by tradesmeninsights | Apr 20, 2009 | Marketing Tips, Social Marketing
It used to be that marketers counted on “word of mouth” to help spread their message to the tradesmen and maintenance professionals. Today, social media takes this to the next level and does it quicker and better.
Since you already know who you’re focusing on by using viral marketing, you can make it easier for your message to be passed on. Viral marketing has gained popularity because it produces results that are measurable while increasing your brand awareness. A recent post by Chase McMichael, The 3 pillars of viral marketing, outlines ways you can put viral marketing on steroids. Here’s an overview of how using these techniques can help you reach the professional tradesman:
- Target your audience. Social media makes it easier and faster to reach your target. More people are posting their personal profiles on social networks allowing you to data mine them and identify and rank affinities within specific communities like HVAC -TALK.
- Reach your audience. Once you’ve identified your user, you can quickly pinpoint influencers and begin enticing them to become brand ambassadors.
- Create the right call to action. If you’re doing your homework by monitoring these communities, you will soon identify the issues that need to be addressed and the appropriate call to action. It might be good to join a great online community that you have or sign up for the latest performance charts of a specific tool or application,
Conclusion: Messages that connect with you target can drive a high degree of brand awareness and acceptance. Practical and simple to access technologies help drive engagement and participation.
by tradesmeninsights | Apr 14, 2009 | Marketing Tools
Twitter isn’t just for the 20-somethings to follow or be followed. It’s fast becoming a business tool and B-to-B companies need to understand its benefits and start using it.
A friend of mine reminded me that contractors of all kinds have been using the pre-cursor of Twitter for many years – It’s called Nextel, their way of instantly staying connected. Professional tradesmen have had the need to stay connected for years and Twitter is just one more way they can accomplish that.
Here are some highlights of 5 that would have direct applications to manufacturers who want to reach the professional tradesmen:
- Foster customer loyalty. Companies can search tweets from their customers to see what questions or critiques they may have.
- Launch viral marketing campaigns. Encourage users to join you on Twitter in order to receive exclusive updates and new product news first.
- Enhance impact at trade shows. Offer exclusive content and insights from the trade show floor.
- Network with customers. Companies that tweet on a consistent basis tend to generate a larger audience on Twitter.
- Promote product and services. By simply writing a short message, they get the point across.
by tradesmeninsights | Mar 31, 2009 | Marketing Tips
In their marketing to tradesmen, manufacturers are always looking for cost-effective ways to reach out to both existing and potential new customers. E-mail marketing is one tool that can do both.
Manufacturers who sell through a distribution channel have the most difficult challenge in that they sell their product to a middle man, who in turns sells it to the ultimate end user. Distributors for the most part are very protective of their customer list, so the challenge for the manufacturers is to get their names.
One way is to use product warranty or registration forms to develop a database. This also helps you segment your list for addressing specific issues, either on the product or industry application.
Other ways of generating e-mail addresses is to sponsor e-newsletters from trade publications, inquiries from your web site and trade advertising, as well as trade show and distributor open houses and counter day promotions. A note: when having someone fill out a form, make sure somewhere on it you have them OK (opt-in) so you can send them stuff via e-mail.
Research from Datran Media shows e-mail is still important:
- Driving incremental sales
- Reinforcing a company’s brand position
- Improving customer relations
I read an article from GlobalSpec that outlines ways you can improve your e-mail marketing. Here are some highlights from the article:
- Manage your list. You need to segment and grow your opt-in list. We talked a little about ways above on how you can do both. The key here is to make sure we have permission to e-mail to them. The last thing you want is to be black-listed because of spam.
- Be relevant. Don’t say something for the sake of saying it. We talked above about segmenting your list. One of the reasons is so you can talk specifics about a product or process that is relevant to the reader.
- Deliver on your promises. If you say you’re going to put out a monthly newsletter, you’d better deliver. There are no right or wrong answers on frequency other than being consistent. Unless your products or services change often, I’d suggest starting them quarterly.
- Use e-mail to generate leads and sales. Even if you don’t have new products coming out, you can use white papers or case studies to generate interest.
- Look beyond your own list. Partner with respected third parties in your industry to expand your reach.
Read the entire article: Five Practical Ways to Improve E-mail Marketing
by tradesmeninsights | Mar 28, 2009 | Marketing Tips
We need to realize that social media is not a fad. The faster B-to-B manufacturers realize that social media isn’t just for “consumers,” the better off they will be.
Social media allows manufacturers to engage customers in more creative ways, build relationships and stay ahead of their competitors.
According to the “The ROI on Social Media Marketing” report from the Aberdeen Group, that Visible Technologies sponsored, 63% of the companies in their survey planned to increase their social media marketing budgets this year. eMarketer estimated that social network advertising alone will rise over 17% this year to $2.35 billion, up from $2 billion in 2008.
“Things are finally starting to change. Companies are learning how to leverage social media and tap into the rising tide of consumers participating in social network sites, blogs, wikis and Twitter.
Marketers have developed the tools and methodologies to drive
marketing ROI by listening to and learning from customers and
prospects. As so, the dollars are following this rising tide,” says Blake Cahill, Visible Technologies.
Five Compelling Facts from the Research, Providing Actionable Benefits for Readers:
- 58% of companies have dedicated resources devoted to social media marketing.
- 61% of companies have online community platforms (e.g., discussion forums, ratings and reviews, etc.).
- 68% of companies increased their investments in social media marketing, while 34% are keeping their investment level the same as last year.
- 84% of companies aim to track and measure the ROI of their social media marketing activities.
