Inbound and Outbound Marketing and B2B Sales Blog

Social Media Ad Spend

Take a look at this link:

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=119518

No surprise Facebook has surpassed MySpace (once my kids stopped using MySpace a few years ago I knew it was over).

The headline here is Facebook will account for 1/4 of all the spend in this category.

Is a Website Visitor a Lead?

Over the weekend I spoke with a friend who is marketing a sports related product. We were throwing ideas back and forth when I asked him how many website visitors he gets each month. He said about 6,000. I then asked how many email addresses he harvests from those visits. He said none.

One of the biggest opportunities most companies miss is converting website visitors into leads. Your visitors have some interest - that's why they are coming to your site. The goal then is to capture their credentials through offers.

Here's why:

1. You'll be able to execute one to one marketing to these visitors

2. You'll organically build your prospect list

3. You'll learn what offers / messages are resonating with your prospects

It is the biggest bang for your marketing buck. Do it.

Ad spending shift for B2B Marketers

Interesting report from research firm Outsell:

http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091216/MEDIABUSINESS/912169998/1078/newsletter011

$60 billion moving from traditional advertising - print and TV ads - and moving to the web. Much of that investment is going into the company website.

 

The Lost Art of the Business Conversation

Your company has the latest eMarketing technology and a formal nurture-marketing program in place. You notice a spike in activity with a prospect you've been digitally nurturing for several months. They spend 15 minutes on your website and download an ROI calculator you've made available.

Clearly it is time for a Sales Rep to call.

Your marketing department passes the lead to your Sales Rep and the next day he makes the call. He's able to get through to the prospect and asks the normal qualifying questions about needs, budget and timeframe. He quickly learns the prospect does not have a budget or timeframe established. The Rep tosses the lead aside and moves on to the next prospect.

A year later your primary competitor issues a press release announcing a new customer - this prospect.

What happened?

The hard truth is this situation is occurring more frequently than ever before. Studies show more than half of the leads discarded by Sales Reps convert for someone within 24 months. So ---- what can you do to ensure you are not missing out on these real revenue opportunities?

Most sales reps are proficient at prospect qualification.  They can establish budget, timeframe and need and articulate their value proposition to qualified buyers.  However, in our increasingly competitive environment, prospects are looking for more from the Sales Rep. They already educated themselves - in some cases extensively - prior to talking to the Rep. Therefore, when this first conversation takes place, the buyer wants the Rep to understand their situation and offer insight into helping them solve their business challenges. If the prospect receives no value from the dialogue with the Rep, they will quickly disengage and disappear.

Great closing skills are a quality we look for in Salespeople. Equally important is the ability to engage prospects in intelligent business conversations that help build a relationship and fosters continued engagement.

Teaching your Reps these skills will help you minimize those missed opportunities.

Are buyers using Social Media?

I came across an interesting statistic from Juniper Research:

"Four out of 10 social network participants are using these sites to gather product information and recommendations."

One of the challenges B2B marketers have with social media is tying their efforts and activities back to results. Clearly, this data point doesn't constitute "full validation" of social media as a marketing tool, however it does offer positive reinforcement.

 

 

2010 B2B Marketing Outlook

B2B Online surveyed almost 350 B2B companies about their 2010 plans. Here's a summary of the results:

- 40 % plan to increase their marketing budgets

- About half plan to keep spending flat

- 13 % will reduce their marketing spend

 

The biggest increases in spending will be online where marketers can have more accountability on their spend.

 

The full survey results can be found here:

 http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091116/FREE/311169985/1444/FREE

 

 

 

Importance of Relevance in B2B eMail Campaigns

Interesting new study from CMO Council.

A couple of the findings:

- People are inundated with mass emailings (no surprise)

- Nine in ten people surveyed have unsubscribed from an email newsletter in the past 12 months (no surprise)

- Number one reason cited for unsubscribing was "relevance" (no surprise)

- 22% of respondents said irrelevant promotions caused them not to buy from the company (Wow)

Many companies are harming their brand with poorly planned email campaigns. I often get asked about automation tools like Constant Contact and Vertical Response. My response? They are great products but more emphasis should be focused on what you say rather than how it is delivered. 

 

 

 

 

 

More about B2B Blogging

I had a long conversation with a client today about blogging. I thought I'd share some highlights:

1. Create a schedule for your postings. This will help establish discipline for this process.

2. Establish an editorial calendar / Content calendar. This is the most critical component because it identifies your topics and discussions.

3. Differentiate. An early sales mentor once told me  "selling is the process of continual differentiation". Your blog should cover topics in a unique or interesting way. Find a new angle.

4. No BS. Your readers have great BS detectors.

5. Treat your blog as a conversation.

The benefits of blogging have been well established. Get in the game.

 

"Tweet: Leo DiCaprio is in our office"

Yesterday, a good friend mentioned his sister is using Twitter to notify the followers of her trendy restaurant in Miami when celebrities show up. He thought it was a great idea as did I.

I asked him how he was using Twitter in his professional services business and he looked at me like I was crazy.

Leo Dicaprio isn't really at our office. But Twitter can provide value beyond celebrity citings. Here's two ways:

- Use the Twitter "Follow" feature to receive the Tweets from industry thought leaders / Influencers. Additional insight into where your market is going is always valuable.

- Use the Twitter "Search" feature to learn what people are saying about your company, competition and/or industry. It is another resource where you can find valuable data points.

My first Sales mentor said to me: "You learn more by listening". Twitter doesn't have to be about telling people what you had for lunch.  Listen and learn.

 

 

How SEI leverages Social Media for Lead Generation

Social media marketing leverages social media networks to build awareness and interest in your products and services. It is the science of "getting found" in our Sales 2.0 world.

Social media offers great promise...and here's how Sales Engine International delivers on that promise for our clients:

First - We build engaging and varied content optimized for social media. Content is the cornerstone for an effective social media marketing strategy and creating compelling and engaging content is a core competency of Sales Engine International. We are simply the best at Sales 2.0 messaging and content creation and have the portfolio to prove it.

Second - We create the Social Media presence on your behalf. If you are not already there you need to get in the game. Using best practices we will build out each social media site for your company.

Finally - Engagement on the Social Media sites is critical to building an audience. The Sales Engine engagement approach is based on best practices for each individual social media site.

Social media is the magnet that draws people to your value proposition and website. When combined with our outbound marketing campaigns you have an integrated Sales 2.0 marketing and lead generation engine.

Sales Engine International is a Sales 2.0 prospect engagement and marketing campaign execution company. Clients come to us for inbound and outbound marketing strategies, tools and services that engage the prospect above the funnel, result in more qualified leads, and offer complete marketing spend transparency.

SEI clients enjoy more effective and accountable lead generation and faster sales cycles. Our client portfolio ranges from start ups to the Fortune 50.