by tradesmeninsights | Jul 21, 2010 | Marketing Tips, Social Marketing
If you’re a blogger, you know that it takes a lot of time to continually write posts, and once it’s on your site, you have to start on the next one. You may be overlooking ways to “reuse” the content across other medias to generate new conversations. Here are some hints:
Repurpose existing content – collect all thought leadership you have created over the past few years that isn’t time sensitive. This goes beyond the posts you’ve done. Look at white papers, articles, presentations, webinars. You get the idea. Once you have a stack, organize them by various topics or themes that’s appropriate for your target audiences.
Repackage your content – there are so many different options. Here are just a few suggestions:
- Powerpoints – can be converted to an online slide show and put up on slide share.
- Case Studies – can be used as a series of “Best Practices” and can be delivered by way of podcasts or webinars.
- Industry News/Trends – use as mobile SMS alerts where folks can subcribe to your updates.
- White Papers – turn into podcasts or a series of forum topics.
- Position Papers – turn into podcasts, and if you haven’t already done a post on them, it’s an ideal way to reuse content.
- Use Other Social Media Outlets – post comments on your Facebook wall, tweet about them and use the content on the appropriate groups on your LinkedIn account.
Refine content – optimize your content using your keywords to increase your site ranking. If mobile marketing is an important target for you, you need to reformat content so it’s reader friendly. Here are some helpful hints from Christina Kerley.
These are some of the ways I try to reuse content. I’d like to hear what you do.
by tradesmeninsights | Jul 8, 2010 | Marketing Trends, Social Marketing, Twitter
In our day-to-day marketing for manufacturers, we focus on selling the products or services they offer. We talk about the features and benefits and how we can solve their problems. A good and sometimes a one-way conversation centered around us.
Then we jump into social media and expect the same tactics to apply. Unfortunately, they don’t. Social is about building relationships and thought leadership, not trying to sell the features and benefits of a certain product.
According to an article in eMarketer.com, a recent study by LeadForce1 suggests that visitors to B-to-B websites directed from social media are generally uninterested in product or contact pages.
They go there to find out more about us, read our blogs (thought leadership) or check out our management team.
Similar results are found when being referred by Twitter.
The study suggests that social network users are willing to follow the company to check out content, but unlikely to make the jump to the product or sales side of the site.
What are your thoughts on this?
If you like this post, please pass it on to a friend.
by tradesmeninsights | Jun 16, 2010 | Marketing Tips, Social Marketing
I believe LinkedIn is one of the most under-utilized social media tools, and I’d like to share with you my thoughts on how you can make the most of it.
- It’s a way to stay in front of your connections on a regular basis.
- It’s a way to build thought leadership and credibility.
- It’s a way to talk to people who share the same interests that are not in your network.
The LinkedIn webinar shows the ins and outs of LinkedIn for businesses. The webinar shows manufacturers and marketers how to harness the power of this social media tool by teaching how to grow contacts, join groups and use it to promote your thought leadership and ultimately generate leads. If you are in sales, customer service or general management, LinkedIn knowledge is a must in the toolbox of business tools
The webinar will be Tuesday, July 13 at 2 PM EST. Registration is closed.
Please pass this on to business associates.
by tradesmeninsights | Feb 25, 2010 | Marketing Tips, Social Marketing
Trade associations, by design, are supposed to be the “official spokesperson” for their constituency. Most though have missed the opportunity to harness the power of the Internet and social media. This is especially true of the more conservative manufacturing-type groups.
One such group that has done a great job in using the Internet and the social media tools is The Precision Machined Products Association (PMPA). They have a blog (Speaking of Precision) and are active on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
Miles Free, Director of Technology and Industry Research (also Chief Blogger) says: “Our members value the PMPA for the ability to network. Using our blog to provide thought leadership, technical resources, advocacy, another channel for communication, and recruitment helps us help our members and the industry stay connected. We use social media to help us provide connection, effective advocacy, and keep our members and the industry apprised of critical issues. At virtually no cost. For PMPA, social media is key to effective associating.”
Here are 5 reasons they are using social media :
- Thought leadership – They want to be known as the “Experts” in their space and their blog.
- Technical resource – To keep the industry updated on issues ranging from the latest OSHA requirements to new specs for a certain quality program, as well as to promote knowledge retention.
- Advocacy – All associations need representation in Government whether it’s national, state or local. Their position on issues are vital and social is a great place to rally the troops.
- Communicate with members – Most associations have several ways to touch their members, but blogs let them focus on one key subject and communicate with them on a regular basis, but in a different format that they are used to.
- Recruitment tool for new members – All associations are looking for new members, and this is a way for new potentials to see what they are doing and identify themselves as potential new members.
So, if you belong to an association and they aren’t using social media, tell them they are missing a great opportunity.
by tradesmeninsights | Dec 1, 2009 | Marketing Tools, Social Marketing, Traditional Marketing
Whether you’re using traditional marketing tools or social media, one of your key objectives should be to become the thought leader in your market or category.
As a B-to-B marketer, Thought Leadership is one of the most valuable assets of your brand. When reaching out to the professional tradesman, you have several audiences that you need to build relationships with – Distribution, Buying Groups, Associations and ultimately, the Contractor or End User. Messaging to each of these markets while sharing common traits can and will be different. The sooner you begin building relationships in the buying cycle, the better off you’re going to be. Thought leadership and brand building should be an ongoing process.
I believe social media affords you a better means of reaching your objectives. You don’t become a thought leader overnight. It’s a process that takes time. You need to gain trust of your audience and become the “go to” resource. What better way to accomplish this than through the likes of LinkedIn, Facebook, Blogs and Twitter? Think of it as a form of “opt in” places that people go on a regular basis to read and learn. People follow blogs because the subject matter is relevant to them. People follow you on Twitter for the same reason. LinkedIn has groups you can join based on interest levels in particular issues, causes or markets. You get the picture. There are numerous ways to stay connected and build your Brand.
Jon Miller in a recent post on Marketo, outlines 4 ways to build your brand:
- Use your company’s blog to provide insights
- Be a solution to a specific problem
- Provide original research
- Join a speaking circuit
Those are my thoughts on the subject and I’d like to hear what you’re doing to build your thought leadership.
