Social Media Marketing for the B2B Crowd

October 4th, 2011

In the new world of social media marketing, there are several challenges for business-to-business marketers. Bryan Brown, on VentureBeat.com, in his guest blog post, “What ‘marketing automation’ means for the well-rounded B2B marketer,” talks about how to use marketing automation to your advantage.

Bryan discusses ways to use social media for Data Collection and building your database with more information than was ever available to marketers prior to social media platforms – the ease of users or fans or followers to ‘sign-in’ to your site with their platform credentials allows for more information to be had by you on their behaviors, demographics, and interests than ever before.

Lead management is more efficient and better aligned between sales and marketing departments in this new world of social technology. Apps are available (often for free) to compile data and use it to make decisions about buyer interest. Marketing efforts toward specific demographics are also easily analyzed, which leads to faster decision making abilities within your company.

Engagement covers two of the sections Bryan writes about, “Cross-Channel Campaign Management” and Social Marketing. Engagement is definitely a new field for business-to-business marketing, many top B2B companies are still not on board with the idea of using social media for marketing and staunchly express that it only makes sense for B2C businesses.

Hopefully, these businesses will realize they’re mistaken before the early adopters in their industries run away with their share of the market. The truth of the matter is that all businesses can benefit from social media marketing because all businesses are run by PEOPLE and all products and services are bought by PEOPLE – whether for a company purpose or a personal one, people are always the deciding factor.

If you are a B2B company that wants to take the lead in your industry and begin utilizing the amazing social tools of our time for marketing purposes, please let us know!

We love talking about how social media can help you be more successful and how we can help you get there. Check us out on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Tags: blog, Marketing, Reno Social Media, Social Media
Posted in Online Marketing, Social Media | Comments Off on Social Media Marketing for the B2B Crowd

Relationship Marketing vs Social Media Marketing: Oxymoron or Redundant?

September 27th, 2011

Clarifications, first.

We all know a typical oxymoron, right? Words and phrases that seem to cancel each other out: military intelligence, jumbo shrimp, old news, practical joke, peace force.

We also know about redundancy, or saying the same thing twice, as in: basic fundamentals, actual experience, advance planning, free gift, frozen ice, general public.

These two odd word pairing categories are opposite sides of the same coin, so I will flip the coin, and you can call it in the air….

Are Relationship Marketing and Social Media Marketing the same or opposites?

You might be surprised at the answers I found!

Redundant (Heads)

Mari Smith, speaker, author, and social media guru, has recently written a (not yet released) book titled, “The New Relationship Marketing”. Considering the source’s area of expertise, it would appear that the book will be about nurturing relationships to social (online) connections and turning that into a profitable business, at which Mari has been extremely successful. Mari shares some of her life story in this video, and talks a bit about her new book which has the subtitle: “How to Build a Large, Loyal and Profitable Network Using the Social Web”. It is clear as she describes her approach to relationship marketing (in a beautiful Scottish / Canadian accent) that she would be of the camp that this is a redundant relationship. She talks about how she believes that social media marketing is about building those relationships with all people online and leveraging (my words) that relationship to be ethically profitable.

Oxymoron (Tails)

On the other side of the coin, would be Naomi Dunford of IttyBiz, who is decidedly less glamorous and more punk than Mari Smith. However, Naomi is very passionate and (apparently) knowledgeable as she has become an expert at being overtly honest and downright open on how marketing for small businesses works. Naomi’s guest blog on Copyblogger.com about Relationship Marketing, “7 Ways You’re Screwing Up Relationship Marketing”, is in line with the oxymoron stance on our topic.

The 7 ways, are easily the complete opposite of the (widely accepted)point of social media (to engage, connect, build relationships), in that she feels (strongly) that relationship marketing is solely about what makes the customer make a purchase of your product and how can you get them to do it again. It has nothing to do with relationships, communication, being social, authenticity, transparency, equality, or having a connection. It is about THE relationship of a customer to your product and their purchase of same. Period. That’s it.

What do YOU think?

What is your take on this question? Is all marketing becoming social? Should it? Or are we too caught up in this ‘relationship’ business with online media that we are incapable of talking about marketing without describing some inner bond between brands and consumers?

We’d love to hear your side, so leave us a comment!

Tags: Marketing, reno marketing, Reno Social Media, Social Media
Posted in Online Marketing, Reno Marketing Meanderings | No Comments »

Social Media Pays it Forward

September 20th, 2011

Social media has opened new doors for people and businesses alike.

Whether you are a large corporation, like Skittles, or a startup looking to expand your audience; whether you are a motivated individual looking for a way to stand out from the crowd during our currently challenging economic times, or one of the many computer savvy people looking to be your own boss, social media can help.

In Brad McCarty’s blog post, 6 stories of life-changing social media connections, 6 stories are shared about how social platforms positively affected someone’s life or career. As marketers we understand the importance social platforms can play in business.

Social platforms have the ability to change everything.

It has already changed the way businesses interact with their customers, the way families stay in touch, the ability to get honest and unfiltered feedback on a host of topics, a transparency for human and business interaction and the idea that all businesses have people behind them. Social media goes beyond the idea that a business has a ‘culture’ – it reinforces the idea that even large corporations are made up of people and that all business decisions and interactions with consumers are done on a human level.

More now than ever, social platforms use the power of communication to create honest interactions between businesses and consumers. As a business owner – why wouldn’t you utilize these new tools to get the most from your life and your work? It reduces the gap between ‘professional’ and ‘personal’ but in a good way. Social media promotes the underlying belief that not only are we all ‘in this together’ but that we are all the same – human – and we should connect on that level. The implications are endless.

So enjoy the stories that Brad McCarty wrote about – and then, we invite you to go make your own success story – isn’t that still the American Dream?

Tags: internet marketing, Marketing, reno marketing, Reno Social Media, Social Media
Posted in Do Good in the World, Inspiration, Online Advertising In Reno, Online Marketing, Social Media | No Comments »

Innovative Marketing

September 13th, 2011

Recently, I came across a blog post that got my attention. 9 Ways to Keep Innovation Alive in Your Marketing Organization, posted by Matt Heinz from Innovation Excellence, he writes about Innovation and Marketing, two things I find very useful and interesting.

Several of the ‘9 Ways’ are things that most (successful) companies are already doing – things like tracking progress, predicting trends (or at least watching them), and focusing on teamwork as a way to brainstorm diverse ideas. My favorite, though, is number 5 – let everyone contribute, even (or especially) employees outside of the marketing department.

Why is cross-contributing so important?

Because, as Heinz describes, many of these employees have ideas about how to reach your audience. I would specify that the user-facing employees know more about what the customer is looking for or what things push them to buy your product over another brand than your marketing department. This is valuable information that is available to your company! However, the company culture has to be supporting it, asking for it, rewarding it and following through on the ideas they get for this to be truly successful.

As any good marketing professional would tell you – knowing what your target audience wants is imperative for creating a marketing strategy that will tell the story of how your product or service can fit into the lives of your consumers and why they need to purchase what you have to offer.

Innovation Speaks to All of Us

Innovation is something that speaks to all of us – we are all interested in the newest, shiny, tech savvy bauble; the more bells and whistles (or functionality as we have come to know it), the better. Humans are observant and have a relatively natural ability to look at something they are doing and see how it could be done better. Utilize these instincts and ideas to find new things that will resonate with your audience in a new way, or explain the use of your product or service in new terms.

What kind of innovation does your marketing need?

Give us a call at 775-322-3663 and we can help you find out!

For the full blog post from Matt Heinz, please click here.

Tags: blog, internet marketing, Marketing, reno marketing, Reno Social Media, Social Media
Posted in Inspiration, Online Marketing, Reno Marketing Meanderings, Social Media, Uncategorized | 24 Comments »

E-Mail Marketing, E-Newsletters – Permission Marketing Works!

September 6th, 2011

Personal Marketing that’s Still Viable After All These Years

E-mail marketing is one of your best, personal marketing tools on the Web. We integrate it with your marketing strategy to reach new customers, build customer connections and to create a one-on-one dialogue. We use it because it works, and when done right, becomes a valuable resource for both you and your customers.

Our Email Marketing Strategies Work to:

Drive direct sales to your door
Create a loyal customer base, and develop trust
Develop relationships for long-term and repeat sales
Customize your message to the various segments of your audience
Integrate e-marketing promotions with corresponding landing pages on your Website
Position yourself and your company as industry experts and leaders
Support sales, market sales and events and drive traffic to your doors and your Website.
Track your customers’ needs and desires, with detailed reports of open and click-through rates

No matter how clever we get with Twitter and Facebook and other public media, E-mail marketing remains the most personal tool in your Internet marketing toolbox.

How Do We Know that Email Marketing Works?

The Proof’s in the Documentation. We’d like to share some recent surveys with you.

The Ad Effectiveness Survey commissioned by Forbes Media in Feb/March 2009 revealed that email and e-newsletter marketing are considered the second-most effective tool for generating conversions, just behind SEO (reference).
A November 2009 survey of B2B marketers found that email marketing was likely to see more spending increase than any other form of online marketing, second only to Website development (report).

Modern Email Marketing Solutions

Email Marketing is a contemporary and powerful promotional tool that incorporates a ton of nifty technology. Here are just a few of the things you can do with email marketing:

Database integration
List segmentation
Pre-scheduled delivery
Analysis of open and click-through rates
A/B testing
On-the-fly customized email based on individual profiles
And so much more!

Plus every email campaign you send out generates actionable data you can use to refine your approach to future messages. All in all, a pretty good way of going about your marketing business!

Ready to launch an effective email marketing for your business?

Contact us today at 775.322.3663 or 800.233.0329, or email us, and we’ll get you started.

Tags: Design, email marketing, internet marketing, Marketing, reno marketing
Posted in Online Marketing, Reno Marketing Meanderings, Uncategorized | 24 Comments »

GreenBiz Upcoming Forum

August 30th, 2011

This Video is one, “What if”… what’re yours?

Greenbiz provides online news and information resources on how to align environmental responsibility with business success. It offers more than 8,000 resources, including daily news and feature stories, reports, checklists, case studies, and links to organizations, technical assistance programs, government agencies, and recognition programs.

This October 11th-13th, GreenBiz is holding its 2011 GreenBiz Innovation Forum, in San Francisco.

“Experience How Sustainable Innovation Happens”

Get an Invite to listen to speakers who are experts in their (often emerging) fields, or become a sponsor or speaker yourself!

Do you look at the world with ideas for change?
Do you think there is more than what we know out there?
Do you feel the need to be green minded in the world we live in?
Are you interested in sustainability from a business standpoint?

Then this forum could be for you!!

Whether you go to the if11 Forum or not, feel free to share your What If’s with us here, or n our Facebook Fan Page, or Tweet us! We’d love to talk green with you!

Posted in Events, Green Biz Tips, Inspiration, Local Green | No Comments »

What is Crowdsourcing?

August 19th, 2011

What is crowdsourcing and how can it help market my business?

This video by Jeff Howe explains crowdsourcing and dispells some of the myths.

Text Version from YouTube:

“Crowdsourcing” has, virtually overnight, generated huge buzz, enthusiasm, and fear. It’s the application of the open-source idea to any field outside of software, taking a function performed by people in an organization, such as reporting done by journalists, research and product development by scientists, or design of a T-shirt, for example, and, in effect, “outsourcing” it through an open-air broadcast on the Internet. Crowdsourcing has already had a huge impact on big companies like Procter & Gamble, as well as start-ups like Threadless.com, which rapidly became the third largest T-shirt maker in the United States. The fuel sparking the crowdsourcing flame is the potent combination of more highly educated people working in fields other than those in which they were trained (think of the art historian peddling financial advice at Merrill Lynch) with the greatest mechanism for distributing knowledge and information the world has ever seen: the Internet.”

Some additional ways that we feel Crowdsourcing can help your business:

1. Reduces Marketing Costs – rather than spending thousands (or more) on marketing to the masses, and hoping you have the right message, you can have the consumer / client/ customer give you feedback on what they like BEFORE you launch the marketing campaign.

2. Eliminates Need for Test Groups – what better test group than the actual target audience? Engaging the audience in your marketing efforts and plan can help to eliminate the need for costly (and often biased) test groups.

3. Real Answers for Little to No Cost from your Targeted Audience – your target audience is who you are truly trying to reach – so why not ask them for their input in what they like about your product or service and then USE that valuable information to make your marketing that much more effective.

More on Crowdsourcing:

5 Tips on How to Crowdsource effectively – summarized from our friends at Mashable.

1. Be Clear

2. Offer Incentives

3. Don’t Overwhelm the Crowd

4. Be Ready for Response

5. Crowdsourcing isn’t Unprofessional

For the entire article by Todd Wasserman, click here.

Tags: crowdsourcing, Marketing
Posted in Reno Marketing Meanderings | No Comments »

What is SEM and How Can it Help My Business?

August 6th, 2011

SEM, SEO, and SERPs….Oh my! What the heck is the difference and what does it mean to you?

Here’s the low-down:

Search Engine Marketing, (SEM), according to Wikipedia, is a form of Internet marketing that seeks to promote websites by increasing their visibility in Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs) through the use of paid placement, contextual advertising, and paid inclusion. This is different than Search Engine Optimization (SEO), which “optimizes” website content to achieve a higher ranking in search results, for example, by incorporating specific keywords or links associated with the website.

Search Engine Marketing is basically a way to pay to put your name out there in all the search engines.

Some of the SEM Tools

“SEM uses ad words, pay per call (particularly beneficial for local providers as it enables potential consumers to get in touch directly to a company with one click), article submissions, advertising and making sure SEO has been done. A keyword analysis is performed for both SEO and SEM, but not necessarily at the same time. SEM and SEO both need to be monitored and updated frequently to reflect changing usage.”

If you have questions about how SEM can specifically help your business, we’d love to help! Visit our page on SEM, or contact us for a personal review of your website!

Tags: Marketing, Reno SEO Expert, search engine optimization, search engine ranking, SEO, SEO optimization
Posted in Online Marketing, SEO | 24 Comments »

E-Mail Marketing, E-Newsletters – Permission Marketing Works!

Personal Marketing that’s Still Viable After All These Years