Posted by JasonB on December 10, 2009
As a new era of B2B lead generation arises, it is important to familiarize yourself with the benefits of social media. Facebook – what was once an online community for college students – has come to the forefront and morphed into an online marketing powerhouse. If utilized correctly, Facebook can give your company visibility to a plethora of target markets and help you to become a savvy professional.
To Begin
Create a company profile on Facebook. This will give your company an opportunity to stay competitive and deliver daily messages to your target markets to increase business to business leads.
Engage Your Fans.
Facebook allows your company to post videos, pictures, lets fans participate in discussions and can include all of the company’s viable information. Once they’ve visited a page, make them interested in learning more about your company.
Promote Your Company’s Interests.
Establish yourself – join groups and comment on topics. The more visible you are in online communities, the more familiar potential clients will become with your name, thus driving them to inquire more about your company.
Move Your Blog Through Various Social Media Outlets.
While using a blog is effective , it’s now time to ensure your company has maxim exposure. Before starting your blog, do a little research. Set up a Google Reader account; this will give you an opportunity to see what other people in your field are writing about, and what might work best for your company. Once you’ve become comfortable with your writing style, start your blog- but don’t stop there. Have it linked to your Facebook page – traffic from the blog will drive readers to your page, and traffic from your page will drive them to your blog increasing your company’s visibility.
Utilize Your Cellphone.
Once you’ve established a fan base on your Facebook page, encourage your readers to access your page from their mobile phones. Accessing your page through a mobile device will give you an opportunity to update your company’s information on-the-go, and will give you an opportunity to network with your fans while they’re away from their computer.
Outsource Your Social Media Marketing.
Diving head-first into the social media world can be time-consuming and confusing for some. Outsourcing your social media marketing gives you the opportunity to focus on your projects at hand while Gateway Business Development takes an in-depth look at your social media marketing / B2B lead generation needs.
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.
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!
Posted by JasonB on September 22, 2009
I’m a partner in a company that provides B2B lead generation and our program does in fact use the phone as a primary tool in developing potential business opportunities for our clients. As a business owner, with the nature of my business aside, I avoid solicitation calls like the plague. Why? Not because I don’t want to hear about an offer, or a potential solution, but because I’m busy making decisions about operating my business. I’m a decision maker, that’s what we do, and if you catch me with a call you better have a good intro-pitch to keep me listening. But catching me on the phone is a rarity and, generally speaking, other methods of contact are more effective. I know my situation is typical of most decision makers and, for that reason, if your prospecting program does not include a long term strategy to nurture leads, it will fail.
Consider this: if you “spray” (a lot of calls in a short period of time) a group of prospective targets, you will only reach a real decision maker 5-10% of the time. This isn’t due to the quality of the telemarketer but rather, connecting with a real Key Decision Maker (KDM) is a big challenge. They’re simply not taking calls and are too busy making important business decisions to focus on other things. So the question arises: How do you connect with the 90+% targets your telemarketing missed?
- Message Delivery: A successful B2B lead generation program can use the phone, but should also deliver compelling messages while maintaining awareness over a long period of time. Since telemarketing is generally used as a short term campaign, effectiveness of the phone can quickly become insignificant if used as the only source of communication in approaching key decision makers. Once you have identified a prospect, you’ll often notice that they don’t usually respond to calls – so how do you successfully get your information in the KDM’s hands? To increase the chances of your message getting seen, not only should it stand out amongst the clutter of your competitors, but it must be expressed in a variety of formats. Consider a combination of various communication outlets such as email, web video, and direct mail to effectively express your message.
- Timing: You could sit a prospect down in front of an IMAX movie about your service, but in today’s economy, if they’re not in a buying cycle you’re wasting your time and resources. KDMs today are thinking about two things: bottom line and new solutions for increasing company profitability. Because of this, when your target is interested in new opportunities, the company that is top-of-mind stands the best chance of receiving acknowledgment. To remain top-of-mind you must touch a prospect 8-12 times per year. A nurture program is essential to advancing any area of B2B lead generation as it allows for a continuous, and structured, flow of communication. Think of it this way; nurturing is like holding a prospects hand throughout the buying process, a constant reassurance of your company’s presence in the marketplace. However, for a successful nurture program, sending the same message 12 times a year should be avoided. Mix it up with different messages and formats. If you connect with a prospect via the phone, and it doesn’t result in an appointment, the following messages should reflect the information gathered during that conversation. Expressing an understanding of where your prospect is in the buying cycle, and adjusting communication accordingly, will keep your company in the forefront when the KDM is ready to purchase.
- Social Media: Speaking of buying cycles, did you know the KDMs visit social websites MORE than corporate websites to find information about a solution or company? This occurs even more when KDMs are in the early stages of the buying cycle and are searching for information about their particular business needs. By blogging on a social site, or using a web video, you can successfully position your company as a needed informational resource. This allows you the opportunity to not only persuade your prospect to follow your input through a series of compelling messages, but nonchalantly creates an open door for relationship cultivation.
I hope this post gives you some food for thought when considering prospecting and nurturing to generate B2B leads. As usual, let us know if we can help, and please subscribe to our blog for future posts on ways to find new business for your business.
Posted by JasonB on September 2, 2009
Fact: Social Media has changed how decision-makers search for and analyze information prior to making a buying decision. Where once an individual would place calls to or visit vendor websites to begin their service-provider selection process, now potential buyers are discussing solutions and vendor options with peers first in an attempt to receive real, unbiased feedback regarding an issue. To generate B2B leads using social media, your organization must have a presence in these early-stage discussions and deploy the proper social media marketing tools for each phase of the buying cycle.
Observe the chart below:
Problem Identification Stage: Some business issues are glaring, others aren’t thought about until someone brings them to your attention. The latter is happening on social networks by savvy would-be vendors daily. To prompt decision-makers to recognize an issue that their business may solve, thousands of companies are starting discussions on blogs, forums and video sharing websites. These websites create a forum for discussions whereby the participants don’t feel like they are being sold, but instead joining in a peer discussion about a topic related to their business. They promote ideas on issues and solutions.
Companies who start or participate in these discussions in an informative and helpful manner get instant credibility and a foot-in-the-door with decision–makers. However, it is critical in this stage to position your business as a resource, and not try to “close the deal”. Social networks are about peers talking to peers, not businesses selling to prospects. Jump in the discussions, be helpful, and generate early exposure for your business in the buying cycle.
Solution Development Stage: There are often a variety of solutions for every business issue. In one’s personal life, asking a friend for advice on solving an issue is often the easiest and most trusted way to gather feedback. Social networking websites now facilitate the exact same level of peer to peer communication. As I mentioned in a previous post, decision-makers have abandoned visiting corporate websites to investigate solutions, as corporate sites consistently tout that their solutions are the best…regardless if that is actually the case.
Having your thoughts (as a peer, not a company) on specific solutions published online will communicate that your organization is willing and able to help. To dispense industry advice, you can either publish a blog, or join in discussions on other blogs. To ensure your ideas get seen, search engine optimize your blog, and posts, to ensure major search engines can see your message and attribute it to your organization.
Resource Search Stage: During this phase decision-makers are looking for the best organization to provide a specific solution. Your strategy should be to (1) get seen and (2) stand out amongst the competition.
Search engine optimization and Pay-Per-Click will ensure your business gets found for certain keywords and phrases. Please note: Conversations, and the phrases used within, change constantly. Monitoring blogs and forums to derive what keywords are actually being used is critical to targeted search engine marketing.
Standing out from the clutter requires a quick, impactful delivery of your message. Web video has become the #1 tool used in social media. Video can clearly and concisely deliver your message in a memorable fashion.
Vendor Evaluation Stage: Three very good reasons for choosing a vendor are:
- Their breadth of knowledge on a subject
- Their success with other businesses like yours
- They were recommended by a trusted peer
Clearly communicating your ideas in a video or on a blog will make an impression on key-decision-makers. For example, a blog that discusses an issue from “soup to nuts” proves your company knows its’ stuff. Providing visibility to your answers on issues leaves much of the unwanted “guess work” out of the buying process for a decision-maker.
Providing a case study, preferably in digital format (so it can be forwarded to others), is another impactful way to communicate your success in solving certain issues. Case studies can be discussed within a blog, or portrayed in a web video. Leaving a prospect with the feeling that your company has already successfully solved the same issue for another firm can be the deciding factor in making a buying decision.
A personal recommendation by a peer speaks volumes. LinkedIn, for example, displays personal recommendations made by others who have worked with an individual. It is wise to have your company’s employees attempt to get recommendations from clients they’ve helped. LinkedIn users really do look at those recommendations. If they see your competitors have been recommended, and your business has not, they will notice.
So, some food for thought. I hope this post helps your business decide what social media tools to use for attracting decision-makers. As usual, please let us know if we can help. Please subscribe to this blog for future posts on generating new business for your business.
