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Industrial Marketing Muse
How to Become More Efficient at Industrial Social Media Marketing
Written by Kerry O'Malley Wednesday, 09 May 2012 12:54
Anyone who knows me knows I'm ALL about efficiency. Anything I can do to save time or streamline a process in my life merits consideration. Sometimes I think that TIME is the most precious commodity in our modern lives, particularly when it comes to the life of an industrial marketer. Often, the individuals I work with who are responsible for marketing are also constantly on the road meeting with customers, managing large groups of people, and even fill the role of "general manager."
I recently read a blog post by Jay Baer, social media / content strategist and author of "The Now Revolution" on his blog, Convince and Convert. He brings up the point that while social media isn't expensive in the traditional way we think of marketing spend: it's just "different" expensive. To do it well requires a significant time commitment. For an industrial marketer to see results from their social media efforts, they have to use their time wisely.
Using your social media time wisely means going beyond the obvious. You won't have an advantage if you're only doing what everyone else does. Look for creative ways to maximize your social media time investment. Embrace new processes, activities, and tools that help you accomplish your social media objectives faster - and smarter.
Here are some of my personal favorites:
Listen to what the experts are saying. Use your driving or work out time to put on the earbuds and listen to podcasts or audio books from people who are leading the way in social media media marketing. There are new tools and techniques appearing literally, almost every day. To stay on top, stay informed!
Use an automation dashboard for posts. This may seem like social media 101, but for those of you who are fairly new to social media marketing, I cannot stress enough the need for an automation tool. This allows you to pre-schedule posts to Twitter, Facebook pages, LinkedIn, and other social media pages up to months in advance. Particularly if you have messages you want to repeat to your followers, this is a must. There are new ones popping up all the time, and most of them have a free and upgraded "pro" version. I personally haven't found the PERFECT one, but unlike some people I've talked to, I don't want to have to use more than one automation tool, so I settle for a little imperfection in HootSuite. Other good ones are TweetDeck and MarketMeSuite.
Find great sources of information and create an RSS reader page. Do you have an iGoogle page? It's a great way to organize a lot of RSS feeds from blogs. Whenever I find a new blog with content that's relevant to my brand and industry, I add the RSS feed to my iGoogle page. At any given time, I have at least 50 feeds from my favorite bloggers and news sources. I scan through the titles every few days looking for content I think would be of interest to my Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn followers. Then I go to HootSuite and create a link and comment, and pre-schedule all 3 posts at one time. Once I scheduled two weeks' worth of posts at once because I was going to be on vacation. It was like I never even left! That's what I call efficiency at its finest.
Buffer your social media posts. Have you heard of Buffer? Handy little tool that allows you to set aside some time each morning to find a handful of truly relevant links (blog posts, video, pictures, etc.) and after you "buffer" the links they are holding in a queue. Buffer then automatically shares them across your chosen social media pages at pre-determined, optimized times. There's a Buffer plug-in for Chrome and Firefox - when you're on a page you want to share, just click the buffer button and and it's done!
Create a stalker list. (I love this one from Jay.) Think of 5, 10, 15, - whatever number seems realistic to you - people you most want to engage with on social media. If you're in a manufacturing or industrial service company, those people are probably prospective customers you've been unable to get a meeting with. Then, follow these people wherever you can: join some of the same groups they're in on LinkedIn (and follow them personally on LinkedIn); if they're on Twitter, create a Twitter list so you can monitor everything they post; if they're on Google+, create a circle. If they have blogs, sign up to receive new posts by email or RSS. Most industrial companies' Facebook pages are managed by someone in marketing or a techie. Your prospect may never even go to their company's Facebook page, but if you want to post something on it periodically, go ahead. It's probably unlikely in the industrial realm, but it's still a good idea to check to see if they have any other social media pages, like Pinterest, or Instagram.
Now, spend 10-15 minutes each day interacting with some of the people on your list. Even though this is called a stalker list, don't act like a stalker! Only say something on one of their pages or comment to a blog post if you truly have something interesting to say. Pay attention to your list and find ways to engage with them and eventually, they will recognize your name and maybe even consider you "an acquaintance." You might just get that meeting with them in short order! Make a new list every 3-6 months.
Take and curate photographs. According to Jay, this is the year of the photo in social marketing. Instagram, Pinterest, Path, Google+ and now Facebook - they all use LARGE thumbnails in their news feeds. If you're not taking and posting pictures to your social media pages and cross posting where appropriate, you're missing out on a huge opportunity to grow your network. Invest in a couple of good cameras (including video) and put them in the hands of the people in your company who have an eye for picture taking, or are in situations regularly where they have opportunities to catch something of interest in your company. It's especially nice to be have pictures of your product in use or installed at a customer's facility, if they are open to that.
Use "if this, then that" recipes. IFTTT.com is one of the coolest, least talked about social media tools I've seen in a while. It creates automated tasks based on an almost infinite number of possibilities that are triggered by a certain action. If "this" happens - then "that" happens. It's all about social media pages, blogs, calendars, and cell phones. Example: If someone mentions you on Twitter, then IFTTT automatically sends a pre-written "thank you" tweet. There are a mountain of existing recipes to help you find processes that will save you time. (These are the kinds of new tools you learn about when you invest a little time each week into staying up to date with what's going on in social media marketing.)
Social media can be complicated, but not if you have a strategy and use some tools that make sense for your business and work schedule. The worst thing you can do is ignore it because you think you just don't have the time. Once you are comfortable using it, have the right tools, and make it a part of your daily business routine (like checking email), you'll wonder why you didn't start sooner!
How to Engage on LinkedIn - Part 2
Written by Kerry O'Malley Saturday, 14 April 2012 17:26
Have a Group strategy
The first and most basic way to engage with others on LinkedIn is really pretty simple: join groups where your potential customers hang out; check in regularly to see what discussions you can contribute to; make yourself known within the group. This is obviously harder in the mega groups with thousands and thousands of members. Although many of these groups provide valuable insight and knowledge through their discussions, I see their purpose primarily as providing a much broader network of possible connections.
1. Liking
The purpose of every action in your strategy should be to make YOU memorable. "Liking" discussions is the easiest way to start. With just one click, your photo is added to the front page of your group under the discussion tab; your name and photo are added to the news feed of the group; and your name is displayed as someone who "liked" the discussion at the top of the actual discussion page. Spend a little more time looking for conversations in which some of your prospective customers are involved, or what seem to be hot topics in the group. "Like" one discussion a day and you'll become noticed by a lot of group members.
2. Sharing
Sharing is a feature that is only available in open groups, but gives you the opportunity to spread a discussion to Twitter, Facebook, your LinkedIn Status Update, or even to email it to specific people you think may be interested. This is especially effective if you started a discussion or contributed valuable comments to the discussion.
3. Commenting
On every group's Home Page there's a dedicated space for the most popular discussions within the group. For all discussions, there is a link on the bottom right hand corner of the discussion box that allows you to "see all comments." Look for discussions in which you can add a relevant comment, and everyone who commented before you will receive your comment via email if they've left the default setting of "send me an email for each new comment" checked when they submitted their comment. This is an easy way to make yourself noticed or engage with a lot of people, and an opportunity to "soft sell" your products or services IF the discussion topic is right. Again, stick with the "one a day" rule. Find one discussion in your top priority groups to comment on each day, and you'll make yourself known rather quickly.
4. Posting
Posting your own discussion topics are probably the best way to get noticed in Groups. Not only is your photo featured as the originator of the discussion, but everyone who reads or comments in the discussion will indirectly be engaging with (and remembering) you. If you post discussion topics often, your photo could appear as a "Top Influencer This Week" in the Group. Do this for a while, and base your discussions on compelling content (preferably that you wrote yourself), and you may be surprised at who reaches out to you personally. Commenting with insightful information, and posting discussions with content you created are two powerful influencers if you want to position yourself as an expert at what you do.
It is so easy to make "checking in" on LinkedIn part of your daily routine. If you focus on several key groups where your potential customers are interacting and follow the strategy above on a daily basis, 20 minutes a day could pay off in a new sales opportunity, strategic partnership, better vendor, or even a new job. James Soto, President of Industrial Strength Marketing said, "Social media is the new "cold calling." I couldn't agree more, but isn't this a lot less stressful way to cold call? There are so many possibilities for networking in LinkedIn Groups! What are you waiting for?
How to Engage on LinkedIn - Part 1
Written by Kerry O'Malley Wednesday, 21 March 2012 11:24
When people tell me they don't understand how LinkedIn can be used as a sales tool, my response is, "what have you been doing to engage?" That usually gets a blank stare for a few seconds, and I add, "Do you belong to any groups? Do you monitor conversations in the groups where your customers are?" Most LinkedIn "how to's" will also site the LinkedIn Answers forum as a way to engage and network, but I don't see much potential there for industrial / manufacturing companies. In fact, they don't even have a category for "manufacturing" or any industrial markets, like "oil and gas."
I think the Groups feature offers the strongest opportunities for industrial service and manufacturing companies to engage on LinkedIn. If you've never considered this, just do some searches for "groups" in the search bar. You'd be amazed how niche oriented some of the groups are. LinkedIn members join groups to meet and network with people who have the same professional interests. They are there to discuss relevant topics, post questions, look for solutions, seek out business opportunities, and promote their products and services to other members.
If you don't find a group that deals specifically with an area of interest to your target customer - start your own group. This is a slower way to build a network, but it will also position you and your company as leaders or experts in the area of interest to the group. For example, over two years ago I found there were plenty of groups on LinkedIn that dealt with the topics of marketing communications and social media marketing, but none that were specifically for industrial companies. So I started two groups: Industrial Marcomm (for industrial marketers who aren't quite ready to jump on the social media bandwagon) and Industrial Social Media Marketing (obviously for industrial marketers who are.) Through these two groups, I have gotten more exposure to potential clients than any other marketing media I can think of - for the cost - which was zero. Well, except for my time. Once your group starts to grow, your time investment will lessen; but you still need to monitor the group on a regular basis and look for opportunities to offer value to the group.
LinkedIn allows you to join 50 groups. I suggest you take advantage of that number, and make sure a few of the groups you belong to are "power" groups (groups with memberships in the tens of thousands.) If you're in sales or marketing, there are numerous power groups you can join. The eMarketing Association has over 407,000 members! Even if you're an industrial marketer, you're probably doing some forms of marketing on the Internet, if only managing a website. There's probably a lot you can learn through their discussions. Are you in sales? The Sales Best Practices group has over 100,000 members. Consider how many people this allows you to connect with, or who are exposed to you. It broadens your LinkedIn network, exponentially.
Following are the main ways to engage with people in groups and take advantage of the opportunities available through groups:
Messaging
Once you join a group and start contributing to discussions, you are introducing yourself to the entire group, whether the membership is 200 or 20,000. You also have the ability to connect with any member of the group through LinkedIn messaging - you don't have to be connected.
Approachability
Just as joining groups gives you the ability to message many others, joining an especially large group gives potentially thousands of people the opportunity to contact you if they have a reason. In the world of social media marketing, engagement is not just about developing business in the traditional sense. LinkedIn gives you the opportunity to develop alliances and partnerships, find new jobs, (or new employees), connect with new vendors or contractors . . . it enlarges your sphere of visibility in a way that only social media can.
Discussion monitoring
Once you're a member of a group you have the option to receive a daily or weekly digest of what is going on in the group. This is speed reading at its best! From the comfort of your Inbox, you can quickly scan for conversations that present opportunities for you to engage and quite possibly connect with a new business prospect. The flip side of this coin, which I'll get to in Part 2, is that if you also post regularly in groups YOU are appearing in the other members' daily or weekly digests. Don't underestimate the advantage this FREE tool provides. You are advertising yourself (and your company) directly into your prospects' Inbox.
Sales and marketing professionals who hope to open their LinkedIn network beyond their first degree connections MUST be actively involved in groups. When I say "actively," you don't have to sweat. Just make checking in with your most important groups part of your daily morning routine, just as you read your emails. It's a small investment that could reap big benefits.
Optimize Your LinkedIn Presence With a Company Page – Part 3 - Promote Your Products and Services
Written by Kerry O'Malley Thursday, 08 March 2012 17:21
Setting up your Company Page helps people find it when they do company searches, but LinkedIn also allows you to promote your company's branding messages, products, and services. If you really want to maximize your LinkedIn marketing opportunities, you need to optimize the services page within your Company Pages.
It's important to take full advantage of the Services tab for two reasons: it helps potential customers get an overview of your company's offerings (for more detail they can go to your website); and it also provides a platform for customers to recommend your products and services. Real people giving recommendations can be quite persuasive.
LinkedIn doesn't limit the number of products and services you can list, but this may not always be the case, which is a good reason to set your page up NOW. When you add a product or service, you have to provide a great deal of detail. Although currently, "products" and "services" are not in the LinkedIn search options, I think it's only a matter of time before they are. Get your Company Page optimized now and you'll be ahead of the game when that happens.
When adding a product or service, keep the following things in mind:
Images convey an instant impression
The majority of LinkedIn's content is text. That's why the ads they place on the right side of many pages are so attention grabbing. The eye is naturally drawn to a visual, and away from a lot of text. Be SURE to include images for each product and service. If you don't have a visual (many services don't) use stock art. There are plenty of stock art sites with reasonable costs for royalty free pictures (unlimited use.)
Consider a custom landing page for each product or service
Since social media marketing is still considered suspect in many industrial circles, ROI is a huge factor. Look at it this way: someone who has already gone through the effort of searching for, finding, exploring your services page, and then clicking on a link to your website is as close to a qualified prospect as you can hope for. Create a custom landing page on your website that will resonate with the average LinkedIn user (not TOO technical!) This allows you to see who's coming to your site from LinkedIn and gives you the opportunity to offer more targeted information and possibly gather contact information.
Don't forget to add the right contact people
You can add 3 contacts for every product and service on your company page. It's a good idea to use all 3 slots, since you never know who may be unavailable at any given time. You could include product managers, sales personnel, customer service or inside sales. Just be sure that the contacts you list are knowledgeable about the product or service for which they're listed.
Take advantage of banner ads
Besides showing pictures and text that highlight unlimited products and services on your services page, LinkedIn also allows you to upload 3 "banner ads" with links. These larger images will appear above the complete listing of your products and services, so if you have a lot of products, put some thought into how best to use the banners. Just upload the image at the appropriate size (6450 x 220 pixels), insert the URL in the appropriate space, and LinkedIn creates a rotating spotlight module to display on the page.
If you have a video, be sure to add it
In social media marketing, nothing is more powerful or persuasive than video. LinkedIn gives you the option of uploading one video to your services page. If you already have a corporate video, be sure to upload it. If you don't have any video, consider creating one. It doesn't have to be long (in fact, about 3 minutes is the attention span of most people.) Ideas? How about a customer testimonial; a message from someone most knowledgeable about your most important product or service; a demonstration of how one of your products works; a message from your CEO. With video recording equipment so affordable today, even an amateur can put together a 3 minutes video with a little forethought about lighting, backgrounds, wardrobe, and a good script.
Ask for recommendations
Unlike the recommendations on individual profile pages, Company Page recommendations show the picture of the individual giving the recommendation. I personally find this more convincing - don't you? You not only see the text, but a real, live person who is making the recommendation. Most people like to help others if they can; especially if they are a satisfied customer. So don't be afraid to ask for those recommendations!
Right now, the importance of the Company Page feature on LinkedIn is developing. With the potential for additional advertising revenue, I can only assume that LinkedIn will continue to make the Company Page platform more prominent and more searchable. As with all technology, get in on the ground floor so that you're not trying to catch up to your competition down the road!
Optimize Your LinkedIn Presence With a Company Page - Part 2
Written by Kerry O'Malley Monday, 20 February 2012 20:54
More and more individuals and businesses every day are recognizing the opportunities that LinkedIn presents because of its massive database of individuals and companies. As a marketer, you can't ignore the power of LinkedIn. For a small investment in time, you can ensure that your company page is not only complete, but also interesting for prospects that land on the page - whether they are potential employees, customers, vendors, or strategic partners. Following are all the things to consider and complete on your LinkedIn Company page.
Take control
As soon as one employee of your company creates a LinkedIn profile and designates your company as his/her employer: LinkedIn creates your company page. There won't be anything on the page (except the one employee who listed it as his place of employment) - but it's there.
By default, any person who is registered on LinkedIn and has an email address with your company's domain can make edits to your company page. If you are a small firm with trusted employees, this may be perfectly alright with you. Maybe not so much if you're a mid-size company and you don't personally know every employee. Since LinkedIn pages don't (yet) offer the opportunity for engagement, there's really no reason to have multiple administrators. I recommend 1 or 2 people who are your social media ambassadors to police the page and ensure information is always up-to-date.
Read more: Optimize Your LinkedIn Presence With a Company Page - Part 2
Optimize Your LinkedIn Presence With a Company Page - Part 1
Written by Kerry O'Malley Tuesday, 07 February 2012 17:04
Many industrial and manufacturing companies don't realize that they can create a "Company" LinkedIn page. The LinkedIn Company database is growing by leaps and bounds, and is now one of the largest company databases on the Internet.
The information provided in LinkedIn Companies is a combination of information the Company can control and user-generated content from LinkedIn users who are employees of the Company. If a LinkedIn user has an email address with the company's extension, i.e.: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; that user is automatically added to the Company Page. Any employee has the ability to make additions to the Company Page, unless the page creator has indicated that administrative rights must be approved. I don't suggest you do this, unless your company has some disgruntled employees; in which case, you probably have more to worry about than what they write on your LinkedIn Company Page!
It makes marketing sense
From a marketing perspective, it just makes sense to take advantage of the SEO benefits and possible advertising opportunities that a Company Page offers. This is also one more way companies can manage their reputation beyond Twitter and Facebook, as well as another platform for building community involvement and followers. (You can follow Company pages on LinkedIn, as well.)
Read more: Optimize Your LinkedIn Presence With a Company Page - Part 1
Why Industrial Companies Need a Blog Calendar and a Super Easy Way to Make One
Written by Kerry O'Malley Wednesday, 11 January 2012 14:44
Blogging has been around on the Internet since 2004, but most industrial companies are just beginning to think about adding a blog to their website. Although a blog does not have to be part of a company's website, and can have its own URL, you'll get the greatest SEO benefit by having a blog incorporated into your website pages. This means industrial companies are not only faced with the decision about whether to blog, or not to blog. They also often have to factor in the cost of developing a new website, one that is "blog friendly" and SEO optimized. What that really means is a website developed with up-to-date technology. Many industrial companies stuck a website up ten years ago and haven't updated it since!
The fear factor
Beyond the financial considerations, manufacturing companies and industrial service providers are often hard pressed to envision what a blog for their company would look like. What will they write about? Who will do the writing? How often will they have to post? With so many companies operating at the utmost lean capacity, who is going to take on what seems to be a monumental task?
Read more: Why Industrial Companies Need a Blog Calendar and a Super Easy Way to Make One
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Hi, I'm Kerry O'Malley - Industrial Marketing Muse and professional Marketect. I have over 30 years of experience developing marketing communications for engineered industrial products and services sold to industry. For the past 13 years, I've done that as a consultant through my company, Marketects.
I love the idea of advertising (and good writing) being catalysts that move people to action. I'm jazzed by the challenge of creating concepts for communications campaigns that work. I'm intrigued by the possibilities that exist on the Internet for the industrial marketer, and I'm always thinking about how to translate those opportunities to my clients. I've never practiced marketing in the retail, mass consumer arena, but I see a lot of that kind of marketing that inspires me and translates over well to the industrial world. I hope I can inspire YOU!
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