What do the statistics say?

I get statistics that show me:

If I were to dig deeper, I could find out more about visitors–where they hail from, what platform they used to find me, and perhaps even who they are.

I also know how many people signed up to receive my posts on an ongoing basis–and who has expressed interest in learning more.  What I can’t tell is whether or not they read my blog.

Shiny magazines on the night table

I always liken feeds to my blog  to that stack of magazines you used to have on your night table.  You remember, don’t you?

The magazines arrived all nice and shiny.  You took a quick look and vowed to read them later.

Then, eventually, you decided to de-clutter and trash everything you received before a certain date.  Your assumption was that if you hadn’t read it by then, you probably weren’t ever going to read it.

Indicators aren’t conclusive

Even though a lot of people subscribe to my blog, I really don’t know who actually reads it–or how often.  One could argue that I could infer the number of readers from the number of comments and retweets.

Nevertheless, robots can comment on blogs.  And, there are people that retweet blogs after just reading the headlines.  So, it’s hard to estimate how many blog posts, like the magazines of yesteryear, merely gather virtual dust before prospective readers either forget they exist, or delete them entirely.

Just looking…., thanks!

For that matter, I’m not sure how much stake one can put in “conversions” either–except for those that eventually turn into sales.  Just because someone enjoys your content, can you really assume that they’ll ever want or need your products or services?  I don’t think so.

So, why blog?

So, why do I blog?  For one, it helps me organize my thoughts.

For another, my blog gives prospective buyers that might not otherwise have the opportunity, get a sense of who I am, how I engage with my world, and what that world is.  Information, that should they also have an interest in buying, would likely be helpful.

Also, my blog attracts paying clients.  However, I only know that for sure, because I ask prospects what caused them to contact me.  So, in some cases “words may speak more than actions”–or be at least as reliable.

So, it’s great that the number of visitors continues to accelerate.  But, I’ll never know how many people read my blog–unless you want to comment below or give me a call…

Breakfast with Barbara

Wish you had a blog, but don’t have the time to capture the insights you’d like to share with clients and potential referrers?  Check out Breakfast with Barbara!

No related posts.

Value is in the eye of the beholder

Although not stated explicitly, it is essential that marketers define the value proposition with the target audience’s perspective in mind–and that the content directly contributes to the delivery of that value proposition.

While these points may seem obvious, there are many websites that start by describing what makes the company unique without making the connection to the value their target audience seeks to derive.   The content of these websites, when they highly optimized for search engines, attract attention but  fail to convert prospects into repeat visitors or customers.

Start with deep customer insights

The implied “step zero” of Kristin’s process is gaining deep insights into the “who”, “what”, “when” , “where” and “how” of your prospects’ buying process.  Do this  by developing detailed buyer personae of your most promising prospects–and the individuals they involve in the buying process. It is this knowledge that enables development of compelling value propositions–and “remarkable content”.

Create content that addresses needs on multiple dimensions

Content is only remarkable when it squarely addresses content consumers’ needs and preferences.  In addition to speaking to their most pressing concerns, what makes this content remarkable is that it appears where intended audiences look for it–and in the form they prefer to get it.

Engage with frequent and consistent communications

When their requirements are met, audiences find the content so remarkable they come back for more, they share it with their friends.  It is this process that ultimately induces them to engage with the individuals and companies that produce it.  So, when executing the 6 steps that Kristin recommends, also make it a goal for each of your communications to contribute to the delivery of the value that your products and services will ultimately provide to your most promising prospects.

Tailor communications for each audience and buying stage

Here are two examples that pertain directly to the medical device companies attending the upcoming meeting.  To reach patients, especially at the early stages of their “buying process”, medical device companies may want to deliver content via health education websites, in addition to their own.  To address physicians’ needs, nearing the end of their “buying process”,  these same companies may want to create instructional videos that demonstrate how to use these devices in their practices.

Tools and tips for value creation

Need help getting started with your own marketing efforts?  Use the value proposition formula to help you develop marketing messages that capture attention and compel action.   Then, read this post for ideas about how you can discover the  content that captures attention.   Then, before you post, double check to ensure that everything you’re about to publish is tightly integrated with the value your best prospects seek to obtain.

Related posts:

1. Shortening the sales cycle starts with getting into buyers’ minds

For that reason, I advise my clients to get as much information as they can about prospects’ and customers’ priorities–and then develop marketing messages that address those priorities.  Nevertheless, I left out one important tip.

Here’s the tip: look to your customer service department for help.  Earlier this month, I learned this lesson by direct example.

Speak to prospects’ priorities

My landscaper came to trim the hedges.  While he was here, he noticed that a city tree, adjacent to my property, had branches weaving in and out of the electric wires.

At his suggestion, I called the city.  The forestry department said they would send over someone to look at it.  Sure enough, I soon received a note on my door letting me know that the tree was now scheduled for trimming.

A few weeks later, after the holidays, I called back to check on the progress.  This time, I learned that there was a two-year waiting list.  The representative, therefore, suggested that I contact the electric company.

Actions speak louder than words

I then contacted electric company.  An hour later, someone rang the doorbell and asked me to move my car.  To my surprise, it was a representative from the electric company who had come to trim the tree.

Since several branches surrounded the wire, I asked if he could do some preventive trimming.  He said he would cut an 18″ box around the tree–and then went to work.

The right message at the right time

A couple days later I received a letter from the electric company.  Figuring it was related to a service contract, I opened it up.

Imagine my surprise–and delight–when I read the following message:

“Thank you for taking the time to contact us regarding tree trimming and/or vegetation concerns in your area.  As a result of your inquiry, we were able to identify and correct the issue you reported.

Your attentiveness is appreciated as it helps us  work to prevent future tree-related service interruptions.  If you have other questions or concerns regarding vegetation issues, you may contact us at the following number.”

Content that reinforces value derived captures attention

Wow! Nstar really gets it.

They fixed a problem that I found important enough to report.   That made a good impression.

They did so immediately.  That was impressive.

Then, they thanked me for letting me know.  That message reinforced the value they had delivered.

Content that resonates with prospects’ priorities elevates your brand

Their thank you note paraphrased my concern about preventive maintenance.  Not only does that capture attention, it makes a lasting impression.

I had always been pleased with Nstar’s services, and therefore had not responded to competitors’ offers.  That said, I had no distinct impression of their brand.

I do now.

The media is not always the message

The business-to-business letter with first class postage, reminding me of the value I derive from Nstar, was more memorable than any dimensional piece they might send me to retain my business.

What steps can you take to get into your buyers’ mind?  More important, do you follow up when they shout their concerns from the rooftops?  If you do, how do the costs associated with your follow up actions compare to your promotion costs?

No related posts.

The experiment: Same article, different results

Last week, Marketing Profs published my article entitled Accelerate Referrals: 9 steps to success and their readers retweeted it 73 times!  This week I began publicizing the article  and it was retweeted at least once. Same article, different results…

So what can we learn from this?  Here are some of my conclusions.  Please chime in with yours!

1. Publish where others will see your article

This seems obvious, but the only way that others can retweet your articles is if they see them in the first place.  One of the reasons that I post in MarketingProfs is that they have cultivated a large number of followers.

Sure, a lot of people visit my site; but the numbers are smaller.  My company is a B2B marketing consulting firm with a healthy articles section.   MarketingProfs is in the business of publishing others’ submissions and therefore offers significantly more content.

2. Build a following across multiple channels to expand your reach

You can expand your reach by publishing the same information across multiple channels as I did.  I have several hundred followers on both LinkedIn and Twitter.  So, chances are a large number of people saw it, but it takes even larger numbers to generate retweets.

Compare my reach to that of MarketingProfs, an organization that has made significant investments in building a following for each of their communications channels.  Examples include the Get to the Point newsletters which they send out each week, the LinkedInGroup they started and moderate, and a strong Twitter presence built bit-by-bit with over 17,000 tweets.

They have greater than 72,000 followers on Twitter alone.  No wonder they got all those retweets.

Building a following takes time, but it really pays off.  When you build a following across multiple channels each feeds the other and amplifies the impact.

3. Convert your following into a community

“Followers” and “community” are not synonymous.  The term “followers” connotes a one-to-many relationship.  The term “community”, however, implies peer-to-peer interactions.  

While I don’t  have data to support this assertion, I suspect that communities are more likely to retweet posts than mere followers.  For one, most communities promote sharing.

For another, sharing likely begets sharing.  Those that have participated in sharing–or even just observed it–have direct experience with the benefits it provides and are likely to want to share more.

MarketingProfs has made significant investments in building a community that promotes sharing.  They started a LinkedIn group actively moderate it  to foster inclusion and conversation.  The organization’s The Get to the Point email newsletters acknowledge particular community members for thought leadership–whether or not the content first appeared on one one of their own properties.  On Twitter, many of their tweets are informational, but a lot are strictly conversational.

4. Keep the community engaged

Communities erode over time unless there is a process for re-engaging with community members.  The best way to keep people engaged is by continuing a conversation on a topic they’ve already signaled they found interesting.

To that end, each MarketingProf article and LinkedIn thread has a box that participants can check to receive notifications whenever someone else comments.  This helps ensure the community is there, listening, and ready to retweet when opportunities arise.

5. Actively encourage retweets

The first thing you see on a MarketingProfs article is the number of people who already retweeted it.  This sends a clear signal to others to do the same.  Then, at the end of the article, MarketingProfs presents readers with social sharing icons to make it easy to share across whatever media the reader prefers.

Content is king–but the king needs a kingdom

Writing great content is a necessary–but not sufficient–condition.   When all is said and done, you need a great list just as you do with conventional marketing.

Think of it as a cycle.  Develop great content, publish where your readers congregate, develop a following across multiple channels, convert your followers into a community, keep the community engaged–and start your “list building” efforts anew.  When the list reaches critical mass, assuming the content remains strong, the retweets will follow.

Those are my conclusions about what it takes to get more retweets.  What are yours?

Related posts:

1. Twitter tidbits

Typical topics include content strategy, search engine optimization (SEO), social media, inbound marketing, marketing automation, and of course email marketing.  Spending in all of these areas is up–often at the expense of conventional advertising and PR.

There are several trends driving this transition.  One is that prospects are moving online so the marketers that wish to reach them must also move online.  Another is that advances in marketing technology have made it relatively easy for non-professionals to produce content that attracts and engages their audiences.

A third is that many online marketing programs are direct marketing initiatives and therefore highly measurable–even more so now that respondents leave digital footprints in their wake.  A fourth is that in a down economy, companies are more concerned about short term revenue.  This causes them to focus more on demand generation and less on longer term strategies such as branding.

If content is king, will marketing organizations change to serve the new master?

In attending these conferences, one of the things that has struck me is that most of the marketing strategies under discussion require generating a lot of content–a task which many companies have historically outsourced to advertising and PR agencies or independent copywriters.  So, this has made me wonder whether organizations, particularly small organizations, are restructuring to make the most of their marketing resources.

That is, now that most of the marketing resources are going to content production and analytics–are companies retaining these functions in house?  And, if so, are these businesses outsourcing marketing strategy work–since it tends to be front-loaded and then intermittent–and requires far fewer resources on an ongoing basis in today’s digital world?

What are you seeing at your company and those companies that you serve?

Related posts:

1. Social media: Insights from an in-house specialist
2. Digital marketing: How B2B marketers can use it to pick the best marketing strategies
3. B2B marketing insights and tips compliments of MarketingProfs
4. Digital marketing: How B2B marketers can use it to improve their performance against goals

My questions appear in bold followed by his answers.  Here’s what he had to say:

Why did PTC create your position?

Twelve to eighteen months ago, the company’s senior marketing executives realized that conversations happen online whether or not PTC participates–and determined the company needed to take a more active role.  They considered various approaches but ultimately decided they needed a full-time resource.  For one thing, PTC is a large organization with almost $1 billion in revenues. For another, it was clear that social media was here to stay.

What does PTC hope you’ll achieve?

Better engagement with customers.  People that participate online tend to be more engaged than those that don’t.

Engagement is the name of the game.  Engagement equals a valuable brand.  Valuable brands attract more customers.

My job is helping PTC marketers determine where to spend time and how to spend it.  The key is figuring out how to create and promote good content.  If you pump out seven blogs in a week, you run the risk of overwhelming your audience.

How does your company view social media complementing other initiatives?

There are several ways.  For one, social media will augment other marketing activities.

Because of the nature of social media, perhaps it will reduce spend.  I use the word “perhaps” intentionally as it will only reduce costs if we can get more data for less money.

Social media can also help you get better qualified leads.  At a recent Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council meeting, Amy Black from Kadient said something along the lines of “A discussion through social media beats a cold call every day.”  If you do something that causes someone to take action–and let you know they’re interested–that’s better than pursuing them.

Today, the focus is on marketing.  In the future, my personal hope is that the entire corporation will incorporate social media into their operations.

What are your primary responsibilities as Director of Social Media Marketing?

My primary responsibility is to help the company leverage social media in its marketing efforts.  I consult with marketers about how they can integrate social media into campaigns they are planning, and how they can put more power behind existing programs.

I also monitor social communications, “separating the signal from the noise”, to identify opportunities for PTC to take a more active role.  For example, I look for mentions of PTC, our products, and keywords, such as “PLM software” (product lifecycle management) that relate to our business.

Because we’re a global company, I also determine what tools to use in other countries by reviewing third-party research, interviewing local marketing experts, and traveling to other countries to learn more about what people are using there. Different cultures consume information in different ways.  For example, some countries, such as Germany, place a different value on face-to-face conversations than others.  If online activity doesn’t influence the conversation, then it doesn’t make sense to invest heavily in social media in those places.

What listening tools are you using?

I’m glad you asked that, because listening is so important.  We use a number of free tools such as Twitter’s advanced search, BackTweets (which effectively reverses “the shorten URL process” to find terms that were in the original URL but are no longer visible), Social Mention, and OMGILI (an aggregator that displays results visually).  We also use BoardTracker to search discussion boards.

In addition, it’s important to search on sites that are specific to your industry–and look through the sites themselves.  For example, I bookmark PLM–and CAD-related websites and then enter my keywords in their search bars.

We listen to traffic on three large networks:  Facebook, Linked In and Twitter; because that’s where audiences have conversations about business–or blur the line between business and personal.  When it comes to Twitter, my main interest is the links that people share.

You need to use a suite of tools.  You can’t rely on a single tool, because none of them do everything. You also need to accept that, initially, you will get overwhelmed–but you need to get over it.  You can refine your process over time–and use aggregators like Social Mention.

You want to get a rough sense of where things are happening.  If you record all the mentions of your search terms, you’ll go batty.

You just want to understand where the conversation is happening, what people are saying about you:  the questions they have, the tips they offer others, how they feel about you) and the media they use (audio, visual, file exchanges), etc.  If we can answer those questions, then we know where to focus our time, what content we are seeking, and how to deliver it.

I also should add that not all the information we get is free.  Our PR agency uses a third-party tool to produce a thick report of all the times that our company gets mentioned and nice-looking graphs.

We pay for this service to leverage our time.  They search many sites (both relevant and less relevant); and we use this data to understand trends, such as where certain types of conversations are happening, and the general content of those conversations (such as the media they use, as mentioned previously).

Where are you focusing your initial efforts and why?

We are listening to hear where the conversations happen so we know where and how to engage: what channels to use, what content to create, who to follow, what media to use.  I’m also teaching the corporation how to engage with social media.

How will PTC know if you’re successful?

The first indication will be 1.0 metrics such as page views over time and unique visitors. Moving forward, though, you need to change what you measure, and measure what you change.

To bridge the gap to 2.0 metrics, we’ll look at better forms of engagement (such as the ratio of comments to posts to measure how deep the conversation is and average unique comment per post that tells you how many people you’ve engaged).

Then, there are intermediary measures.  For example, Facebook now allows users who won’t comment to just click to indicate that they “like” a particular post.

Initially, you’ll want to look at the aggregate, rather than the specific.  There are no widely agreed-upon metrics that I’ve found — but since everything is online, it’s still easier to measure the ROI of social media than the ROI of a billboard.

What’s been the biggest surprise in your new role?

Although there is a general awareness of social media, inside our company, it is very new to most people and initially, they weren’t clear as to how to apply it in their day-to-day marketing efforts. As I’ve dug into this role, I’ve learned that this is not uncommon amongst B2B companies.  Social media is so new that there is a lot of education needed inside a company to aid adoption.

Why do you think that is?

The adoption of online social networking was very rapid, likely attributable to Facebook (and others).  Since Facebook is primarily seen as a casual or truly social site (as in, non-professional), I think people associated it with kids and socializing.  They likely extended this thinking into other forms of online social networking.  However, Facebook is just one form of online social networking.

Other forms of social networking (online and offline) exist, too – for example, moving into a new neighborhood and asking for a good plumber – that’s an example of and ‘old fashioned’ offline social network.  But the social mores and rules are the same.

In addition, some people may have tried something small in one or two social arenas (for example, purchasing ads or trying a reach-out campaign), and may not have gotten the results they were seeking.  In doing so, they may ascribe their less-than-desirable results in one social arena to all social arenas.  For example, I thought that a recent article in the New York Times about how people often base their impressions on a single data point was a great take on this phenomenon.

What’s your largest unanswered question about social media at PTC?

How long until it “pays off”?  By that I mean, “When will I be able to make a stronger correlation between our marketing efforts to stimulate engagement, and its ultimate effect on sales, revenue, and profit?”.

Altimeter produced a report that shows that the more engaged a brand is with customers, the greater their annual revenues are.  Companies that do participate online are more engaged with their customers.

Customer engagement equals a valuable brand.  A valuable brand leads to increased sales.  It also goes without saying that this leads to happier customers.

We’ve covered a lot of ground about your perspectives on social media.  What else should we cover?

I’m glad that you asked about listening platforms earlier.  That’s where it starts.

One of the greatest challenges is getting people to listen before acting.  I wrote a fairly comprehensive strategy from scratch.  You need to figure out what you want to accomplish first. Else, the first time you fail, someone will ask, “Why did you do that?  It doesn’t make sense.”

My own research shows that people who want a social media strategy often want to jump into interaction.  If you don’t know what’s important to your customers, prospects, or users, or where the conversations are happening, how can you have an impact?

I liken this to a cocktail party…You don’t show up at someone’s house and say, “buy my stuff”.  You show up, survey the landscape, and maybe find someone you know.  You listen in on a few conversations before you add a comment or two.  As the evening progresses, in addition to adding comments into conversations, you strike up your own conversation.  Before the night is over, people are joining your conversations and looking to you for what you have to say.

Online social networking and the use of social media is similar.  Starting by listening and offering comments is a better bet than jumping into a sales pitch or a “go look at our stuff” mentality with respect to a web presence.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

I love my job.  I appreciate that PTC gave me this opportunity and admire the company for being so forward thinking.

Also, I’d be remiss to talk about social media and not provide people additional ways to find me online.  My Twitter ID is abelniak (@abelniak ; http://www.twitter.com/abelniak), and my blog address is http://www.SubjectivelySpeaking.net

Hear more from Alan this Thursday morning when he’ll be speaking on Social Media: What’s In It For You? in Cambridge, MA at a NEDMA event.  Click here to learn more about concrete steps you can take to succeed with Social media marketing.

Related posts:

1. Social Media Breakfast (SMB15) serves up great insights and recommendations
2. Social media adoption: How will marketing spending patterns change?
3. Social Media Marketing for Job Search
4. Social Media Overload–How to make sense of it all