set yourself up as an expert.
Here are six quick tips on how you can make a niche blog work in your favor:
- Engagement. If your blog is focused on an niche, you will develop a following that will be easy to engage in topics presented.
- Expertise. Because you’re focusing on a niche, you become an expert.
- Feedback. Because your focused feedback will increase significantly.
- Relationship building. Isn’t that what blogging is? What a better way to engage someone in a non-threatening way.
- Organic search. Because your topic is focused, it will certainly increase the number of hits.
- Branding. Added exposure, interaction and loyal readership translates into brand building.
Remember that casting a larger net won’t insure you’ll get more fish. You are better off fishing where the fish are.
