packaging your story: social media for b2bs

packagingyour story.social media for b2bs.

espressoagency.com

2The Packaging Association packaging your storynovember 17, 2011

You get that your clients are usingsocial media on packaging in cooland effective ways...


You want to know how you can use it effectively for your own business?

well, let’s go.


So what’s the deal with social media anyway?


It can build networks.


It can focus collaboration.


It can enable content creation.


It can bring together communities of interest.


It can drive information.


It can even be random fun.


Social media (n):1. Media for social interaction, using highly scalable

publishing techniques.

2. Media that uses digitally based technologies to

transform and broadcast media monologues into

social dialogues.

social media is a tactic in your marketing toolkit.


And, yes, even...


Tactical tool (n):1. Execution point within an integrated brand story.

2. Target-facing component of a strategic brand plan.

so! what’s your brand story?


Story components:1. Audience. (To whom am I talking?)

2. Content. (What am I saying?)

2. Distribution. (How am I getting it out there?)

audience awareness.

Source: eMarketer, 2009.


We can provide lots of great examples of B2C content telling a brand story.


Objectives range through...1. Research.

2. Market share.

3. Education.

4. New product introduction.

5. Loyalty building.

6. Positioning refinement.

7. Etc.


But your space is B2B.


Are they really the same?

well, yes and no.


Business objectives are business objectives, no matter your audience.


But social tools are used differently for personal and professional needs.


The personal motivations:1. Sharing with existing contacts.

2. Community participation.

3. Social capital and recognition.

4. Definition of self (engagement with like-me).

5. Fun.

Source: Techcrunchies.

fact: 21.7% of adults use twitter for work.


fact: 86% of b2bs use social tools.only 82% of b2cs do.

Source: BtoB Magazine, November 17, 2011.


You’ve got to understand why a prospect might get value out of connecting with you.


Defining your audience:1. Type of organization.

2. Role within organization.

3. Demo-, psycho-, and technographic profiles.

a.Typical decision-maker.

b. Typical influencer.


The professional motivations:1. Professional capital and recognition (information).

2. Professional contribution (feedback).

3. Professional guidance (support).



So you need to design content and distribution to meet audience objectives where your key profiles live.

content design.


Without great content, there is zero point in engaging in social activity.


Brand story content is:1. Objective-driven.

2. Media-agnostic and extendable.


Content design focus:1. Industry leadership.

2. Innovation.

3. Pricing.

4. Quality.

5. Unique capabilities.

6. Etc.

distribution design.



Brand story distribution is:1. Consistent across all channels.

2. Audience-relevant.


You know how you’re currently marketing.


Let’s extend that into the right social tools for your organization.


Media considerations:1. What types of media enable provision of information?

2. What types of media enable customer input?

3. What types of media enable support?

4. Where are your decision makers and influencers currently playing?

building the digital hub.



Information facilitators:1. Blogs.

2. Microblogs.

3. Video content sites.

4. Picture content sites.

5. Communities of interest.

6. Forums.

7. Wikis.


Input facilitators:1. Blogs.

2. Microblogs.


4. Forums.

5. Wikis.


Support facilitators:1. Microblogs.


3. Forums.


Current technographics:1. Hunt.

2. Gather.

3. Analyze.



Your corporate site should be a testament to all of this effort, pulling interactions together into a single hub.

end result?



You are building audience-relevant, valuable content and placing it in the direct line of your target.

sounds like marketing, huh?


okay. let’s see some examples!



Freshbooks.


American Express.


Cree LED Manufacturing.

shall we talk?

@[email protected]@espressoagency.comespressoagency.com
