by tradesmeninsights | Mar 24, 2011 | Marketing Tips, Social Marketing, Traditional Marketing
Online media is the fastest growing media platform in history. Second only to Google, YouTube has emerged as an easy-to-use search tool.
As a manufacturer, are you capitalizing on this powerful tool to disperse your message? You don’t need a “Hollywood” production. As a matter of a fact, the ones done on a mobile phone would do just fine. We’ve done “man on the street” interviews with contractors at will-call counters and on jobsites asking their opinions on tools and other products.
Did you know – Videos convey more info per minute than any other media and 65% of the public like to learn via videos.
These were only a few of the facts that I learned from a recent post by Jon Miller from Marketo. His post, How to Optimize Your B2B Marketing and Sales with Online Video outlines how to use videos to engage prospects in different stages of the buying cycle.
According to a Universal McCann study cited by Brightcove, people find product information and research most compelling when delivered in video format. MarketingSherpa claims that online video is a close second to word-of-mouth communication when it comes to influencing key decisions. No other media channel communicates a deeper, richer message or leaves a more lasting impression than video.
He also offers 10 online video strategies you may find helpful. Here are some highlights:
- Search optimize your video with a text summary – Use key words to highlight main points and make sure you include the URL.
- Integrate video into your e-mail marketing programs – Deliver relevant info pertinent to who they are and where they are in the buying process.
- Leverage social media – Promote across all marketing channels including your blog and both personal and business profiles.
- Feature on you website – Embed videos where appropriate to promote products, company news or new product promotions.
What are you doing to capitalize on your videos?
If you liked this post, you might also like:
Busy Executives Prefer Video on Web.
Make Video Part of your Direct Marketing Plans to the Professional Tradesmen.
Online Video Marketing: A Great Way to Educate the Professional Tradesman.
by tradesmeninsights | Mar 22, 2011 | Marketing Tips, Social Marketing, Traditional Marketing
If you’re into social media, you’re doing it with a purpose in mind. You have a story to tell and you want to tell it to a certain type of person. This holds true no matter what type of marketing you’re doing (traditional or social).
But when you’re developing your content, do you ever consider at what stage your reader is at in the buying cycle? By segmenting your content to include all stages of a buying process (awareness, consideration, evaluation and purchase), you’ll be sure to hit all your potentials at their stage in the buying process.
I recently read a post from AdamHolden-Bach from Mass Transmit called Using Content Marketing to Understand Your B2B Audience that I thought was spot on.
Here are some highlights on segmenting your markets:
- Awareness – These folks have just begun the process. Provide educational content (blogs, white papers, webinars) and make it easy for them to receive it (do make them register to get it).
- Consideration – Once they know about you they want to know how you stack up against the competition. Provide them product comparisons, case studies or other material that shows why your product is better.
- Evaluation – They want to understand the solutions you provide and how they would benefit their business.
- Purchase – Use social channels to broadcast new products, upgrades, special offers to help incentivize the customer.
As you’re creating content, identify which stage it falls into. Use tracking methods over time, for instance to gauge interest and tell you at what stage most of your audience is at in the sales cycle.
What are you doing to segment your marketing?
If you liked this post, you may also like:
2011 Trends: Content Marketing is Critical for Social Media Success
2011 Trends for B-to-B Bloggers
by tradesmeninsights | Mar 17, 2011 | Marketing Tips, Marketing Tools, Traditional Marketing
2D bar codes are growing in use across the world (usage quadrupled in 2010) and the USA for the first time leading in the number of scans according to 3GVision.
Businesses that don’t understand how to use 2D codes think that they’re just a way to drive people through to a mobile landing page. But businesses that get it are using them in a variety of new and innovative ways — all of which lead to increased customer loyalty and greater revenue per customer. I recently read a post by Jamie Turner from 60 Second Marketer that outlined several ways businesses can take advantage of these 2D codes. I’d like to share some highlights from his post along with some insights from my perspective:
- Websites – Add a 2D code to the contact page so visitors can download your contact info to their smartphones.
- Business Cards – Add the code to your card for the same reason as the website.
- LinkedIn & Facebook – Add the code and position yourself as a forward innovative thinker.
- In-Store Point of Sale & Coupons – Provide instant coupons at the counter of your distributor.
- Packaging – A great way to differentiate yourself at the store level and give your customer reasons to buy. It also helps in the Big Box stores where you are restricted to their rules on merchandising and promotions.
These are some of the ways I see manufacturers using 2D codes to set themselves apart.
What are you doing to capitalize on these codes?
If you like this post, you may be interested in:
QR Codes: Are Manufacturers Missing an Opportunity?
by tradesmeninsights | Mar 3, 2011 | Marketing Tips, Social Marketing, Traditional Marketing
We’ve all heard the expression “Content is King.” Although we all know it sometimes, we may not practice it. Content drives credibility, market leadership and leads, so it’s important to follow certain steps to ensure positive results. I read a post recently from Roy Young in Marketing prof.com, 12 B2B Content-Marketing Practices to Ensure Success that I thought was right on the money. Here are some of the ones that hit home for me:
- Identify sources within your organization for content – look outside marketing to search for experts. Product development, customer service and sales are 3 areas that could be good sources for content.
- Listen to customers and prospects – what are they talking about, what issues/pain points do they need addressed?
- Develop different content for different audience segments. Owners of contracting firms might want one thing and the guy who heads up the crews might want something different.
- Vary your content for buying cycles – not everyone is ready to buy. Some are researching and gathering info. Make sure you speak to them as well.
- Vary formats – Shake it up a little. Don’t just write, throw in a short video or podcast. Even lighten it up once in a while. Most people have a sense of humor and who doesn’t need a laugh now and then?
- Use social media to build relationships and distribute your content – other than the traditional ways of getting your story out, use social to inform and engage your customers and target audiences.
These are a few hints that help me in my efforts to produce good content. What are you doing?
by tradesmeninsights | Mar 1, 2011 | Marketing Tools, Social Marketing, Traditional Marketing
Times they are a changing. Last year, the tablet category essentially didn’t exist. Today with the iPad revitalizing the category, it’s expected to reach 81.3 million units by 2012 according to eMarketer.
This and the fact that there are more smart phones being sold each month than PCs means we need to rethink mobile as a viable means to getting to those younger folks (tradesman). A recent survey from Nielsen showed that iPad users were more likely (even more than iPhone users) to click on ads, videos, multimedia and interactive offerings.
There’s an opportunity for marketers to target these tablet users who are engaged and prime to purchase. The demo for the tablet users are high income 18-34 year olds – predominantly male. So, for those of you trying to reach that elusive young tradesman, this might be a way to do it.
If you like this, you might like the following:
White Paper: Trends in Mobile Media
by tradesmeninsights | Feb 3, 2011 | Marketing Tips, Traditional Marketing
Most of you attend trade shows, and if you’re on the manufacturing end of things, you have booths. Trade shows are not an inexpensive proposition and you really want to get the most out of them. To that end, I’ve asked a friend of mine, Vince Tricomi from PFI Displays, to give us some hints on how to improve your ROI without spending any money.
Here are the suggestions:
With the start of trade show season, many companies find themselves examining how they can revitalize their trade show exhibit ROI without depleting their marketing budget.
1. Do Your Pre-Show Homework:
▪ Analyze last year’s “A-Level” leads, and get a list of this year’s attendees.
▪ Have your sales team start calling weeks before the show to schedule in-booth appointments.
▪ Consider other types of outreach, from social media to direct mail.
2. Strut Your Stuff:
▪ Volunteer as an expert for the educational seminars at your trade show. You won’t be “selling” your company, but you will be building your credibility with the audience.
3. Improve Your “Boothmanship:”
▪ Consider the body language of you and your staff.
▪ Avoid matching outfits that make attendees feel like they’re walking into a used car lot.
▪ Ban the use of cell phones in your booth space (that’s right, BAN them!)
▪ Practice an “elevator pitch” and make sure everyone working the trade show knows, understands and can communicate your company’s USP.
4. Social Media is Your Friend:
▪ Use it to extend the show by building interest before, during and after.
▪ Special promotions during the show are a great way to drive additional foot traffic to your exhibit.
▪ Typically, show organizers have a hashtag for the show. See who’s using the hashtag and interact to let the audience know you’re there.
5. Post-Show MEASUREMENT:
▪ This is the most important AND most overlooked way to radically increase your exhibit ROI. If you don’t know what works and what doesn’t, how can you evolve your trade show program?
▪ Within two weeks of the show’s end, gather all the company’s stake holders and discuss best and worst practices and what to target for next year.
We’ll talk in the future about setting measurable goals for each of your trade shows. Suffice to say, there are many more trade show metrics for success than just the quantity of badges scanned at your reception counter.
