B2B content marketing trends

Holger Schulze's 2011 B2B content marketing survey reveals interesting results, but misses an important angle. What about market surveys, studies, intellectual capital (IC) / thought leadership pieces, briefs and white papers? These projects drive industry & media alliances, survey results, top line finding PPTs, keynote/panel presentations, and many other business development opportunities. The genuine power of IC projects that produce content is the project's bus dev process that establishes and enhances relationships, sows bus dev seeds, generates qualified leads, and adds sales.

Facebook update: connect with your market

In this eBook you'll learn how to: * Optimize the Facebook page for search * Use iFrames for custom Facebook page content * Optimize the Like button and the Open Graph to improve engagement * Create a contest that will accomplish almost any conversion goal.

1. The Facebook Like Button and the Open Graph - Mark Spangler
2. IFrames for Facebook Page Custom Content - Janet Driscoll Miller
3. Optimizing the Facebook Page for Search - Ann Smarty
4. Facebook Contests and Competitions - Brian Honigman
5. Using Facebook Connect for Ecommerce - Linda Bustos
6. Facebook Location Based Marketing: Places and Deals - Jeff Ente
7. Facebook Comments - Jeff Ente
8. Advertising on Facebook - Kelly Gillease

Web 3.0

Some Internet experts believe the next generation of the Web -- Web 3.0 -- will make tasks like your search for movies and food faster and easier.

Instead of multiple searches, you might type a complex sentence or two in your Web 3.0 browser, and the Web will do the rest. In our example, you could type "I want to see a funny movie and then eat at a good Mexican restaurant. What are my options?" The Web 3.0 browser will analyze your response, search the Internet for all possible answers, and then organize the results for you.

Some experts believe that the foundation for Web 3.0 will be application programming interfaces (APIs). An API is an interface designed to allow developers to create applications that take advantage of a certain set of resources. Many Web 2.0 sites include APIs that give programmers access to the sites' unique data and capabilities. For example, Facebook's API allows developers to create programs that use Facebook as a staging ground for games, quizzes, product reviews and more.

One Web 2.0 trend that could help the development of Web 3.0 is the mashup. A mashup is the combination of two or more applications into a single application. For example, a developer might combine a program that lets users review restaurants with Google Maps. The new mashup application could show not only restaurant reviews, but also map them out so that the user could see the restaurants' locations. Some Internet experts believe that creating mashups will be so easy in Web 3.0 that anyone will be able to do it.

Source: How Web 3.0 Will Work, by Jonathan Strickland

Brand Building through Closed-Loop Marketing and PR

A brand is the emotional shortcut between an organization and its clients.

It is critical to know and communicate to clients the emotional and rational connection you want them to make with your firm. Reinforcing your brand through clear and effective marketing communications and packaging is essential. “Solution branding” will help...

Click here to read knol >>

How to Market Professional Services and Grow Sales

It's all about smart, compelling communications and "closing the loop."

Create a memorable email cover letter, spot-on meeting agenda, and innovative proposal. Make sure you understand your client's wants and needs. Summarize what you think you know and ask for confirmation. Then under-promise and over-deliver. Most important...

Click here to read knol >>

Advertising in the 21st Century

The article below was published in “Lowe’s for Pros” July 2009 issue.

Advertising in the 21st Century
Social media has changed the way companies advertise. Now more than ever, small businesses can promote themselves online by targeting customers and expanding their networks, often for little or no cost.

By: Clare Curley
Issue Date: July 2009

As more customers go online, Internet-based tools like Facebook and LinkedIn can help contractors promote their businesses—at little or no cost—by fostering new connections and showcasing their industry expertise.

To use the tools themselves, the cost is generally free, although making the most of social media requires a time commitment. “Your success depends on how much focused effort you put in,” says Barbara Rozgonyi, owner of Cory West Media, a Chicago-based media consulting company.
Businesses can promote themselves through a variety of techniques: Targeting customers by demographics, contributing to online discussions and drawing attention to new services.

They’re not the place to blast ads, though. “What you really do is add value,” Rozgonyi says. “For example, home owners always want to know what everyone else is using,” she says. Therefore, a remodeler can draw more attention to himself by posting the top seasonal colors or countertop materials—whether through Twitter, Facebook or a blog—rather than simply advertising his or her services.

Here’s a rundown of the most popular social media sites, and how they can help your business:

1. Twitter.com
Users post frequent, casual updates, making Twitter a time-intensive tool. First, create a profile. Then, from a computer or cell phone, start “tweeting”—posting information that can be a mix of project updates, expert opinions and consumer tips. You can even provide links to photos of past projects or useful articles. Also, do key word searches to locate upcoming projects in your industry, and seek out potential clients.

Twitter enables you to gain “followers” by browsing other profiles to find people with similar businesses or interests. “Over time, you can become a personality people want to know more about,” says Rozgonyi.

Tip: The more relevant your entries are to your industry, the more connections you will attract.

2. Facebook.com
Are you trying to expand business into a specific area of town? Facebook enables you to search people by zip code, among other demographics—and for others to find you the same way.
With more than 200 million active users, Facebook is the fastest growing social network in the world. Use it to create a group of like-minded people in your industry, and unlike Twitter, you can actually upload images and post longer comments.

Tip: Use the “Status” line on your profile page to advertise new business offerings.

3. LinkedIn.com
LinkedIn is primarily used for making business connections. Check out “Company Buzz,” a feature that shows you the Twitter activity associated with your company. Then, broaden your network by recommending the work of colleagues, and in turn, they can recommend you. Update your status box regularly to reflect new contracting projects.

Tip: Use the “Search Groups” function to contact marketing groups and industry organizations.

4. YouTube.com
“If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth a million,” says Rozgonyi. YouTube offers a cheap way of showcasing property or completed projects. Videos can remain on the site indefinitely, and people interested in your services can post comments through the site.

Is your personality stronger than your writing skills? A brief video can showcase your charisma as well as your work.

Tip: To avoid production costs, buy a flip camera and download video editing software to make your own.

Take advantage of search engine optimization.

“Ideally, everything you do online should match up with what people are searching for—your URL address, your IDs, your profile names,” says Rozgonyi. Google [https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal] can help optimize the use of social media and other online tools, and will suggest key words that best match your business.

Tip: For more suggestions, conduct searches using competitors’ URLs, as well.

Mix your methods

Ultimately, media experts recommend pairing online with traditional methods of communication.

Patricia Block, principal of Block Consulting, a business development and marketing/PR consultancy based in the San Francisco Bay area, suggests saving money by advertising via new and old media alike. Post an ad on Craigslist, as well as in a small local paper. Or, volunteer at a community event where you can get mentioned in online flyers advertising the event.

“Face-to-face networking and referral-building is still the most effective way for small business owners to advertise,” she says.

A trend you cannot ignore

According to a recent Forrester report, social media spending in the United States will grow from $716 million this year to more than $3.1 billion in 2014.

Source: http://www.lowesforpros.com/advertising-in-the-21st-century

Successful Marketing in Six Easy Steps

Published on HR.com

Follow these steps to drive successful "closed-loop" marketing and PR program planning and execution – and achieve revenue-generating results.

By Patricia Block

Marketing and sales go hand in hand. In other words, the impetus is there to market something because, bottom line, you want to sell something, be it a product or service.

Some marketers are huge advocates of building sophisticated business intelligence platforms and CRM (customer relationship management) systems and databases, but many do not emphasize enough, in my humble opinion, the basic blocking and tackling that’s required to successfully market something. Spending a lot of time thinking about ideal strategies to market your business is great, but all the glorious visioning and whiteboard planning won’t mean a thing unless you follow an easy set of steps that help drive successful program planning and execution.

I’ve created many different sales presentations that describe the “closed-loop” approach to marketing that I recommend, but the basic steps are always the same:

1. Identify your audience. Who do you want to market and sell to?

2. Build – or buy or rent – a database of these names. You want to be able to reach out and touch and communicate with and track each and every contact you make with each and every one of your clients and prospects. At a minimum your database should include name, address, phone, email, URL, and a way to track the history of your contact and all interactions.

3. Identify the best ways to reach your audience. What do they read, what industry and community events do they attend, what web sites do they visit, what blogs do they read or post to, where do they hang out in their leisure time, and so on and on.

4. Define the activities and ways and things you can do to be present, make contact and engage your audience. Reach out through each of these venues so that the opportunity is there for them to notice you and your product/service. The more you can actively engage your audience – i.e., they feel compelled to respond – the better.

5. Create a list of programs and a calendar of activities to engage your target audience. This means writing a half-page summary for each program that explains the What, Who, Why, When and How (steps/action items). Next create a one-page 12 month calendar of these concurrent and consecutive marketing and PR programs, special events and activities. And then?

6. Execute! Marketing is all about establishing, nurturing and growing relationships. The more your targets experience “personal” interaction on an iterative basis – e.g., phone call, direct mail letter or email, meeting you at a special event, seeing you speak or participate on a panel, and so on – the more likely it is that they will keep you and your offering in mind…and ultimately buy what you are selling. Also key: Share content and ideas that are valuable (not just marketing propaganda). This will gain the confidence of both clients and prospects and help close the deal. Brand building through “closed-loop” marketing: keep reaching out and connecting with your target audience, time and time again. Don’t consider the loop closed until you have brought on a new client or sold additional services to an existing one.

Patricia Block
Principal and Owner
Block Consulting
Custom, Creative Business Development, Marketing and PR Solutions
San Francisco Bay Area Office
tel (650) 344-6691
fax (650) 344-7406
pblock@sbcglobal.net
http://www.blockconsulting.net/

© Block Consulting LLC
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