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10 Marketing Insights From Today’s Top Thought Leaders

April 24th, 2012 :: Monika Jansen

I often find it helpful to glean insight from other marketers on current trends and new developments in our field. Recently, HubSpot gathered marketing observations, ideas and analysis from some of today’s best-known thought leaders. As I read through the collection, I was inspired by what they had to say. Here are my favorites:

Social Media Now

Social media changes at warp speed, as new technologies and best practices emerge almost daily. Here are a couple of observations that stood out:

Our ideas about privacy are changing. As noted by Seth Godin, a minority of people are concerned about what is known about them online, while the majority of us are redefining what is normal, as it relates to privacy.
Kyle Lacy observed that split seconds are becoming more important than ever. In fact, the split second capturing of a memory is often more important than the time it takes to write a post.

Smart Planning for Mobile

The emergence of mobile has caught many marketers off guard, so what do the experts have to say about preparing for it now?

Roland Smart suggests learning HTML5 as soon as possible to capture opportunities to integrate mobile into your marketing strategy on Facebook.
Scott Fox recommends getting away from your desk and stepping out into the real world to really see how mobile is being used by a growing number of people who are not desk-bound.

Online Content and Social Media

Social media has taken online content off the static webpage and infused it with the goal to generate conversation and to engage audiences more than ever.

Michael Lazerow says that content has the added duty of being sharable as well as interesting. It’s not enough to create excellent content; marketers must ask themselves if audiences will share it before they can publish it.
Cameron Chapman emphasizes the importance of verifying everything you write about, since content is being shared more than ever before. Misinformation can spread like wildfire on social media, so be sure you get your message right.

Divvying Up Resources for Social Media

Just when marketers thought they had enough social networks to balance, Google+ and Pinterest emerged, showing us there is still room for more online communities. How do we divide limited resources among all the social media channels?

Maria Ogneva suggests letting your customers be your guide. Wherever your clients, prospects, existing customers, and partners are, those are the networks you should concentrate on most.
Tom Pick takes it a step further by testing to find the platform yielding the best results. Study your analytics to find out which networks are driving the most traffic to your website, and make those networks your top priority.

Building an Online Community

Some of the best advice offered by the experts is to understand that social media is here to stay and is a powerful component of your marketing strategy.

Linda Bustos encourages marketers to think of social media as a marathon and not a sprint. Building a vibrant online community is hard work, and results might not come right away.
Priit Kallas believes that building for the long-term can help businesses stand out from the competition. He suggests focusing on creating customer relationships that can stand the test of time.

To read the entire list of marketing ideas, suggestions and insights, check out Hubspot’s 54 Pearls of Marketing Wisdom. What other ideas have inspired you recently, as it relates to mobile, social or content marketing?

Image courtesy of theorangeinkblog.wordpress.com

Tags: Cameron Chapman, content marketing, Hubspot, Kyle Lacy, Linda Bustos, Maria Ogneva, Marketing, Michael Lazerow, mobile marketing, online community, Priit Kallas, Roland Smart, Scott Fox, Seth Godin, social media, Thought Leadership, Tom Pick
Posted in Marketing, Thought Leadership | No Comments »

How Using Q&A Sites Can Boost Your Business

September 21st, 2011 :: Rieva Lesonsky

By Rieva Lesonsky

Are you using questions and answers to grow your small business? If not, you’re missing out on a profitable opportunity. New data from Compete, reported by eMarketer, recently took a look at three popular Q&A sites and what kinds of users each attracts.

Compete looked at Ask.com, Answers.com and Quora.com, an expert-oriented site Quora that answers questions posted by users with information from trusted specialists. Quora also has a social component that helped it garner a lot of buzz on launch. According to the Compete data, although it has less traffic than the other two, the users are more engaged. Quora’s users are younger (18- to 34-year-olds accounted for 50 percent of its users) and also affluent, with 27 percent making more than $100K annually.

Compete found that most Quora users got there via search, which suggests that users start off using Google and then click on Quora as the most trusted result because of its focus on expert answers.

What does this research mean to you? If you’re looking to get known as an expert, consider checking out Quora to see whether it can be useful to you—especially if you’re targeting younger and affluent customers.

But Quora isn’t the only game in town. LinkedIn is an even better-known resource for engaging in questions and answers. Make sure you’re taking advantage of LinkedIn’s Answers feature by answering questions related to your field of expertise or your business.

Really want to get known as an expert? If you’ve got a little more time to invest, consider approaching bloggers in your industry and offering to write guest posts where you answer questions posed by their readers have or common questions that many readers ask.

There are many ways question and answer sites can help boost your reputation, give you credibility and improve your business’s sales. All you have to do is ask.

Image by Flickr user Marco Bellucci (Creative Commons)

Tags: LinkedIn, quora, small business marketing, social media
Posted in Marketing, Small Business, small business, Social Media, social media, Thought Leadership | 1 Comment »

Join Us Live at 1:30 PM EST for Mobile Marketing for Small Business: Fact vs. Fiction

May 17th, 2011 :: Rieva Lesonsky

networksolutions on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

Tags: Events, livestream, mobile marketing, social media
Posted in Events, Marketing, Social Media, Thought Leadership, Uncategorized | No Comments »

The Mobile Retail Conundrum

May 12th, 2011 :: grownetadmin

By Tim Gorin

Ah, the brave new world of mobile marketing … it can be both exhilarating and vexing. As a vision care provider and optical retailer in the Washington, DC, area, my company is confronted each day with trying to reach a consumer that is increasingly beset by an avalanche of digital media. But unlike ecommerce retailers, we face the additional challenge of trying to promote “click-to-brick”–that is, harnessing technology to encourage consumers to physically walk into our offices … no easy task in the face of so many online alternatives.

In the last 18 months we have virtually abandoned most of the conventional marketing strategies upon which we relied since opening our doors in 2001. That means no more print ads, no more TV, no more fliers and dramatic cutbacks in direct mail.

Instead we’re exploiting the power of technology by capitalizing on social media, maximizing SEO, embracing Internet deal giants Groupon and Livingsocial, and using Yelp! to push both internal customer service and external word-of-mouth to drive consumer engagement. At the forefront of that technology are smartphones and Internet-connected mobile devices such as iPads.

Still, it’s evident that mobile technology is not yet the retail promised land everyone has hoped for. Mobile marketing remains a digital minefield that demands both vigilance and creativity to succeed. A recent report published on Tealeaf, a software company that monitors shoppers’ online behavior, provides some sobering statistics:

“In February 2011, Harris Interactive conducted a survey on the Mobile Customer Experience, commissioned by Tealeaf, the leader in online Customer Experience Management (CEM).

Consumers surveyed expect the mobile experience to be better or equal to in-store and online (using a laptop or desktop computer) experience.

More than four in five U.S. adults who have conducted an online transaction via a mobile device in the last year report experiencing a problem (84 percent).

Businesses may be losing customers due to poor mobile experiences: 63 percent of all online adults said they would be less likely to buy from the same company via other purchase channels if they experienced a problem conducting a mobile transaction.”

And if that’s not scary enough, let’s not forget that when consumers have negative experiences they are likely to take action. Consider this Tealeaf data:

43 percent would abandon the mobile transaction and try later on a computer
16 percent would become more likely to buy from a competitor
14 percent would email or log a complaint with customer service
12 percent would abandon the transaction at the app/site and try a competitor’s app/site

So what does that mean for small businesses with limited budgets, staffs and time? Is there an effective way to safely and reliably use mobile technology to drive revenue, consumer loyalty and branding without jeopardizing our customers’ hard-earned trust? That’s what we will explore more deeply in Network Solutions’ upcoming Livestream event.

To learn more about ways to leverage mobile technology in your business, register for Network Solutions’ Small Business Mobile Livestream, May 17 from 1:30 to 2:30 pm EST.

Tim Gorin is a Yelp!.com Small Business Advisory Council Member, and is Vice President of Business Development at MyEyeDr.

Image by Flickr user Phil Roeder (Creative Commons)

Tags: Events, mobile marketing, Search Marketing
Posted in Customer Service, Email Marketing, Events, Marketing, Search Marketing, Thought Leadership | 1 Comment »

Small Biz Resource Tip: BIGinsight.com

May 3rd, 2011 :: Maria Valdez Haubrich

BIGinsight.com

Need some insights into what your buyer is thinking, doing, buying right now? Don’t we all? BIGinsight.com is a new resource tool that gives businesses a comprehensive portrayal of today’s consumer, including feelings on the economy, future purchasing plans, retail behavior patterns and more. Gathering data from several sources such as consumer surveys, the Federal Reserve Economic Database and consumer surveys from China, BIGinsight.com presents the material through news blurbs, interactive charts, webcasts and social media updates. You can sign up for a variety of free reports, email updates and newsletters.

Tags: market research, Resources, small business
Posted in Marketing, Resources, Thought Leadership | No Comments »

How to Repurpose Old Blog Posts and Articles for Fresh Content

April 13th, 2011 :: Monika Jansen

If you are super-crunched on time and just need to churn out a blog post, newsletter, or article, don’t despair! In the race against time, simply snag an idea from mainstream magazines: Repurpose old topics and content to create something entirely new. I do this on occasion, and it is a lifesaver.

A friend of mine, Thursday Bram, who also happens to be a fellow writer, wrote a wonderfully thorough guide on doing just this. I have borrowed a couple of her ideas and added my own, leaving you with 5 ways to repurpose content.

1. Reduce, reuse, recycle

This is what I do most often: I’ll edit out information from a blog post to shorten it or add new information to update it and then use the blog post on another blog. I have also seen highly regarded bloggers outright announce at the beginning of a blog post that this blog already appeared elsewhere.

You can also use blog posts and articles in your newsletter, and expand on industry news items from your newsletter for a blog post.

2. Reposition the story

Thursday suggests repurposing content by repositioning it for a new audience. You can refocus a blog post or article so it addresses a specific industry or niche in your target market. You can also rewrite the content so it’s written on a personal level, or a more general level.

3. Write a follow-up

Another great idea from Thursday is to write a follow-up to a story. If you wrote a profile, where is that person or company now? If you published a book, launched a new product or service 3 months ago, or tried out a new business process, write about how it was received. If you wrote about an event, explain what you learned, who you met, and what you are looking forward to next—maybe a new partnership, new funding, their next event, etc.

4. Rewrite a topic to address current events

The most creative content you produce can be the result of repurposing it to address current events. With Charlie Sheen’s recent decent into crazy-world, marketing, public relations and branding experts found a ton of ways to return to their evergreen topics. I read—or saw—lots of bog posts on how his antics were brilliant from a marketing perspective—he had his own online TV station, was producing video blogs and tweeting like crazy, and people were eating it up.

5. Talk to a new expert on the topic

If you like to conduct interviews, Thursday suggests talking to a new expert on the topic for their fresh perspective. You need not write new questions, either, which is one of the best parts. Just edit their answers for length, and you’re good to go!

Image by Flickr user John Morgan (Creative Commons)

Tags: business blogs, Marketing, Thought Leadership
Posted in Marketing, Thought Leadership | No Comments »

3 Lead Generation Case Studies: How Content, SEO, Social Media, and Lead Nurturing Can Increase Sales

March 30th, 2011 :: Monika Jansen

One of the hardest things for most small business owners to do is generate leads. Doing so effectively and efficiently is key, but of course that’s easier said than done. However, if you don’t do something, your sales will growth might plummet, just like it did for the Legos at left. Because it is best to learn from others than to make mistakes that can be avoided, here are three case studies, courtesy of an eBook co-written by HubSpot and Marketing Sherpa, that illustrate B2B lead generation problems and their solutions. The results are outstanding!

Makana Solutions

What they do: Subscription‐based software that helps organizations perform sales compensation planning.

Problem: The software is a new concept (this task is normally done manually) and their target market is composed of companies with 50 or fewer sales reps. Because prospects don’t know this software exists, they are not actively looking for it; therefore, creating demand and awareness are key to generating leads.

Solution: Makana transformed their website into an online destination for sales compensation planning best practices and practical advice. To do so, they added educational content, such as sample plans and webinars, they optimized their website for search using high-value keywords, and they used paid search to generate additional leads. They also added all Web leads to a customer relationship management program for follow-up.

Result: After three months, website traffic increased 200 percent, lead generation rates tripled, and lead conversion rates doubled.

BreakingPoint

What they do: Provide cyber-security solutions

Problem: They are a startup with limited funds and a target audience of security and quality assurance professionals in R&D laboratories who hate marketing.

Solution: A social media strategy that would create strong relationships with hard‐to‐find prospects and turn them into leads. BreakingPoint took a multi-pronged approach that included:

Starting a blog
Scanning social media for relevant conversations to follow
Using Twitter to share info, post fun stuff and conduct informal polls
Creating a LinkedIn group that focused on the industry, not the company
Tweaking their press releases by adding links to their website and distributing them via Qeb-based services more frequently
Promoting their social media channels on their website and in e-signatures
Measuring everything

Result: After six months, leads from the Web shot up to 55 percent of all leads.

IBM Cognos

What they do: Business intelligence software

Problem: Longer sales cycles and buying committees composed of more people were making traditional tactics less effective at driving sales. Email marketing, for instance, saw click-through rates (CTR) plummet.

Solution: IBM Cognos put lead nurturing processes in place that positioned the company as a thought leader, generated demand, and supported the sales team. To read these goals, they overhauled their website to provide useful content, such as white papers and demos, and they organized all the content and information by product line and industry. They also created a lead‐nurturing program based on the prospect’s profile, and they analyzed and tested the program to ensure they were getting results.

Result: Open rates increased from 13.2 percent to 33.3 percent, CTR increased from 0.09 percent to 15.5 percent, response rate increased from 0.05 percent to 17.5 percent, and costs‐per‐lead decreased by 30 percent to 40 percent. Better alignment between sales and marketing goals allowed the marketing team to generate 30 percent of all leads per quarter.

Image by Flickr user Mark Anderson (Creative Commons)

Tags: BreakingPoint, content, CRM, CTR, educational content, Email marketing, Hubspot, IBM Cognos, lead generation, lead generation case studies, lead nurturing, LinkedIn, Makana Solutions, Marketing Sherpa, paid search, press releases, seo, social media, social media strategy, Thought Leadership, Twitter, webinars
Posted in Marketing, Search Marketing, Small Business, Social Media, Thought Leadership | 4 Comments »

How to Use White Papers to Market Your Small Business

February 28th, 2011 :: Rieva Lesonsky

By Rieva Lesonsky

Does your business sell services or expertise? Maybe you’re an accountant, consultant or IT expert. If you’re looking for a way to gain exposure as an industry expert while also educating clients and potential clients about what your business can do, consider marketing your business with white papers.

A white paper might sound like something that you’d only find in a college course, but in reality, it’s not that academic. A white paper is an informational report, typically 4 to 10 pages in length, that is provided to users for free and focuses on one specific aspect of a problem. They may spotlight research, interesting data or the results of a survey.

For instance, if you own a marketing company that helps businesses improve their social media profiles, you might do a white paper on how using Facebook can help businesses increase awareness of their brand, customers and sales. If you have a website design company, you could write a white paper about how to convert website browsers to buyers and focus on some tactics that you use in design.

White papers have a twofold purpose: to educate readers, but also to promote your business. So be sure your topic ties in to the areas your business specializes in and promotes you as an authority. In addition, the white paper must provide some reason why people need what you sell. (For instance, the marketing company in the prior example would want to show that companies that hire a marketing service get better results from Facebook.) For that reason, make sure you include plenty of ways to contact your business (email, address, phone, website) at the end of the white paper.

You’ll also need to determine who would benefit from your white paper and how to distribute it. For sure, you’ll want to put it on your business website and Facebook page. Then let people know about it by promoting it wherever you can—in your email signature, using social media, in your email newsletters, and in any descriptions or bios of you that appear online.

As you develop more white papers, you’ll find more uses for them—such as putting them into print booklet form as a giveaway in situations where downloading isn’t practical, or gathering several into an ebook. Use it right and you’ll discover that a white paper can be one of your simplest and most effective marketing tools.

Image Courtesy: Karen Axelton

Tags: Marketing, small business, Thought Leadership
Posted in Marketing, small business, Thought Leadership | No Comments »

Blogs, Videos, and Websites: More Online Marketing Success Stories

February 14th, 2011 :: Monika Jansen

In my last blog post, I wrote about a recent ebook from HubSpot called 11 Examples of Online Marketing Success. It was written by David Meerman Scott, who is a wonderful source of useful information, and this ebook is definitely useful. My favorite thing about it is the companies that are featured. While most of them are in very blah industries, their success stories are exciting and inspiring.

Here is what I learned from a manufacturer that used an optimized blog, a medical billing and EMR provider that used a viral video, and an author that used an audience-centric website to energize their online marketing efforts:

Search Rankings and Sales Improve With an Optimized Blog

Agilent Technologies, a company that manufactures and sells life sciences and chemical analysis tools and electronic tests and measurement tools (I know, super exciting stuff), was having a problem ranking for a specific keyword, signal integrity, even though they are in a very niche industry.

To fix this, their head of marketing decided to start blogging in a very thoughtful and targeted way. He didn’t create a company blog; instead, he created an industry blog based on signal integrity that was fully optimized for search: The blog domain is consistent with Web page titles and the content in each blog post. (Check yours to see if that’s true for your blog posts! In the top navigation bar, the name of your blog plus the title of the blog post should appear.)

Because they are publishing useful, relevant content and optimizing the blog with keywords for search, the blog is yielding great results. Agilent ranks high in search engines because of the blog, and the blog ranks on the first page of Google for signal integrity and is generating qualified leads. Just as awesome is the fact that journalists at industry publications are reading the blog and back-linking to it, which search engines reward.

The Power of One Viral Video

Producing just one video that is fun, creative, and engaging can have far-reaching results, as Nuesoft Technologies learned this past fall. Again, this is a company in a very un-sexy industry: they provide medical billing solutions and electronic medical records (EMR). Yawn.

But check out what they did: Their IT department produced and distributed a really funny parody video of Lady Gaga’s song Poker Face called Interface. Watch it! When I viewed it, they were just short of 8,000 views.

Their goal with the video was simple: increase online visibility within the industry. They got that, and a whole lot more: 3 of the most important industry blogs wrote about the video, and it was shared virally on Facebook, generating a lot of comments and likes. In an industry of 400 competitors, they are one of the very few who have taken video marketing to the next level. As a result, they now stand out in a very crowded marketplace.

Complete Website Overhaul Leads to Inbound Marketing Success

If your website is a static, brochure site that is not optimized for search and lacks engaging, useful content, keep reading! Victor Conshin wrote the number one book on gout (yes, gout) called Beating Gout: A Sufferer’s Guide to Living Pain Free. (I didn’t even know what gout was until I read this success story.) His original website was a huge failure, and not because the design was horrible (it was fine), but it was not ranked, very hard to find, and contained no interesting content. It was just a boring, product-focused brochure.

He completely redid his website to make it audience-focused. It is now optimized for search, answers gout FAQs, and provides the latest news in the food and drug industry. Traffic has doubled, and his bounce rate has gone down significantly, which means people are exploring his site beyond the home page. As a result, book sales have increased and the site now ranks on the first page of a Google search.

Image courtesy Flickr user Claudio Matsuoka (Creative Commons)

Tags: blogging, Inbound Marketing, Marketing, seo, social media, Website, website redesign
Posted in Marketing, Search Marketing, Social Media, Thought Leadership, Web Design | 2 Comments »