What’s App with That?
What’s App with That?This article stems from a current national discussion and I believe this discussion is culturally and economically crucial. In fact, I encourage you to discuss this topic with your colleagues and get to the heart of the matter for your business.
We’re shifting our own “social media marketing” over to real professional networking on LinkedIn and within our chosen organizations. And by the way, email marketing still rocks!
We’re leaving the noisy social chatter and joining the focused, productive discussions both online and in real meetings. Care to join the movement?
Facebook Folly
Consider this analogy. Let’s say you commit a significant budget for radio advertising. Would you pay a radio group that only played your ads if they felt like it, or only according to a secret broadcast schedule, and then refused to give you independently verified data about audience reach, demographics and ratings stats? Welcome to Facebook! They’ll gladly take your money and then quite possibly hassle you about your ad content. If they let you run the campaign, they generate analytics reports that show “engagements” which are also called “vanity metrics” for a good reason. You might even hear from a tire kicker or two, perhaps a couple of trolls… and gain little or no new business.
This is the typical experience that I and numerous B2B colleagues have had advertising on Facebook.
Targeted demographics or advertising sales scam?
The top social media company says they know who your customers are (or would be) because they have the data, and they have it in spades, but not on everyone.
Supposedly, they pinpoint and distribute your ads to the right people; whatever they say their algorithm does, not what an independent auditor can analyze and measure, and you have no possible way of confirming or validating the analytics they provide. It’s whatever they say it is, not what you actually experience in results. I find it amazing that advertisers still widely accept this dubious scheme.
Where it Works
Social media does work for certain kinds of businesses, namely socially-driven businesses such as design, retail, fashion, beauty, health & fitness, coaching and lifestyle brands. That makes perfect sense.
What if you’re none of the above and sell things like heavy equipment, engineering services, contract manufacturing, commercial construction, IT services, application software and other B2B products & services? In these industries, Facebook is a time drain in a creepy crapshoot.
On the other hand, LinkedIn will connect you with dedicated career people in your chosen fields. The free LinkedIn personal profile provides the best functionality and user experience of any “social media” platform, and all in a business-driven environment!
Look at Reality!
- Will a clever Facebook ad resonate like a conversation between an engineer and their client CEO?
- Would a manufacturing company CEO be more likely to click an ad and request an appointment on Facebook or return a subject-relevant email from a potential supplier of critical components?
- What carries more weight, a pertinent direct message from a LinkedIn Connection or a message notification from a salesperson on your company Facebook page?
- How about a Facebook ad versus a product demo invitation from a company referred to you by someone in your network?
- How about seeing a mask-clad visitor dropping off a colorful brochure with large photos and bullet points that speak to your need? Compare that to the slight chance you will see a boosted Facebook video from that company sandwiched between an insane political meme complete with rant and your buddy’s latest vacation bragging.
B2B decision makers respond to messages that directly speak to their needs and they don’t use Facebook to look for those solutions! If you’re the odd CEO or Operations Manager who goes to Facebook to find crucial information to run your business, my advice is don’t be too distracted by the ugliness, and good luck finding any solutions that meet your needs.
Marketing Efforts Better Prioritized
When it comes to your B2B social media strategy, I offer this soothing advice. Relax!
The real social media value for most B2B marketing is having another nice looking brand presence online. That takes only minimal effort while it maintains some additional brand visibility.
If you’ve been struggling to make social media work for your company, pause and reconsider your entire marketing mix. Place social media where it belongs – as an ancillary extension of your primary online presence. Your website is far and away your higher priority!
Go Direct!
Yes, of course you can use technology to reach more customers! PPC search marketing delivers validated and proven results, especially when your landing pages resonate with effective calls to action.
So first off, channel more creative energy into the only place on the internet over which you have total control – your website! Work hard on those campaign landing pages!
And remember, direct marketing and personal selling have always worked and still work wonders for small business.
If we’re not already connected on LinkedIn, please feel free to reach out and connect with me: linkedin.com/in/chucksink. Perhaps my network can help you and your network.
Some of us can visit a car dealership online and in person, find a car to fall in love with, and drive it off the lot after providing all the needed info and signing the documentation.
There you have an automobile analogy to sum up the different ways website clients go about designing new sites.
Choose an agency or designer who will accommodate your style – ideally one that works well with diverse client types. That way, you’ll work with someone well accustomed to how you like to be treated as a customer.
There are two ways to obtain new business. It finds you (branding, marketing, reputation & referrals) or you find it (your salesforce). When both ways work in tandem, new business fires on all cylinders but sometimes the outside selling effort needs more throttle.
When I was a salesperson, in a few firms I was blessed to have enough authority to engage company resources and had a little bit of creative vision. In hindsight, I was terrible at conventional sales practices and had little discipline in performing them. Despite that problem, I thought outside the box enough to find and score big clients like Keurig Green Mountain, Bigelow Tea, Nuance Dragon and Ansys Fluent back in my sales days working for “the man.” In each case I either made a random phone call from a hunch or pulled up to the front entrance of a shiny building and walked in inquiring.
Today’s salesperson needs to be integral to the delivery of product solutions and customer service. Clients want someone who can do something for them, not simply echo their questions or concerns to a VP or manager. They want more than an advocate. They want a working associate, a partner. You want that too which proves the point.
The Cookie Cutter Won’t Cut It!
Review your marketing content across the board and be sure to speak and write from your client’s perspective which sounds like, “problem solved, smooth sailing ahead,” instead of your company’s perspective – “we do all this and more….” When you put your messages in the right context, your audience feels a sense of comfort; that their need will be met or their problem solved.
When you see an inbound call from a familiar company or brand name, you’re more inclined to answer the call. If you’re a business owner, you know this is true, and so do your salespeople.
their role as the teacher (and builder of ideas). They get to work laying the groundwork that entices the reader to witness the whole edifice take shape and have meaning. They put themselves in the novice’s shoes and know the right path to understanding.
You and I both know they’re not perfect. How much better must they be right now in order to reach your marketing goals? Is there one communications area you can focus on that will raise your company’s image in the market? Which building blocks of relevant meaning need to be logically arranged for your market’s benefit?
“I know I’ll find you somewhere… somewhere you can hear my voice…” While this may sound like a 1988 Moody Blues song, it’s really a promise and a commitment you can make to your market. As the market responds, your services provide more value to customers as your business becomes more profitable.
We talk about brand differentiation in marketing. What differentiates your offerings positively over your competition? Try some reverse engineering. There’s a reverse kind of differentiation that’s so crucially important to discovering your own and growing your business. It’s client differentiation.
Think through the logistics. Plan for success! When the orders come in, are you ready to fulfill each one to every customer’s satisfaction? Inventory, size, weight, packaging, shipper, postage/freight calculations, shipping labels, accounting or ERP integration…? If a service, how will you schedule sessions or book appointments?
