The vast majority of B2B marketing executives will at some point find themselves under pressure from their c-level management to explain and defend their digital marketing strategy. So, you begin by launching a Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter account, send some Tweets, and even hire a full time SEO/SEM expert, even if all that your budget will allow for is somebody who’s only got a few years of experience.
After many months, theoretically you can claim that you have a digital strategy in place for your leadership. However, from somewhere in the finance department comes a report that determines the expenses of your digital marketing, and more importantly the cost of the internal labor hours don’t seem to add up to much of a significant increase in revenue.
Although for those immersed in digital marketing it may seem obvious, the average marketer can very often fall prey to pitfalls which can be easily spotted by an outsider. Most of these pitfalls can be helped through a proper utilization of social media marketing. If you want to use social media marketing to improve your overall marketing ROI, you may have to rethink your strategy. We’ve put together a list of advice in order to help you improve your B2B social marketing ROI.
Content is a critical factor of any digital marketing strategy, however this doesn’t apply to just any content, but rather content which is meaningful and frequently refreshed. Your content should be built on a foundation of good writing, with web design aspects being less of a priority. In order to achieve this you should employ a good content writer, and ensure that they provide content which includes talking points and short blurbs related to the value of your products. Content should be considered as an asset rather than a marketing expense.
Although many blogs restrict sales companies from providing guest blogs that openly advertise their product, guest blogging is still an effective method of driving your link strategy and positioning your company as an expert in the industry. Other sites and blogs are also in need of content that will drive their readership, so it’s beneficial to seek out these avenues and ensure that you publish regularly and stick to the rules. Although you may not see much use in guest blogging if you are not allowed to directly advertise your product, it is a great way to demonstrate the company’s expertise and initiate interest in the company and products from readers.
Although many marketers put a lot of emphasis on the design, look and feel of their site, before you begin to give your site a complete design re-haul it may be a good idea to consult an SEO expert and task them with taking your existing content and restructuring your site in such a way that it maximizes search engine optimization. Maximum SEO properties are a good way to demonstrate your value to your internal sponsors, and are crucial in helping your social media marketing campaign to launch.
More and more B2B prospects are looking up sales executives’ profiles before making that all-important sales call or sending an email, which is why it’s important that you create content-rich, accomplishment facing LinkedIn profiles for all of your sales executives. Create profiles for your sales executives that will help them to market their expertise, and display their credibility. Don’t be surprised, however, if on occasion sales executives are recruited away from your company due to their great profile, which is a great reason for hiring a content creator or investing in EAM services.
You should focus your attention on prospects within the sales funnel, and not just solely on generating leads. As most successful marketers know, the lower in the funnel that you can enable your sales team to engage with clients in activities related to social media marketing, the easier it becomes to demonstrate your social marketing ability to obtaining and retaining customers. If you’re asked why the company should keep on investing, this is an important factor which should be mentioned. Unlike the larger brands, the majority of corporations that bring in under $100 million in revenue tend to spend less on global brand value, instead investing more money in lead generation and sales conversions.
Are you a marketing expert with some great advice to give on this subject? We’d love to hear from you – leave your response in the comments below.
