Are You a Marketing Pooh or a Marketing Eeyore?

This past week I attended a talk by Scott Stratten in support of his two-in-one “Book of Business Awesome/Book of Business UnAwesome.” The presentation was hosted by the Social Media Club of Detroit.   

Scott Stratten is the high-energy president of UnMarketing, a witty and passionate purveyor of spot-on advice to companies about what he terms “authentic marketing.” He is on a mission to help position brands as a trusted partner to target markets.

Marketing Yin and Yang

The book presents a clever “two in one” model. One side of the “Business Awesome” cover shows a cheery red ladybug and the subtitle “How Engaging Your Customers and Employees Can Make Your Business Thrive.”

Midway through, at page 122, you come to “the awesome end” and flip over to the other side… a parallel “unawesome” universe (think if it as Bizarro Marketing World) showcasing a bloody splattered ladybug on the cover and the subtitle “The Cost of Not Listening, Engaging or Being Great at What You Do.’

UnMarketing's Scott Stratten talks circles of influence at Social Media Club of Detroit event, Motor City Casino
(photo credit: Deborah Edwards-Onoro) 

Here's an insightful review of the book, which says it all really. Stratten provides useful information in the short chapters, each providing as much depth as a blog post with pithy examples of either marketing done right, or marketing done very badly. The section on the blatant misuse of QR codes in marketing is especially engaging.

Which Do You Choose?

What’s interesting to me is that the book serves as a “personality” indicator – with which side do you begin?  Do you delve into the “awesome” side  showcasing the best of today’s social media marketing? Or do you delight by starting with the “unawesome” side filled with cringe-worthy examples of marketing initiatives gone astray?

Is it indicative of a marketer’s level of optimism or pessimism as to which side they flip to, considering the Yin and Yang approach?

Pooh vs. Eeyore

The decision as to which side to first select is similar to a personality test about what Winnie the Pooh character you are most like in The Hundred Acre Wood. 

Will a positive marketing “Pooh” Bear start with the Business Awesome side, and the dreary Marketing Eeyore start at Business UnAwesome?

Even despite claims as being a “realistic optimist”,  I’m most definitely a Marketing Eeyore.  I was compelled to start with the Business Unawesome side, and delighted in each of the short marketing tales of woe.

Which are you most drawn to -- Pooh Bear Business Awesome or Eeyore Business Unawesome?

Bonus!  

Check out this online audio archive interview with Scott talking with WDET's Craig Fahle.  

You’ve Got Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Now What?

Dear Mr. or Ms. Business-to-Business Company:

Congrats!  You’ve got your Twitter account, your LinkedIn profile and your Facebook company page up and running.

You are regularly blogging (right?) and sharing all that great original content via regular Tweets, posts and updates.  You’ve set up goals for your social media program (like increased web traffic or improved SEO results) and everything is humming along nicely.

 

For the sake of argument, we will assume the scenario described above.  We will also assume that you’ve set some specific goals you hope to achieve through active social media marketing.  Now it’s time to measure success!

To help get you started on the path of measuring for social media marketing success, offered here are three useful links for a “return on social” culled from all the resources available out there.

Insight from Forbes

This recent interview is a good place to start. This Forbes interview features authors of a new report on measuring social media. While the book and interview is targeted to nonprofits, this post shares useful insight for the business-to-business sector as well.  Definitely worth the read, the in-depth Q&A looks at the “secrets” to measuring a return on social media engagement.

“One Stop Shopping”

Check out this handy list of resources and blog posts from those smarty-pants at Social Media Examiner.  This information serves as “one stop shopping” for the latest in tools and techniques. You’ll see all the latest insights and background related to the importance of measuring a “return on social” from these trustworthy and knowledgeable folks

3 Can’t-Miss Tools

Now that you’ve done some background reading, your next step is to roll up your sleeves and get started.  This post from B2B Inbound Online (guest authored by yours truly) shares three basic tools for measuring social media success.

Have You Checked Your Social Network Profiles Lately? 7 Tips for Those Enhanced Profile Pages

In the last few months, three major social network platforms in the b-to-b space (Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter) have offered enhanced profile page options.

(When you work for a few b-to-b clients like I do, one can spend an awful lot of time thinking about this minutiae each week.)

By enhanced profile page options, think in these terms ... each one of the platforms offers more availability for business-to-business marketers to:

• upload images
• provide product details
• create company timelines
• link to blog posts
• link to videos
• link to webcasts, other multi-media
• provide product reviews, recommendations, endorsements
• more stuff I’ve probably missed

To be honest, these changes are a lot to keep up with, and there are certainly changes I’ve missed.  Some good background on the LinkedIn company pages can be found here. Profile tips and techniques to take advantage of the most recent Twitter changes can be found here.

7 BtoB Tips

With the expanded opportunities to post more content, graphics and multi-media, branding across all social media platforms, as well as a company’s website, becomes a key issue. 

It simply doesn’t pay to haphazardly update profile pages with a random assortment of content that doesn’t relate to other online marketing outlets.

In the spirit of best practices, please keep these 7 tips in mind when adding content, imagery and information to enhanced company profile pages:

1. Keep it Simple. While it's great to take advantage of the ability to post videos, timelines, webcasts, and add product descriptions, don't over-do it.  Online readers are an impatient lot, make it easy for them to browse your profile pages. 
2. Contact Info, People!  When updating social media profile pages, don’t forget the basics like company URL, email and phone number. Keep this info front and center! Yes, people still like to cut to the chase and call! PS, use the same phone number offered on the website contact us form. 
3. Spit & Polish. Get your graphic designer involved to optimize how graphics look, with consistent branding in terms of colors, fonts, look/feel.
4. Strategic Messages, People! Don’t waste words on cute phrases or ad copy – use keywords wherever possible when populating product pages and keep “Key messages” front and center. Use strategic hashtags in Twitter bios and profile descriptions.
5. Brand Consistency. Avoid the temptation to introduce new branding, new taglines or other new elements – instead, reinforce social media profile pages with the same, consistent branding on the company’s website.
6. Device, Browser Compatible? View a company’s Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn pages on various browsers or devices to make sure all looks well.
7. Return Often. Don’t set it and forget it, be sure to return to profile pages at least quarterly to take advantage of any recent enhancements.

Whither the Press Release?

There’s an interesting discussion this week via the Forbes website about the role social media plays when considering the tried and true press release. It’s a topic a few clients have recently discussed, as well.

The post is a worthwhile look into the future of the traditional press release, and whether social media channels play a role in the distribution of such content.

A Communications Convention

It’s clear that the press release still plays a crucial role in business-to-business communications and PR.

When issued consistently with a regular cadence, the “lowly” press release is a conventional communications vehicle that serves as the foundation for expanding awareness, engaging relevant media and fueling public relations.   It helps with credibility, SEO and signals a company’s current business activity.

A press release powers other efforts (media placements, reporter contact, web content, blogging, marketing content development, etc.) and has a place in any b-to-b marketing program.

100+ Years and Counting

It’s interesting to note that the first press release was created in 1906, and stayed about the same until the 1990’s when newswire services began to appear. 

Now, PR pros select from a myriad of distribution channels and online news aggregators (PitchEngine for example), many covered here in this blog such as the “one sentence press release” from muckrack.com.  (and yet another recent discovery called “WireTiger”)

An Erroneous Assumption

What bugs me about the headline of the Forbes post, though, is the underlying assumption that social media is another “broadcasting” channel to distribute press releases.

Of course press releases are an important tool for a client to shape the news and create awareness.    It’s unfortunate that some PR folks use social media as a broadcasting tool for sending out press releases and recent client news, and that misses the mark. 

Instead of a “bullhorn”, social media is a powerful listening and engagement tool. 

Social media is all about relevance in message, and relevance in community.  Twitter and LinkedIn facilitate real-time interaction, not just a one-way information flow. 

PR guru David Merman Scott puts it this way in the Forbes article:

“Press releases are not a good idea for social networks, the formality of a press release with headline, sub-headline and text is not the sort of formal communications that works well in social networks.  Don’t use a press release format, re-purpose that content into a more informal piece of content, from a blog post, which is what I recommend.”

2012 Predictions

The press release will live on in 2012 and beyond.  It will always play a pivotal role in business-to-business communications.

What should not live on, though, is the assumption that social media is another “distribution channel” for the press release.

LinkedIn Reality Check: 5 Questions to Ask about Your LinkedIn Presence

Recently I’ve been discussing with one of my clients, a professional service provider, the value of LinkedIn.  He knows that LinkedIn can have a tremendous impact on his business development efforts.

After all, 125 million business users are active on LinkedIn.  A new member joins LinkedIn approximately every second.

Unlike other social marketing platforms this professional service provider might consider, it’s safe to say that the LinkedIn community is made up primarily of professionals, business-minded people, professional organizations and others interested in business-related networking.

He’s been up and running on LinkedIn for a few years, but it might be time for a LinkedIn Reality Check with 5 questions to ask about his LinkedIn presence.

1) What’s your goal?

As with any social media platform, this professional should consider his goals for establishing and maintaining a presence a LinkedIn.  Why bother setting a goal?  Because that way success of the program can be measured and optimized over time.

Typical goals a b-to-b company might establish for their LinkedIn program include:

• Generate leads
• Solicit interest in webinars or multi-media content
• Expand awareness from interested prospects
• Share product knowledge
• Engage customers, facilitate customer feedback
• Recruit talent
• Increase traffic to company web site

Once a goal is established, set up a metrics program to measure effectiveness over time.

2) Are you doing all you can?

This professional should take a hard look at his company page – does it serve as a “magnet” that attracts relevant LinkedIn visitors?  Or does he just have a personal page and not a company page?  If so, it’s time to get on board with a company page.

Company Overview Page   - Think of the company overview page as a “reception area”.  Is it welcoming?  Is the page complete with keyword-rich descriptions, including the URL to your company website? Is the content concise so the keywords appear high up on the profile?  Do you use photos to humanize the page?

Careers Page  – If a goal is to recruit talent, is the careers page current and reflecting the most recent job openings?

Products/Services - this is a great page to solicit engagement, and expand upon service offerings.  Is it complete with multi-media content, and other useful links back to the company website?  Are relevant web pages highlighted that showcases products/services?

Be sure to solicit recommendations from fellow professionals. When LinkedIn members visit a Products & Services Tab, they see how many and which of their professional connections recommend your products and services.

3) How active are you?

Does the professional regularly post “Status Updates” and keep his profile current?  Are new products reflected on the products/services page? 

Does he join groups and associations and stay active in the discussion forums?

Are status updates providing value in the form of relevant, business-related communications to your followers?

Status updates should offer valuable information, link back to the company website, blog or other relevant online content. RSS feeds are a good option to automate this process.

Consider asking interactive questions or polls, and sharing content related folks have created that is relevant to your core followers and business.

Remember, don’t over use the Status Update feature – a few posts per week is optimal.

Note:  an active LinkedIn program should take only 10 or so minutes a day.  This blog post from SocialMediaToday shows in detail how to manage multiple social media programs in only 20 minutes a day.

4) Do You Measure & Monitor?

LinkedIn offers a robust analytics tab that is accessible only to the page administrator.  Reports show how company pages perform, the number of visits over time, and demographics of visitors.  Review reports a few times a week to note trends.  

Take the time to create a Google Analytics “content segment” on your website to track the behavior of visitors who find your website via LinkedIn.  For instance, one of the LinkedIn programs I manage pulls high conversions from those who visit the site via LinkedIn. When in Google Analytics, simply view Traffic Sources > Referring Sites > LinkedIn.com to monitor their behavior. Of all web visitors, it is the ones who visit from LinkedIn that are more likely to provide their contact information in exchange for a white paper or other piece of marketing collateral.

5) Do You Attract New Followers?

In LinkedIn, the larger the reach, the higher the chance you will meet the goals you set for your program.  Be sure to cast your net wide among relevant followers, to maximize your chance for success on LinkedIn.

Remember to include your LinkedIn URL on outbound emails, your business cards, your website, and in other printed materials.  Ask to connect with associates, customers, partners and others after meeting them at conferences.

Consistency is Key

As I’ve said to my client, LinkedIn needs tending and consistent effort.

One will be successful in attracting new followers over time, and meeting LinkedIn goals.

Learn More

See “LinkedIn 101: 3 Tips to Get Started” as an additional resource.

The LinkedIn Resource Center offers tremendous resources, including this Company Page Guide (pdf).

LinkedIn 101: Three Tips to Get You Started

For such a Twitter fanatic, it’s interesting to consider that I’ve been active in LinkedIn longer than other social media platforms. 

But it has only been in the last few months that I’ve witnessed the awesome power one can garner from into this business-oriented social networking site.

LinkedIn Usage

A recent report by www.btobonline.com found that 93% of business-to-business marketers are engaged in social media marketing. Twenty-six percent of the survey’s respondents cited LinkedIn as their most important social channel  See research here.  

LinkedIn usage facts of note: 

•                LinkedIn has more than 60 million members

•                A new member joins LinkedIn approximately every second

•                Executives from all Fortune 500 companies are LinkedIn members

Given this growing enthusiasm,  how does one get started with LinkedIn? Here are three easy steps to begin, and make the most out of LinkedIn.

1) Build a Profile with Punch.   Join LinkedIn for free and start with your professional profile.  Be as complete as you can with professional history, education, a professional headshot and references. Remember, for those in the LinkedIn community, or even those who are not in LinkedIn and view your public profile, the profile page is the main content they will see. Make it count with relevant URLs, keywords, and by all means, keep it current over time.

2) Build Your Network of Connections.  Reach out to past colleagues, clients, industry associates by searching for them under “people” in the search box.  Chances are, they already use LinkedIn.  Ask to “connect” with them to build a relevant LinkedIn network. Ask those who truly know you, your company and its products or services, to write recommendations for you. These references, once you approved them, will appear in your profile.  As you attend conferences, remember to ask for LinkedIn connections to keep building your network.

3) Tread Carefully with Status Updates. Actively updating your LinkedIn status signals that you stay current and active in your field.  Yet beware! Status updates should offer relevant, professional content or link to industry-related content. LinkedIn isn’t a personal blogging platform.  It is a professional social network. Appropriate updates might include links to your professional blog, your website, industry events, articles by other thought leaders in your industry. Remember, don’t post too often.  In my mind, it’s a big no-no to post every Tweet as a LinkedIn update.  Don’t do it!  Multiple Tweets posted throughout the day look like spam on a LinkedIn page.   You will quickly lose you favor with your connections when you clog up their status update page.  (This is a rant, but hear me out: Tweets belong on Twitter.  Professional updates belong on LinkedIn.) 

Ramp Up Existing Activity

Have you been a member of LinkedIn for a few years now?  Why not try the following in 2012?

• Make time to join groups, follow companies of interest, post in discussion forums, and other activity.
• Keep track of third-party applications to help monitor activity, create content, engage with relevant connections, and build your network.  Box.net, Slideshare, and TripIt are only a few to consider.
• Monitor LinkedIn new features. As an example, LinkedIn Events now provides users with event recommendations of interest based on profile information such as location, industry, and those in a network.

Parting Thoughts

LinkedIn offers tremendous power to those in marketing, or any business. 

Ignore at your own peril!

Everything You’ve Always Wanted to Know About Hashtags (but were afraid to ask)

You likely know about Twitter, the micro-blogging site where folks post updates and interesting content in 140 characters or less.

Many previous B-to-B Blog posts address Twitter’s use in business-to-business marketing communications. 

When executed strategically, Twitter makes a big impact for folks in a range of business-to-business sectors.

What is a Twitter Hashtag?

A hashtag is a word that includes placement of the “#” character in front the desired keyword.

In the Twitter Universe, inserting a Hashtag in a Tweet helps Twitter users “tag” updates with keywords. These keywords categorize a Tweet.  They are then useful for performing Twitter searches in order to find updates related to a particular topic.

For an example, here’s a Tweet about this very post, with strategically inserted hashtag that folks in the marketing world follow on Mondays. It also includes a hashtag of the word hashtag…how #zen, eh?

Ever wondered about #Twitter #hashtags?  Blog post answers all http://ow.ly/5IoUT #marketingmonday

How are Hashtags Created?

You, along with the Twitter community, create hashtags.

A hashtag is essentially user-defined, nobody owns them per se. Anyone can create and use their own hashtag in a post or comment. (remember #winning?) Other Tweeters are free to either use it or ignore it. Like many aspects of social media, it’s an entirely democratic process that polices itself.

How Can You Use Hashtags?

Folks Tweeting about marketing communications use hashtags often.  In other sectors, like corporate training or HR consulting, use of hashtags is growing.

How does one know what hashtags are out there?

An easy way to do this is to simply use Twitter Search and put the # symbol in front of a word.

The results show popularity of a hashtag. Other tools to monitor Hashtags include:

-       Twubs.com


-       hashtags.org


-       twemes.com


-       Tagalus


-       HashDictionary


-        What the Hashtag?!


-        What The Trend?

This screenshot shows a result from hashtags.org.

Why Hashtags?

Hashtags broaden the distribution of your Tweets.

When a Tweet does not contain a hashtag related to the topic, your followers are likley the only people reading it, and that’s if you catch them with Tweets in their message feeds.

By adding a hashtag to your tweet, more people read it who are interested in that topic. You have a better chance of engaging with relevant followers, which after all, is the point of the thing.

For instance, if you Tweet about manufacturing, add the hashtag #manufacturing to each tweet. This categorizes the tweet for those who search for that topic on Twitter. 

If you’re a corporate trainer specializing in leadership developing, Tweet relevant content or blog posts and use the hash tag #leadership – this way a lot more people will find it. Why?  Those folks are looking for related content by using the hashtag. You will engage with related and like-minded folks this way. 

Hashtags are useful at live events. You can see all about that on a previous post.

Using the hashtag designated for an event, it’s easy to follow the proceedings on Twitter. Tweet about the proceedings or any conversations during the event. The key is to create and publicize the hashtag before the event starts.

Hashtags help with "virtual events" such as the 

#pr20chat for a weekly discussion focusing on public relations trends and management.  

WARNING WARNING:  Only use hashtags if it adds value to the topic.  Don’t stick a non-related popular hashtag in a Tweet just for more exposure.  That strategy can backfire big time.

 B-to-B Hashtag Directory

Here are a few popular hashtags related to business-to-business marketing communications.

Please suggest other hashtags in the comments to keep this fresh.

General Industry Hashtags include:

#communications

#pr

#marketing

#marketingmonday – a good day to Tweet about marketing!

Virtual Discussion Hashtags include:



#pr20chat

#imcchat- chat about integrated marketing communications


#journchat- chat with journalists, bloggers and PR pros 
#socialmedia

Additional Sources to Review:

35 Big Hashtags for PR Pros 


Hashtags for Journalists 


40 Twitter Hashtags for Writers 


10 Twitter Tips for B-to-B Events – (the first 8 need to happen BEFORE the event…)

Using Twitter at an Industry Event? Most of the Work Comes Before the Event

A business-to-business client recently asked me to pull together top tips for using Twitter at an industry event.  The

client goal is to broaden the impact of an industry event via strategic use of social media.

There are smarter folks out there who have assembled good ideas for using Twitter at trade shows and conferences, including MarketingSherpa.

It’s All in the Preparation

After noodling ideas around and assembling the list, it is clear that the majority of these tips pertain to activities that need to take place before the actual event.   It’s not enough to fire up a Tweet stream the day of an industry or business-to-business event. 

The key concept here is strategic planning (isn’t it always, eh?).  Tips one through 8 assembled below, for example, have everything to do with pre-event planning and tasks.

As this blog has featured in the past, the power of Twitter lies in building relevant followers, culling those outside of the target in a systematic fashion, and connecting with folks on an ongoing basis.  Only then can the use of Twitter be effective for an industry event or tradeshow.

10 Twitter Tips for Events – (the first 8 need to happen BEFORE the event…)

1) First Things First:  Set the Event Hashtag:  Decide upon an easy to remember, intuitive and concise hashtag.  Use http://hashtags.org/ to check if it is a unique choice. Minimize the character count to maximize the chance for retweets, plus avoid meaningless abbreviations. For our purposes here, the sample Business to Business 2011 Conference hashtag will be #b2bconf2011:

2   Pre-Promotions of Hashtag:  Starting as early as possible before the event, promote the event hashtag on all outbound communications (email signatures; web; press releases; advertisements; HTML email; print; event  website; invitations; etc.)  include the following:  Follow the B-to-B 2011 Event proceedings on Twitter #btobconf2011

3)    Build Relevant Following Before Event: Connect and follow via Twitter with key influencers who would have an interest in this event (media; analysts; executives) as soon as possible before the event in order to gain key followers

4)    Build Interest Before Event: Direct message all relevant key followers about the event.  If they are not attending, invite them to follow the proceedings during the event using the event’s hashtag. Remember, you can only direct message folks who follow you.  See point 3 above, the key is to engage with relevant folks early.

5)       Coordinate a TweetChat During Event: Consider extending an invitation to Twitter followers or media not in attendance to ask questions, participate in panels as events are occurring using http://tweetchat.com/  during the actual event.  This can only work if there are followers who can’t attend, who you reach out to via DMs, and ask for participation during the event via Twitter. This depends on pre-event promotions to be worthwhile

6) Consider Stream Options: Before the event, take time to consider live streaming some of the conference session speakers integrated with a live Twitter chat.  See how to leverage livestream.com or http://twebevent.com/whatistweb

7) Prepare Promotions of Tweets/Hashtag During Event: Using large monitors, or on the presentation screen at the bottom of PowerPoint slides, set up a live feed widget at the event to showcase live Tweeting; include hashtag on signage, presentations during the event.  Remind presenters or any emcees to announce the hashtag for participants to Tweet from event. Consider adding a small footer to nametags “Follow Event on Twitter at #b2bconf2011”

8) Showcase Tweet Stream: Set up a widget on the client’s website, relevant blogs to display tweets using http://www.tweetgrid.com/

9) Organize the On Site Team: Establish two or three folks to be the designated Tweeters during the event. Assign sessions to attend to cover the entire event.  Tweet items of interest, engaging headline-worthy content and keep less than 125 char for optimal chance of retweeting by others. Consider a 3^rd party collaboration tool to manage Tweets such as Hoot Suite, TweetDeck, CoTweet or other tools to track who is saying what and when.  Use appropriate twitter handles  and other key words and hashtags and embed links of interest as relevant. Assign one team member to monitor tweet stream during event; correct any erroneous hashtags being used; reply to any questions or concerns that might come up (don't let a Tweet go by that complains about the event for instance, without replying and trying to remedy the situation); retweet and comment; or connect with others who are at the event

10) Steady Stream, Consistent Messages: Keep Tweets “human” and personal during the event, but stay on topic (for our purposes for the sample conference, keywords include #marketing, #socialmedia, #business, etc) which will help put this information out to those already following those key hashtags.  Intersperse live Tweets with scheduled Tweets.  A tool like Hootsuite makes it easy to create and schedule Tweets in advance.