The Real Business Value of Social Media
Social media is of rapidly increasing importance as a marketing vehicle – and it’s not only for consumer product companies. In fact, a recent survey published in B-to-B Magazine by the Association of National Advertisers found that 57% of BtoB marketers surveyed said they are now using social media channels, up from just 15% in 2007.
But social media can do more than just ensure that your company is part of the conversation. It can also help you can achieve tangible business value, which can make the time and budget investment a bit easier to swallow.
Key benefits from a well-executed social media strategy include:
• Generating a larger volume of results in search engine queries relevant terms;
• Decreasing the competition’s search engine ranking;
• Gathering market knowledge through access to a constant stream of opinions and reviews of products and brands (similar to an ongoing focus group);
Further, a solid social media strategy can build credibility for your company through the communications of its executives and help reach a broader range of target audiences who may utilize your product or service in the future.
1 comment October 19, 2009
Live from AACC: Get Past the Buzzes and Whistles: Promote Benefits
ABI’s Daniel Sorrell speaks about communicating the labor saving benefits of technology over the buzzes and whistles. Reporting live from the AACC Expo in Chicago.
AACC is the largest clinical lab exposition in the world.
Add comment July 24, 2009
Live at AACC: Services and Upgrades Key
ABI’s Daniel Sorrell reports live from AACC. Services and upgrades are heavily featured at this year’s show.
AACC is the largest clinical lab exposition in the world.
Add comment July 22, 2009
Seven Marketing Mistakes to Avoid to Grow Sales.
From Alan Isacson, president of ABI Marketing Public Relations comes Seven Marketing Mistakes to Avoid to Grow Sales. Good solid advice for BtoB companies doing whatever they can to gain an edge. In this economy, it’s easy to through up your hands and blame a lack of sales on the recession, but there is business out there to be one. Avoiding mistakes is a good first step…
From the first tip:
1. Avoid Promoting Technology
Of course it’s important to launch new technology; however, to succeed it’s critical to market the value of the innovation to potential users rather than the technology itself. In the late 1990Ís many technology companies promoted “robust innovations” without explaining how users could benefit from applying these new products. The focus was primarily on how the new technology worked, rather than promoting how business could significantly reduce cost and increase output, which translate to tremendous savings.
Read the full text here: Seven Marketing Mistakes to Avoid to Grow Sales
Add comment July 15, 2009
ABI’s Thought Leadership Resource
Looking for some great ideas to enhance sales and marketing? ABI’s Thought Leadership page has several good articles that look at sales and marketing as a combined effort. Offering strategies and pointing out pitfalls, ABI’s articles look at the unique circumstances that BtoB companies face. Particularly today, companies tend to rely on technology to communicate a message and leave sales teams out of the loop. Conversely, many sales people look at marketing as a lead machine that’s broken without considering how they could actually be making the entire system better.
From one of the articles:
It’s Business 101: Marketing and Sales are the two forces that drive business; whether itÍs a small one-person operation or a global corporation, these are the two distinct channels of reaching customer and prospects. Or at least that’s the traditional thinking…
Read more at ABI’s Thought Leadership Page
Add comment July 1, 2009
ABI Launches Videocasts
ABI announces a new media tool for BtoB companies to cost-effectively communicate the business value of a product or service. Videocasts use still images, CAD drawings, and video clips combined with an audio track – all in video format – to explain the key features and benefits of intricate technology in a fast, easy way.
Continue Reading Add comment June 25, 2009
First Steps: Communicating BtoB Green
A master plan is a good idea in business, but sometimes you just need to take the first few steps. At a conference this Spring, Alan Isacson and Tim Colbert conducted a workshop on avoiding pitfalls and creating business opportunities through green initiatives. Part of this presentation focused just on the first steps need to launch a green initiative. One of these first steps is “Overcoming Fear”.
It’s good sound advice for green initiatives and, in fact, any initiative. Although caution is definitely a good thing in many cases, it can also paralyze an organization. Addressing concerns, but moving forward is necessary to getting something done. The problem with BtoB marketing is that doing nothing or doing very little is often an option because the culture of organizations is usually focused on sales and manufacturing. But doing nothing or doing something halfway will not communicate value turns innovation into commodities.
Here’s an excerpt from their presentation: (more…)
Add comment June 23, 2009
Three Big BtoB Trends. Three Great Podcasts.
Three of Trendspeak’s most popular podcasts also happen to relate to three of the biggest trends impacting BtoB today. We thought we’d put them in one place to make them easier to find. What are the three big trends? Well, you’ve probably guessed them already: the economy, the environment, and technology/new media.
Some of ABI’s thought leaders talk about how BtoB companies can ride these trends to become more successful.
Alan Isacson talks about growing BtoB even during a down turn. Read the original post here.
Tim Colbert speaks about ABI’s SustainabilityDriver program. Read the original post here.
Rudy Winklhofer speaks about Web 2.0 and BtoB. Read the orignal post here.
Add comment June 11, 2009
ABI’s Jumpstart Helps Build BtoB During Recession
ABI just launched a new program called JUMPSTART. Alan Isacson, president of ABI, previewed the program at the Interphex Show in New York City in March of this year with an interview on Trendspeak. Many marketing agencies are crying “Don’t Cut Marketing During a Recession!” but few offer tools to actually build a program in a tight budget. JUMPSTART is different in that it offers tools and expertise and is budget concious. The press release is below, but get more information at abipr.com/economy:
ABI JUMPSTART™ is a new public relations service helping business-to-business industrial and technology companies support sales and discover opportunities cost-effectively. ABI, Inc., a leading B2B marketing public relations agency, helps companies identify and communicate unique business value that resonates with customers and prospects, supporting sales development and business growth.
“These are challenging times, but there is still business out there to be won. JUMPSTART is what companies need now: a cost-effective public relations support program for tight budgets to win that business quickly,” says Alan Isacson, president of ABI. “We offer business-to-business companies an affordable yet strategic three-step plan to uncover opportunities with key decision makers.”
ABI JUMPSTART comprises three components executed over three months, to ensure the program stays within a tight budget and generates rapid results:
1.) ABI works with a company to develop a strong messaging platform for the product or service, with a clearly defined business value. The platform is based on market factors, sales goals, competition, and customer needs.
2. ABI develops a set of strategic messaging tools based on the platform to educate – and generate interest from – target audiences. These tools can include press releases, expert bylined articles, sales presentations, audio and video casts, ‘elevator speeches’, and other online and traditional communication tools.
3. ABI uses these tools to maximize exposure of a company, product, or service through print and digital media outreach. This effort is backed by ABI’s extensive media relations expertise. The company also enhances search engine optimization (SEO) using keyword analysis, keyword profile development and value-added website content, developed to reflect the new positioning.
The program focuses on three industries in up to three geographic regions. JUMPSTART targets core print and online media only, ensuring that quality content reaches top decision makers. More information on the program plus other tips and strategies for growing BtoB during the economic downturn can be found at www.abipr.com/economy.
Add comment May 18, 2009
Three Ways to Position to Customers for BtoB Growth
Reuters reported that there is High Growth Reported for the World Corrugated Box Market. The report sites that the market is expect to grow at around 3.4% annually through 2013. There are two interesting (almost contradictory) points made back-to-back in the article that point to important marketing strategies for BtoB companies.
First, it points to the fact that boxes in most of the developed world are limited in growth because they are seen as a commodity. Second, it cites some of the advantages that boxes have over plastic containers in terms of recycling and and point-of-purchase display potential. It’s interesting because it shows the strong interest in leading economic indicators. In this case, the consumer and investor market is looking to BtoB for some glimmer of hope in the economy. It’s not uncommon for BtoB to be used in this way, but this kind of hunger for information can be an opportunity to position yourself for growth with your customers.
Here are three tips for leveraging this hunger for leading economic indicators:
1.) Be a Crystal Ball
Let customers see changes in your business as information on how their business is going to grow. Are there changes in your suppliers? Do you see overall trends in your orders changing that might be valuable. You obviously don’t want to share information about your other customers but broad trends can position you as a valuable partner in preparing for future trends.
2.) Lead the Way
Everyone knows that the economy is down. Helping out with lower prices may help now, but what about the future? How can you help position your customers better in the marketplace of tomorrow? Everyone believes that the economy will come back, but will markets be exactly the same as they used to be? Are there opportunities to position your customers better in the future? Lead your customers down paths for growth and you’ll be rewarded in the short and long term.
3.) Talk About Today and Tomorrow
Too many times we have conversations about putting out the fires today that we don’t have time to build a better tomorrow. It’s important to recognize the problems your customers have right now and work to solve them. It’s also important to look ahead. It may be tough to get your customers mindset there, but they’ll appreciate your input on long-term strategies. In the box article, Reuters talks about reasonable growth year after year, but it also points out opportunities for increasing that growth by following trends in point-of-purchase as well as sustainability. Help your customers to see that today is just another opportunity to change and improve their tomorrow.
From the Reuters Article:
World demand for corrugated boxes is forecast to increase 3.4 percent per year to 213 billion square meters in 2013, in line with real (inflation-adjusted) gains in GDP. Factors contributing to rising box demand will include growth in industrial activities, particularly the manufacturing sector, which often requires corrugated packaging to protect and transport goods. In addition, ongoing developments in small flute and high-quality graphic board will allow corrugated boxes to penetrate traditional folding carton applications, especially in the developed world. Greater interest in corrugated packaging as a point-of-sale display in retail applications will also boost demand for value-added corrugated boxes. However, gains will be limited by the mature state of the corrugated box industry in developed areas such as the US, Western Europe and Japan, where boxes are essentially commodity items used in well-established markets. Corrugated boxes also face competition from reusable plastic shipping crates and other types of plastic packaging. Nonetheless, corrugated boxes will benefit from their environmentally friendly image, as well as certain cost advantages compared to plastics crates -- especially considering that old corrugated boxes can often be sold to recycling companies, whereas the usage of plastic crates typically involves cleaning and returning costs.
Add comment May 4, 2009
