More from EVG blog: EVG BLOG By now, most companies understandthe benefitsof integrating social media into their marketing strategy (if you haven’t, get with the program!).  However, not every company has the budget for an entire team of socialites. Fortunately, there are tools that can minimize the chaos, without breaking the bank.Social consistency is essential in promoting a clear, concise message to your target market.  If you aren’t employing a method of organizing your socialization, your campaign is at risk.  It’s easy to alienate consumers and businesses in your target market by sending mixed messages, or posting repeat content.  Not to fear though, social media management tools can help avoid pitfalls and help you listen in on what people are saying.I personally preferHootSuite.  It’s a Twitter-centric tool that allows for listening, publishing, and analytics.  Don’t worry, ifTwitterisn’t your thing, you can also use this software for Facebook, LinkedIn and other platforms.If your social operations are small, thePro versionof the software is plenty. Unless you are running a social campaign for a Fortune 500 company, there’s no need to spend the money on the more expensive version.  With the right approach, this software can be highly beneficial. To help get you started, here are a few tips:Become a Skilled PublisherDesign an editorial calendar that organizes social and blog posts for three months (or whatever works for you).  I prefer Excel for this. A calendar allows you to keep track of your posts.  Then, by incorporating Hootsuite, you can use the publishing feature to schedule posts days, weeks, or even months in advance.As mentioned earlier, HootSuite is definitely more Twitter oriented, but you can schedule posts for LinkedIn, Facebook,blogsand other platforms as well.  You aren’t offered all of the same listening aspects with these platforms as you are with Twitter, but the publishing feature is still effective.If your company’s social media person is out on vacation, they can schedule articles, photos, and other items to post on specific days and times as though they never left their desk.  But be sure to have someone in place to manage comments, as it’s very important not to forget about engaging your followers!Speaking of EngagingSet up streams to monitor conversations about you. Adjust settings to find out what level of “Klout” a follower has. Yes, I am aware that I spelled clout wrong.  Klout is actually a site that gives a rating to the influence social media users have. Use the sliding scale to adjust thatKloutrating to filter each stream for the highest rated influencers that mentioned you. You can also filter these streams by keyword.  Once you have filtered the stream as necessary, get involved in the conversation. The more you get involved, the faster your profile grows.Set up a Facebook stream as well.  From this stream you can set up sub-streams.  Take posts from your page that you want to follow, click on the comment field, and set up a stream that will allow you to view and respond to comments from people.Monitor your streams daily.  You could go directly to the particular social page that you wish to check in on, but why be bothered with that when you can check, respond, and listen all in one place.And Finally, Let’s Get AnalyticalUtilize the reporting feature.  There is a free Twitter profile overview from which you can glean the following information:How many clicks the links that you published receivedWhere (geographically) those clicks are coming fromWhat influencers are saying about youTop referrers (what sites are the links being clicked on the most)And a list of the most popular links and how many times they have been clickedWhen necessary, spend a few extra bucks to generate more in-depth reports.  The beauty is that you can pick and choose which stats you want to view.  Each stat receives a point rating and each point costs a certain amount.  Opt to view only the stats that are most important to you, so you can set your own pricing.Final Words of WisdomHootSuite is not the only fighter in the ring. There are a number of equally excellent choicesthat you can use to manage your social campaign.  That discussion, however, is for another day.For now, try setting up a free account and playing around with the features I mentioned.  See if this is right for you.  It’s always best to use the software that you are most comfortable with.  If it turns out that the software you are most comfortable with is HootSuite, then these tips should start you along the path to a successful social media campaign.Anthony Gaenzle–Online Media Strategist ...read more

After fifteen years inB2B marketing, the biggest misstep I’ve seen B2B companies make is becoming too focused on themselves—not their customers’ needs. They think that simply saying how products or services are better is enough to differentiate them. They assume that customers spend all day comparing product features. They like to think that they are better at engineering and overuse words like “innovative,” “best-in-class” and “marketleader.”All of these assumptions are wrong. Inevitably, “we are simply better” leads to both marketing and business disasters.On the marketing side, content begins to focus solely on product features, functions and benefits (FFBs) communicated through flyers, spec sheets and price books. Websites become just online versions of product catalogs. Direct marketing is just about your latest product release. You have to have them, but if these are your marketing department’s main focus, then you’re essentially betting that you can “out-spec-sheet” the competition.For many B2B industries, this approach rarely contributes to growth because product differentiation isn’t enough to guarantee advantages. They get caught up in screaming “me too” about small product features. Before long, their product features are replicated by the competition and they become commoditized. The result is that they end up competing on price alone, eating away at margins.Customer-Centric Content is an Asset, Not an ExpenseB2B customers have access to more information than ever before to help inform their purchasing decisions, and they are taking advantage of it. Recent studies by theCorporate Executive Boardfound that B2B customers are 57% of their way through a purchase decision before they have the first contact with a supplier. At that point, they’re more interested in price and availability, and you’re not going to change their mind with product FFBs and specs. Most likely, they’ve already decided that you can or can’t meet their basic needs.Given this new paradigm, B2B companies should focus on creating content that helps customers make smarter overall buying decisions, not product decisions. This requires understanding the challenges a customer faces and directing content creation toward addressing those challenges. For example, do they worry about becoming more efficient and lowering costs? Do they focus on safety and reliability? What are the macro trends that will impact their industry in the coming years? Can you provide insight into how they can improve their outcomes?This type of content may be more research-intensive than writing about your own products, but it is also more valuable to your customers. You are investing in becoming a thought leader, a trusted partner, a solution provider, a guiding voice in the crowded B2B space… whatever terminology captures not being seen as just another “product supplier.”Reasons-to-Believe Help Customers Find YouThe benefits of good content goes way beyond just giving you’re sales people something more meaningful to talk about. You should give your customers a reason-to-believe that helps them answer the question: “What’s in it for me?” If you can capture this, then you gain many benefits.First, the main reason B2B customers are more informed is because of search engines. Therefore, your content strategy should include topics that align with customer searches. Call it Search Engine Optimization or common sense, but if you are on page one in search results, you can get into their consideration set almost automatically. (By the way, I’ve checked, and they don’t search for product number 3335.xx1 very much!)Another benefit to investing in customer-centric content is the versatility it gives you. A well-researched and written white paper can generate much more PR interest than a product release. Advice on improving customer retention and loyalty makes for a much better blog article and interest-driver on social media than saying you added another new feature to your CRM software. It’s not that you’re getting away from your products/services; it’s more that you’re integrating your offering into content that explains how your customers can improve.Are You Giving Customers a Reason-to-Believe in You?Here is a simple way to test whether your brand has become too “you-centric” instead ofcustomer-centric:When you tell people what company you work for, do you tell them what products you make? Or do you tell them how the products you make contribute to a customer’s satisfaction?For example, you could say you work for an industrial pump manufacturer. Or you could say that your company makes pumps that help customers become more safe, productive and profitable.See the difference? One is about what you make, the other is aboutwhy customers might want to buy your products to improve their lives. It may seem like a small difference, but even B2B customers want to think that you can help them improve.Ask around your office and see how your colleagues answer.Jason McClainGuest Blogger&Senior; Group Marketing Manager, WIKA, LP ...read more

byEVG Blogger Anyone in the marketing field is familiar with the term brand publishing, but with the move away from traditional advertising, the topic has become increasingly more important. With the Internet and social media, the mass media techniques once solely used are far less effective. Brands are forced to find different ways of reaching customers, and it seems they have found it in the form of brand publishing. In a recent article published by the Marketing Leadership Council, Anna Bird notes that 25% of the average marketing budget is now spent on content and content distribution. Consumers are looking for content; it’s just a matter of creating it. And as Bird points out, they don’t distinguish between branded and unbranded content; just between good and bad. The Internet, and more specifically social media, has forced companies to become more active when it comes to their brand reputation. The new fast-paced media makes it easy for consumers to skip over content they don’t want to get to what they do want so its important for companies to create engaging content. But what does that look like? Readers want relevant and compelling articles that don’t look like a sales pitch. Companies need to focus on becoming the voice for their industry and show consumers that they are in fact experts at what they do. If a customer can count on you for reliable, useful information, they will continue to come back. From custom content to search engine optimization, the EnVeritas Group team has more than a decade of experience as a brand publisher and we can help you think like one too in order to deliver the right information to the right customers through the right channels. For more information on how we can help, contact us by phone at 864.241.0779 or email at hello@enveritasgroup.com. Julie LedbetterEVG Content Specialist ...read more