B2B

Planning and Executing a Digital Marketing Strategy

A Bit About Me... Mark Lerner MBA Originally from New York

Made Aliyah in 2011

MBA (Marketing from FAU)

BA in Psychology (Boston University)

4+ years in digital marketing

Currently Director of Marketing at Oktopost a social media marketing platform for B2B

Heavily focused on social media, content marketing, various digital media

What we are NOT going to coverSWOT Analysis

5 Forces

4 Ps

When I went to grad school, we covered all the traditional marketing models. My teachers hadnt actually been in marketing for many years, and had no idea how much things have changed. Social was not mentioned once. While these ideas are important, they are no longer the core of marketing3What we ARE going to coverContent Marketing

Social Media Marketing

Content marketing, especially with B2B, is now the main marketing tool. For digital marketing, it can be broken down into 4 main parts

Content Social

4OverviewContentBlogWhite PapersCase StudiesTestimonialsRepurposingSocialLinkedInFacebookTwitterCurationListeningLead Generation3rd Party Platforms

We are going to go into detail about each aspect. I will give you a basic, higher level, understanding of these various strategies and how they apply in real life. As well as actionable tactics to make these strategies work in your marketing mix5Content Marketing: Necessity No longer Soap Operas, all digital Go-to strategy

Not about self-promotion

Thought-leadership

Pushing down the funnel

Content marketing used to mean something entirely different. Once of the first forms of content marketing was called soap operas they get their name because the soap companies in the US created these shows to market their products. They realized their target market (housewives) would be interested in the content they provided, a perfect place to advertise their products and place them within the show

Now content is all about providing value to your potential market, pushing them down the funnel Establish THOUGHT-LEADERSHIP6The Universal Marketing Funnel

The funnel has become much more simplified.

Make them aware of the problem your product or service addresses

Help them evaluate your service compared to others dont be overtly promotion, sneak yourself in without focusing on it

Making the sale is a very small part of the mix

Nurture the relationship so they can become evangelists

7Creating and Managing a BlogWhy, when, and how?

Blogs provide the absolute best way to communicate with your audience, create awareness, and establish your thought-leadership. Many other aspects of digital marketing lead back to your blog, like social media and email8Why Blog?The number one way to communicate with your audience

Content is the new SEO

Establish thought-leadership

Can distribute through other channels (Social)

There is no better way to communicate with your potential market

The practice of SEO is dying I have yet to get a straight answer as to what it means these days. Most people agree that creating valuable content, on a regular basis is the best form of optimizing your site for search

Establish yourself and your company as the most knowledgeable resource for your target market to find out information. This will place you at the top of their mind when it comes time to purchase

Gives you conttent to distribute through other channels, such as social9When to Blog?Before GTM

Less is More?

Weekdays

Big events

Big releases

Start before you even go to market lay the ground work, start asking the questions, and identifying the problem you solve. Become a knowledge resourceThere are several different thoughts some say longer posts once a week work best this is our experiencePublishing blogs on weekdays will get more readersWrite a blog after a big event to highlight your experience thereWhen you have a big release coming up, its good to write about it10How to BlogIdeas

Title

Writers Block

You can break blog writing down to its simplest aspects: ideas, title, how to deal with writers block 11How to Blog: IdeasNewsjackingNeeds of Your MarketCurrent EventsPersonal ExperienceKeep a List

Before writing anything, a blog writers task is to come up with original and engaging ideas for his or her posts. While this might be a simple enough task at first, eventually one has to dig deeper to get the creative juices flowing which can be a major stumbling block.There are a few sources from which a content marketer can derive inspiration for blog posts:

NewsThe concept of Newsjacking, refers to linking your own product or service to recent news items in order to gain more visibility. This is a strategy that can be highly effective for the virality of your content.

The Needs of Your Target MarketWriting the right content at the right time, for the right audience, is crucial for any content marketer. In order to identify the best topics to cover in a given blog post, a marketer must keep his or her finger on the pulse of his or her target market. Check Google, social media, and message boards to see what people are talking about.

Current Events

Similar to newsjacking, this strategy needs to be carried out with tact. If, for example, a well-known person passes away, this is not an opportunity to piggyback on the news for your own promotional benefit.

Personal ExperienceWhile theres a tendency to keep ones personal life outside of the professional work space, there is no better stories you can tell than your own.

Keep a List of IdeasWhen a marketer feels a wave of creativity coming on, thats the time to grab a pen and start writing. When the lean times come, its easy to go back to the idea list and find a relevant topic to cover.12How to Blog: TitleNumbers and ListsHow toSEOUrgencyBe Provocative

Did you know that you only have an eight second window to get your reader to read past the title of your post? These days, people have little patience and a very short attention span, which is why coming up with a strong blog title is vital.Here are a few tips for your blog titles:

Numbers and ListsResearch shows that a title which includes a number is more enticing to a reader than one that doesnt. Interestingly, using an odd number will have even greater impact.

How-toBy putting the phrase How-to in your title (the phrase tips also works), this will indicate to the reader that they will actually find actionable advice on how to do something. Everyone wants to learn something, dont you?

SEOWhen a search engine crawls your post, its looking for certain terms, or keywords that identify what the post is about. As a content marketer, you want to have your post come up at the top of the list when that correct term is searched for.

UrgencyThe goal of a blog title is to get your reader to continue reading. In order to do this, its important to use urgency to invigorate your customer base. This is especially true if youre running a promotion, having a sale, or trying to drive attendance to an upcoming event.

Be ProvocativeResearch shows that you are more likely to get attention from a reader if you pose the title as a Youre Doing it Wrong or Why You Are Losing Money. For one reason or another, people respond more to the negative. Just make sure not to go over board!13How to Blog: Writers BlockGoogleSocial ListeningTake a BreakPlan in AdvanceJust Write

We have all found ourselves staring at a wall, at a total loss as to what to write about. These moments can be incredibly frustrating, and for a content marketer, extremely detrimental!Here are a few ways to get around writers block:

GoogleSearch keywords relating to your business and/or target market is great. By doing this, you will get an idea of what is being discussed and come up with your own take on the topic.

Social ListeningThe social web is a great resource to find out what people are interested in reading about and social listening is the best way to do it. Go to the places your target market is active on, find the right LinkedIn Discussion Groups or follow relevant Twitter lists to learn what people are talking about.

Take a Break

You should take a break once in a while. If you find yourself struggling to come up with ideas, and reaching the point of frustration stand up, walk away from your desk and do something else.

Plan in AdvanceHumans tend to go through creative spurts in which they are overcome with ideas and motivation. During such times, a marketer must seize the moment and write out potential blog post ideas.

Just WriteDo the following exercise: just write no thinking, no planning; just writing. This will not only help your overall writing skills, but will give you a wealth of content to go back to when you are at a loss for new content.14

Key TakeawayIts NOT about youContent marketing is about PROVIDING VALUE. If you just write promotional content, no one will come back to read more. If you provide value, readers will see you as a thought-leader, and when it does come time to purchase, you will be at the top of their mind.

This is a mistake too many marketers make. No one cares about you. 15White Papers

What is a White Paper?Authoritative report or guide that helps the reader understand an issue, problem, or make a decision-Wikipedia

3 Steps to White Paper Success

White Papers can seem like a daunting talk, and in fact writing them can be quite a long and drawn out process but by breaking it up into easy to follow steps, it will make your life simpler18Step 1: Plan First, Write LaterWhat problem(s) are you addressingHow longLayoutResearchVisualsSee examples

Research: Cite your own, or find recent and engaging data from third-party sources such as academic institutions, analysts or industry reports, thought leaders.

Visuals: Include at least one to two visuals for each chapter, which strengthen your arguments. This can be an image, graph, chart, diagram, table or other illustration.

Examples and Case Studies: Refer to real-life examples and case studies in a non-promotional way that helps readers easily relate to the point you are trying to prove.19White Paper BlueprintTitle PageHeaders/FootersIntroductionChaptersSub-headersConclusionEndnotes PageEnd Page

Title Page: It should include the title, company name and logo.

Headers/Footers: Include a logo and/or title in the header, and page numbers in the footer.

Introduction :Should be one page and include a short summary.

Chapters: Have at least three; each should be labeled with a prominent header.

Sub-headers: Several within each chapter, should be easily distinguished from a chapter.

Conclusion: Summarize the problem, main ideas and solution offered in one page.

Endnotes Page: Remember to cite all of your sources, and include links to access them.

End Page: Dont forget to include your website and contact information here20Step 2: Mind Your Writing StyleThird PersonLimit the JargonDont PromoteKeep it Short

There are a few pointers to keep in mind when writing your white paper the most important of which is to stick to professional, formal language that will maintain your credibility.

Stick to the Third Person: B2B marketers often use first or second person pronouns (I, we, you, your) to make content sound friendly and relatable. Although this is great for a blog post, in a white paper, write in third person to maintain a professional tone.

Limit the Jargon: The content you write should definitely include buzzwords and widely recognized industry keywords, but stay away from constant use of complicated terminology or acronyms that will make it harder for the reader to understand your text.

Give Promotional Wording a Break: Although a white paper is intended to build credibility for your brand which will ultimately generate sales, its foremost intention should be to educate readers. Avoid any overtly sales-y words to keep the reader engaged.

Keep the Paragraphs Short: Edit your writing for any run-on sentences or extremely long paragraphs that will make it more challenging to review the content quickly and easily.21Step 3: Get the Word OutLanding PageRegistration PageSocial PromotionEmail CampaignNewsletterWebsite Banner

Before you start promoting, shift your attention to the connection you can forge between the white paper and lead generation. You put endless hours into creating this content, and providing access to it, without asking for any lead details, would be a mistake. Also, make sure that you devise a distribution strategy that reaches your unique target audience.

Landing Page: Websites are one of the leading destinations for B2B prospects, and each white paper should have its own landing page. It can include a teaser of the white paper and a few bullet points summarizing the valuable information it contains.

Registration Form: Turn the white paper into a piece of gated content, and ask leads to fill out a short registration form in return for access to it.

Social Media Promotion: Distribute the white paper using a powerful B2B social media marketing platform such as Oktopost, and emphasize LinkedIn Discussion Groups.

E-Mail Campaign: Create an e-mail that will be sent out to prospects and customers, including a short summary of the white paper and a call-to-action to download it.

Newsletter Spotlight: If your company sends out a weekly or monthly newspaper, highlight the white paper and include a link to the download page.

Website Banners: Publish one or two banners in prominent positions on your website, such as the company blog, with a call-to-action that encourages visitors to download a copy.22Gated Content

Case StudiesDemonstrate Real Value

4 Steps to Creating a Case StudyRight Customer

Relevant Participant

Detailed Questions

Analyze Information

Choose the Right Client

The first step is to choose a client who you feel best represents the advantages and benefits that your product offers. It should be a company youve been in contact with in the past, and has had a least a few months to familiarize themselves with your offering. Most importantly, the company must be able to provide you with real data you can use to strengthen your claims. The best clients to approach are ones that you consider power users or ambassadors of your brand, who know the ins and outs of the product and love using it.

Select the Most Relevant Participant to Interview

A successful case study is largely dependent on selecting a relevant and knowledgeable expert to answer your questions. Writing a successful client case study without sufficient quotes, data or detailed information is extremely difficult, and will fail to provide readers with tangible value. Pinpoint someone who has hands-on experience using the service, has been at the company for a substantial amount of time, and is an expert in his/her particular field.

Write a List of Detailed Questions

The questions will entirely be based on the type of client, your service offering and the length of your case study. The list should be written in advance, and can either be sent via e-mail, asked in person or by phone. Keep in mind, the questions should not limit the interviewee to yes or no answers; but should be open-ended to extract as much information as possible. Also, ask the interviewee for any data or resources on their end that can add credibility to your case study, such as statistics about usage of your product.

Here are a few examples of basic questions (note: [X] = name of your company/product):Provide a 1-2 paragraph description of your company which includes when it was established, field of expertise, target audience, geographic area of operation.What are your [enter relevant sector] goals?What [enter relevant sector] challenges does your company face?When did you start using [X]? Where you using a different product prior to this to meet your needs, and if you, why did you switch?How does [X] help you overcome the challenges your company faces?What specific features/functionality/services do you find most helpful?Cite and describe several best practices or helpful strategies youve implemented.Provide a description and clear data which shows how [X] contributed to your goals.Provide two quotes on how [X] has helped your company achieve its business goals.

Analyze All of the Information

After the client answers your questions, add this information to the research youve conducted, and narrow it down to what matters most. When analyzing the data, make sure to extract the numbers that best represent how your product has helped the client. Also, keep an eye out for: the clients goals, challenges, needs, and the solutions implemented.

25TestimonialsThe Most Effective Content

The B2B Content Marketing Trends 2013 study surveyed B2B marketers from across the spectrum of industries, nearly 90% of them cited customer testimonials as the most effective content marketing tactic.

Why?

People dont believe you when you talk about your own company, they want to hear what your customers are saying. If your testimonial is from a well known customer, that will be the most effective263 Ways to Get a TestimonialSurvey

Direct Outreach

Newsletter

Given that this is the most effective tactic in content marketing, its important that you are able to successfully get a customer to give a testimonial. Though this might seem like a daunting task, its an important one, so you can try one of these tactics.

Survey

27Repurposing Content

Repurposing content means taking one piece of content and breaking it up into pieces and turning it into other pieces of content28Never Produce Anything OnceWhite Paper -> 3 blog posts

Recorded Webinar -> Podcast

Multiple Blog Posts -> White Paper

Multiple White Papers -> eBook

29Social MediaNot Just for Kids Anymore

The Evolution of Content Marketing As mentioned earlier, content marketing has evolved over the years this evolution has sped up since digital marketing took over. Beyond digital content like white papers, case studies etc, social media has become content in and of itself.

Social Content Marketing is the idea that the text within a social post/tweet is content even if its 140 characters, the strategies in writing this content is the same as the strategies in writing a 20 page white paper. 3187% of B2B marketers use social media to distribute content

Beyond that, 87% of b2b marketers use social media as a distribution channel for other types of content. Needless to say if you arent active in social, you are leaving money on the table. Start now, your competition is already there32Facebook Has ChangedMillions of teens left Facebook for cooler networks

Fastest growing demographic is 55+

Decision makers are there

Of all the social channels, B2B marketers in particular tend to be skeptical of Facebook they assume the demographic is younger, and therefore their target market doesnt exist there. This is 100% false, and the numbers prove it. There has been a huge teenage flight from Facebook in the last few years. Younger people are going towards more niche channels, such as snap chat. The largest growing demographic in Facebook is 55+335 Facebook TacticsHave an active company pageA full description of your companyAt least 1-2 updates per dayMake sure to engageAsk questionsDont just promoteGood Image and Banner

34Twitter for B2BReach anybody

The great equalizer

Focused hashtags

Highly active

Effective Content Distribution Channel

Twitter Best Practices for B2B10+ Tweets Per DayContent CurationEngageFollow HashtagsListenUtilize Personal Twitter Accounts

Using HashtagsIndicate a topic

People search for and follow relevant hashtags

Perfect for campaigns

Hashtag-jack for more visibility

Identify based on what influencers are sharing

LinkedIn: a B2B Marketers Best FriendThe vast majority of our leads come from LinkedIn

Discussion Groups

Networking

Awareness

Listening

LinkedIn Discussion Group Best PracticesDont Promote

Distribute Valuable Content

Ask Questions in Posts

Watch Out for SWAM!

Engage

Listen

Network

Read the Rules

Social Media for Content CurationSocial posting is not only about your own content

Turn your social channels into a place people will come to find quality content

Scour the web for relevant content

Third party platforms can help identify content to curate

Professional Social Media Marketing in a Nutshell

Manage Social PostingMeasureWhat Matters: ConversionsPublishAcross the Social Web

See ROI3rd Party Platform Save time and resources by doing all posting and measuring through a single platform

Social Editorial CalendarCreate a Schedule of Posts in Advance

MeCEOHow many leads?Robust Unlimited ReportsSocial Media Generates Leads You Just Need to Be Able to Measure Them

Understand Where Social Leads Come From

Thanks!

Contact me:mark@oktopost.com@LernerMarkhttp://www.oktopost.comBlog.oktopost.com