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Bad Advertising Advice: Go Where Your Audience Is

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It sounds obvious, on point, and innocent, but the oft-told advice to “go where your audience is” is one of the worst pieces of advice B2B marketers receive.

This advice leaves B2B marketers looking at what their audience does. Do they watch the Super Bowl? Are they on Facebook? Do they read Sports Illustrated?

Media sales representatives perpetuate the problem, comparing reach to their competitors. The “more read our stuff” chart is in nearly every major media kit in one form or another and every day it leads marketers astray. [Read more…]

No!! LinkedIn Just Went Klout On Us!

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If you have viewed a LinkedIn profile in the last couple days, chances are you have seen a new box at the top of the page prompting you to endorse the individuals skills.

Here is a screenshot of the endorse box on one of my connection’s profile page:

With one click, I can endorse Lauren’s skills in these five areas simply because we are connected. But wait, there’s more! Scroll down the page and there is a prominent call, again, to endorse Lauren!

Is this really a good idea? [Read more…]

Social Sleuthing: Who is Sharing Your Content: Twitter & LinkedIn Edition

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shadow detective servicesHave you ever wondered who is sharing your blog posts or other content on social media sites but don’t have access to expensive social media monitoring applications that can tell you? Here are ways you can find out who is sharing your content, and in some cases how much traffic each share is driving, on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Some of the approaches here use Google Analytics or WordPress statistics, the measurement solutions I use here on B2B Digital Marketing. [Read more…]

B2B Social Media Opportunities [#B2Bchat Recap]

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Join #B2BChat on Twitter every Thursday at 8:00 PM EasternIn our most recent #B2Bchat discussion, we looked at a number of social networks and how B2B marketers can take advantage of them, and once again I was pleased to have the opportunity to moderate the lively discussion.

Rather than a deep dive into a single network or objective, the discussion quickly touched on a number of social networks or platforms.

Participants identified a number of specific opportunities, however what was most apparent throughout the discussion is that social media is moving quickly. B2B marketers need to stay on top of the market if they are to identify and take advantage of new opportunities. [Read more…]

All Media Will Be Social Media

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This is a forward looking opinion post on the potential future of digital marketing.

The future of digital media is social. With the far-reaching tentacles of Google and Facebook, no digital marketer will be able to approach marketing without engaging in some form of social media.

Today, companies can choose to ignore social media. Although they cannot stop the conversation, they can ignore the conversation that is happening elsewhere.

In the future, social media will be harder to ignore. Social media will not be integrated into marketing, it will be integrated into our experience as individuals. As social media is integrated into the applications we use, marketers will no longer be able to ignore it or choose not to integrate it. Marketers will lose even more control than they already have.

Here are three predictions for what this future may include. [Read more…]

Buyers to Marketers: Don’t Call Me, I’ll Call You

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“Why do you want my email and phone number again? So your sales consultant can contact me? No thanks, I’ll pass.”

Boonville Missing Bucky Walter PhoneMost B2B marketers are still fixated on capturing registration data, and no wonder. The marketing automation machine lives on a diet of email and your sales process is built on the telephone.

The problem is, your buyer’s process is not built on your email or your phone. According to research, buyers only engage with companies directly during the last 40% of their research process.

When you insist on registration, you are in effect telling prospects:

  • We don’t want to be involved in the first half of your research.
  • We are only willing to engage with you on our terms and timetable.

[Read more…]

Email Marketing 2.0 is Facebook and More

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The Changes to Email Marketing will Not End with Facebook.

Jay Baer proposed in a blog post on Monday that Facebook for  Business is Email Marketing 2.0, and that email can then be used to value marketing efforts on Facebook. It is an excellent approach, and I think most comments missed the point. Facebook marketing and email marketing are both about developing an audience that allows you to engage over time.

Facebook is (part of) Email Marketing 2.0.

The most important part of the heading isn’t Facebook, it is Email 2.0. Both Facebook and email are used by companies to distribute information. But email marketing is a one-way blast channel.

Email Marketing 2.0 should look vastly different from today’s email marketing. With all due respect to the email providers integrating social sharing into email, that does not make email marketing a platform for sharing and discussing. It continues to be a one-way channel, at times simply promoting discussion or sharing elsewhere.

[Read more…]

LinkedIn is the New B2B Media Powerhouse

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LinkedIn announced 100 million members (with a great infographic) earlier this week and look to be on track for an IPO in the second quarter. The company is profitable, growing, and for the moment, on top of business social media networking. For B2B marketers, LinkedIn cannot be ignored.

Does LinkedIn have a defensible advantage as a B2B media player as they go into an IPO? Will the advertisers driving marketing revenue (approximately one-third of LinkedIn’s revenue) see results and continue investing?

Across multiple clients, LinkedIn has consistently performed well. One thing that has stood out is the engagement of LinkedIn traffic. Whether measuring page views per visit, time on site, or registration rate, LinkedIn has delivered above average results every time.

Here are five reasons I believe LinkedIn has performed well, and what it means for LinkedIn’s future as a B2B media powerhouse. [Read more…]