Many companies find it hard to believe that they can benefit from image sharing sites. Why should a B2B company use image sites?
Posting an image online not only increases your company’s search engine ranking and visibility online, it also provides resources for other professionals who are looking for content for a research document, or visual aid. [Images can range from company logos, to charts, to simple "How To" checklists]
Watch as Gateway partner, Jason Bahnak, explains how to successfully promote your business through image sharing sites.
It’s often times easy to get very anxious about new business – the first thing you want to do is quickly pick up the phone and call a prospect – stop.
There’s a few steps you need to follow in order to ensure your call will actually be returned by a decision maker. First a foremost you must remember: Do not use your voicemail as a sales pitch.
Watch as Gateway partner, Jason Bahnak, explains the steps you must take in order to get a response from your voicemail.
If you’re not getting the amount of traffic you’d like to your website, the immediate solution isn’t always a website makeover.
Not getting enough web traffic? Before your company considers spending $15,000 on web design, evaluate your web traffic. If you aren’t receiving a substantial amount of web traffic, your first step will be to make people aware of your organization. How? Implement a social media strategy to Increase Search Engine Ranking, and Increase Brand/Company Awareness.
Watch as Gateway partner, Jason Bahnak, discusses how to increase visibility online without an immediate website overhaul.
When you’re trying to get new customers, your search engine ranking is critical.
Don’t discount websites you think your target market isn’t on. Though they may not be actively searching on social networking sites like YouTube, Twitter, or Digg; Google is actively searching for your content on them.
In most cases, prospects aren’t going to scroll through five pages of Google looking specifically for your company. They’re searching for an industry and clicking on pages that wind up on the first few pages of a search engine – it takes less effort and the closer to page one on Google, the more credible the business appears.
Create a Hybrid Marketing Strategy: Old School and New School.
You’ve currently tailored your online marketing strategy to your target market – which is good, it’s what we marketers have always been taught.
In a time where search engine ranking is becoming increasingly important, it may be time to let go of some of the tactics you’ve grown accustomed to. Now, it’s not only matters who sees your message, but what sees your message. Search engines are ALWAYS looking at content online; they’re tirelessly working to determine which information is credible, and relevant to its particular industry. The more content your company posts in a place that’s discussing news current to your industry, the higher your site will tank on search engines.
Take Twitter for example; the more tweets and retweets your company posts that link back to your website, the quicker your search engine ranking will increase.
Gateway Partner, Jason Bahnak, explains this process in depth in this video.
Social Media sure has created a buzz for itself, ironically using social media to do so in many cases. There is tons of information about social media, yet I often get asked the simple questions like “What is social media” and “How or why should my company use it?” Alternatively, traditional B2B lead generation seems simple. You find some targets, pick up the phone and see who’s interested in what you offer. Does simple mean ineffective in today’s business environment? Not at all.
Let me try to kill 3 birds with one stone with an analogy about social media and explain (1) what it is, (2) why you should participate and (3) what to expect:
Pretend the internet does not exist. Pretend there is a large networking event coming up, such as a cocktail hour, and your company needs to make a BIG impression, as you need new business. You also know that there will be some great prospects attending this event, Presidents and Owners of large companies that can make your year if they do business with your company. These prospects will be talking about business, discussing needs, perhaps asking some questions of each other, requesting advice, and generally opening the door for your company to present its solutions.
Now imagine the best possible way your company could be represented in this environment to impress prospects and generate opportunities. Would you send your “closer” to this event, someone who doesn’t take “no” for an answer and will ask prospects the equivalent of “what can I do to get you into this car today?” Will you send your engineer, who has the most detailed knowledge of your process, but also has trouble talking with people? Neither.
Here’s how I imagine your best presence: You send someone who communicates well, but listens before they jump into a conversation. This person circles the room, first gaining an understanding of what prospects are discussing. When they encounter someone who has a general question relating to your industry, rather than try and “close” them, your representative politely answers their question, asking nothing in return, and hands them a business card in the event they have further questions. When your rep encounters a prospect with an immediate need, they eloquently describe how your company has helped other companies like theirs, and extends an invitation to present your solution at a later time. When your rep meets someone who doesn’t express either a need or a question, they communicate with that prospect on a personal level, trying to get to know them rather than appear to have an agenda. Best of all, if a prospect asks another event attendee if they know anyone who can help with a specific issue, that person points to your rep and says, “He’s provided us with some great advice and he knows what he’s talking about, I’d ask him.”
What I’ve described above is, in essence, social media marketing. Social media marketing is communicating with peers on a one-on-one level, but using the Internet to do so. It’s not “selling”, it’s “talking”.
You should participate because the conversations I described above are happening by the thousands, daily, by prospects who you want to attract. It’s worth mentioning that, like my analogy, these online conversations are not “sales conversations” by nature. They’re conversations involving the “asking for” and “providing of” advice…for free.
You should expect to generate interest in your company…not close business quickly. Much like marriage, dating comes first, and before that, friendships, and before that, communication.
B2B lead generation on the other hand is the more direct approach. In the example of the networking event, it’s as if you’re only jumping on the “immediate need” conversations. It is the quickest, most direct path to new opportunities. Where social media takes time, and is geared toward developing relationships, B2B lead generation (prospecting) tries to “cut to the chase” and convert leads into sales. It’s a focused effort on new business…finding the low-hanging fruit. B2B lead generation is a direct tactical approach to new business…it doesn’t beat around the bush.
When budgeting for either social media or B2B lead generation, consider your immediate needs. If they’re primarily to build relationships or interest, social media works great. If your need is to drive new business NOW, consider B2B prospecting. It’s more direct, and less “conversational”.
I hope this post has been helpful to those wondering where to allocate resources and what to make of this “social media revolution”. For any further questions about either topic, feel free to visit our blog at www.gatewaybizdev.com/blog.
This blog was created to share our thoughts on B2B customer development in the hopes that this information will be useful for organizations working toward increasing new sales opportunities.
