All of the below *extras* are downloadable PDFs, special posts or extended series. And a veritable treasure trove of social media tips are located here and B2B social media goodies are right here.
Having polled a variety of
marketing professionals on the value they receive from blogging, the
responses are quite enlightening and range from "connection" and
"community" to "idea exchange," innovation" and many, many more.
Find out the myriad value that marketing professionals receive through blogging in this unique collage (PDF version), or go here for the rich media version
Social Media Marketing (Planning) Checklist
There's an extensive amount of work involved in planning, launching and maintaining your social media presence and programs. And the level of upfront work directly affects (and effects) the outcome.
On that note, I've prepared a list of questions, organized by category, that can serve as a helpful guide for companies when approaching this space. Remember, no one plans to fail but too many companies fail to adequately plan--check out the planning checklist located at this page.
10 (Essential!) Rules To Pass the "Web 2.0" Go: A 10-Part Series
Social media (aka "Web 2.0") provides marketers with groundbreaking opportunities amid a groundswell of consumer-empowered trends. It's also changing the way business is done, because now we have new voices in the business process. There is much opportunity and many rewards... but not without their share of new rules for avoiding marketing misfires and
unnecessary risks.
In this "monopoly-inspired," 10-post series, I cover 10 (essential!) rules that no B2B or B2C marketer should pass the Web 2.0 Go without. (Note: this series is currently running through individual posts from June-November 2009, with all posts archived here)
Reasons for A Social Media Presence (A Riddle)
Why oh why should a company have a social media presence...what are the true gains to be gotten in going to the time and trouble of launching and maintaining a social media presence?
There isn’t one answer. There are many. (So it’s a trick riddle.) The reasons are both vast and varied, and are all illuminated at this post.
Building the B2B Business Case for Social Media: 10-Benefit Slideshow
In a world brimming with MySpace teens, Facebook fans, Celebrity Twitterers and blogs about cute kittens, it's no wonder that so many B2B marketers view social media, and the Social Web, as strictly a "consumer play."
That mindset, however, is costing B2B companies potential revenues, new customer relationships, unparalleled reach and, quite frankly, their relevance. Even worse when they realize that this opportunity loss isn't something that's being done to them... but something that they're simply not doing. Find out the TOP 10 reasons that Social Media makes for a strong business case for B2B companies right here.
This 10-Step Starter Guide walks B2B marketers
through the 10 key steps covering WHAT they need to know--and what
they need to ask/assess--to get started in mobile marketing, HOW to
approach mobile audiences and environments, WHICH tools they can
implement to add impact to their existing programs, as well as key proof
points to analyze WHEN measuring mobile ROI.
And contrary to much of the buzz on mobile metrics, Mobile ROI is not just analyzing number of SMS subscribers/application downloads/etc. Far from it. Mobile ROI--just like ROI from all other media and marketing programs--is the BIGGER-picture value it brings to your business. Access the slideshow and downloadable PDF available here.
Social Media Marketing Collection: Where in the Web 2.0 World to start?
Clients and colleagues
often ask me "Where in the (Web 2.0) world to start?" when they're
looking to learn about marketing with social media, the profound shifts
taking place with their target audiences and the new best practices
they need to grasp.
It's an understandable question as this environment brings a big learning curve! But instead of sending them a long list of links, I've compiled a collection of posts, presentations and series (for both B2B and B2C marketers) into this slideshow... and it might just help you, too. The slideshow is located right here.
Oh, the (social media) irony. Web 2.0 (aka "social media") is not just the most social of all media, but also the one most laden with irony.
In this post I illuminate some of the most notable ironies that have surprised, startled and taught marketers just how complex marketing can be when people, profit-seeking companies and new technologies converge... oh, the irony indeed! Find out all here.
Breaking Through the Knowledge Barrier: 5 Tips for Moving Corporations into Social Media.
Knowledge is powerful. But when it comes to corporate movement into social media, lack of knowledge is absolutely paralyzing. While social media adoption
rates are exploding among consumer and professional audiences --and
companies are attributing far more attention and budget to social media
efforts--education remains one of the biggest barriers to social media
adoption.
As one of my practice areas is social media marketing training, I share 5 key training tips on how best to educate, prepare and guide companies to succeed in the Social Web: all located at this post.
Community-Developed Social Media Survey: Marketing Trends 2009
This groundbreaking, crowdsourced market study is, to our knowledge, the first marketing survey that was directed
by the marketing community, yet facilitated and funded by a third-party research company. Equation Research conducted all analysis and data preparation, while I collaborated with Equation and the community to generate research topics for the study.
The 40-page report is jam-packed with findings and implications, results for each of the 10 questions that were selected from the community’s contributions and scores of relevant charts and graphs illustrating the key points, along with breakdowns by audience designations (i.e. B2B, B2C, Brand-side Marketers, Agency-side Marketers). The program was so unique and well-received that plans are to hold a community-directed research study again in 2010. Please click here to download the full report (PDF).
This eBook is a collaboration of 13 marketers and I'm truly honored to have played a small part within it. While it's an an eBook in format, I find it to be more of a roadmap in its purpose. Valeria Maltoni--the mastermind behind this effort--approached a group of professionals at the close of 2008 with a concept where she was centered on creating a piece focused on "execution imperatives" since the Web is already packed with marketing predictions.
She wanted direction, not prediction. After all, that's what marketers need... especially given these challenging times and new technologies. Click here to download Marketing in 2009.
B2B Social Media: The "Share Economy"
Racing to define this new era, pundits have been coining catchphrases ranging from the "knowledge economy" and the "innovation era" to the "conversation age". But from where does knowledge, innovation and conversation stem?
The answer rests in sharing: individuals actively and openly sharing information, insights and ideas with others. Thus, the exchanging of ideas--how freely they're traded, how dynamically they spread, and the new ideas they inspire--is most aptly labeled "The Share Economy."
What does this mean for marketers? Web 2.0 is changing the way they do business, because they have new voices in the business process. And while most age-old marketing principles still apply, many of the practices do not. Lots of opportunities and lots of best practices to learn: Download the PDF right here.
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