Pinterest: What B2B Social Media Marketers Are Doing Wrong

See on Scoop.it – Social Media B2B Marketing

“Now that Pinterest has introduced its business accounts, more and more B2B companies are joining  the Pinterest party, and for them, it’s important to not only join, but to set  their brands apart.”

 

“If you’re a B2B social  media marketer who has joined Pinterest, but isn’t getting the followers (or  consequential site traffic) you were hoping for, you could be making one or more  of the following mistakes:” by Courtney Moser

 

Read more: http://www.business2community.com/pinterest/pinterest-what-b2b-social-media-marketers-are-doing-wrong-0469086

Ken Jondahl‘s insight:

The article provides straight forward advice of areas you can review for improvement around current tactics being used on Pinterest.

See on www.business2community.com

In Story Selling, Like Leadership, Reading Body Language Plays a Role

See on Scoop.it – Story Selling

“Body language plays an important role in leadership success.”

 

“Many leaders focus on verbal skills, but they fail to realize there are two conversations going on when they meet another person.”

 

“Reading people successfully means collecting non-verbal information to evaluate thoughts and emotions. It is a skill that requires constant practice and training.”

 

“To assist with this training, I’m going to provide you with 10 commandments to maximize your ability to accurately read non-verbals:” by LaRae Quy

 

Read more: http://www.laraequy.com/blog/personal-leadership/the-10-commandments-of-interpreting-body-language/

Ken Jondahl‘s insight:

To listen, we need to hear more than just the words. LaRae provides 10 great ways to watch and listen with our whole being, not just our ears.

See on www.laraequy.com

In Story Selling – Move From Branded Content To A Content Brand

See on Scoop.it – Story Selling

“I believe that there’s a big difference between treating your content as a marketing asset and treating it like a product. In the future more and more marketers will focus on creating content as brands themselves.”

 

“Brands that increase demand for the products they sell. Here’s a quick anecdote:”

 

“Selling powdered milk… Defiance, a powdered milk company, was having a really hard time penetrating a crowded market against 300 other brands.”

 

“They’d tried advertising, but it didn’t seem to sell more dried milk. The advertisements did spark thousands of consumer inquiries on how to take care of a newborn baby.”

 

“Instead of ignoring those inquiries, the CEO Joe Nathan hired…”

 

From an interview with Andrew Davis @tpldrew, the Author of Brandscaping

 

Read more: http://www.b2bmarketinginsider.com/content-marketing/branded-content-to-content-brand

Ken Jondahl‘s insight:

Included in the article is a great "founding story" about Joe Nathan’s company. As I read the story, the "why" as defined by Simon Sinek comes out for me. I’m curious what you think the why is behind responding to 1000’s of customer inquries? Even when the questions had very little to do with the product being sold.

 

Try to name the company who was making powdered milk back in 1908, knowing their products are all around you today?

 

How would I use this founding story if I was in sales or marketing? Using the "why" of the story, I would leverage "how" they do things today to make the "what" which is all around us.

 

Also make sure, as you are telling a company story, your story fits in someplace at some time. Your "why" and the company "why" need to be in sync, or your customers may question your integrity. Lip service only goes so far.

 

Watching successful sales and marketing individuals over the years. Those who pull out in front always believe in themselves, the company and the products they offer. Their customers are also some of the happiest I have seen.

 

As you read the interview with Andrew, it is clear he believes in what he says. Quality over quantity is important. And any time we create content, it is to help our customers envision a better way to do things.

See on www.b2bmarketinginsider.com

A B2B Marketer’s Review of 5 Major Social Media Sites

See on Scoop.it – Social Media B2B Marketing

“The concept of social media for business is gaining traction, with 56% of  B2B marketers planning to increase their spending on social media in 2013  (eMarketer).”

 

“But doing social media properly… takes time, and time is  something you’re already running short of.”

 

“Not to mention most of these social  networks are more geared towards a B2C audience rather than B2B.”

 

“So which social networks are actually worth investing in?” By Christabelle Tani

 

Read more: http://www.business2community.com/b2b-marketing/a-b2b-marketers-review-of-the-5-major-social-networks-0459319

Ken Jondahl‘s insight:

Direct from a marketer, Christabelle writes about the 5 social media sites in use, the pro’s and con’s, and the why to consider using them your self.

 

The focus is truly B2B and based on her experience using the sites. Thus the input is based on field results on what is working and what is not for their business.

 

Give the article a read for insight of what will work for you and your marketing team on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google+.

 

Further reading on Google+, one Christabelle recommends, can be found here. http://www.mathmarketing.com/b2b-marketing-blog/google-relevant-b2b-marketing

 

On Facebook, she points out results will vary, for more input:. http://www.business2community.com/b2b-marketing/b2b-marketing-on-facebook-yes-no-well-maybe-0444289

 

 

And as she ends the article: "There will always be a shiny new toy to play with in social media… As a B2B marketer, it’s your responsibility to dip your feet in the water so  to speak. Don’t get your whole company on board, but be quick on the uptake –  check it out with a personal profile and gauge its capabilities."

See on www.business2community.com

14 Articles for CMO’s: Align Sales Marketing, Customer Focus, Silo’s

“A couple weeks ago I wrote a post “The Myth that Marketing Automation Reveals Buyers’ Journeys” that explained there was increasing consensus …about changes in the buyer’s journey and the mandate for vendors to adapt to those changes in order to grow.”

“Consolidating the research in one place demonstrates the flood of voices urging vendors to align with the customer, break down silos and bridge marketing and sales departments.” by Christine Crandell

A collection of 14 articles, read more: http://www.customerthink.com/blog

See on Scoop.it – Sales Marketing Alignment

Ken Jondahl‘s insight:

The 14 articles are grouped by 3 main categories:

1 Customer Centricity

2 Align Sales Marketing

3 Breaking Down Silos

Nonverbal Cues That Help Your Story Tending

In story tending, listen to understand, not to respond.“You cannot avoid sending nonverbal messages; however, it is possible to train yourself to send the right ones. Here are ten nonverbal cues that convey confidence and credibility in the workplace.”

“…when a person sends a mismatched message–where nonverbal and verbal messages are incongruent—recipients almost always believe the predominant nonverbal message over the verbal one.”

“In other words, how we say something is more impactful than what we say.”  by Jacquelyn Smith

Read more: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/03/11/10-nonverbal-cues-that-convey-confidence-at-work/

See on Scoop.it – Story Selling

Ken Jondahl‘s insight:

The article is focused on helping to build confidence at work. However, any time we are actively listening to another person, we demonstrate many of the same non-verbal clues.

Such as good eye contact, effective gestures, how we stand/sit, facial expressions, using appropriate voice tone, responding to the other persons emotions, and providing our full attention. This is 7 out of the 10 Jacquelyn discusses.

In Story Selling, the whole purpose of sharing a relevant story with a prospect/customer is to receive their story. This is where our skills in active listening need to take over. Many of which are non-verbal.

One could say the art of story tending is 90% non-verbal and only 10% around the types of questions we may need to ask. All of which are seeking to understand, not to position our product/service around a need while we are tending their story.

As with all non-verbal clues, the customer will know if you are there to help them, or your self.

 

For Real Influence, Listen Past Your Blind Spots While Story Tending

“More than ever before, people see through the self-serving tactics and techniques that others use to persuade them.”

“They don’t like being pushed, played or nudged to comply, and they resist and resent agenda-driven influencers.”

“The alternative is to use real influence to inspire buy-in and commitment.”

“To invite genuine buy-in and engagement, we need to listen with a strong personal motive to learn and understand.” by Mark Goulston and John Ullmen

Read more: blogs.hbr.org

See on Scoop.it – Story Selling

Ken Jondahl‘s insight:

The authors discuss all 4 levels of listening and how the first 3 fall short.

In sales and marketing the power of story comes alive when we truly listen to our customers using level 4 as described in the article. However, there are many things which get in the way.

If you are in sales or marketing, think about how the customer feels when we do not “tend their story” using level 4 and what bad things can happen. Think about your good and bad “buying” experiences.

Was the person actively listening to your issues and needs? Or were they focused on something else?

To receive a story in sales, be prepared to go first and share a relevant story. Then actively listen and connect with the person telling their story in return. Active story tending is a habit which can be learned. It starts with listening to understand, not to respond.

In story selling, to “positively influence change” we need to build trust one story at a time. Just remember, the majority of these stories should be those of the customer.

22 Rules of Storytelling Every Teacher Should Know About

“Writing is a scary task  for students because it is partly a single-minded activity that calls for a lot of serious thinking and partly due to the overarching focus that has being placed on teaching writing as product and not process.”

“Donald Murray, a writing theorist of grand calbire, is unequivocal on this, in his Write to Learn , Murray emphasizes the importance of teaching writing as a process.”

“Another way to get students engaged and motivated to write is through storytelling. Students are always excited to write about their own personal experiences and about stories that are part of their immediate environment.”

Read more: http://www.dougwoods.co.uk/curation/22-rules-of-story-telling-every-teacher-should-know-about-educational-technology-and-mobile-learning/

See on Scoop.it – Story Selling

In Story Selling | Focus on the Story not Baiting the Hook

In story selling focus on helping the customer satisfy needs, not baiting the hook.“There is a popular style of writing sales copy that starts with casting a hook.”

“The reader, like a fish, is meant to swallow the hook, and is then slowly reeled in by the copywriter.”

“I’m not a big fan of catching readers on hooks and reeling them in.” by Nick Usborne

Read on about how to make your sales copy more human: http://www.nickusborne.com/sales-hook/

See on Scoop.it – Story Selling

Ken Jondahl‘s insight:

I like how Nick reminds us not every customer is the same and it is dangerous to “assume” the customer is “just like me”. He provides a clear example of what not to do and also how to improve the opening of a sales piece.

My advice is to build on where Nick leaves off and complete the story. Open with the setting of a live person who is facing the situation Nick describes.

Move on to the complications life tosses at the individual in the story which in Nicks case could be the 3 ways to solve the problem. Or complications which lead to examining the 3 ways to solve the problem.

As the story unfolds, the person in the story, who by the way is the “hero”, (not the product or service), examines the 3 ways to solve their complications. Finding good and bad in each solution.

The climax is when one of the potential solutions is found to work the best for the hero in a round about “ah hay” moment. We’ve all had these, so make them real.

Wrap up with the resolution and the hero heading off down a better road in life.

“How we help” in a visual story is much better then discussing features and benefits. Visual referring to the style of writing and of course use images.

Think about Nick’s approach which is dead end.  The end game in sales is “not” to hook the customer. It is to get them to jump in the boat with all of their friends. B2B sales is H2H, (Human to Human)  when the power of story selling is applied across sales and marketing.

Which Social Channels Are Best For B2B Marketers?

“Your best strategy is to reverse engineer your social media marketing plan to  your business goals. You have finite time to reach the right prospects, so make  sure you’re targeting the communities where your customers are most likely to  engage.”

“As a B2B company, LinkedIn is a must. If you find that you want more social  activity, give the others a try.”

“Be sure that you are tracking your results so  that you can identify if you are getting the best return for the time that you  are investing.” – Daniel Vaczi

Read more at: http://www.adherecreative.com/blog/bid/144583/Which-Social-Media-Tools-Are-Best-for-B2B

See on Scoop.it – Social Media B2B Marketing

Ken Jondahl‘s insight:

I like Daniel’s advice to start with LinkedIn. Her 2nd choice of Facebook surprises me, pushing twitter to 3rd place in the B2B social choices.

She discusses how social media can help bridge the gab between Marketing conversations and the needs of decision makers during the buy-sell cycle. It would have been great to have some real live examples of “how to do this” with B2B products and services.

The various capabilities are covered around the various B2B uses on the social platforms from LinkedIn to Pinterest in the 6th spot. How you will use these in your company are not covered in this article.

For further ideas around LinkedIn, here are a few more articles.

Improve company pages: http://sco.lt/5N2QtN

Prospecting via LinkedIn: http://sco.lt/6eZG2j

Targeting Decision Makers: http://sco.lt/5YFaWv

Regardless which  B2B social platforms are chosen to support your marketing efforts. Start small, test, and revise. Social tools are abundant and inexpensive, the cost is in the time to manage. And don’t just follow the “social herd”, go where your customers hang out and discuss issues around similiar products and services to those you promote.