Inbound and Outbound Marketing and B2B Sales Blog

Don Draper needs a job

Fans of the TV show Mad Men know that Don Draper is the quintessential ad man. He is cool, creative and smart.

The show takes place in the 1960's and there are many vestiges of an era long passed:

- The characters all smoke - in their offices

- Drinking is encouraged and condoned during office hours

- The women in the office are objectified

So office life has changed dramatically since the 60's. But what about Don Draper's job? Back then he was focused on big ad placements and media buys. 

Today, the spend in the traditional media outlets has plummeted as companies look to market digitally.

Unless Don adjusts, he's a dinosaur.  

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.

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.

 

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.

 

 

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. 

 

 

 

 

 

What B2B Marketers can learn from Ford's new marketing strategy

Next year, Ford Motor Company is introducing a new model - the Ford Fiesta. So here's a test for you. What is Ford's marketing strategy for this new car? How will America learn about the Fiesta?

Here's are your choices:

- Television ads during the Super Bowl?
- In house promotions at Dealers?
- Massive print media blitz?

The answer? None of the above.

In April, Ford gave 100 bloggers use of the car for six months. There were no limitations or instructions for how they were to use the car. The only requirement was for the bloggers to upload a video to You Tube each month and offer their opinions about the Fiesta. They were also encouraged to discuss the car on their blogs, Facebook and Twitter.

When asked about this strategy, the head of social media at Ford said: "It's about culture change and adapting to this ongoing way of communicating."

B2B and B2C companies everywhere are quickly adopting social media marketing strategies for one simple reason: "It's where their customers are." According to a Forrester Research study of over 1,200 companies, 95% use social networks for marketing and brand awareness.

In the future, consumers and business buyers won't be searching for products and services. Rather, they will come to their attention via social media. It is how companies will connect and build relationships with their prospects. Today's marketers cannot afford to ignore potential customers who are consuming media in new ways.

This is where your prospects are going. It's up to you to meet them there.

Sales Engine International is a Sales 2.0 prospect engagement company. Clients come to us for strategies, tools and services that engage the prospect through the sales process and advance the business conversation - resulting in more qualified leads and faster sales cycles. 

"About Us"

What is the second most visited page on most B2B websites? (Hint: Look at the title of this blog).

People want to know about their potential business partners / suppliers. That's why the About Us page is so popular. It is also why prospects will also check you out on LinkedIn, Facebook and other social media sites.

More than ever, relationships in business matter. Using social media to leverage this simple truth is good business.

"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.

 

 

Impact of Social Media on Buyer Behavior

The findings from a new study from comScore and M80 about the impact of Social Media are interesting. Here's the gist:

Internet users exposed to a brand in a social media setting were 1.7 times more likely to later search for that brand using keywords associated with a high level of loyalty and propensity to buy, compared with searchers not engaged with social media.

The study also showed a 50% increase in paid search click-through rates when Internet users were exposed first to social media mentioning a brand.

Validation for what we have been preaching to our clients: A defined social media strategy and consistent execution will yield results.

 

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.