Digital Marketing News

DEVELOPING B2B MARKETING STRATEGY

For the last couple of years, it has been impossible not to come across some fancy buzzwords, such as: content marketing, personalization, hyper-segmentation, targeting etc. The popularity and controversy of these subjects has grown progressively as people seem to learn more and more about digital marketing and how it affects them.

However, these things are practically mundane to every marketer, since they are just new, catchy and rephrased ways to explain the standard process of marketing: set your goals-chose target audience-work efficiently-satisfy needs.

Regardless of the semantics, something that every marketer should do is to distinguish the basic target audience they aim at. Firstly, we need to answer the question: ‘Is our company’s product intended for personal usage or our main goal is to make a transaction with another business?’
Differentiating these two situations are crucial for every aspect of creating the marketing strategy since the tactics for achieving the goals are quite non-similar.

While B2C focuses on satisfying consumers’ needs in a personal and more emotional way, B2B sees the customers as rational, logical-driven individuals that seek the most cost-effective transaction for their business.

First things first: in order to succeed, you need to know what you want to succeed in. Set your goals, and make sure they are realistic, measurable and consistent with your customers need.

As to segmentation, something that really eases marketers to get through B2B customers thick skin is to create buying personas. This seems to be really helpful in the process of classifying the customers into few groups with their own mutual characteristics, their struggles, interests and as weird as it seems, you need to identify the type of communication they find repulsive.

Many content creators force themselves to write in a distinctive, complicated vocabulary to make sure they sound somewhat ‘professional’. Specification of the product you’re offering implemented in a short, concise, readable text, translated in the tone of voice they prefer to hear is the most basic formula for a successful content.

Keep in mind that the decision makers are human, just like you. They have the need for entertainment as well as information, just like you. Try to understand their buying persona instead of trying to over-impress them.

Creative House from New York was the co-organizer of a marketing event at Manhattan together with the New York Marketing Association (NYMA) and We Work last November. The event was opened by Miki Pavlov, the owner and manager of Creative House in New York. About 100 guests from the marketing profession in New York as well as guests from Europe attended the event.
The main organizer of marketing events in New York is the New York Marketing Association (NYMA), which usually organizes 1-2 events each month. NYMA has about 2000 members who are marketing professionals, including marketing directors, brand managers, entrepreneurs, social media specialists, SEO/ WEB traffic experts, etc. This is the second time in a row for Creative House to be the co-organizer of this kind of an event.

NYMA organises probably the most popular so-called Meetups in New York on the topic of marketing. We asked Miki Pavlov how they started the cooperation with the New York Marketing Association.

The cooperation started almost a year ago when I was invited to give a speech at an event organized by the New York Marketing Association, and after that another one followed. In the meantime I was a frequent visitor to those events and we often discussed and shared ideas on how to organize better marketing events. The participants pay a fee to attend, but practically there is no profit since all the money that is collected is spent on covering the expenditure for its organization.

The events consist of two parts – educational one and networking. In several occasions I and several volunteers from my team helped to make the event even more interesting. As a result of the overall cooperation we had had in the previous period the organizers decided to entrust me with the organisation of this event as its main organizer. After that we agreed on a long-term collaboration. Look at the video and see why people from the marketing industry rank this event as one of the better ones in New York on this topic.

Look at the video and see why people from the marketing industry rank this event as one of the better ones in New York on this topic.

We can all agree that one of the most important priorities of the companies that are active on social networks is branding and the number of visits to their websites i.e. generation of web traffic through their social networks channels.

Aware of Facebook’s global strategy of constant efforts to respond to the needs of its users and to constantly extend and upgrade its services and options in accordance to their needs, we are not surprised by the fact that Facebook has introduced an option for its business users to be able to upload a logo within the new “Brand Identity” section under Publishing Tools. With this option Facebook will help its business users improve their branding presence on this social network.

The logo, which is uploaded within the “Brand Identity” section, will visually appear when searching in the Search and Trending News surfaces on Facebook. This option is available for both mobile and desktop devices.

Naturally, just like most of the novelties, this option will not be available immediately to all Facebook users, but it will be introduced in phases in the coming period.
We hope that your Facebook Business page will be one of the lucky ones to be given this option soon.

Here is the statement by the Facebook Team on this option:
“Our goal is to put your logo next to your content wherever it appears in Facebook. To start, we are testing how these logos work in Trending and Search surfaces on Facebook. We will continue to explore opportunities to add logos to new surfaces and further extend publisher brands on Facebook.”

Creative House always tries to keep up with all digital brands. Follow our Blog and be informed about the latest trends in the digital industry.

If you want your business to experience superior digital evolution, our team can help you develop an advanced and creative comprehensive digital marketing strategy that will increase your presence on the social networks and internet browsers, it will strengthen your brand and it will increase your sales and improve your brand’s image and reputation.

Miki Pavlov, CEO of Creative House in New York, was invited as a Guest Speaker to speak about “Advanced Marketing Strategies Development” at the marketing event that was organized by New York Marketing Association.

Miki introduced advanced marketing technology strategies which can make significant difference on Luxury Real Estate marketing.

During the presentation, as a case study example, Miki showed how advanced marketing technology can help Luxury Real Estate companies improve their marketing tremendously by optimizing research process of potential buyers and sellers through software screening, retargeting and specific communication strategies with targeted traffic.

Attendees showed strong interests in Miki’s speaking with a series of questions following after the presentation.

Guests who came out to the event including but not limited to: Marketing Directors, Advertising Agents, Copywriters, Digital Brand Marketers, Social Media Masters, Marketing Consultants, Business Owners, Entrepreneurs and other professionals from marketing industry.

Creative House has developed one of the most advanced social media marketing technology strategies especially for Luxury Real Estate. Only 1% of the companies are applying similar technology strategies at the moment for Luxury Real Estate. There is no doubt that Creative House is one of the most competitive marketing companies in New York that delivers quality service to meet your marketing goals.

Why, When and How your business needs a social media presence

Up until several years ago Social Media was considered a waste of time. But many things have changed in this period. Many companies vanished or bankrupted because they didn’t want to adapt and accept the new trends, while others using the same trends rise to the top and created billions of dollars of profit. That’s why social media is no longer an option; it’s a must for every company, no matter the industry in which it operates.
Social media is one of the most cost-efficient digital marketing methods used to syndicate content and increase your business’ visibility. Implementing a social media strategy will greatly increase your brand recognition since you will be engaging with a broad audience of consumers.

Top reasons why your need social media presence:

Reach more targeted audience
Gain customer insights
Increase your brand awareness and improve your customer loyalty
Run low cost targeted-ads and generate more leads for your business
Increase your website traffic and improve your SEO

Benefits of Social Media Marketing:

Increase Brand Visibility & Recognition
Reduces Marketing Costs
Enjoy High Conversion Rates
Improve Brand Loyalty
Buying Is Turning Social
Higher Search Engine Rankings

For most businesses, generating leads is the ultimate benefit of creating and maintaining a social media presence.
But first things first: In order to make social media an effective lead generation machine, you first need to generate a following. This means fans and followers on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and your other social media accounts.
The more fans and followers you have for your social media presence, the better reach you’ll have. And better reach means the potential to generate more leads. So at the very core of social media for lead generation, you must take steps to increase your reach.

As soon as you create more followers and fans you need to engage with your audience!

One of the most important objectives for content marketers and social media managers is to increase the engagement of their audience on the company’s social media pages. This in turn leads to many benefits for the companies: increased traffic to their website, new and quality leads, more likes, comments and shares, and improved brand image.
Most experts will remind you that social media should be less about you (and your company) and more about the user base. Providing content that is relevant and useful to your existing and potential clients – perhaps a topic that pertains to your industry rather than just you – may be better than making yet another post about how great your products are.
Engaging your audience also means asking them to take part in the conversation, whether by asking a specific question or by inviting people to submit photos of them using your product. People may be more likely to engage if they are invited.

What are the best ways to engage your audience?

Create unique and relevant content
Share direct links from your website blog to social media
Use photos and videos
Ask your readers’ opinions
Timing of the posts
Organize contests and giveaways
Use Social Media Ad’s

Social media influences consumer decisions. When it comes time to make purchasing decisions, consumers increasingly consult with their friends and families through social media platforms. In fact, according to a study, 76% of consumers depend on social networks to steer their purchase decisions. People are able to interact, learn, investigate and make purchases all online. Your followers, fans and connections have a lot of influence over their friends and families.

But that is not all, you need to create content for your audience in the right way to gain profit.

To achieve that you must:

Know your audience Age, Gender, Marital status, Profession, Interests and the most important, the problems and challenges they face
Choose topics that resolve pain points
Create content according to buying cycle
Format for skim readers
Monetize on emotions
Reduce distractions
Include in-content testimonials
Create urgency
Don’t be overly promotional

If you follow this directions you will see results!

We proud to announce that our office in Canada (CREATIVE AT WORK ADVERTISING INC) is chosen in the three best rated advertising companies in Oakville, Ontario by “Three Best Rated™” . The selection was made based on client’s rating, history, complaints, customer satisfaction, faith, and professional satisfaction in fulfilling the given tasks.

Let Fans Help Enhance Sales, Leads, Branding and SEO- The Basics of an Effective Social Media Marketing Strategy

At this point, nearly every business has at least some presence on social media. But many of these pages are one-way streets where the company simply posts content and expects viewers to read it passively. This is simply wasting a tremendous opportunity, no matter what type of business you’re in.

To build a stronger fan base, you must offer ways for them to interact with you. Doing so creates a deeper investment of time and emotion in your users, which both facilitates their progress in the sales funnel and encourages them to share your content, thus extending your reach to new prospects.

If you’re a business-to-business operation, you may believe this arena is not relevant because most of the fan engagement campaigns seen on social media target consumers. Why, you may wonder, would a “vote for your favorite flavor” type of contest be of interest to an audience of busy executives? However, there are other methods of community building that are proven to work with professional users.

Showcase Current Customera

People love to be in the spotlight … and get their own business some free publicity at the same time. You’ll be surprised at how many of your satisfied clients would be happy to give you permission to share their experiences with your product and service. These customers can become a loyal group of fans who will forward your content about them to their own customer bases.

Case studies.

You may already have these on your website. If so, it’s a snap to convert them to Facebook posts. If not, consider adding this critical sales tool in both places. The basic format of a case study is:

Problem (that the customer had)
Solution (your product or service)
Outcome (proof of how well the product or service worked)
There are many online sources you can tap for writing a great case study.

Interviews.

This informal version of a case study comes across as more authentic because it’s in the customer’s own words. You may even want to video it for posting on YouTube and, of course, a link to it on your Facebook page.

Quotes.

The interview is also a gold mine of testimonial quotes which support your marketing claims not only on social media but in every channel you use: website, brochures, sales letters, etc. Also, check any letters of appreciation you’ve received for usable quotes.

Solicited reviews.

Your very best, most enthusiastic customers may enjoy writing about you on their own social media pages or website blog (perhaps as part of a reciprocal post deal). Ask them to submit their content under a unique hashtag; this will make it easy for you to track and collect their submissions. Of course, you will link to these reviews on your own social media page.

Social media screenshots.

Your customers may already be talking about you without you even asking. Keep an eye on their Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages. When you see a nice comment about your product or service, grab a screenshot of it and post it on your own social media. Presto: a testimonial with just a couple of clicks!

Invite R&D Input

People love to give opinions. Whether you’ve got a new idea already in the works or you are looking for one, social media is an ideal – and free – way to gauge its viability and uncover problems and possibilities you may not have thought of. Plus, you’ll kill two birds with one stone by inspiring deeply engaged conversations on your social media pages.

Existing customers.

As with the above social media marketing strategy, your first line of opinion givers will be existing customers. Solicit their suggestions through email or direct mail as well as on social media so they’ll be sure to see it, and ask for responses to be posted on your social media page.

Prospective customers.

With the optimal keywords included, a request for input on your social media page can also attract a pool of prospects who never heard of you before. They’ll love feeling that they’re part of the product development process. And they’ll be half way to sold before the product even hits the marketplace!

Start Product Usage Discussions

People love to give advice. Provide your customers with a forum for sharing their creative uses of your product or bugs they’ve solved, and the conversation will never stop. Enabling customers to engage with each other as well as you build lasting relationships and lets you decide how much time you want to put into it. This user generated content is also perfect for both your SEO and your customer service team.

User tips.

For tangible products, YouTube instructional videos are the way to go. In fact, you may find some customer videos there already, an immediate source of useful links for your social media community.

Also, consider starting a YouTube channel for product demo videos. Viewers who comment here can form their own valuable community as well as joining your Facebook community. These demo videos are also highly effective in landing pages and sales presentations.

Online seminars.

The value of educational podcasts and seminars that have to be signed up for is in the relevance of the audience. So, even though the headcount is probably smaller than for a YouTube video, it’s virtually 100% seriously interested in your products and services.

Discussion forums.

One in five Americans use forums to discuss or recommend products. Register at your industry’s most popular online forums and make sure you’re getting your fair share of attention. Give as much as you get: contribute original content, not just marketing messages, to achieve maximum credibility. And be sure to respond to complaints or criticism immediately.

For an ultimate solution, start a forum on your own website. This will involve you in a lot more administration, but you’ll know it’s all about you, all the time.

Conclusion

It’s clear that social media marketing strategies do have a place in B2B marketing. In fact, because B2B customer decisions are more likely to be influenced by brand reputation and word of mouth, it may be one of your most important marketing channels. Build an active social media community by encouraging higher levels of interaction, creating thought leadership content and turning customers into brand advocates.

Source: here.

To some entrepreneurs, social media marketing is the “next big thing,” a temporary yet powerful fad that must be taken advantage of while it’s still in the spotlight. To others, it’s a buzzword with no practical advantages and a steep, complicated learning curve.

Because it appeared quickly, social media has developed a reputation by some for being a passing marketing interest, and therefore, an unprofitable one. The statistics, however, illustrate a different picture. According to Hubspot, 92% of marketers in 2014 claimed that social media marketing was important for their business, with 80% indicating their efforts increased traffic to their websites. And according to Social Media Examiner, 97% of marketers are currently participating in social media—but 85% of participants aren’t sure what social media tools are the best to use.

This demonstrates a huge potential for social media marketing to increase sales, but a lack of understanding on how to achieve those results. Here’s a look at just some of the ways social media marketing can improve your business:

1. Increased Brand Recognition.

Every opportunity you have to syndicate your content and increase your visibility is valuable. Your social media networks are just new channels for your brand’s voice and content. This is important because it simultaneously makes you easier and more accessible for new customers, and makes you more familiar and recognizable for existing customers. For example, a frequent Twitter user could hear about your company for the first time only after stumbling upon it in a newsfeed. Or, an otherwise apathetic customer might become better acquainted with your brand after seeing your presence on multiple networks.

2. Improved brand loyalty.

According to a report published by Texas Tech University, brands who engage on social media channels enjoy higher loyalty from their customers. The report concludes “Companies should take advantage of the tools social media gives them when it comes to connecting with their audience. A strategic and open social media plan could prove influential in morphing consumers into being brand loyal.” Another study published by Convince&Convert found that 53% of Americans who follow brands in social are more loyal to those brands.

3. More Opportunities to Convert.

Every post you make on a social media platform is an opportunity for customers to convert. When you build a following, you’ll simultaneously have access to new customers, recent customers, and old customers, and you’ll be able to interact with all of them. Every blog post, image, video, or comment you share is a chance for someone to react, and every reaction could lead to a site visit, and eventually a conversion. Not every interaction with your brand results in a conversion, but every positive interaction increases the likelihood of an eventual conversion. Even if your click-through rates are low, the sheer number of opportunities you have on social media is significant. And as I pointed out in my article, “The Four Elements of Any Action, And How To Use Them In Your Online Marketing Initiative,” “opportunity” is the first element of any action.

4. Higher conversion rates.

Social media marketing results in higher conversion rates in a few distinct ways. Perhaps the most significant is its humanization element; the fact that brands become more humanized by interacting in social media channels. Social media is a place where brands can act like people do, and this is important because people like doing business with other people; not with companies.

Additionally, studies have shown that social media has a 100% higher lead-to-close rate than outbound marketing, and a higher number of social media followers tends to improve trust and credibility in your brand, representing social proof. As such, simply building your audience in social media can improve conversion rates on your existing traffic.

Source: here.

Category: Digital Marketing News