Reality check
Jul 19th
Photo credit: Hannah BakerA few musings on the real world …
I was fooling around with a new Twitter account and it checked my existing 1,000 + contact list for possible matches to “follow.” Very, very few have Twitter accounts. And, among industrial marketers I know — zero. Twitter is growing rapidly but this makes me wonder if it will reach critical mass in corporate America to be a pervasive and useful tool? What do you think?
I have been selling a few things on Craig’s List over the past few months. For my non-U.S. friends, this is a free online application to post belongings for sale to those in your area. I would say 80% of the people who committed to buy my furniture never showed up and never even called to say they changed their mind. I find this incredibly rude. What is going on out there? Is it an impulse buy that they later regret? Are people who use Craig’s List inherently rude? Or, are all people becoming inherently rude?
Last night I had a discussion with a friend who is the marketing manager for a holding company. He has the difficult job of overseeing the commercial efforts for five disparate companies. “I know I should be getting into the social media thing,” he said, “but where do I find the time?” Of course it is a matter of priorities, but what would you do if you were him? After downsizing, he’s already doing a job that was filled by three people just a year ago. Expense of out-sourcing is not an option. The time requirement of social media is a significant issue for small businesses. Who has the time to patiently build an audience, hoping for a pay-off?
Just read an article about a local company starting up an online eCommerce hub where people can trade (instead of purchase) goods and services. Interesting concept. Check it out by clicking here: Tradingo.
How do you keep up with the multitude of supporting apps for platforms like Twitter? Have you noticed how many articles you see like this: “12 iPhone apps for Twitter reviewed.” Clearly it’s impossible for any single person to surf this tsunami of innovation. If anybody approaches you claiming to be a social media “expert,” RUN! What is your strategy for learning about the latest and most impactful technology developments?
Thanks for dropping by!
Successful business blogging in just one step
Jul 18th
This is a map of Macedonia. It will only make sense if you read the article : )My friend John Bottom is a gifted B2B marketing professional with London-based Base One, and blogs for his company site, Beyond. John posed this question to me today:
“If you had to give me the top 5 tips for blog success, what would they be? Let me start you off:
1. Good, original content
2.
3.
4.
5.
I think John has already completed the list. That’s all there is!
I would further define “good” content as writing that is:
a) Consistent with your personal passions and interests
b) Focused on one broad subject area so as to not confuse your readers
c) Interesting, useful and entertaining
You might find it strange that I didn’t mention that your writing should be consistent with your reader’s interests. That’s because it already will be. If you write consistently on a subject you are passionate about, your audience will find you. You’ll all get along fine!
As a relatively new blogger, that has been my biggest learning, I didn’t find my audience, my audience found me. A very humbling experience, actually.
My biggest frustration is that I wish I could get to know my readers better. This week, I had 10 new readers from Macedonia. Hello! How are things in Macedonia? What are your business challenges over there? Or in Greece, South Africa, Cambodia and all the amazing places where {grow} readers live and work. What are you learning about marketing in 2009, in a recession, in our digital age? What should I be writing about? I want to know these things! Connect to me!
And by the way, have I told you lately how much I appreciate you being here? Thank you SO MUCH for reading, commenting and sharing my blog … in Macedonia, and all around the world.
Looking into the future of B2B online marketing
Jul 17th
Part 2: Essential B2B social media start-up strategies
Part 3: Developing a social media strategy when the rules aren’t clear
Part 4: Social media time shock strategies
Well thank you, that’s very flattering. I may be biased toward the present, but I think the most interesting online marketing development is a trend we’re starting to see among the largest brands and agencies, both B2C and B2B – the re-integration of marketing channels.
We currently live in a world where B2B marketers largely trade off their budget between online marketing channels, or between online and offline channels — an ebb and flow we have seen in other historical contexts. Choices are made based on the individual ROI of each channel, historic or competitive precedent (e.g., “we’ve always run print ads in that publication, so we’ll continue to do so”), or some combination of the two. The strategy/budget discussion largely occurs around which channel performs best, rather than how multiple channels work TOGETHER to deliver results. This occurs because 1) the online channels are developing quickly, making it hard to keep up with changes, even with a staff dedicated to a single channel, and 2) solid cross-channel metrics are so hard to come by for the vast majority of B2B marketers.
This “either-or” approach to marketing channels makes little sense in B2C and even less sense in B2B where most purchases involve multiple decision-makers and longer sales cycles. Think paid search marketing on one of the “big three” general search engines performs vastly better than banner advertising? Research suggests they serve different roles in the buying process: general search engines getting undue credit for being the major online portals from which people navigate just prior to purchase (e.g., 71% of paid search clicks are navigational) and banner ads exposure – simple exposure, not a click – driving a hidden 22% increase in search marketing conversion rate.
Thankfully, online marketing tools and techniques are catching up and enabling the discussion B2B marketers should be having – how different channels work together to deliver results, and what the optimal channel mix should be, based on these interactions and business goals.
This evolution – the re-integration of marketing channels as we remove technology barriers – is critically important for improving overall B2B marketing efficiency and should lead to a number of fascinating, useful insights in the coming years. Change is never easy, but shedding our “either-or” mentality for a more informed, integrated approach is a change worth making.
Social media in numbers too big to ignore
Jul 17th
Welcome to {grow}
You’re in marketing for one reason: Grow.
Grow your company, reputation, customers, impact, profits. Grow yourself. This is a community that will help. It will stretch your mind, connect you to fascinating people, and provide some fun along the way. I am so glad you’re here.
-Mark SchaeferFollow Mark
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