This session will show you how to ensure you're making the best impression possible, how to position your business as "the" leader in its industry, and how to remain "top-of-mind" with your prospects when they're ready to buy, and after the sale. Presented at the Spring 2014 APIC Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona, to teams of executives in the wholesale distribution industry. For more information about the APIC Conference, visit http://www.APICConference.com. For more information about Susan Merlo visit http://www.SusanMerlo.com

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!
What Does Your Web Presence
Say About You?
Improve and Capitalize on Your Customers’
Perception of You and Your Company
Susan M. Merlo

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!
A B O U T M E
20 Years in the Corporate World
President of Next Level iMedia, a Marketing Consulting
Company Specializing in Media Strategies
Best-selling Author
Creator of Training Programs for both Business Owners
and Marketing Professionals
Community Volunteer

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!
Digital Marketing
- When Used Correctly
- “Top of Mind” with prospects and clients
- Pick and choose who you work with

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!
Fact: 80% of consumers search for a product before
purchasing it.
“Smart businesses and their leaders have learned
that regularly posting messages on social media is
a way to get your content out into the
marketplace and connect with people who could
become customers or refer business your way.
Like all human relationships, it takes time and it’s
an on-going, two-way process.”
Myth or Fact?
Dispelling a Myth?

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!
- B2C = Conversations of Consumers
- What Others Say
- How Company Responds
- Where Information is Found & How Often
B2C World vs. B2B World

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!
- B2B = You Can Control
- Via the Content You Share
- How You Share It
B2C World vs. B2B World
DM = Easier Than Ever Before to be What Your Clients
and Prospects are Looking For

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!
If you sell something,
you make a customer today.
If you help someone,
you make a customer for life.

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!
Content Marketing is the creation and
sharing of content to attract and
engage a defined audience.
“Content Marketing”

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!
Content Marketing Strategy is to first
plan, then create your content in
media formats that are scalable and
repeatable, and most of all, helpful to
your most ideal audience.
“Content Marketing Strategy”

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!
Stop Thinking About Selling?
- Please don’t kick me off the stage . . . !
- Enriching Lives (really)
- Building Relationships (kind of)

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!
Stop Thinking About Selling?
- Publish Material that is
- Useful
- Valuable
- Memorable
- Unique

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!
“We have the widgets (= what we sell) you need to
succeed.”
“We’re all you need to buy widgets (=the products we
sell) .”
“We’re committed to providing superior products /
service.” (so buy from us)
“Eight things you should know about us.” (so you’ll buy
from us)
Platitudes
Don’t Just Say It – Show it

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!
“To succeed in today's marketplace, you must be able
to understand the complex problems your customers
face. The right supplier should be able to collaborate
with you, stimulate your thinking, and create
revenue-building solutions that you might not have
the time to create for yourself.
As one of our region's largest independent widget
distributors, we have a proven record of doing just
that.
We've been providing customer solutions since we
were established in 1981.
Getting Closer . . .

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!
From large industrial corporations to the backyard
mechanic, no customer's need is too large or too
small.
We diligently work to reduce your overall purchasing
costs and increase the level of service you should
expect from any vendor.
We are your one-stop shop for this and that and this
and that and this and that. (so buy them from us)
Don't wait a moment longer, contact us today!”
. . . Getting Closer
Don’t Just Say It, Show It!

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!
“We believe in the one-stop shop model. You
should be able to have every resource you need
in one place to effectively run your business
and increase profitability.
This is why we have created access to all of our
knowledge and a variety of information.”
. . . And Closer Still

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!
So Who’s Got it Right?

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!
These guys are getting there . . .
(Don’t be Lester Burnham)

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!
If you sell something,
you make a customer today.
If you help someone,
you make a customer for life.

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!
True thought leaders focus on guiding
others, not advancing their own interests.
Focus on your audiences’ needs and
interests, not your own.
DM = Easier Than Ever Before to be What Your Clients
and Prospects are Looking For

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!
To earn client loyalty, to attract new loyal clients that
trust your products and services and are willing to depend
on you, show them how your product or service will
improve their life, and you’ll win them over. When you
help them improve their life, they’re yours.
“You can’t purchase loyalty. If you want to earn
loyalty, then you have to offer yours in return.”
~ Francis Underwood, House of Cards
Client Loyalty = Becoming “Their Guy”

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!
The benefits of doing this are actually two-fold.
1. You will gain customer trust, and eventually, their business.
2. You will gain prime positioning in the search engines.
Platitudes
Don’t Show Them – Do It!
- Give away your expertise
- Reveal some secrets
- Share willingly, whether they buy or not

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!
“If you want to rank highly on a keyword, better have
it in the content of your website.”
~ Matt Cutts, Head of Google’s Webspam Team
Authoritative Worth Linking To
Relevant Keyworded Properly
Timely Fresh and Interesting
Visual Engaging

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!
96.0
87.0
58.9
Average Monthly Time in Hours Spent on Digital Media
based on Age Group
18-34 35-54 55 and OverSource: Wishpond

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!
Identify Audience Identify Their Needs Content Audit Content Planning
Content Delivery Content Promotion Outreach Measurement
- Research
- Social Listening
- Influencer Sizing
- Research
- Social Listening
- Existing Media
- Keyword Research
- Keyword Ranking
- Online & Offline
- Set Guidelines
- Policies & Procedures
- Internal Resources
- Multi-purpose Content
- Content Calendar
- Content Deployment
- Social Sharing
- Mission to Help
- More Research!
- Social Profiling
- Blogger Outreach
- Social Influencers
- Conversions
- Page Views
- Bounce Rate
- More Listening
- Share Rate
Forming a Content Marketing Strategy

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!
Content marketing is a marathon, not a
sprint …
… and to win the marathon, you’re
best served to start with video.

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!
Why Video?
- Fastest and Easiest
- Personal and Engaging
- Sincerity / Transparency

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!
Why Video?
- Increases Engagement
- Highest Click-through Rate
- 60% People Prefer

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!
Why Video?
- 70% of B2B Companies Already Use
- 93% Marketing Companies Use
- 82% Believe it Results in a Positive Impact
on their Bottom Line

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!
Why Video?
- First Page of Search Engines x53
- Appear in Search Results x63
- Tremendous Sales Driver (B2C)

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!
Video drives sales
42% of business people who watched a video purchased a product.
~ IDG
61% of businesses say online video is the top converter for sales.
~ Adobe Digital Report
Visitors who view product videos are 85% more likely to buy than visitors who do
not.
~ Internet Retailer
Retail site visitors who view video stay two minutes longer on average and are 64%
more likely to purchase than other site visitors.
~ comScore
52% of consumers feel watching an online product video makes them more
confident in their purchase.
~ Internet Retailer

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!
Video drives sales
60% of consumers will watch product videos when they find them.
~ Website Magazine
52% of consumers say they are less likely to return a product after viewing a
product video on a brand website or YouTube.
~ Website Magazine
Three out of five consumers will spend roughly two minutes watching a video
that educates them about a product they plan to purchase and 37% will watch
for more than three minutes.
~ Internet Retailer
Retail sites with video content increase conversion by 46%.
~Treepodia

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!
Why Video?
- Easily Transcribed
- Blog Posts
- Articles
- White Papers
- Series
- Podcasts
- Books

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!
Blogs Are Almost As Important
- 44% of Companies Have
- 55% More Visitors
- B2B = 88% More Leads
- B2C = 67% More Leads
- Content Becomes Your Library / Your Legacy

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!
If you sell something,
you make a customer today.
If you help someone,
you make a customer for life.
You Can Become What Your Audience
is Interested In With
Digital Marketing

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Marketing that Puts You Everywhere You Need to Be!
Let’s Take Some Questions….