How does social media compare to other channels for B2B Marketing?

Social media marketing might initially appear to be the sole preserve of the business-to-consumer (B2C) marketer. But according to this research into B2B Social media marketing by Omobono, not only can business-to-business (B2B) marketers benefit from social media, but it could be their most effective marketing channel of all. In a survey of 115 marketing specialists in B2B roles, Omobono found that 79% rated social media as the most effective marketing channel, with 38% noting that if they had extra budget for next year, they would spend it on social media. 'The overall results show just how far B2B marketing has shifted away from broadcast media (owned or paid for) and towards social engagement,' notes Fran Brosan, Chair and Co-Founder of Omobono: 'Social media now comes out as the most powerfully effective…

Understanding how GA 'UTM' values can give you more insight into your social media marketing

There are some key questions every marketer should ask of any social media initiative... Is anyone actually listening? How are they interacting and what are the business outcomes? To answer the last question on how social media links back to leads and sales on a business website, Google Analytics and using UTM values for campaign tracking are a vital, but often missing ingredient which we explain in the new CommuniGator social media measurement whitepaper. This form of media has now become an integral part of our lives and continues to evolve. A few years ago the emphasis was on B2B companies being active and creating pages on sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter… now the conversation has swung and is moving towards the idea that every marketing campaign must be social.…

Overcoming natural shyness on social media to encourage action

Today, inbound marketing is seen as THE approach to generate sales, particularly in B2B marketing. Directory listings, newspaper and magazine advertising, cold calling, all the 'in your face' marketing methods are dying a death - apparently. Content-based, relationship marketing is what we should all be doing now. I agree with the benefits of the inbound marketing approach, but we should ask what happens if we move too far the other way? I have a real concern that salesmanship (or salespersonship if you prefer), in the B2B sector is a dying art and social media is becoming a crutch, for those less confident in their ability to sell. I want to make a stand right here and now and suggest that we mustn't lose this important skill and that social media can be used to support it. Many articles advising on social media will suggest that social…

If your creating B2B content for social, have you stopped and asked yourself what your audience actually uses social for?

You create content, you publish it and you promote it on social media. Create, Publish, Promote, Repeat. Yet have you ever thought to consider how your audience are actually using social media whilst they are at work? Are they using it to relax during a tea break? In which case humorous and easy to read content will do best. Or are they using it to learn more about their industry and discover new trends, in which case detailed thought leadership and posts providing industry specific stats will go down well. New research from Pew Research Centre asked over 2000 American adults how they use social media at work, to discover what people are looking for when browsing during working hours. The results are interesting, and show how no one reason dominates. The most common reason was…

Essential lessons from the top B2B brands across different verticals

Trackmaven analysed the social media content from 316 leading B2B brands on the 5 largest social networks over the past 12 months, so you can benchmark your own B2B social media efforts against some of the best in the industry. If you work in B2C rather than B2B you can read our write up on the B2C social media report instead.

B2C Social Media audience size by industry

There are big differences between industries when it comes to audience size, but in large part these are probably explained by how well the industries are suited to social media . Professional services does so well because although it's B2B it is offering a product (jobs) which a massive number of people are going to be interested in. There are always going to be more people wanting to look at jobs postings than…

An example of using humour in social media for B2B to build business and strengthen customer relationships

When I train people to use social media, I often have delegates complaining that it's "all very well for B2C companies, but our product is so boring, it's never going to work on social". I'd argue that so long as your content is timely, relevant and compelling (yes I know - all those things can be a big ask), it's going to be interesting for someone. And if you manage that and can inject a dollop of humour along the way then you are onto a winner. As a result I'm always on the look out for new case studies of B2B companies doing social media well, and if that's managed in house and on a small budget then even better. I'm therefore delighted to share with you this guest post that my friend @LisaRobb of accounting (yes potentially…

With a choice of LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google +, YouTube, where should you spend your precious time?

You could answer that your business should have a presence on each of these platforms but what evidence do you have to suggest that this approach is your best bet? Let's take this down a level, if you are only going to choose LinkedIn as your preferred social media site for B2B, where should you spend your time - posting updates to your connections' newsfeeds, entering into discussions in LinkedIn groups, sending bulk messages to tagged connections? Which of these actions is best? Well, as far as you and your business is concerned, I can't answer that question - the only person who can is you. [caption id="attachment_40329" align="alignleft" width="208"] Image courtesy of remibadozi.com[/caption]

It's about testing

Too many businesses and individuals sign up to LinkedIn,…

2014 Media Landscape for B2B Marketers

B2B Marketing and Circle Research surveyed over 288 client-side marketers to gather insight into how B2B companies are using social media, who is posting content and their key challenges. Their infographic shares these top level findings: LinkedIn generates the most revenue. Top 3 platforms for brand awareness are Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. 75% of content is posted by the Marketing team, followed by Key Experts within the company and then the Management Team. Key challenges are showing ROI and the time involved in social media. Additional Resources on Social Media Marketing for B2B companies Influencer outreach guide Creating a social media strategy for B2B companies Best social media for lead generation [Infographic] Influencing B2B Technical Buyers [Infographic]  …

Best practices for successful B2B corporate video campaigns

Online video marketing has come a long way in a relatively short space of time. What started out as secretly watching YouTube clips in your room or furtively sneaking a peek on your work computer has quickly developed into a practice suitable for the boardroom. In fact, a recent Forbes report stated that the majority of CEOs now prefer to watch a video than other types of content if both are on the same webpage. Consequently, there’s been an upward trend in video marketing for B2B businesses, in both effectiveness and popularity. However, B2B video marketing campaigns have been slow to shake off their boring, corporate image, which consists of them focusing solely on their product or service with stiff, emotionless campaigns. Here are 7 examples of companies where brands have added personality to corporate video, we particularly like the approaches that Intel…

Which content types engage and influence technical buyers?

SterlingKor surveyed over 2,000 key business and IT Decision-makers, to find out how B2B vendors can engage and sell 'their wares'. So how do vendors engage with these IT and tech purchasers and what type of content will they engage with?

The top influencers of purchase decisions are social, mobile and video content

Key takeaways showed that:

45% were influenced by a vendor's social presence and 55% are searching for product reviews.41% purchased the product within six months of being exposed to a mobile ad.B2B companies are looking for information in 'bite sized chunks'.

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