Social Media for B2B Enterprises A Guide to Getting Started by Mike Cichon January 27, 2009

What is Social Media Marketing (SMM)? Primary Goals: Premise: Consumers saturated and fatigued by impersonal broadcast messages The Web has changed the way consumers shop and buy Traditional “out-bound” programs produce low quality “leads” More sophisticated consumers want to be educated not sold-to Educating prospects before initial sales contact will shorten sales cycles Growing influence via peer interaction, personal referrals, and “at large reviews” High volume / low level of interaction Knowledge x-fer relegated to Sales Argument: Interruption-based tactics (e.g., email) are becoming ineffective Drive increased inbound website traffic, reduce “buying friction,” and augment paid search

Consumers saturated and fatigued by impersonal broadcast messages

The Web has changed the way consumers shop and buy

Traditional “out-bound” programs produce low quality “leads”

More sophisticated consumers want to be educated not sold-to

Educating prospects before initial sales contact will shorten sales cycles

Growing influence via peer interaction, personal referrals, and “at large reviews”

High volume / low level of interaction

Knowledge x-fer relegated to Sales

Interruption-based tactics (e.g., email) are becoming ineffective

Elements of SMM Building and maintaining your on-line presence Corporate website and 3 rd party sites Developing rich persona-based content Many tools and communication vehicles Participating in discussions on the Web Establish an organic path to your product / company Measuring / monitoring Define meaningful metrics and use them to analyze results

Building and maintaining your on-line presence

Corporate website and 3 rd party sites

Developing rich persona-based content

Many tools and communication vehicles

Participating in discussions on the Web

Establish an organic path to your product / company

Measuring / monitoring

Define meaningful metrics and use them to analyze results

Hosted and placed content Associate expertise, authenticity and transparency with your brand Corporate Website Web-PR Forums Social Bookmarking Blog / Micro-Blog Wikis / Directories Other Social Media Social Networks

A few notable social media tools Must Haves Nice to Haves Website SEO and web-analytics (Google) Blog (Wordpress, Twitter, Technorati) Marketing automation (Marketo) Web-PR Optimized, direct to consumer press releases (Vocus / prweb) Wikis / Directories Wikipedia, ZoomInfo Brand Monitoring Google Reader / Blog, Twingly, SocialMention, Backtype Social Bookmarking Delicious Social Networks LinkedIn SIG Facebook Fan Page Other Digg Flickr StumbleUpon YouTube Buzzlogic Buzzmetrics

Must Haves

Nice to Haves

Website

SEO and web-analytics (Google)

Blog (Wordpress, Twitter, Technorati)

Marketing automation (Marketo)

Web-PR

Optimized, direct to consumer press releases (Vocus / prweb)

Wikis / Directories

Wikipedia, ZoomInfo

Brand Monitoring

Google Reader / Blog, Twingly, SocialMention, Backtype

Social Bookmarking

Delicious

Social Networks

LinkedIn SIG

Facebook Fan Page

Other

Digg

Flickr

StumbleUpon

YouTube

Buzzlogic

Buzzmetrics

Types of content Basic content Webinars / seminars Whitepapers Value calculators How-to guides Advanced content Videos / podcasts E-books Tools / toolkits Flash demos Examples Conversation Agent e-Book Fast Company.TV Hubspot Grader Rearden Commerce Demos “ On the Web, you are what you publish.” David Meerman Scott The New Rules of Marketing an PR

Basic content

Webinars / seminars

Whitepapers

Value calculators

How-to guides

Advanced content

Videos / podcasts

E-books

Tools / toolkits

Flash demos

Participating in the blogsphere Listen Identify top bloggers and subscribe to their feeds Configure alerts / widgets to search for mention of company and key competitors Join the conversation Start blogging and actively commenting Adopt a conversational tone Give perspectives and ask for input Link to influencers and encourage them to link to you

Listen

Identify top bloggers and subscribe to their feeds

Configure alerts / widgets to search for mention of company and key competitors

Join the conversation

Start blogging and actively commenting

Adopt a conversational tone

Give perspectives and ask for input

Link to influencers and encourage them to link to you

Measuring success (Best Practice) 1) Measure traffic, validate source Unique visitors eMail / RSS subscriptions 2) Correlate to leads 3) Correlate to conversions (closed deals) Track to ROI and benchmark to other programs Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 0 1 2 2 5 6 7 5 8 8 7 15

1) Measure traffic, validate source

Unique visitors

eMail / RSS subscriptions

Other (anecdotal) metrics Inbound website links Blog visitors / links Twitter follows / retweets Posts on forums Votes for blog articles Delicious bookmarks LinkedIn connections Questions answered on Yahoo Answers Fans / friends on Facebook Views on YouTube StumbleUpon visitors Metrics like these illustrate increased touchpoints, interactions, and conversations, but are a bit less traceable to pipeline performance

Inbound website links

Blog visitors / links

Twitter follows / retweets

Posts on forums

Votes for blog articles

Delicious bookmarks

LinkedIn connections

Questions answered on Yahoo Answers

Fans / friends on Facebook

Views on YouTube

StumbleUpon visitors

Important questions to ask yourself Who are your target buyers and how do they use the Web Are the social technographics of your target market favorable Where do your prospects hang out on the web What sites and blogs do they visit on a regular basis Who are the thought leaders in your market Brief them on your products and invite them to contribute Is social media appropriate to your goals / timeframe Social media takes marketing resources for R & D For B2B companies, measurable benefits will likely take 6 or more months to materialize

Who are your target buyers and how do they use the Web

Are the social technographics of your target market favorable

Where do your prospects hang out on the web

What sites and blogs do they visit on a regular basis

Who are the thought leaders in your market

Brief them on your products and invite them to contribute

Is social media appropriate to your goals / timeframe

Social media takes marketing resources for R & D

For B2B companies, measurable benefits will likely take 6 or more months to materialize

Other considerations … … stage of the product and market* New Product New Market New Product Existing Market New Product Re-segmented Market Target market might recognize need, but is unaware a solution exists Innovators will recognize solution when they see it Few if any active shoppers Market Type Market Characteristics Role of Social Media Well educated target market aware of need Many active buyers, late majority value shoppers Early adopters seeking next generation solutions Well educated target market aware of need, but predisposed to existing solutions Many active buyers and value shoppers *Reference: The Four steps to the Epiphany Educate the market and create demand especially among early adopters as there is no ready mass market Generate broad awareness and buying interest by augmenting traditional demand gen, advertising, PR, and channel strategies Cultivate debate or conflict to re-orient buyers and divide the market, creating a niche or segment that can be dominated.

Target market might recognize need, but is unaware a solution exists

Innovators will recognize solution when they see it

Few if any active shoppers

Well educated target market aware of need

Many active buyers, late majority value shoppers

Early adopters seeking next generation solutions

Well educated target market aware of need, but predisposed to existing solutions

Many active buyers and value shoppers

One last thought… “ When thinking about what social media is going to do for your business, please be wary of setting it up to be the salvation, the be-all, the life raft. It’s a set of tools, a strategy, and a handful of tactics. It’s not always appropriate. It’s not always the best thing in the world. But it’s not a guaranteed everything.” … ChrisBrogan.com Social Media is not a Life Raft January 23, 2009 Social media should usually complement (not replace) traditional demand generation, PR and advertising programs

Social media marketing summary Ensure a professional presence everywhere on the Web your target market is likely to visit and provide links to your content Place conversational mentions of the company / product in various blogs, forums and other editorial venues where target prospects are likely to encounter and consume them Make the company / product easy to find via natural search Develop appropriate keyword, content and link strategies Enlist the help of market influencers to engage in on-line thought leadership discussions Attract visitors to higher value content and provide them access via registration and opt-in programs Define and measure success metrics / tailor programs

Ensure a professional presence everywhere on the Web your target market is likely to visit and provide links to your content

Place conversational mentions of the company / product in various blogs, forums and other editorial venues where target prospects are likely to encounter and consume them

Make the company / product easy to find via natural search

Develop appropriate keyword, content and link strategies

Enlist the help of market influencers to engage in on-line thought leadership discussions

Attract visitors to higher value content and provide them access via registration and opt-in programs

Define and measure success metrics / tailor programs

Recommendations Start by optimizing your website for keyword search Optimize press releases for keyword search Evaluate / adjust paid search campaigns Start a blog, use keyword anchor text in subject lines Monitor your brand for mentions across the web and comment when / where appropriate Develop a strategy to build inbound links to your website Develop a comprehensive content / collateral plan and allocate appropriate resources to it Compare to other programs and adjust as necessary

Start by optimizing your website for keyword search

Optimize press releases for keyword search

Evaluate / adjust paid search campaigns

Start a blog, use keyword anchor text in subject lines

Monitor your brand for mentions across the web and comment when / where appropriate

Develop a strategy to build inbound links to your website

Develop a comprehensive content / collateral plan and allocate appropriate resources to it

Compare to other programs and adjust as necessary

n Thank You!

About Mike Cichon I am a Web2.0 / SaaS marketing specialist with extensive hands-on experience in go to market strategy and execution. Over the course of launching several products to market I have developed a consistent track record and deep hands-on experience in messaging / positioning, go-to-market planning, and crafting effective demand generation programs. Over the past 10 years I have enjoyed working with several technology companies in Silicon Valley. I’ve learned from experience how to use the latest marketing and public relations strategies to help products get noticed in today’s crowded markets. LinkedIn Profile New Blog Friendfeed StumbleUpon Bookmarks Twitter