Gateway’s B2B Lead Generation Blog | Social Media…Where do I start?

Posted by JasonB on October 16, 2009

4 times this week alone I’ve spoken with decision makers at businesses who’ve said, “We think we need to get into social media, but have no idea where to start”.    We’ll, I’ll go ahead and answer that one:

Step 1:  Start with what’s already working…for your competition.

Why reinvent the wheel?   If companies in your industry are having success with social media (i.e. getting exposure and traffic), it is probably a good idea to mimic what they’re doing.   But how do you know what’s working for them?   Search Facebook for competitors.  How many Fans do they have on their Facebook page?   If they have a lot, what content is being published on that page that is attracting or keeping them as Fans?   Next, search on YouTube or other video websites for competitors or industry keywords.   Observe what videos have been viewed more than others.   What message do they convey?   Go to LinkedIn and search for competitors.  Observe how many employees have profiles, and if those profiles display recommendations or answered questions.  Lastly, search blogs (Google Blog Search works great) for competition.   See if (1) your competition publishes a blog and (2) if they are mentioned on other blogs.   Observing how many comments or subscribers are displayed on a competitive blog will shed light on how many readers are visiting, so if your competitors blog has traffic, observe the topics and why they seem popular.

The output of Step 1 is to understand what websites (other than their own) AND message your competition is using to attract visitors (or views, or Fans, etc).

Step 2:  Identify what websites your target market is using

If your goal in using social media is to generate new leads, then you need to understand where your target market goes online so that you can place a message there.    One straight-forward method is to simply ask existing clients what websites they personally visit during their day-to-day activities.   Do they use industry-related websites that might attract similar decisions makers at other organizations?   Next, search blogs (again, Google Blog Search can help) for keyphrase your target audience may use.   Observe which blogs are ranked highest, how frequently they publish posts, how many people comment on each post, and how many subscribers are listed (sometimes published).   Blogs with frequent posts and comments will have more traffic, thus a better target for your message.   Finally, visit some Q&A sites like Yahoo Answers or LinkedIn Q&A and search for questions pertaining to resource websites….questions like “what websites can provide me with HR-related information on employee improvement”.  Very likely, someone will have answered that question with a link to another website used by your target market.

The output of Step 2 should be a list of websites where your organization can either place messaging or participate in discussions.

Step 3: Take an internal gut-check of resources

Let’s now pretend that you’ve identified that you need a Facebook page and to participate on blogs.   So who at your company will take the task of communicating with your prospective clients, and what information will/can they provide?   The basic qualities of a good social networker are (1) the ability to write well, (2) a good understanding of using the Internet and (3) time to invest in searching for and engaging in conversations.

Something to strongly consider…social media takes time.  It is an investment, just like building relationships, because that’s what it is.    Realizing ROI will take a while, so in light of that, consider cost of the person you appoint as your social media point person.   May I suggest that you don’t have a salesperson do it for a variety of reasons.   First, the moment salespeople have a deal to chase, they’ll abandon the tedious and time consuming task of social networking.   Second, they’re expensive, and answering questions on LinkedIn probably isn’t the best use of their time.

Instead, consider having a lower-salaried employee invest their time in exploring social networks.  They can either engage in low-level conversations with peers and direct them back to your organizations website, or if they stumble upon a true lead, simply email it to the sales department.   Either way, your investment is their time.

Let’s now consider what content your organization will spread to your Facebook page and blogs.   Your target marketing probably isn’t looking for a sales brochure or case studies on why your company is the best.   What they need is USEFUL, RELEVENT information that helps them during their workday.   Identify what information your company has in its wheelhouse in the form of research papers, white papers, sales decks, etc and see if you can create some short, helpful blurbs about topics that relate to your target decision maker.    If you give them something that they find interesting or useful, your chances of being the top-of-mind brand when they enter the buying cycle dramatically increases.

Conclusion: Following the steps of (1) observing your competitions successful use of social media, (2) finding your target market online and (3) putting a cost-effective resource on the case for your company should get you started in the social media game.

As usual, we hope this post helps.   Please subscribe to our blog for future posts on generating leads for your business.

Good Notes – The Bridge Between B2B Lead Generation and Sales

Posted by JasonB on October 6, 2009

Sales success starts with finding the key decision maker at an organization you want to do business with. You have to be talking to the right person. Typically, that person is the one who has the authority to choose vendors or has the responsibility to evaluate and recommend vendors to use.

Having found the right person, you now need to establish a meaningful dialogue with them. If all you sales resources have is a list of names, it’s difficult to know where to begin. A good lead generation process should provide your sales resources with insights into a prospect and their organization.

There are many types of information that are critical:

Qualifying Information – Is a prospect a good fit? Your database should be designed to capture information that helps determine the fit of a prospective client and give your sales resource a starting point to understanding that prospect’s needs. How many employees to they have? What is their annual budget? Who is their current supplier? Etc… With this knowledge, a sales resource can tailor information to a prospect that better illustrates how your company can fill a specific need or overcome an issue the prospect is having.

Anecdotal Information – Is the prospect buried in their current workload? Are they trying to get through next year’s budget planning?  Are they having issues with their current supplier? Good written notes, observations, or insights are invaluable in getting a better understanding of the current mindset of a prospect. With this, a good sales resource can make sure they are helping a prospect out and not contributing to their current set of issues. A good lead generation database will be structured to capture significant, relevant notes in an organized, concise fashion.

Voice Recordings – What better way to determine a prospect’s interest level or the severity of the issues their facing, then to hear it in his or her voice. Look for a lead generation service that can provide you with recordings of the calls between their operators and your prospects. Not only does it provide you with valuable insight into a prospect, but it also allows you to audit the quality of the lead generation service, and ensure that you company is being represented in a professional, high quality manner.

Having available the types of information referenced above can mean the difference between success and failure. The more insight your sales resource has into a prospect, the more likely they are to understand the issues or opportunities facing that prospect and be able to custom design the right solution for the right time.

Good luck, and good selling!