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 13, 2009 | Marketing Tools
Reaching tradesmen through social media is very different from your traditional methods.
A recent Forrester research report highlighted the fact that a majority of B-to-B decision makers were going online to find information, and only 25-30% of the marketers were using social media.
Here’s a simple question: Are your customers online? If so, you should be considering social media strategies.
The business world is continuously moving online. Businesses are made up of people who make business decisions and look online for information. Shouldn’t you find those people who are important to you and make sure your company info is found in all the relevant places? Will they find you online, other than your web site?
The top 3 highlights of social media:
1. Social media is easy to use and even easier to manage and measure. You’re usually dealing with a defined audience with common interests especially in a B-to-B situation. Social media’s ability to engage niche audiences should be an essential strategy in your marketing plan.
2. Social media is cost effective. There are minimal outside costs for set-ups, with most being free. The most expensive thing will be someone’s time to write and monitor it. It is a way of very quickly and inexpensively doing some primary research and establishing metrics.
3. Social media is engaging. It’s not a one-way street rather a two-way conversation. Conversations build into relationships, relationships build trust, and who would you rather buy from, someone you know and trust, or an online shopping cart?
B-to-B marketers need to remember:
The voice and manner you approach social media is different from what you’re used to. You’re not doing a hard sell with features and benefits.
Instead you’re giving out info on applications, quick tips to solve problems and asking the reader questions to engage a conversation. No trade ad or web site does that.
by tradesmeninsights | 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.
