social media 101 for b2b: developing leads and brand awareness
TRANSCRIPT
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Social Media 101
Whether you’re a top 10 global company, the mom and pop shop down the street, or the
engineering firm around the corner, internet buzz today suggests that social media is the
place to be. But it isn’t enough to just be present on social media. Drawing on experience
from with working with non-profit and government clients as well as big name brands like
Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble, this workshop takes a look at the barriers and
opportunities in the social media space. The goal is to help set realistic expectations and
offer some content strategy suggestions that will help make social media work for your
business or organization.
Cosanna Preston, MSc (Oxford), Engagement Strategist
Cosanna has worked in Canada, the UK and Nigeria and has a wealth of experience in
strategy development and communications (digital and traditional).
Her client base has ranged from global heavy weights such as Coca-Cola, PwC, Procter
& Gamble, HP and Pfizer to municipalities in both Nigeria and Canada, and clients in the
financial services, oil and gas, health, e-commerce and manufacturing industries.
Cosanna holds a masters degree from Oxford University and a BA (Honours) from the
University of Alberta. She currently works with SaskPower in customer strategy, delivering
self-service and improving overall customer engagement.
SOCIAL MEDIA 101: Developing Leads and Brand Awareness Presented by :
Cosanna Preston, MSc (Oxford) , Engagement Strategist
May 1, 2015 | APGES Professional Development Day
Regina, SK, Canada
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“My teen daughter hasn’t ‘unfriended’
me yet. So I may not be an expert but I
must be doing something right.”
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CANADA ONLINE
Canadians are the most digitally engaged population in the world
Users spend 36.7 hours online monthly
82% of us are on social media
The age demographic online is wider than you might think:
59% are between the ages of 18 – 54
Highest age bracket is 35 – 54 (32%)
Social media occupies a significant amount of users time:
We spend an average of 2 hours per day on social media
Mobile: 52% of our time; Desktop 32%
Smart phone users (4 out of 5 mobile users) access daily
E-Commerce Social media is the location for 1 in 3 online ads
49% of the Canadian population purchased online in 2014
(ComScore 2015, WeAreSocial 2014)
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SO WHAT IS DRIVING THIS INTEREST IN SOCIAL MEDIA?
Increasingly social media is the
way we find things on the internet 8
SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS AS OUR NEW SEARCH
Google is the default but what do Canada’s top platforms help us find?
1. Facebook (84%) and Google+ (49%)– people, clubs,
entities
2. Twitter (45%) – real-time news
3. LinkedIn (31%) – business contacts
4. Pinterest (28%) – ideas on how to do things
5. YouTube – music, DIY education
6. Blogs – analysis, reviews, opinions
(WeAreSocial 2014, Madrigal 2014)
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ARE YOU COMING UP ON THE END OF THEIR SEARCH?
Search results increasingly by
content relevance
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How can you join these conversations? 11
No Saskatchewan
names coming up.
A golden
opportunity!
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SOCIAL MEDIA IS MORE THAN JUST A CONVERSATION.
(Petersen, Rob. 2014)
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“When a prospect conducts
online research and doesn’t find a
great deal of information on an
organization such as news
releases, videos, blogs, case
studies, etc., they might feel the
company is not credible and the
business opportunity is lost.”
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Ultimately it’s about building your brand
and creating business leads:
(MarketWired, 2014)
BEHIND THE SEARCH IS: CONTENT MARKETING
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“The things that get you to the first page of Google are
relevant content that is regularly updated.”
(Blake, 2013)
USING CONTENT MARKETING IN THE INDUSTRY
56.4% of 266 surveyed firms were using social media
Parsons (Knowledge Architecture) 2011
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“While social media once was edgy,
buggy and risky, now it’s the right
tool for the job.”
(Blake 2013)
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CASE STUDY: TWENTYSEVEN GLOBAL (Global
Software Engineering Company)
Using content markting, Twentyseven Global:
Created visibility and credibility for Twentyseven Global,
Improved press coverage, social media buzz and an increase in
website traffic.
Improvements in overall content marketing and organic SEO
Increase in business development and sales due to the online
marketing
100-percent improvement in Google search placement.
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Showcasing Work
Showcasing Work
Research &
Knowledge
Commentary
Firm Culture &
Community
Showcasing Work
Design &
Engineering
Ideas & Inspiration
Research &
Knowledge
OU
R W
OR
K
OU
R P
EO
PL
E
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IDE
AS &
INS
PIR
ATIO
N
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WHERE DO I START?
Listen
Get on these platforms and follow users that catch your
professional interest
Give you a sense of what content is there, where the gaps are and
what you can add.
Six social networking resources for engineers
Get a handle on content marketing
My.coppyblogger.com
Headlines, SEO, building an audience, converting attention into
business, telling a great marketing story, tips on social media
How Engineers Can Create Project Case Studies That
Attract Great Clients 26
HOW DO I START?
Start simple and pick a single focus:
Showcase your work
Attract great talent
Profile your people, firm culture, community
Content Marketing/Thought Leadership
White papers on industry trends
Commentary on key developments
Pick a platform
Resource effectively
Keep it manageable – a stale presence is a reputation killer
Develop a few pieces of content before releasing any so you have
a library
Develop a content calendar
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WHEN DO I START?
Start listening today
Start building content today (you don’t need to publish
it, just stockpile good ideas)
http://offers.hubspot.com/blog-editorial-calendar
http://coschedule.com/blog/content-marketing-editorial-
calendar/
http://coschedule.com/content-marketing-editorial-
calendar
http://www.convinceandconvert.com/social-media-
strategy/how-to-build-a-content-calendar-plus-a-free-
template-for-2014/
Start building a community today (it takes time!) 28
FURTHER READING
Blake, Adrian. 2013. “Engineering Social Media”. http://www.socialmediacontractors.com/engineering-social-media/
ComeScore. 2015. “Canada’s Digital Future in Focus”. http://www.comscore.com/Insights/Presentations-and-Whitepapers/2015/2015-Canada-Digital-Future-in-Focus-Webinar
Madrigal, Alex. July 2014. What Is Pinterest? A Database of Intentions. The Atlantic. http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/07/what-is-pinterest-a-database-of-intentions/375365/
MarketWired. 2014. “How news releases help drive online brand credibility and B2B leads”. http://www.marketwired.com/Resources/PDF/CaseStudy_TwentysevenGlobal.pdf
Parsons, Christopher. 2011. “The Future of Digital Marketing. Architecture and Engineering Social Media Survey 2011-2012 .” Knowledge Architecture. http://knowledge-architecture.com/blog/2011/10/27/how-are-leading-architecture-firms-using-social-media-tools/
Petersen, Rob. 2014. “15 B2B Cases Prove Social Media ROI”. Barn Raisers. http://barnraisersllc.com/2014/05/b2b-case-studies-prove-social-media-roi/
WeAreSocial.org. 2014. “Social, Digital and Mobile in the Americas”. http://www.slideshare.net/wearesocialsg/social-digital-mobile-in-the-americas
WeAreSocial.org. 2014. “Social, Digital and Mobile Around the World.” http://www.slideshare.net/wearesocialsg/social-digital-mobile-around-the-world-january-2014
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