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Social Media and Social Networking can be effective tools for growing our businesses when they are part of our marketing mix. However, if they are the sole source of our marketing plan, we fail to reach the majority of our potential customers, especially if we are a B2B business.
Let's get real! Most B2B decision makers are not present to blogs, podcasts or vlogs, nor are they spending much, if any, time social networking online.
While some believe integrated marketing is a new strategy and are now jumping on the bandwagon as if they discovered the idea that an integrated marketing mix to achieve business goals is the best way to grow a business by getting it and its products and services noticed, savvy marketers have used integrated marketing plans for decades. For them, integrating tools and measuring the results of each tool in achieving company-wide goals are not new nor are these marketers surprised by their effectiveness.
To create, launch and execute on an integrated marketing plan, I recommend the following.
1. Identify your ideal customers and clients. What do they look like (name, title, address, age, gender, industry, networking habits, media they use, wants, needs and desires)?
2. Why will they be interested in your products and services?
3. Why will they buy from you instead of a competitor?
Once you answer those questions with as much detail as possible, you are ready to create measurable goals, strategies and tactics. Here in a very brief form is what that integrated marketing plan might look like:
Goal: To add 10 new clients during the next 12 months.
Strategy: To identify those who represent ideal clients and begin building relationships.
Strategy: To communicate at least monthly with each identified client.
Tactics:
• Attend events where these clients are present, meet them, get their business cards, and ask if they would like to be on your distribution list so that they can receive useful information about solutions for growing their businesses.
• Send every person whose business card you gather a thank you note for talking with you, and then follow-up with an e-mail invite for coffee.
• Create and distribute a monthly newsletter that addresses potential client's wants, needs and desires and offers solutions to those wants, needs and desires. (I prefer e-newsletters, which offer the recipient the choice to open or delete or unsubscribe. What they do represents good information for us to use as we go forward with this plan.)
• Distribute quarterly thought papers (white papers) to your list that go into depth about a particular challenge your potential clients face. (Again, I prefer e-mail for the same reasons noted above.)
• Create a speaking flier and send it to event program/seminar chairs where your ideal clients might be found (those specifically identified and all who fit the profile). Follow-up with phone calls to the program chair. Accept as many speaking engagements as possible and be sure to notify your potential clients where and when you will be speaking and on what topic. Invite them to attend. If they cannot attend, offer them your notes.
• If you have a blog, be sure to send your URL to all potential clients who fit your profile. I like to attach a sample post so they can see what my blog offers.
• Use social networking (LinkedIn, Plaxo Pulse, etc.) to find contacts who may know the ideal clients you identified, and ask them for information about that client and their business as well as a referral.
The above represents what an integrated plan might look like in its briefest of formats. Questions? Insights?
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Comments
Lewis, this is a good mix of online and offline tactics. To make it a campaign, a good project plan (thru excel, MS project etc) can help create a dialog management plan that flows and builds and appropriately spaces the messaging/deliverables.
Posted by: Paul Barsch | 06.09.08
Paul,
Thanks for sharing. My plans are usually very detailed, with one strategy per page, per goal, with Deadlines as well as staff responsibility and accountability for achieving the goal.
Posted by: Lewis Green | 06.09.08
Lewis, your ideas are great! I like to dig even deeper with white paper campaigns. Every quarter, release a white paper, write a search-engine-optimized press release announcing the white paper, send a direct email inviting your potential clients to download it, and then dig deeper into the white paper topic with a webinar. Not only does this campaign generate leads, but it helps drive website traffic and increase SEO.
Posted by: Holly Gunn | 06.09.08
Holly,
Great ideas and ones I haven't used. I will in the future. Thanks!
Posted by: Lewis Green | 06.09.08
We are a small thought-leader consultancy serving technically savvy clients. In our somewhat complex sales process, we've segmented our audience into advisers and targets.
All of our social networking efforts are focused on advisers, some of whom turn into targets. These are the folks with expertise related to ours who need to know we are top in the field when their boss decides to do a relevant project. With that in mind, we give a huge amount of free resources to them, and connect to them in whatever way they are using to connect online. Even status updates, as long as not too frequent, keep our presence in mind.
We then do newsletters and white papers, largely for targets, with some search engine marketing. Once connected, we will connect usually via LinkedIn. Rarely do we know a target even one day before they contact us and enter the sales process.
Posted by: Barbara Ballard | 06.09.08
Barbara,
Impressive. Nice job.
Posted by: Lewis Green | 06.09.08
Lewis, as a B2B marketer, I find your post as very informative and useful. We recently started a blog at our company and your post will be of great value to us.
Posted by: Abhi Vyas | 06.10.08
Outstanding advice, Lewis. Thanks. You know this formula cold so you obviously have employed it yourself to good effect.
Posted by: Neil Anuskiewicz | 06.10.08
I love these tips. As a blogger myself there's no doubt that not only are your tips right on track, they work.
Posted by: Bill | 06.10.08
Abhi, Neil and Bill:
Thank you for commenting. No matter how long we do this thing we call marketing/communications, confirmation or feedback that critically examines our posts and offer a differing point of view are invaluable.
Posted by: Lewis Green | 06.11.08
Great stuff here, Lewis, as always.
Posted by: Elaine Fogel | 06.11.08
send them a wrapped email that features your products and services. Snail mail uses letterhead why shouldn't email?
Posted by: Rolv Heggenhougen | 06.11.08
Elaine,
Thank you!
Rolv,
Not exactly sure what you suggest but usually letterhead contains contact information, not products and services. I do not advise that we push products and services, since most readers care only about their needs (solutions), not what we sell.
Posted by: Lewis Green | 06.11.08
Lewis, we all need to be reminded from time to time that it is about the customer's needs not our desire to sell the product or service.
It is a idea worth repeating...
Posted by: Neil Anuskiewicz | 06.11.08
Hi All,
Lewis,
Some Good points made. Thanks.
Neil,
Agree with you, we always try to push our products/ services without even considering if they would even require it.
Might sound very cliched/ orthodoxical but
One should not try to sell products/ things, one should try to sell ideas, suggestions and values.
One good example is:Insurance,
try to sell peace of mind, and a great future.
am sure, would help.
And, the consumer would love you for this and, in turn, sure rebuys/ repeated business / WOM.
Cheers..!
Varun Badhwar
Posted by: Varun Badhwar | 06.14.08
Hey you have given some nice ideas.. It seems to work well.. Thankx for sharing..
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galois
Your Social Media Marketing Platform http://www.widecircles.com
Posted by: galois | 06.15.08
Spot on advice - as always. I would add that taking to time to include relevant and benefit-oriented copy in your Profile is another great way to leverage the social networks.
Posted by: Stan | 06.24.08
Just a note to share, this is just what I needed today! Thanks, Roxy
Posted by: Roxy Cross | 03.18.09