Is Your Company Engaging its Promoters???

The Net Promoter Scoring system is a fairly well known concept in the marketing circles.

What makes NPS work is its simplicity, based on the ‘fundamental perspective that every company’s customers can be divided into three categories: Promoters, Passives, and Detractors. By asking one simple question — How likely is it that you would recommend [Company X] to a friend or colleague? —  a company can get a clear measure of its performance through its customers’ eyes. Customers respond on a 0-to-10 point rating scale and are categorized as follows:

• Promoters (score 9-10) are loyal enthusiasts who will keep buying and refer others, fueling growth.
• Passives (score 7-8) are satisfied but unenthusiastic customers who are vulnerable to competitive offerings.
• Detractors (score 0-6) are unhappy customers who can damage your brand and impede growth through negative word-of-mouth.

To calculate its Net Promoter Score (NPS), a company can take the percentage of customers who are Promoters and subtract the percentage who are Detractors.’

The results derived are not only indicative of the goodwill that exits in the market for your company but is also reflective of your growth in profits and going further the areas within your company which might require improvement.
The decision to recommend a company is often influenced by a lot of factors – from the quality of the product being sold to the sale experience and after- sales service. Enough reason to prioritize and measure customer satisfaction at each level of customer interaction.

To ensure you get value of the NPS system it is important to make it a part of your day to day company processes. If the goal of every employee in your company is to ensure customer satisfaction both in principal and action, rarely can you go wrong.

In this era of social media, the NPS system can give a whole new meaning to marketing. Drawing your promoters to help you with the process of brand building by sharing their brand experiences with a larger audience can be a great add-on to any marketing strategy. This also increases the chances of turning the Passives into active Promoters.

I personally see the NPS system as a great value add for the PR and branding team of any company.  This can be a two level process –

Engaging your Promoters & Converting the passives

1. Create campaigns which encourage your promoters to share their positive feedback about your company with others on and across the social mediasphere.
2. Reward them for their loyalty by either recognizing their efforts or by providing them with a more premium service offering. Their happiness should be your company’s ultimate goal; these are your walking, talking assets, your investors and advertisers.
3. Create campaigns which offer value to the Passives in turning Promoters of your brand. It could be seasonal discounts, opportunities to participate in contests, priority redressal of complaints, referral programs etc. which ensures they see value in sticking to your brand and also of promoting it to others. Remember these groups of people have used your product and probably like using it but may switch brands if something better comes along – so the idea is to hold them and offer them value in sticking to the brand that goes beyond just your product.
4. At the engagement level it will help to identify the channels most commonly used by your Promoters, so that you can optimize your presence there. Also, since these are channels your promoters are used to, they would be more comfortable sharing their experiences here than anywhere else. If the sites and networks are different to those, you use for your promotions, its best to come up with a plan on how you will interlink the two, so that your existing networks can get a peek into your promoters endorsements.

Engaging your Detractors

1. Engage them to understand the cause of their dissatisfaction. This insight is critical for your future plans. Also, it will inform you about areas and processes within your company which need a re-look. Working on these will also reduce the number of Detractors you might have in future.
2. Most people feel unhappy about a company, when they feel the company is not bothered with the issues they have faced when dealing with the company. So it is important to build an image of your company which listens and responds to the complaints of its customers. Ensure your website has a complaint and suggestions address and a prompt response system in place – it says a lot about your willingness to address the issues raised by your customers.
3. Winning back people can be a difficult task and a long drawn process – but sometimes it is worth the effort because then the loyalty towards a brand is much more. Invite your Detractors to re-use your product or service, assure them that you have tried to address the issues raised by them and this time around if you can ensure them a fulfilling experience, you will have a customer who will talk about “how you cared to look into his concerns and made him feel important.”

The effectiveness of the Net Promoter Score has been a topic debate among marketers, market researchers and marketing professors ever since it was first developed by Fred Reichheld in 2003. But the concept continues to find believers and has been successfully adopted and implemented in big organizations like Microsoft, GE, Intuit etc.

It is a great brand growth measurement tool – and also one that helps in deciding the way forward.

Tags: B2B marketing, Brand Awareness, Brand growth, Business to Business Marketing, Engaging your detractors, engaging your promoters, marketing campaigns, marketing strategy, Net Promoter, Net Promoter Score, Public Relations

iPitch : Apple's Media Spin!!

Apple launched its iPad this week and made the media across the world go into a tizzy. The buzz that followed the launch was any PR professional’s dream come true – every one had something to say about the new Apple product.

7000 Apple tweets per minute during iPad announcement.

Thousands of technology journalists and bloggers across the World hooked to every word Steve Jobs had to say about his latest offering and a front page headline on most publications across the World.

A quick search on Google – is enough to showcase the media frenzy Apple unleashed with its recent product launch.

Over 6 Million coverages for its iPad is currently visible on the search engine of which more than 330,000 are mentions in blogs from all over…

Am I then surprised to hear a fellow tweeter tweet – “I would love to join the PR team of Apple – it is the easiest job on Earth.”

Looking at all the eyeballs Apple manages to get and all the tongues it sets rolling, I feel like agreeing with my tweet buddy. iPod, iPhone and now the iPad each outdid the other in terms of media coverage.

As a company Apple has always been tight lipped, which has worked for it in many ways. Speculations about its tablet PC were rife in the market, videos of its tablet PC were available on YouTube for over a month before the launch, yet it could not diminish the curiosity of the technology buffs and managed to take all by surprise.

While I would like to believe all this interest in Apple and its products is because of the great work and efforts put in by their marketing and communications team – in truth it’s not their doing, at least not ‘just’ their doing.

The real credit goes to the people behind the products Apple launches. They have managed to establish themselves as the creators of the most desirable products in the World – known for their cutting edge technology and exclusiveness, which every time manages to change the course of future technology.

Very rarely do you see the pride of owning a branded gadget like that among the Apple users.

Cynics can debate that despite the technology they were down in the dumps and almost on the verge of closure before they re-created themselves with the iPod, and yes there is truth in that – but then iPod was a success because of its technology and the way it managed to capture the imagination of music lovers all over.

Public Relations as a profession is a lot about creating that feel good fluff around your clients and their products, but for it to really make a mark it is important that the product in itself is good, of high quality and one which finds favor among its users.

At the end of the day, if the user experience is compromised, then how much ever good you write about it – the truth will finally find its way out.

Public Relations as a profession is a lot about creating that feel good fluff around your clients and their products, but for it to really make a mark it is important that the product in itself is good, of high quality and one which finds favor among its users.

At the end of the day, if the user experience is compromised, then how much ever good you write about it – the truth will finally find its way out.

I wouldn’t like to undermine the role PR professionals can play in creating the hype and building a company’s brand reputation – after all it’s my bread and butter.

But the truth is even if I were the best PR person in the World, with the best of media relations I would not be able to build the hype and keep it going if, the end product I was promoting was not good enough.

That is where Apple makes a mark. Its products and their users speak on its behalf. Apple believes in making – the ownership of an Apple product an experience. From the way Steve Jobs launches a product to the way Apple stores market it – everything is about experience.

UTalkMarketing Editor, Clark Turner quotes, “Tim Greenhalgh, a PR consultant at Liberate Media in his post, “No one does desire like Apple, and no one presents desire as well as Steve Jobs.”

Apple iPad

Good or bad, every time Apple launches its products – it creates something that is desirable by millions around the planet. And when millions want information on something – there will be thousands who would seek to provide them.

Tags: Apple, Apple iPad, Apple iPhone, Apple iPod, Brand Awareness, Business to Business Marketing, effective marketing, eye catching, iPad, iPhone, iPod, marketing strategy, PR moves, PR professionals, PR strategy, Public Relation Methods, Public Relation tricks, Public Relations Strategy, reinventing Public relations, Steve Jobs

When you should just go out and make a public announcement !

Make that announcement now..

Press release is one of the best marketing tools – because it lets you speak your version of the story, gets across your company’s news updates to your relevant audience (Stakeholders, potential investors and customers) and in the online space, helps you build credible backlinks.

If you search the term Press Release on Google – it throws up thousands of articles and posts which tell you how to write that perfect press release. I am sure on that front you will find a way out there – either yourself or with some hired help.

While most companies use press releases to announce their big moments, very few realize that press releases need not be restricted, to just the big moments but are more effective when used for all the significant moments in a company’s lifespan.

Let me put down some of these obvious and not so obvious moments for your future reference. You can always add to this list depending on the needs of your company.

Since the opportunities of going public with a news update vary in each company – this list cannot and should not be treated as the end of all thought and discussion – but more as the beginning of one…

So here you go – Occasions and reasons for you to go out with a Press release…

1. Launch – Any kind of launch, your company, product, service, new division etc.

2. Client Acquisitions

3. Partnerships

4. Mergers

5. Quarter and Annual results

6. New feature updates

7. New Appointments

8. Awards and accolades for the company and for those in the management team

9. Chartering new markets

10. Diversification

11. CSR initiatives

12. Green initiatives

13. Positive Industry Analyst reviews

14. Change in Location of your head office

15. Event/Webinar announcements – those you organize and those you are participating in

16. Published Reports / Whitepapers

17. Any offline or online conference your are hosting

18. If a company spokesperson is speaking at an event – you can have a post event release – focusing on the main points in his speech (provided they are significant)

19. Comment on a significant Industry development – in support or in opposition

20. Announcing your entry into the social media space – Opening your Company’s Twitter or Facebook account (It’s a great way of telling people where to find you on social mediaphere)

And before I close this post here are some must remember tips -

Tip #1 – If you are holding a press conference or an event – remember to have a pre – event and post-event press release.

Pre- Event press release – Should explain the reason for holding the event – (Launch, Partnership announcement etc.). Names of individuals, who would be addressing the event and their brief introductions, date of the event, details of your company.

Many companies and PR professionals today give pre-event releases a miss – but it is significant because it might give a journalist enough reason to write a heads-up report on the event, also it helps in getting your event listed under the upcoming events section by the various media publications – ensuring better attendance at your event.

Post – Event press release – Should elaborate on the announcement made at the event, significant quotes of those who address the gathering. Since, this is a more thought after release – PR professionals should think through the most significant development at the event which has news significance and build their release around that news peg or angle (use quotes that add to that point).  This will ensure your release has a better rate of coverage.

Tip #2 – We are aware that press releases are your company’s mouth piece – still it is best not to overplay (do not underplay either)  your achievements and appear very promotional when writing them. Those press release which appear balanced in their approach have a better chance of getting carried by the media

Tip # 3 – Remember to post a copy of the releases on your company website and on free Press Release submission sites.

If you can think of any more reasons or occasions for issuing a press release, write in and I will update this list further 

Press release is considered one of the best marketing tools – as it lets you publish your version of the story, gets across your company’s news updates to your relevant audience (Stakeholders, potential investors and customers) and in the online space, helps you build credible backlinks.

If you search the term Press Release on Google – it throws up thousands of articles and posts which tell you how to write that perfect press release. I am sure on that front you will find a way out there – either yourself or with some hired help.

While most companies use press releases to announce their big moments, very few realize that press releases need not be restricted, to just the big moments but are more effective when used for all the significant moments in a company’s lifespan.

Let me put down some of these obvious and not so obvious moments for your future reference. You can always add to this list depending on the needs of your company.

Since the opportunities of going public with a news update vary in each company – this list cannot and should not be treated as the end of all thought and discussion – but more as the beginning of one…

So here you go – Occasions and reasons for you to go out with a Press release…

1. Launch – Any kind of launch, your company, product, service, new division etc.

2. Client Acquisitions

3. Partnerships/tie-ups

4. Mergers

5. Quarterly and Annual results ( if your are profitable its good to let your stakeholders know)

6. New feature updates in your product or service

7. New Appointments at the senior management level

8. Awards and accolades for the company or for those in the management team

9. Launching in new markets

10. Diversification

11. CSR initiatives

12. Green initiatives

13. Positive Industry Analyst reviews

14. Change in Location of your head office /Website address

15. Event/Webinar announcements – those you organize and those you are participating in

16. Published Reports / Whitepapers

17. Any offline or online conference your are hosting

18. If a company spokesperson is speaking at an event – you can have a post event release – focusing on the main points in his speech (provided they are significant)

19. Comment on a significant Industry development – in support or in opposition

20. Announcing your entry into the social media space – Opening your Company’s Twitter or Facebook account (It’s a great way of telling people where to find you on social mediaphere)

And before I end this post here are some must remember tips -

Tip #1 – If you are holding a press conference or an event – remember to have a pre – event and post-event press release.

Pre- Event press release – Should explain the reason for holding the event – (Launch, Partnership announcement etc.). Names of individuals, who would be addressing the event and their brief introductions, date of the event, details of your company.

Many companies and PR professionals today give pre-event releases a miss – but it is significant because it might give a journalist enough reason to write a heads-up report on the event, also it helps in getting your event listed under the upcoming events section by the various media publications – ensuring better attendance at your event.

Post – Event press release – Should elaborate on the announcement made at the event, significant quotes of those who address the gathering. Since, this is a more thought after release – PR professionals should think through the most significant development at the event which has news significance and build their release around that news peg or angle (use quotes that add to that point).  This will ensure your release has a better rate of coverage.

Tip #2 – We are aware that press releases are your company’s mouth piece – still it is best not to overplay (do not underplay either)  your achievements and appear very promotional when writing them. Those press releases which appear balanced in their approach have a better chance of getting carried by the media

Tip # 3 – Remember to post a copy of the releases on your company website and on free Press Release submission sites.

If you can think of any more reasons or occasions for issuing a press release, write in and I will update this list further

Tags: B2B marketing, Business to Business Marketing, effective marketing, eye catching, occasions for a press release, PR strategy, PR Tactic, press release, Public Relation Methods, Public Relation myths, Public Relation tricks, Public Relations, reasons for press releases, reinventing Public relations, when should you issue a media release, when should you issue a news release, When to issue a press release

15 Easy & Useful Backlink Building Techniques For B2B Companies

Building Backlinks

In the realm of online marketing google page ranks can play a big role in making or breaking your brand image. It is no surprise that the Internet marketing space is full of experts and companies who promise to increase the number of your backlinks and in turn your google page rank.

Getting backlinks for your website or blog is a long and tedious process which requires some strategy and planning.

Wonder why I am discussing backlinks on a PR blog, well because from my experience, when it comes to online marketing, building backlinks is equal to doing Public Relations and vice-versa.

Like Public Relations building quality backlinks help build credibility for your site, win you some advertising real estate on another site and help you direct traffic from another site to your site.

Similar to  public relations – for a backlink (read coverage) to be valuable – it should come from a credible site with a good Page Rank. The content or the website should be relevant to what you offer, and the anchor text provided should clearly mention what your site is about.

A good google page rank not only increases your ranking for search but also helps with branding – since it signifies that their are others who value what you offer as content.

Unlike B2C companies building backlinks for a B2B companies can be a herculean task. But the advantage is since there are not many players in a specific industry it takes lesser backlinks than a B2C website to get a good page rank.

Below are some ways of building backlinks for B2B websites -

1. Directory Submissions

Find relevant directories in your industry with Good Page Rank – at least 4 and above – submit your website and company details to that. People looking for players in your industry usually visit these directories to check out their options and your offerings.

2. B2B Search Engines

It would be a good for B2B companies to submit their details to B2B search engines like  - Business.com, Zibb.com, knowledgestorm etc. in addition to your regular search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN

3. Whitepaper Submissions

Most B2B companies come up with Whitepapers on their industry as a means of establishing thought leadership. You can submit these Whitepapers to good PR sites like – http://whitepapers.zdnet.com/submitpaper.aspx?tag=content;col2

4. Case study submissions

Yes, now you can submit your case studies too. What better way to showcase, your abilities. Research – you will find many more sites like http://techrepublic.com.com/ which allow you to submit case studies.

5. Bookmarking

Bookmark your website pages on the various well-known and well ranked bookmarking sites. Bookmark your press releases, bookmark any news coverages you received, bookmark your articles etc. These may not directly give you backlinks but will help in increasing the value of your original link. Apart from getting you more traffic from these popular sites.

6. Article Submissions

Writing articles with links to your web pages and submitting these to popular article submission sites like Article base, Ezine articles will get you some good backlinks, especially since the content is something you can write around your offerings and hence relevant.

7. Event Listings

Are you hosting a Webinar, or any other events – research –  their are plenty of event listing sites, list your events there. Not only does it give you backlinks it also bring you traffic.

8. Submitting Corporate Presentations

All those interesting Corporate presentations you create to pitch to your prospects, submit them to sites like Slideshare.com. It not only helps your site with backlinks but can also bring you some good leads.

9. Getting jobs listed on University sites

Research and find colleges and universities who link degree students and alumni to job opportunities. Links from .edu sites like these are considered authority building links.

Obviously the first thing to do is get used to publishing your job vacancies on your site, and then telling potential linking partners about them. PS: Never take these jobs off your site – just mention “Role Filled” and strike out the text.

10. Partner Linkback

Do you work with certain vendors or have other partners in the industry, add them to your partner list and give a link to their sites, ask them to reciprocate in a similar fashion. You can send across a similar request to others you work with as well – resellers, distributors etc.

11. Testimonial Links

B2B companies can speak to their service providers and suggest writing a testimonial for the service provider website in exchange of a link back for your company. (Choose which sites you would like to go with if the list is long based on their google PR). OR  create a blog post, article or content page with a list of your “favorites (vendors)” ranked in a particular order, then email each of the mentioned sites and tell them that they’re welcome to use a “testimonial” quote you’ve written about them and also link to the “rankings” page. Companies love to link to anything ego-boosting.

12. Create Link Baits

Get a survey or research done and publish the report on your site – approach bloggers in your industry with your findings and request them to linkback to the report if they wish to publish the data.

Similarly you can create content around – something relevant to your industry. A list of 10 things every person from your industry show be ‘aware of’ or ‘beware of’ etc. If the list is interesting, you will find many people who would like to link to it. Remember to publish this content on your website for them to linkback.

13. Corporate Blog

Ensure your corporate blog is on the same domain as your website. Run a blog popularity program. Like submitting the blog to blog directories, rss feed directories, do blogger roll exchange etc. It will help in getting backlinks for your blog, increasing its page rank and thereby the page rank of your home page.

14. Competitor backlink analysis

Actually this is the best place to start working on your backlink plan. If any of your competitors have a website with a good page rank – analyze their backlinks and see if any of those sites where their link is present is relevant to you(which is most likely since you are from the same industry). See how you can approach these sites and get your company listed there as well

15. Press Releases & Blogger reachouts

Press releases are a great way of building quality backlinks. You need not spend big money every time for a press release, make it a point to come out with a press release every month. You can issue it using cheaper wire services like webwire.com’s webpost  services or you can just go with a list of free press release sites – some are researched and  listed here by Big News . You can also reach out to Bloggers who cover your industry space with some relevant and exciting story angles. Write-ups from them will not only amount in a good PR Coverage but also a quality backlink and good Google PR..

If you can think of anymore, please feel free to add here..

In the realm of online marketing google page ranks can play a big role in making or breaking your brand image. It is no surprise that the Internet marketing space is full of experts and companies who promise to increase the number of your backlinks and in turn your google page rank.

Getting backlinks for your website or blog is a long and tedious process which requires some strategy and planning.

Wonder why I am discussing backlinks on a PR blog, well because from my experience, when it comes to online marketing, building backlinks is equal to doing Public Relations and vice-versa.

Like Public Relations building quality backlinks help build credibility for your site, win you some advertising real estate on another site and help you direct traffic from another site to your site.

Similar to  public relations – for a backlink (read coverage) to be valuable – it should come from a credible site with a good Page Rank. The content or the website should be relevant to what you offer, and the anchor text provided should clearly mention what your site is about.

A good google page rank not only increases your ranking for search but also helps with branding – since it signifies that their are others who value what you offer as content.

Unlike B2C companies building backlinks for a B2B companies can be a herculean task. But the advantage is since there are not many players in a specific industry it takes lesser backlinks than a B2C website to get a good page rank.

Below are some ways of building backlinks for B2B websites -

1. Directory Submissions

Find relevant directories in your industry with Good Page Rank – at least 4 and above – submit your website and company details to that. People looking for players in your industry usually visit these directories to check out their options and your offerings.

2. B2B Search Engines

It would be a good for B2B companies to submit their details to B2B search engines like  - Business.com, Zibb.com, knowledgestorm etc. in addition to your regular search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN

3. Whitepaper Submissions

Most B2B companies come up with Whitepapers on their industry as a means of establishing thought leadership. You can submit these Whitepapers to good PR sites like – http://whitepapers.zdnet.com/submitpaper.aspx?tag=content;col2

4. Case study submissions

Yes, now you can submit your case studies too. What better way to showcase, your abilities. Research – you will find many more sites like http://techrepublic.com.com/ which allow you to submit case studies.

5. Bookmarking

Bookmark your website pages on the various well-known and well ranked bookmarking sites. Bookmark your press releases, bookmark any news coverages you received, bookmark your articles etc. These may not directly give you backlinks but will help in increasing the value of your original link. Apart from getting you more traffic from these popular sites.

6. Article Submissions

Writing articles with links to your web pages and submitting these to popular article submission sites like Article base, Ezine articles will get you some good backlinks, especially since the content is something you can write around your offerings and hence relevant.

7. Event Listings

Are you hosting a Webinar, or any other events – research –  their are plenty of event listing sites, list your events there. Not only does it give you backlinks it also bring you traffic.

8. Submitting Corporate Presentations

All those interesting Corporate presentations you create to pitch to your prospects, submit them to sites like Slideshare.com. It not only helps your site with backlinks but can also bring you some good leads.

9. Getting jobs listed on University sites

Research and find colleges and universities who link degree students and alumni to job opportunities. Links from .edu sites like these are considered authority building links.

Obviously the first thing to do is get used to publishing your job vacancies on your site, and then telling potential linking partners about them. PS: Never take these jobs off your site – just mention “Role Filled” and strike out the text.

10. Partner Linkback

Do you work with certain vendors or have other partners in the industry, add them to your partner list and give a link to their sites, ask them to reciprocate in a similar fashion. You can send across a similar request to others you work with as well – resellers, distributors etc.

11. Testimonial Links

B2B companies can speak to their service providers and suggest writing a testimonial for the service provider website in exchange of a link back for your company. (Choose which sites you would like to go with if the list is long based on their google PR). OR  create a blog post, article or content page with a list of your “favorites (vendors)” ranked in a particular order, then email each of the mentioned sites and tell them that they’re welcome to use a “testimonial” quote you’ve written about them and also link to the “rankings” page. Companies love to link to anything ego-boosting.

12. Create Link Baits

Get a survey or research done and publish the report on your site – approach bloggers in your industry with your findings and request them to linkback to the report if they wish to publish the data.

Similarly you can create content around – something relevant to your industry. A list of 10 things every person from your industry show be ‘aware of’ or ‘beware of’ etc. If the list is interesting, you will find many people who would like to link to it. Remember to publish this content on your website for them to linkback.

13. Corporate Blog

Ensure your corporate blog is on the same domain as your website. Run a blog popularity program. Like submitting the blog to blog directories, rss feed directories, do blogger roll exchange etc. It will help in getting backlinks for your blog, increasing its page rank and thereby the page rank of your home page.

14. Competitor backlink analysis

Actually this is the best place to start working on your backlink plan. If any of your competitors have a website with a good page rank – analyze their backlinks and see if any of those sites where their link is present is relevant to you(which is most likely since you are from the same industry). See how you can approach these sites and get your company listed there as well

15. Press Releases & Blogger reachouts

Press releases are a great way of building quality backlinks. You need not spend big money every time for a press release, make it a point to come out with a press release every month. You can issue it using cheaper wire services like webwire.com’s webpost  services or you can just go with a list of free press release sites – some are researched and  listed here by Big News . You can also reach out to Bloggers who cover your industry space with some relevant and exciting story angles. Write-ups from them will not only amount in a good PR Coverage but also a quality backlink and good Google PR..

If you can think of anymore, please feel free to add here..

Tags: Backlink building techniques, Building Backlinks for B2B sites, Business to Business Marketing, Google Page Rank, Link building methods, marketing strategy, PR strategy, Public Relation Methods, Public Relation tricks, reinventing Public relations

5 Ways – B2B Companies Can Use Social Media for Lead Generation & Lead Nurturing

Social Media Tool Kit for B2B companies

The relevancy of social media for Business to Business (B2B) companies is a much debated subject. While B2B companies are opening up to the idea of participating in social media, by creating social profiles, writing blogs and engaging in micro-blogging etc. a lot is desired when it comes to using social media as an effective tool to forward their business interests or for securing, and nurturing quality leads.

Having worked with both B2C and B2B companies in the social media space, I strongly feel that the approach for both have to be significantly different – at least at the engagement level.

It has to be very similar to how we market such companies and their products in the offline world. More mass and viral for B2C companies/products and more of an individual approach ñ convincing that one individual or group of individuals (read decision makers) who will believe in your product and pay the high value to procure it for B2B companies.

If you actually see how business prospects can be engaged on social media by B2B companies, the argument that social media is more relevant for B2B companiesí wins hands down.

Finding relevant contacts ñ

Finding the right contact to make their business pitch is critical for sales guys at B2B companies. In the offline world ñ they look for such prospects at conferences, trade shows, at a game of Golf, or socializing clubs. The time taken for converting a social contact into a relevant potential business contact varies depending on a lot of other factors like basic nature of the individuals involved, their social engagement skills etc.

In the online world business social networking sites like Linkedin, Businessweek Exchange, Ecademy, Entrepreneur.com etc. have made the process so easy. Everyone on these networks is there for a professional reason hence talking business in your first social introduction falls within the social etiquettes of these networks. Also, these sites make an individualís professional network multiply, because they let him know who is connected to his connections and their connections too. With social media the visiting card holder is experiencing exponential growth.

Showcasing your product

When it comes to showcasing products ñ social media has come as a boon for B2b companies. It provides so many levels and channels to engage and educate their potential customers about their company and its product offerings. Before, having advertising & PR budgets and probably a face to face meeting and corporate presentation was the only way they could engage with their potential customer. But today with social media ñ you can choose the channel your prospect uses (Presentations, Videos, Podcasts, Webinars etc.), through a medium he most frequents (social networking sites, blogs, Video sites, Book marking sites etc.) to engage him without so much as meeting him to begin with.

Yes social media has presented B2b companies with a variety of channels to promote, educate and even create a market for their products. Blogs have become a great way of doing PR and building thought leadership. Webinars and videos help demonstrate your products to anyone who is interested at any time and anywhere in the world.

Nurturing your leads

In a B2B set up since the stakes are higher – a potential lead requires sometimes a lot of nurturing before it converts into a sale. Social media provides sales guys with a more than one option to engage and follow their leads at both a professional and personal level. Following their prospects on social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, following their blogs etc. can give them a lot of insight about their lead, the kind of person he is, his interests, his passions, his perspective on things/issues etc. Ask a regular sales guy who does not have access to social media or such information on a prospect and he will tell you the value such information adds when nurturing a lead. Sales guys do everything to find out about what their potential decision maker likes, the basketball/baseball team he roots for etc. to engage him at a more personal level. Social media provides them with all that information effortlessly.

Building communities

Having a list of satisfied clients who can advocate their products to other prospects is a dream come true for any company. In a non- social media set-up Companies would ideally ask their clients to give some recommendations which they would use in their product brochures and website. Also, hope that their existing clientele recommend them to some others, leaving them with very less control or hope that their advocates will bring in quality leads.

Social media today changes all that ñ it helps companies create communities and groups around their product offerings, where their advocates can come and voice their positive experiences. It can invite other prospects to join these groups and engage in discussions to have a better understanding and third party or user perspective of the product before their own purchase.

Companies can also use the chatter in these groups for creating buzz or PR. Consider this ñ social media helps companies advertise in real time ñ spending much less money.

Finding New Markets

For most B2B companies expanding their market is critical to their success. The investments for entering and setting shop in any new market is huge and companies spend a bomb on market research to find out the growth potential in such markets.

Since social media is not divided by boundaries ñ it becomes a simple and cost- effective tool for B2b companies to test the potential of new markets. Contacting and engaging with prospects in another country on social networks, understanding the specific needs of their market etc. has become much simpler.

B2B purchases are always well researched, well thought and very informed decisions. Social media as a business tool can help companies in providing that research, thought and information to their potential customers. It can help companies in educating and engaging their potential leads at different levels ñ talking in a language they would love to hear.

Social Media is still about people. Only the distances and differences have ceased to existÖ.try it ñ it could change the way you do business.

The relevancy of social media for Business to Business (B2B) companies is a much debated subject. While B2B companies are opening up to the idea of participating in social media, by creating social profiles, writing blogs and engaging in micro-blogging etc. a lot is desired when it comes to using social media as an effective tool to forward their business interests or for securing, and nurturing quality leads.

Having worked with both B2C and B2B companies in the social media space, I strongly feel that the approach for both have to be significantly different – at least at the engagement level.

It has to be very similar to how we market such companies and their products in the offline world. More mass and viral for B2C companies/products and more of an individual approach - convincing that one individual or group of individuals (read decision makers) who will believe in your product and pay the high value to procure it, for B2B companies.

If you actually see how business prospects can be engaged on social media by B2B companies, the argument that social media is more relevant for B2B companies’ wins hands down

For the non-believers here’s how…….

Finding relevant contacts

Finding the right contact to make their business pitch is critical for sales guys at B2B companies. In the offline world - they look for such prospects at conferences, trade shows, at a game of Golf, or socializing clubs. The time taken for converting a social contact into a relevant potential business contact varies, depending on a lot of other factors like basic nature of the individuals involved, their social engagement skills etc.

In the online world business social networking sites like Linkedin, Businessweek Exchange, Ecademy, Entrepreneur.com etc. have made the process so easy. Everyone on these networks is there for a professional reason hence talking business in your first social introduction falls within the social etiquettes of these networks. Also, these sites make an individual’s professional network multiply, because they let him know who is connected to his connections and their connections too. With social media the visiting card holder is experiencing exponential growth.

Showcasing your product

When it comes to showcasing products – social media has come as a boon for B2b companies. It provides so many levels and channels to engage and educate their potential customers about their company and its product offerings. Before, having advertising & PR budgets and probably a face to face meeting and corporate presentation was the only way they could engage with their potential customer. But today with social media - they can choose the channel their prospect uses (Presentations, Videos, Podcasts, Webinars etc.), through a medium he most frequents (social networking sites, blogs, Video sites, Book marking sites etc.) to engage him without so much as meeting him to begin with.

Yes social media has presented B2b companies with a variety of channels to promote, educate and even create a market for their products. Blogs have become a great way of doing PR and building thought leadership. Webinars and videos help demonstrate your products to anyone who is interested at any time and anywhere in the world.

Nurturing your leads

In a B2B set up since the stakes are higher – a potential lead requires a lot of nurturing before it converts into a sale. Social media provides sales guys with more than one option to engage and follow their leads at both a professional and personal level. Following their prospects on social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, following their blogs etc. can give them a lot of insight about their lead, the kind of person he is, his interests, his passions, his perspective on things/issues etc. Ask a regular sales guy who does not have access to social media or such information on a prospect and he will tell you the value such information adds when nurturing a lead. Sales guys do everything to find out about what their potential decision maker likes, the basketball/baseball team he roots for etc. to engage him at a more personal level. Social media provides them with all that information effortlessly.

Building communities

Having a list of satisfied clients who can advocate their products to other prospects is a dream come true for any company. In a non- social media set-up companies would ideally ask their clients to give some recommendations which they would use in their product brochures and website. Also, hope that their existing clientele recommend them to some others, leaving them with very less control or hope that their advocates will bring in quality leads.

Social media today changes all that - it helps companies create communities and groups around their product offerings, where their advocates can come and voice their positive experiences. It can invite other prospects to join these groups and engage in discussions to have a better understanding and third party or user perspective of the product before their own purchase.

Companies can also use the chatter in these groups for creating buzz or PR. Consider this – social media helps companies advertise in real time – spending much less money.

Finding New Markets

For most B2B companies expanding their market is critical to their success. The investments for entering and setting shop in any new market is huge and companies spend a bomb on market research to find out the growth potential in such markets.

Since social media is not divided by boundaries - it becomes a simple and cost- effective tool for B2b companies to test the potential of new markets. Contacting and engaging with prospects in another country on social networks, understanding the specific needs of their market etc. has become much simpler.

B2B purchases are always well researched, well thought and very informed decisions. Social media as a business tool can help companies in providing that research, thought and information to their potential customers. It can help companies in educating and engaging their potential leads at different levels ñ talking in a language they would love to hear.

Social Media is still about people. Only the distances and differences have ceased to existÖ.try it - it could change the way you do business.

Tags: B2B marketing, B2B Social, b2b social media Strategy, btob social media strategy, Business to Business Marketing, Lead generation, Lead Nurturing, marketing strategy, PR strategy, Social Media, social media marketing

Finding the balance: When we forgot to be social on social media

I recently came across the 2009 Business Social Media Benchmarking study report by Business.com. The report is based on insights provided by nearly 3000 North Americans on their social media usage for promoting their Business.

The report brings forth some interesting revelations……..

To begin with, it shows a visible gap between social media channels used by companies to promote and popularize their business offerings and the channels used by people for searching or seeking business related information.

It also explains why certain social media channels work better than the others when it comes to using social media as business promotion tool.

Nearly 70% of the respondents found that the most popular social media resource for seeking a business related information is to attend a Webinar or hear a podcast. Followed by reader user ratings & reviews and then company profile pages on social media sites and company blogs.

Now compare this with the most popular Business social media initiatives by companies – or to simplify, channels companies use in the social media space to popularize their offerings.

70% of the respondents said the must activity they undertook was maintain company- related account(s) or profiles on social media sites followed by maintaining one or more company blogs and micro-blogging on Twitter. Only 30% of respondents actually voted for producing Webinars and podcasts as one of their priority social media initiative.

Do you see what I meant by interesting revelation? Yes, as marketers we all thought the more we showcase our companies, more the chance of us getting visibility and leads but in the process we forgot that social media is about being social and not merely about self promotion. If you really want to use the social media as a business tool and for self promotion it has to bring value to the reader or seeker of that information.

Think of this scenario wherein there are two companies A & B in the online marketing space competing for the attention of similar kind of social media users.

Company A – creates profiles across various social media networks, channels, gets reviews of its services and tweets about its offerings and related things on twitter.

Company B – decides to do things a little differently – they organizes a free webinar on ‘Most effective tools for B2B Marketing online’ offer a huge list of tips (free know-how) while showcasing their offerings. Record the important parts of the webinar as podcasts and upload onto various channels, so that those who could not attend the webinar also benefit from the interaction. They also started a blog on B2B marketing which discussed various aspects and related subjects showcasing their know-how without really screaming ‘promotional’. All this in addition to creating social media profiles etc. Who do you think will have won more leads and a stronger following using social media? Company A or Company B?

Social media is the biggest reality of our times. You love it or hate it but as we all are realizing or have realized we cannot ignore it. Social media in its entirety is a very democratic forum, of the people, by the people and for the people. It thrives on the fact that anyone and everyone here is for a reason. Everyone has a point to make or an opinion to express. Everyone out there wants to be heard no matter how influential or insignificant they are. So how does one ensure – others hear you in this chaos, take note of what you have to say? It’s simple say something they would like to hear or something they would gain from, something that will get you their attention, their fellowship. Say something that is useful to them.

If achieving social media success is part of your Company’s marketing agenda in the coming year maybe you should change your approach towards social media. Zero in on who you see as your audience in the social mediasphere,  give them what they want or need (fill in a gap), win their trust and then make your pitch.

Wishing you all a socially successful 2010!

Tags: B2B marketing, b2b social media tools, Business to Business Marketing, Marketing, podcasts, popular social media tools, PR strategy, Public Relation Methods, reinventing Public relations, social media marketing, social media tools, webinar

How To Mend The Dent In Your Brand Image?

‘Marketing is not selling. Marketing is building a brand in the mind of the prospect.’ – Al Ries & Laura Ries

Today a case I would like to discuss in this post is that of the Ice cream major Haagen – Dazs’ entry into the Indian market last week.

The Company which is known for its premium International quality ice-creams has angered and been boycotted by many of its potential Indian customers even before it could make them taste their brand of ice-creams. A big blow considering they are planning to open 30-40 outlets in India in the next few years.

So how did this happen? According to media reports – it seems like a case of bad marketing. A day prior to its official launch the ice-cream major decided to hold an exclusive preview and tasting of its ice-creams for its exclusive customers at its new store. Which is fine, considering the brands positioning clearly spells premium – from the location and décor of the store to the pricing of its products. Many brands do such events and exclusive dos to ensure their brand positioning is apt and only draws those customers who are ready to pay a premium for the experience they promise to offer. 

The cause of the furor was not the brand’s positioning but the way they marketed that positioning. According to Rajesh Kalra a Times of India blogger who first reported the incident (his friend Ramit was denied entry into the store and he is the one who took the photograph of the banner), “The banners outside the outlet said: Exclusive Preview for International Travellers.  And under that, in an even finer print, the real bombshell: Access restricted only to holders of international passports. I immediately called Ramit. “You are an international traveler, and you have a passport, so you can go in”, I said. Ramit’s response was instant: I tried to enter but they said you are not allowed for you don’t have an international passport.”

Marketing faux pas?

To an Indian this was a big blow, he was being treated as an alien in his own country. Rajesh soon put out the pictures of these banners and a post detailing the incident across social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. The message spread like wildfire across the social media denting the carefully cultivated brand image of Haagen Dazs in a country it had strategically invested but failed to sensitize its marketing to the sensibilities of its people. 

It is not surprising to see Ban Haagen Dazs communities mushrooming on social media platforms – I believe it is the most social way to get back at a brand which dared to alienate Indians on their own soil. 

Subsequent to the media report and public fury Anindo Mukherhi , MD of General Mills, which markets the brand in India clarified his stand in an interview to Economic Times, “An error was made in the creative execution, it was a wrong choice of words, and we regret the error.” Economic Times further reports, “Upon sustained queries by Economic Times to company officials about the intention of the campaign, it emerged that what Haagen-Dazs really wanted to convey was ‘Now get a taste of abroad right here in India’”.

Considering that Haagen Dazs is such an established brand it is surprising how this kind of obvious error went unnoticed by the marketing heads and strategists in the company.  Or for that matter was overlooked or missed by those handling the marketing of the brand in India? 

Let’s see how this could have been averted or handled a little differently without generating these anti-Haagan Dazs nationalist sentiments… 

Right approach 

It would have been more prudent on the part of Haagan Dazs’ Indian marketers to identify their niche customers – at least some of them – socialites, page3, diplomats etc. and send out personal invitations announcing the launch and the exclusive preview. On location instead of the controversial banners, they could have just put a simple board suggesting entry only by invitation. In addition, to be on the safe side, they could have instructed the doormen/security/organizers to be polite with the uninvited guests/passersby. People usually do not take offence if told politely that the venue is reserved for a private party and entry is only allowed by invitation.

The Choice of Right words

It would have been in the best interest of the brand to go with the simpler version of the banner– ‘Now get a taste of French Riviera right here in India’ or something to that effect. Rather than implying something which means, ‘entry into the store requires an International passport’ – which probably required the skills of the copywriter to decipher the real meaning behind it. Now, you can’t expect Indians to carry International passports in India, not even the real movers and shakers of the city.

Better planning and execution

If something this damaging escapes the eyes of the marketing experts at Haagen Dazs or General Mills then for sure it is a cause of concern for the company. Better management and timely assessment could have saved the brand such an embarrassment. It is always best to check and re-check your positioning and branding for adherence to local sensibilities, especially when entering a new market. Any layman could have indicated that the choice of words by the brand indicating racial discrimination was destined to create a furor.

A Public Apology

I am yet to see a public apology coming from the brand or its Indian marketers. What came was part of a promotional interview in Economic Times. Sometimes, for the sake of the brand it does not harm to show some humility. A word of apology as soon as this incident picked momentum on the social media would have doused the angers it ignited. Everyone makes mistakes, but the art of correcting them begins by accepting your mistake and sincerely apologizing. It becomes all the more necessary when your brand is being branded racist in a country you have or plan to invest heavily.

Attempt to win over the irate customers

To cool the matters and win over the irate public – Haagen Dazs could have gone a step ahead, posted their apology on these anti-Haagen Dazs forums, and extended an invitation to the members there to come and taste their premium brand of ice-creams, calling truce. I am sure with this small gesture they would have made a huge difference to their existing brand image not only in India but also around the world. As a result, they would have ended up turning all the negative publicity on a positive note. Even if this may not have worked, at least they would have made an impression of a brand that cares, rather than one that comes across as obnoxious.

Indifference is the worst approach in times of media crisis. It is best to accept your mistake and make amends in the right manner and on the right forum. 

In Marketing they say any publicity is good publicity and possibly this media attention might have helped Haagen Dazs in getting the attention of even those Indians who may have never heard of the brand before. However, hurting the sentiments of a customer is the last thing a brand would want itself associated with….for it often leaves scars which rarely heal.

Tags: advertising, Brand Awareness, Brand image, Branding, Business to Business Marketing, Creative Branding, Genral Mills, Haagen Dazs, marketing campaigns, marketing strategy, mending brand image, PR strategy, Social Media, social media marketing, Word of mouth Marketing