Archive for category MARKETING
Four Tips to Help You Connect With Those Hard-to-Reach Prospects
Posted by Rick Pranitis in MARKETING on January 25, 2017
Sometimes you just can’t seem to connect with that prospect you’ve been trying to reach. You call, you email, you try social media and it’s not working. Here are four quick tips that may give you hope.
Let me tell you a quick story. One of the sales people I was coaching last year was trying to get into a major retailer and called 42 times. I know the exact number because it became a game with him after the 5th or 6th try.
He had a place in his notebook where he put a check mark each time he called. He didn’t give up at 10 calls, kept going at 20 and finally on the 42nd call he reached the person that was in a position to review his product. The good news was the company not only showed interested in his product they became a customer. His persistence landed him a very large new account.
Here are three other proven methods for connecting
If you have a product that is typically reviewed by purchasing and you are having no luck talking to anyone in that department, then skip the buyer and go directly to someone in product management, operations or marketing. If they like the idea they can make the introduction to the buyer. “Fred you need to connect with Nick and take a serious look at this new product“.
If the person you are trying to reach has a company fax number listed on their website or product literature send them a fax. I have a client that uses faxes for lead generation regularly. Since no one is doing it anymore and most companies still have fax lines and fax machines it’s proven to be a great outbound lead generator for them. They are amazed at how well it’s working.
This is one on my favorites and I used it a lot when I was first starting out. I would send the person a Tim Horton’s gift certificate (it’s a Canadian thing) or other type of gift card in the mail.
The note with the gift card reads:
Hi Nick: It’s very difficult to schedule the time to have a coffee and talk about how _________ may be of value to (your company name) So instead of trying to set up a coffee meeting I’d like to buy you a coffee and give you a call (date, time) and speak to you for 5 minutes. Alternatively if you have a crazy busy phone schedule you can email me at _____________ and I will send you the information directly for your review”.
The coffee gift card is a very inexpensive sales tool and I landed some of my biggest accounts with this simple ice breaker.
Just remember that finding new customers can be one of the most difficult parts of building your business. Use a system, set aside time each day for prospecting and be persistent.
This article was originally posted to the Sales Compass Blog by Robert J. Weese on January 26, 2017.
Five Ways to Generate Successful Leads
Posted by Rick Pranitis in MARKETING, SALES BEST PRACTICES on January 22, 2016
The argument that all you need is a smart sales executive and a bit of intuition to succeed at selling is now redundant. Technology-enabled selling is now key. Making sure the sales process is successful requires coordination across multiple facets of a business, involving sales, marketing and almost any customer facing member of staff. CRM systems, marketing automation technology and existing relationships all need to be tied together with a thorough understanding of your company’s target audience.
Key analytics need to be leveraged to discover customer insights with leads carefully nurtured through well thought out campaigns to drive the demand funnel. These are my five essential means to generate successful leads:
Use accurate marketing data
Accurate data is the base of successful marketing programs. Without it, you could end up targeting the wrong people or worse, missing out on particularly strong leads. Accurate and relevant information about a person’s role, responsibility and decision making power is critical to understanding how best to approach them. This all sounds obvious, but too often sales calls go unanswered and emails bounce back. In my view, this is usually a result of out of date or incorrect data. Your sales and marketing team needs to reach out and communicate directly with people that are verified decision makers. In order to do this, you need to ensure your current marketing database stays up-to-date and accurately maintained.
Automate marketing across the organization
Automated marketing is not only reliant on accurate data, but when used across an organization, it can produce some great insight. Integrating existing CRM and data systems with inbound leads from website data will build stronger customer profiles and help sales and marketing teams to better understand audience behavior and learn where leads are in the sales funnel.
Use a CRM system
Understanding existing customer patterns is essential to getting new ones. Retargeting previous customers is a great way to securing future sales. But failing to understand them won’t do you any favors. A customer relationship management system should by default contain highly detailed information about every customer; from what products they’ve bought, down to the best means to contact them. By fostering an understanding of existing customers, a CRM system allows sales and marketing teams to communicate to leads exactly how they can solve a clearly defined and relevant business problem, whilst developing a detailed market and vertical knowledge.
Ensure sales and marketing teams have domain expertise
Few things are more embarrassing for a salesperson than being told they don’t understand a prospect’s business. As you develop a marketing strategy and automate aspects across your business, ensuring all teams have strong vertical sector knowledge is key. Failing to understand and sympathize with the needs and demands of prospects will hinder any chance of making a sale, throwing away any previous successful marketing efforts. Hiring salespeople with relevant domain expertise and sales process knowledge can be a great first step. These individuals can help to enable other new hires and team members to have a high level understanding of customer business requirements and sales planning.
Create a collaborative culture between sales and marketing teams
Marketing supports sales, and marketing departments are reliant on the business that sales teams bring in. The two departments are intrinsically linked in function, and often even use the same databases. In a data driven environment, field sales should understand the role of marketing and vis-versa. Fostering collaboration between the two departments and ultimately uniting their culture will pave the way for more effective lead generation with the two working in full tandem together.
In short, generating sales leads is all about focus and collaboration. Data needs to be accurate and relevant, and teams need to be focused on their target customer sectors and business needs. Chatty and confident salespersons are of course still important, but without the support of accurate data, effective CRM and automated marketing alongside a deep market knowledge and a collaborative environment between sales and marketing, lead generation will be limited. Following just one of these suggestions simply isn’t good enough. They need to be implemented in tandem, as each is intrinsically reliant on the other to succeed. Following all will ultimately result in more successful leads, sales and consequently a higher bottom line.
This article was originally posted to the Sales&Marketing Management Blog by Varun Chandran on January 6, 2016.
Breaking The Rules of B2B Social Media
Posted by Rick Pranitis in MARKETING on October 20, 2015
When someone tells you to follow the rules, are you more likely to take their advice or do you believe that rules were made to be broken? There are so many rules governing B2B social media and almost all of them can or should be broken at one time or another.
But the thing about social media marketing and rules is that nobody can agree on what the rules are. Even if you pull back from the strict approach of rules and call them guidelines, nobody can agree on that either.
In the real world, rules are created in response to some complaint or action by someone or many someone’s. I recently checked into a beach hotel and there was a list of rules on the nightstand. Along with a reminder that guests not clean fish in their room (really?), was one that said they were not responsible for inclement weather. Wait, does that mean that someone complained to the hotel about the weather? I booked my beach vacation and you were supposed to guarantee my family five out of seven sunny days.
In social media every blogger, speaker, consultant and street corner huckster has their own set of rules. And they all contradict each other. Pick a common question and try to find a single answer. Try this one. How many times should I tweet? Once a day? Ten times a day? Multiple times for each tweet? And is that my content or someone else’s? You can pretty much find any answer you want. Want to justify your plan to your boss? You can probably find a blog post out there that supports what you want to do. It may not be from the most reputable source, but someone has likely recommended it.
The makes it easy to follow the rules. But it makes it even easier to break the rules.
What’s a B2B marketer to do?
Since so many B2B companies have very different audiences and marketing requirements, here are some suggestions for creating your own rules for social media. And by following these steps you will have a much better understanding of why you are doing what you are doing. You won’t need some blog post telling you what to do. Well, except this one.
- Establish goals and objectives for your social media efforts. This will help you measure success.
- Decide if you are using social media for lead generation or customer retention. This will drive your content and calls to action.
- Determine if you need a local or global presence. This will set the times of day you share content.
- Talk to your customers to learn what social media sites provide value to them. This will identify what sites to focus on.
- Review what your competitors are doing on social media. This is give you a sense of social media awareness in the industry.
- Realistically examine your resources. This will keep you from over-extended you or your team.
- Test and measure everything you do. This will ensure you keep doing the things that work for your audience and drop the ones that don’t.
- Give it time. This shows you understand that social media does not change your marketing overnight.
This article was originally posted to the Social Media B2B Blog by Jeffery L. Cohen on July 31, 2015.
Today’s Buyers Are Not Mono-Channel
Posted by Rick Pranitis in MARKETING on October 5, 2015
I was recently in the market for a new car and while I was fairly certain I knew the car I wanted, I was intent on doing my research. Like most people in today’s digital age, I went to Google and typed in “best all wheel drive vehicles” and scanned through the results. Several more searches on key terms led me to a manufacturer’s website as well as some good consumer blogs. As a result, I had narrowed my search to three cars specifically and it was a pretty quick and efficient way to research.
A few days later, I went to Edmunds.com to further my research, as I wanted an independent review. In addition to my online research, I talked to a few friends (some in person, others online) who had the makes and models of the cars that were on my short list to ask about their experiences. During this process, I also received a direct mail piece from one of the manufacturers that aided in my decision making process.
The later stage of research (speaking to friends and scanning the web) was done over the course of several weeks. In addition, I emailed various dealers in town with questions and specifications of what I was looking for and simultaneously researched my best financing options.
All in all, I used multiple channels during my purchase process (web, social medial, word-of-mouth/peer referral and email) and it took about two months. I used four channels just to end up buying a car, but this is the digital age and as the buyer,I have access to all of these channels easily via my phone. Why not use it to my advantage as the thought of walking onto a car lot and dealing with a car salesman was not an option.
I am no different than other consumers in this scenario. We conduct our own research, we ask questions directly, we collect information, and we read independent reviews. This applies to buying a car or picking a place to eat…we use multiple channels to consume information that may or may not lead to a purchase. If this is how we operate in our personal lives, why is it that B2B vendors lose this concept when marketing to their buyers?
According to recent articles and blogs the best approach to a B2B demand generation program is mono-channel. Advice like how to have “The Best Email Campaign”, “Tips to Accelerate Your Social Media Strategy,” “How to Implement a Webinar Program” and the list goes on focus on mono-channel solutions. However, today’s buying process is more multi-channel than ever with buyers consuming content across an array of mediums and sharing across the buying committee. If this is true, then the idea of a one-channel program or a strategy designed for one specific content channel is a waste of time, effort and money.
There are a few key changes that B2B organizations can make to address this issue and better align with their buyers and their purchase process:
1. Break down the Departmental Silos: Many of the B2B marketing departments I encounter are designed by channel or function. Email teams, web teams, social teams, content teams, event teams, etc. Each has their own focus and measurement and in reality, they each only ever own a fractional part of the buyers journey. They work in silos and have no vision into the full approach their buyers take to buying. This needs to change. Companies need to begin looking at holistic demand generation that encompasses the full buyers journey and design their organizations accordingly. Without this holistic approach, content will not properly align to the buyer and organizations run the risk of poor communication in general, not to mention wasting valuable resources on ineffective content, leaving buyers less than impressed.
2. Theme First, Channel Second: I speak to many marketers who begin planning their approach to demand generation with the content asset in mind – white paper, eBook, webinar, video, etc. However, this should come secondary. The first thought needs to be the topic or theme of the content piece. What needs to be said to the buyer at this stage in their purchase process? Once that is determined, then the channels and asset type can be determined and most likely the theme will be used across multiple channels.
3. Gain an Understanding of Your Buyers Content Consumption Patterns: The best way to understand the channels your buyers use during their purchase process is to ask them. Simply asking your customers and buyers how do you like to consume content, where do you consume content and what type of content serves you best during the purchase process will help drive the content strategy. Without this buyer-centric understanding, everything else is a guess.
The multi-channel approach we take in our consumer lives is not all that different than how we participate in buying in our B2B lives. Organizations need to adapt to this approach and understand it is a multi-channel (and not always digital) world.
This article was originally posted to the Annuitas Blog by Carlos Hidalgo on September 1, 2015.
Why No One is Reading Your Email Newsletter
Posted by Rick Pranitis in MARKETING on September 29, 2015
Bombarded by an endless stream of messages every day, decision makers at B2B companies often see a vendor’s email newsletter as useless inbox clutter and immediately delete the message without reading it. Are newsletters a lost cause?
I spoke with Matt Senatore, a research director for Sirius Decisions’ Account-Based Marketing practice, on current best practices and common pitfalls for this tactic. The key point that emerged from our discussion: Although overall spending on email marketing has decreased in recent years, newsletters still serve a variety of valuable purposes and can help influence purchase decisions if properly crafted.
“We’re seeing a trend of less reliance – and spending – on newsletters and email in general for outbound net new demand creation,” Matt said. “However, newsletters provide good opportunity to stay engaged and continue the dialogue with prospects already in the database that are being nurtured – and also with existing customers.”
The first step to continuing that dialogue is getting the recipient to open that newsletter message and engage with it. Here are some of the most common mistakes that land b-to-b email newsletters in the trash:
- Boring content. “You need to have an authentic voice that breaks through the clutter – that is critical,” Matt said. To grab readers’ attention with the subject line or top-level content, frame a thought as an interactive question (e.g. “What Do You Think of…”), mention a timely industry event or hot topic, or promise bite-sized servings of useful information (e.g. “Three Tips to…”). Images, statistics and info-graphics can liven up the body of the message. You should also include clear calls to action and integrate keywords in short snippets that link to landing pages on the Web site.
- Blatant sales pitches. At all points in the customer lifecycle, newsletter content must strike a balance between encouraging interest in the organization’s offerings and not appearing to be an aggressive advertisement. Customers who have recently purchased the offering may be especially turned off by pushy messaging. Instead, offer tips on how to get up to speed and best utilize the new solution. As the customer nears a potential point of repurchase or additional buying, email newsletters can highlight how the organization can support their needs and continue to maximize their benefits from the offering.
- One-size-fits-all messages. Build newsletter content to accommodate recipients’ customer lifecycle stages, personas, and stated preferences and interests. Best practice companies provide recipients with an easy-to-use portal for modifying their newsletter preferences and settings (e.g. frequency, types of content). Profile data can be linked to the contact’s record in the sales force automation system and seamlessly cross-populated and updated. Organizations also must keep in mind the devices on which their recipients most often read the newsletter, optimizing content and presentation for each platform.
- Untested or static strategy. Identifying optimal email subject lines using basic A/B testing is fairly common practice. But delivery times, message layout, color schemes, subtle phrasing changes and a multitude of other variables can – and should – be measured, refined and measured again. Organizations can also use heat maps to display relative click rates for text in different regions of the message.
This article was originally posted to the Sirius Decisions Blog by Jessica Lillian on March 14, 2014.
Few Consumers Actually Heed Social Media
Posted by Rick Pranitis in MARKETING on September 24, 2014
Ever since Facebook first introduced brand pages in 2007, companies have been flocking to social media. Many business leaders believe that the more they post and share about their products and services, the greater their chances of attracting customers and generating revenue.
But just-released research from Gallup’s State of the American Consumer report suggests that much of these efforts have been misguided.
Social media are not the powerful and persuasive marketing force many companies assumed they would be. Gallup finds that a full 62% of U.S. adults who use social media say that these sites have absolutely no influence on their purchasing decisions. Another 30% say these sites have some influence, and just 5% say they have a great deal of influence.
And although companies may think that people who “like” or follow them on social media are an attentive audience, our research suggests otherwise. Of consumers who report liking or following a company, 34% still say that social media have no influence on their purchasing behavior, while 53% say they have only some influence.
When compared with more traditional forms of social networking, social media initiatives may actually be the least effective method for influencing consumers’ buying decisions. Gallup research has shown that consumers are much more likely to turn to friends, family members, and experts when seeking advice about companies, brands, products, or services. Social media sites have almost no sway.
These findings raise a question: is there an inherent flaw in the idea of using social media to drive purchasing, or have companies just been using social media poorly? The fact that some portion of buyers credit social media with having real influence suggests the latter may be true. Consumers are drawn to social media because they want to take part in the conversation and make connections. But many companies continue to treat social media as a one-way communication vehicle and are largely focused on how they can use these sites to push their marketing agendas.
To positively influence purchasing through social media, marketers should learn to use it to listen and interact. Consumers are more likely to engage when the brand-related posts they encounter are:
- Social media sites are highly personal and conversational. And, as Gallup finds, consumers who use these sites don’t want to hear a sales pitch. They’re more likely to listen and respond to companies that seem genuine and personable. Companies should back away from the hard sell and focus on creating more of an open dialogue with consumers.
- The social media world is 24/7, and consumers expect timely responses – even on nights and weekends. Companies must be available to answer questions and reply to complaints and criticisms; ignoring negative feedback can do considerable damage to a brand’s reputation. Instead, companies must actively listen to what their customers are saying and respond accordingly. If they made mistakes, they must own up to them and take responsibility.
- Content is everywhere, and consumers have the ability to pick and choose what they like. Companies must create compelling, interesting content that appeals to busy, picky social media users. This content should be original to the company and not related to sales or marketing. Consumers need a reason to visit and interact with a company’s social media site and to keep coming back.
When companies focus their social media efforts on pushing product and not cultivating communities, they overlook the real potential of these channels. Gallup research has consistently shown that customers base purchasing decisions on their emotional connections with a brand. Social media are great for making those connections — but only when a brand shifts its focus from communication to conversation.
This article was originally posted to the HBR Blog Network by Ed O’Boyle on June 23, 2014.
The Correct Way to Define a Lead
Posted by Rick Pranitis in MARKETING on April 11, 2014
Too often, when marketing leaders sit down with their counterparts in sales to discuss lead definitions, the only factor considered is what sales wants. While this discussion is relevant and valuable, the result is typically one of two scenarios:
“Cream of the Crop” Leads. These leads may fulfill all the requirements of BANT (budget, authority, need, timeframe), but they are so expensive and difficult to generate that marketing exhausts its resources delivering a very low quantity. The ultimate result is a shallow pipeline.
“Do Nothing” Leads. When sales teams lack faith in the nurture process, they ask for demographic-specific leads and for immediate handoff without any marketing TLC. This tactic may be quicker on the front end, but it leads to low productivity, as sales must sift through a high quantity of very low quality leads that essentially necessitates cold calling everyone.
To avoid these scenarios and increase sales productivity, consider the following factors to help sales and marketing define and agree on lead quality:
Demand type. A shared understanding between marketing and sales of the type of demand being created significantly impacts the level to which leads can be qualified.
Sales structure, deal complexity and average selling price. Inside sales teams usually sell lower-priced products, therefore they can handle a higher quantity of lower-quality leads. Field reps target bigger, more complex deals and are rarely in the office, so a lower volume of higher-quality leads is more appropriate for them. Finally, reps who focus on large, named enterprise accounts aren’t necessarily looking for leads from marketing as much as they are looking for sales enablement.
Other lead sources. If marketing wants sales to value and follow up on the leads it delivers, it must have a clear understanding of other lead sources (e.g. partner referrals, customer referrals). This insight can guide marketing and sales to better define the quantity and quality of the leads marketing should deliver.
Time and cost. Everybody knows that highly qualified leads cost more and take longer to generate. Less obvious are the sales costs associated with leads that are qualified too deeply or not deeply enough. It’s best to establish the happy medium up front so you are optimizing productivity on either end.
What is possible. Too often, marketing agrees to deliver leads of a quantity and quality it can’t possibly produce. When defining lead quality, marketing commitments must reflect an honest assessment of what can actually be achieved.
By taking the time to consider the factors described above, sales and marketing leaders have a much better chance of defining lead quality/quantity goals that are appropriate and balanced. Keep in mind that at this stage we are looking for increased accuracy, not perfection.
This article was originally posted by Jay Gaines on the Sirius Decisions Blog, April 4, 2014
Social Media: Creating an Early Warning System
Posted by Rick Pranitis in MARKETING on December 12, 2013
Social media can work like an early warning system to alert an organization to an emerging problem; it can also recycle old news and spread misinformation and rumors. In either case, it is important to be prepared with a plan to address negative themes that are being amplified in social media, which can attract broader media coverage, as well as potential damage to the company and brand.
Smart companies prepare crisis response protocols as part of their social media strategy or as part of an overall corporate crisis communications plan. A typical crisis plan covers areas such as:
Definition of roles and responsibilities: Who is responsible for monitoring social media accounts? Is there an expectation that this will be done 24×7? What channels will be monitored? When negative comments appear, what will happen?
Process and workflow: The person who monitors social media should have a process prepared in advance for responding to various types of attacks. In some cases, this individual may take the lead in providing a quick response, but often another department must get involved. The social monitoring team must maintain an up-to-date list of contacts that can be reached in the event of a problem. Typically, the most important departments are customer service, legal and communications.
Agree on the timeframe for response: In social media, it’s usually best to respond in as short a period of time as possible, especially on channels such as Twitter where a snowball effect can happen very quickly. For blogs and other forms of social media where posting is less frequent, a well-reasoned response may take longer to prepare, but it is important to respond with some urgency. In the case of an influential blogger, there may be a quick response in the form of a comment, followed by outreach from the communications team to provide information.
Training and practice: As virtually any employee may uncover a social media attack, all employees must be trained what to do. Best-in-class organizations practice crisis response in a variety of scenarios. This helps to uncover gaps in response plans, so problems can be handled more quickly when they occur.
Consider a number of factors when deciding how to respond, including the person/entity posting the comment, the topic, and how it relates to the company and your ability to effect change. While all situations are different, all responses should be respectful and sincere. Avoid any displays of emotion that can themselves become the subject of social media chatter. A prompt but measured response shows that the company is listening and cares what people think, but does not suggest a panicky over-reaction. Handled correctly, a social media response can become a moment of truth that turns a vocal detractor into an advocate!
.
This article was originally posted to the SIriusDecisions Blog by Julie Ogilvie on December 2, 2013.
.
Respect Your Competition
Posted by Rick Pranitis in MARKETING on July 9, 2013
Product managers and marketers are naturally competitive. They want their products to win in the marketplace, and they want to beat the competition. This trait is important to the success of a product manager or product marketer.
However, it’s important to balance support and bias toward your product with the realities of the marketplace. There’s a difference between being a champion for your product and being blind to the market, customer needs and perceptions.
There are countless examples of former industry leaders who underestimated their competition and were beat by scrappy upstarts. There are also countless examples of scrappy upstarts who have underestimated the reach and resources of industry leaders. In many of these cases, objectivity toward the market was overpowered by hubris.
Successful product managers and marketers walk a fine line between being completely objective and being a die-hard super-fan supporter. Here are two simple tips on how to respect your competition when it’s natural to be focused on how much better you are than them:
– Consciously seek out objective viewpoints. Spending all of your time in the office with colleagues or interacting only with happy customers isn’t going to provide you with a real picture of what’s going on in the market. Rather than hiding in a self-congratulating bubble, actively seek out places where you will get objective viewpoints. Go to a conference for an industry where you’re not the market leader. Reach out to customers who have left you for another vendor. Find places outside your product’s comfort zone and keep your ears open and your mouth closed. The feedback will be enlightening.
– Be conscious of the many roles you need to play. In a given week – or day – product managers need to wear a number of different hats. One hat might be the one you wear when you’re working a trade show booth and trying to make your pitch to prospects. Another hat might be the one you wear when you’re making your case to senior management for more funding to address weaknesses in your product. You wear another hat when you’re enabling your sales force and yet another when you’re conducting market research. In each of these scenarios, you’re in a different mode, that requires a particular attitude. Your “rah rah” attitude should be in full effect when you’re making your pitch to prospects at a trade show booth, but it should be put in check when you’re conducting site visits as part of a market research project.
.
.
This article was originally posted to the Sirius Decisions Blog by Jeff Lash on 22 May 2013.
.
.
.
Five Keys to Building an Effective Social Media Strategy
Posted by Rick Pranitis in MARKETING on July 1, 2013
The social media world seems like a whirlwind, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants territory. After all, with the demanding work of posting content multiple times a day—every day—who has time to actually think about creating a strategy and goals? Having a purposeful plan for your company, though, is invaluable to making your work translate into results.
Before diving into the social media storm, develop a strategy. Building one out can result in benefits like demonstrating your company’s expertise in the industry, improving SEO traffic to your website, and developing leads and prospects. Here are some important key steps that will put you on the road to developing an effective social media strategy:
1. Pick a relevant theme.
Find a theme that will resonate with your target customers—and your company. For example, “increasing collaboration and efficiency in the workplace” may be a good focus for an HR solutions company. You don’t necessarily have to share this theme with your followers. It’s more for yourself so you can guide your content development. The key is to find something that you can talk about knowledgeably, find articles and posts on, and provide value to your prospects.
2. Find the top influencers in your industry.
If you want your voice to be heard, find the people who “matter” in your part of the social media world. Follow them on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and LinkedIn. Share their content (making sure it’s relevant to your theme and strategy), and ask them to share yours. Ask them to guest-blog for you, and offer to guest-blog for them. Tools like Little Bird, Klout, and Traackr can help you find your industry’s influencers.
3. Set up a social dashboard.
This may seem like an obvious step. But are you using the one that works best for your goals? There are a vast number of options available—the trick is finding one or several that work for you. Hootsuite is a great way to monitor and post to all your accounts. Buffer is great for queuing up lots of content and seeing immediate post results. A measuring tool like RivalIQ or SproutSocial can show your social growth over time. Explore, try out different tools, and see what works best for your goals.
4. Post value-add content.
Whether you’re curating or posting original content, providing value-add content is vital. Don’t constantly post about why your company is awesome and what products are for sale. Instead, at least 80 percent of the time, post valuable content that will present your company as an industry expert and influencer. Share posts that your prospects will want to read and learn from. Over time, your prospects will see your expertise and keep you in mind when they’re ready to buy.
5. Use SEO keywords.
To help drive SEO traffic, use the SEO keywords from your site in your social media work. Revamp your company’s “About” section on each social media profile, especially for LinkedIn and Google+, so it contains the core keywords from your site. Use relevant keywords in your Google+ and blog posts so they’re more likely to show up in natural search results. Also, make sure you use important keywords in some of your daily tweets.
.
.
.
This article was originally posted to the Heinz Marketing blog by Meghan Bradwell on June 27, 2013.
.
.
.
-
You are currently browsing the archives for the MARKETING category.
Follow On The Web!
