Social Media Strategy: What’s the ROI?

Social media power
Modern B2B Marketing to fill up your sales funnel | Canada

Social Media Strategy: What's the ROI?

Social media power

Do you have a social media strategy? In 2007, Twitter users posted approximately 1.2 million tweets. In 2019, that number grew to 500 million per day. Many large companies now have full-time social media staff dedicated to Twitter– McDonalds has ten – but Twitter remains dwarfed by others. Social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn are currently poised to rival Google as search engine resources. Facebook has 2.45 billion monthly active users while YouTube has also 2 billion logged-in monthly users (2019).

In every demographic, social networking is on the rise. According to a study from Pew Internet, social media usage almost doubled among internet users over the age of 50, increasing to 42% from 22% over that period. The same study highlights increases in other demographics, including 47% of 50 to 64 year old internet users who now use social media. Clearly, interest in online social platforms continues to grow for all age groups. So, considering this trend, the question remains: how can B2B social media be crafted to harvest this untapped potential?

Facebook was originally designed to let college students connect and share pictures, but with daily viewers eclipsing 500 million, companies have realized the potential of an effective social media strategy. An estimated 20% of all posts are related to a product or brand and it only follows that, with the right tools, B2B social strategy can help:Increase traffic to your website with social media:

    • Increase exposure to your brand/company
    • Increase conversation about the brand/company
    • Launch new products/services
    • Receive feedback and ideas for product or business development
    • Establish relationships and connections with potential customers who become your fans or followers
    • Be fully integrated with all marketing programs and initiatives
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Setting up a Facebook or Twitter account is easy, but creating an effective social media strategy is more complicated. Contact us today to work with a social media consultant who can help you build the right strategy for your company, and facilitate the achievement of  business social networking goals.

Testimonials

“Ranking our Web site high on search engines results, designing a professional Web site look and developing engaging relevant content for a heavy technology company like us resulted in a dramatic increase in client leads that we receive from our Web site.”

Simon Robin CEO, Hardent

Should You Attend Business Conferences?

Conferences and events

Business Conferences: Should You Attend?

Conferences and events

Business conferences are about exposing people to new information in a particular industry and staying up to date with the trends in your industry. However, during the past decade, we have seen a steady decline in how many companies actually attend trade shows. There are a few reasons for this decline:

    • Search engines and websites have provided most companies with the tools they need to research and present their offerings, without needing to leave the office.
    • There’s no need to wait for an annual show to familiarize yourself with the latest developments in an industry. You can get updates in monthly or weekly newsletters, or even RSS feeds from a reliable source.
    • Social media sites and online forums have made it easy to build online communities where contacts can meet and exchange information—whether through webinars, chats, or virtual conferencing.
    • Investing in travel costs, exhibition costs, and time needs to be justified.

    • Also, the recent green movement encourages many companies to minimize carbon emissions or to offset the carbon footprint for attending industry conferences.
    • On top of everything, the events of 9/11 introduced many long and tedious security procedures. Traveling by plane is no longer as convenient and many do not feel as comfortable with flying to attend conferences.

So, these days, business conferences aren’t as crucial as they used to be. For most companies, I wouldn’t recommend even attending them , however there are exceptions for some industries. Sometimes, the opportunity to network in person at conferences can be too important a chance to pass up. Sometimes, there is regional interest or a very closed industry community, where meeting in person is more valuable than meeting online. Generally, the best approach is to attend conferences where you can secure speaking opportunities in front of your target market. This will give you added visibility and credibility, which can generate new client leads.

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Contact us and allow us to assess whether you could benefit from attending certain business conferences as well as help you secure speaking engagements.

Testimonials

“Ranking our Web site high on search engines results, designing a professional Web site look and developing engaging relevant content for a heavy technology company like us resulted in a dramatic increase in client leads that we receive from our Web site.”

Simon Robin CEO, Hardent

Get Media Coverage and Industry Articles

Media coverage

Get Media Placements and Industry Articles to Boost Your Company Image and Get Clients

Media coverage

Just about every company would love to get media placement on a highly trafficked website like Yahoo, CNN, or the Wall Street Journal. You want the story to be positive, of course, and it has to reach your target market in order to be effective. Industry articles in less news-focused, niche publications (online and offline), are another great way to get noticed.

The greatest challenge is simply securing the media coverage to begin with. Once that’s accomplished, you have to make sure it will be beneficial to your company. As a long-time marketing agency, we have a whole arsenal of tricks for getting into the media (take, for example, for Gil’s interview on CNN). Even smaller media outlets are a good promotion, especially the targeted industry articles, which can lead you to reach a focused target market.

Whether you’re looking to get featured in industry articles or more news-oriented media coverage, it’s important to keep abreast of how information is disseminated online. Media placement is no longer just about news networks, radio interviews, or industry articles in print publications. It appears in all sorts of forms on the Internet: blogs, web magazines and portals, RSS feeds, podcasts, and online video clips.

A great benefit is that these kinds of online news outlets are often highly targeted to circulation with a common interest in a particular field or subject. Thus, getting media coverage, or industry articles published, is a great way to channel information to your audience. On top of bringing attention to your company and brand, media and industry articles are an economical way to attract new clients.

We have experience “plugging” your company story into reputable media outlets, resulting in a boost to your company’s reputation, more client opportunities, and new business for your company.

Media coverage is one of the most effective ways to build a brand identity and promote the  flow of client leads and the key to success is continuity. By developing a relationship and establishing contacts with the media, you can ensure regular stories are being published.

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Are you ready to step into the spotlight? Get some recognition for your company with media placements and/or industry articles. Contact us and I can discuss your options of how you can make it happen.

Testimonials

“Placing us in trade magazines enabled Callio to receive international exposure and most of all develop a trustworthy brand.”

René St-Germain, Former CEO, Callio Technologies (Now at Certi-Trust)

Who’s Threatening Google?

Google's competition

Who’s Threatening Google?

Google's competition

Most of Google’s revenue comes from its Adwords PPC (Pay-Per-Click) web marketing. With advertising revenues totaling almost 116.3 billion US dollars in 2018,, Adwords has led the movement of PPC web marketing. Paid search engine marketing is not as effective as organic search engine optimization, simply because search engine users often trust the non-sponsored listing more. For this very reason, many marketers prefer to stick with organic search engine optimization(see my last blog for more on PPC web marketing versus organic search engine optimization). As far as targeting the right audience, Google Adwords can only be targeted according to keyword, location, and search history.

On the surface, the competitors for Google’s PPC web marketing are Bing and other ad networks. However, few contenders with no search function at all, are slowly but surely rising through the ranks:LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. It may surprise you that social networking sites are competing with the top search engine for revenue, though there are  many crucial differences between the two.

LinkedIn as well as Facebook offer PPC web marketing that doesn’t just stop at location and search history. Unlike Google, LinkedIn and Facebook’s PPC web marketing has the power to target users based on gender, age, role, interests, affiliations, marital status, and more. Facebook ads are generally cheaper than Google ads—though they sometimes garner less of an audience than paid search engine marketing with Google.

As marketers, we have to decide between the high traffic and visibility of Google’s paid search engine marketing and the highly targeted PPC ads on LinkedIn or Facebook and other social networks who use PPC ads.

In order to choose the right mix for your PPC web marketing, it’s important to weigh the different options and see the whole picture. You need to take into account the forecasted amount of traffic, compare conversion rates, assess the amount of competition, and determine pricing. Every advertiser is in a different situation and, at the end of the day, we all want to get new client leads while minimizing out of pocket expenses.

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Is PPC web marketing right for you? Which ad network should you advertise with? Feel free to contact us for advice on paid search engine marketing.

Testimonials

“Ranking our Web site high on search engines results, designing a professional Web site look and developing engaging relevant content for a heavy technology company like us resulted in a dramatic increase in client leads that we receive from our Web site.”

Simon Robin CEO, Hardent

Organic SEO vs. Paid Search Engine Marketing

SEO vs PPC

Organic SEO Vs. SEM (Paid Search Engine Marketing)

SEO vs PPC

SEO vs. SEM that is the question, whether paid search engine marketing and organic search engine optimization services are both effective and economical tools for attracting prospects. But which method to use? I’ll start with a short definition of each of these respective tools:

Organic Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – is the process whereby a website structure, design, and page content is adjusted to boost the search ranking of a Web page for specific keywords. This requires selecting high-traffic keywords, adjusting the HTML code, infusing content with the right keywords, and building incoming and outgoing links.

Paid Search Engine Marketing (SEM or also referred to as Pay-Per-Click (PPC)) – is an advertising tool which exposes Web users to ads based on the keywords they search. For the best results, it is wise to adhere to a few proven steps. First you need to select the relevant keywords and avoid irrelevant ones, then use these keywords to  create attractive advertising content that will generate clicks. Next, you must design a landing page that entices people to give their contact information and, finally, you need to adjust your advertising campaigns according to your results.

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SEO vs. SEM

So, from a marketing perspective, how does organic search engine optimization compare with paid search engine marketing?

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Visibility

We all want to be ranked on the top of the search engine results. Paid search engine marketing can quickly elevate your company to the very top of the results page—even higher than the organic search results. Nowadays, though web users tend to differentiate between paid advertisements and actual search results, this exposure is still very effective, provided your campaign offering is well-defined. If you are already on the first page of the search engines, the benefits of paid search engine marketing will be marginal. However,  if you have trouble getting your site noticed, consider investing in paid search engine marketing for fast visibility.

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Credibility

While paid search engine marketing can bring you to the very top of search engine results, it is just not as credible as organic search engine optimization. Most users believe organic search results are more reliable and trustworthy because they have not been paid for. The bottom line: unpaid, organically ranked links get a lot more clicks than a paid search engine marketing advertisement.

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Sustainability

When organic search engine optimization gets you on the first results page, you are king and, unlike paid search engine marketing, you are not limited by a daily budget. This means that as long as you keep up your SEO efforts, you will appear high in the results every day of the week. On the other hand, if you lower your budget for paid search engine marketing, you will literally disappear off the radar. So if you’re looking to invest over the long-term, go with organic search engine optimization services.

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Measurability

When comparing SEO vs. SEM, both paid search engine marketing and organic search engine optimization can be tracked by tools. These tools enable you to assess the effectiveness of your marketing and improve your campaigns.

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Sustainability vs. Fast Results

Paid search engine marketing will generally yield faster results than organic search engine optimization. With better control over the process of paid search engine marketing, you can reach the top of search engine results within days. If your campaign is well-customized, you’ll get clicks right away. Still, you usually need at least three weeks of trial and error to customize a paid search campaign and get new leads. In contrast, organic search engine optimization is more tricky. Though most of the Web sites that we have worked on managed to get to the first page after a relatively short time (2-3 months), we have sites that increased their ranking within weeks. There are many factors that affect how quickly you will see results and, based on our expertise, we can estimate how long it would take for your site to achieve similar rankings. At the end of the day, if you’re looking for immediate results, go for paid search engine marketing. If you’re investing in the long-term and want to gradually increase your traffic in a more sustainable manner, invest in organic search engine optimization services.

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Maintenance

Paid search engine marketing requires constant maintenance. You must continually adjust your ads to appear in the top positions with the right keywords. This is a daily process of ensuring that your budget is well spent. Organic search engine optimization is different. Once you spend your initial investment, you just need to invest in a low-maintenance plan to keep and strengthen your high position on the search results.

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Cost

The cost of organic search engine optimization services run between 15%-20% of the cost of paid search engine marketing, hence many companies prefer starting off with organic search engine optimization services.

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If you have other questions regarding SEO vs. SEM or whether to implement organic search engine optimization or paid search engine marketing for your website, please feel free to direct them to us and we will gladly assess your situation.

Testimonials

“Ranking our Web site high on search engines results, designing a professional Web site look and developing engaging relevant content for a heavy technology company like us resulted in a dramatic increase in client leads that we receive from our Web site.”

Simon Robin CEO, Hardent

Business Blog Writing & Email Newsletters

Blog vs newsletter

Email Newsletter Marketing and Business Blog Writing : What’s the Difference?

Blog vs newsletter

Html email newsletters and business blog writing  are great ways to remind prospects of your company’s presence. By maintaining the awareness of prospects, you significantly increase the likelihood that they will become clients. So which should you use? Strive to have both, as business blogs and email newsletters marketing can often work in tandem. Business blogs have quite different content from Html email newsletters and it is important to understand the difference:

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Business Blog Writing

Business blogs are an opportunity to lay out an opinion on any given subject and weigh in on industry news or trends. Business blogs are usually brief, concise, and informative, teaching readers about a single topic. A blog will let you educate readers about new concepts and trends that you would like to introduce to the market. They are valuable because they reflect the personal attitude and experience of the blog writer themselves, and are a great way to build trust and credibility. With relevant content and well-written blog writeup, you can encourage regular visitors to read your thoughts on your business blog.

Good blog copy is not always easy, and a business blog can be time-consuming and difficult to maintain. For one, blog writers must take into account Search Engine Optimization practices. By infusing relevant keywords, a business blog will rank high on search engines and generate a high amount of traffic, provided the blog is well integrated into your site.

Still, even with good search engine ranking, audiences only read business blogs when they want to. You have to entice them to subscribe to your blog so that they will read it regularly. Writing business blogs is a commitment and thus, many companies outsource their business blog writing to a marketing company. Companies will typically come up with the subject, decide their stance, and choose how they would like to present it. The actual write-up is performed by a professional marketing copywriter.

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HTML Email Newsletter Marketing

Html email newsletter marketing is perfect for a company requiring a long sales cycle. If your buyer needs time and information before deciding to go with your company, it’s important to remain in contact with this prospect. Html email newsletters shed light on the offering and support decision-makers in being more knowledgeable over time. Over the long-term, email newsletter marketing will reinforce to decision-makers that yours is the right service/product for them. Otherwise, prospects may visit your site, but never return. If they subscribe to your html email newsletter, there’s a constant reminder to read your business blog, or look at new web content. The result will cement your credibility and expertise.

Html email newsletters, as opposed to blogs, are not so much about broadcasting personal opinions as they are about keeping in contact with existing clients, distribution channels, and prospects. Email newsletter marketing is an easy way to keep clients abreast of what is going on in your company as well as current industry news. When you update your business blog, make changes to your website, or come out with a new product, a great way to let prospects know is through email newsletter marketing. If you acquire a prestigious client, receive an award, or recruit a new staff member, you can also inform your target audience with email newsletter marketing.

While the content of email newsletter marketing is all about what is newsworthy, it is crucial that an html email newsletter is properly written with an aesthetic appeal. The subject line has to be tantalizing but clear. To avoid having your email intercepted as spam, the body of the email must avoid using certain words which will surely send your html email newsletter straight to the junk folder.

Last but not least, if your company intends to send out monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly newsletters, you need to make sure that you are delivering these on time. Some companies may outsource their email newsletter along with their blog. This way everything is sent out regularly with content that will increase traffic to the business blog.

Blog writing and email newsletters build trust. Want to stay in the forefront of prospects’ minds? Ask yourself whether it might be worthwhile to maintain a business blog and/or invest in a regular email newsletter now. Read more about email newsletters in my next blog.

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The above-mentioned marketing consulting and lead generation services are how our B2B marketing agency accompanies organizations in their quest to grow. Contact us today and allow us to look at your specific marketing challenges and suggest how we can assist you specifically.

Testimonials

“Ranking our Web site high on search engines results, designing a professional Web site look and developing engaging relevant content for a heavy technology company like us resulted in a dramatic increase in client leads that we receive from our Web site.”

Simon Robin CEO, Hardent

The Do-Not-Call List & the Changing Face of Marketing

Do not call list

The Do-Not-Call List and the Changing Face of Marketing

Do not call list

As of September 30, 2008, Canadians can register their names on the national Do-Not-Call List (DNCL).. A simple phone call to the toll-free number 1-866-580-3625 or visit to the DNCL website is now enough for consumers to place their numbers on the fast-growing list and severely limit the number of available telemarketing leads.

While telemarketing companies across Canada are facing a huge drop in their target market, Canadians are falling  over themselves to place their names on the list as quickly as possible—so much so, in fact, that on the first day of registration phone lines were overwhelmed with 1562 calls a minute, according to a recent CBC article. During the 2013-2014 reporting period, Canadians registered over 750,000 cellular, home, and fax numbers on the National DNCL, bringing the total to over 12.2 million numbers (March 2014).

The prognosis for small-scale telemarketers is grim. One needs only look to the backlash of the DNCL in the US, which was introduced in 2003 and by 2007 saw 145,498,656 telephone numbers registered on their database. Further to this, an article appearing in the Canadian business journal Decima Telemanagement quotes Robert Kaiser, president of a US-based Telemarketing firm: “Many telemarketing firms closed in the initial backlash,” he said. “The legislation weeded out the smaller companies that can’t afford the back office support and left more experienced companies that can afford the legal and other staff needed to follow the rules.” So, while large telemarketing companies can probably withstand the transition, those small businesses that rely on cold-calling and telemarketing will be hurt the most. The new regulations require that businesses adhere to the DNCL and update it on a regular basis, or risk fines of up to $15,000.

There are a few exceptions to the rule, notably registered charities, political parties, newspapers, market research companies, and companies that have an “existing business relationship” with consumers.

The message is that if you’re still engaged in cold-calling and telemarketing to generate leads, it may be time to think about updating your approach. Marketing is an ever-changing process, and it’s critical to stay ahead of the curve if you want to beat out the competition.

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So What Are the Alternatives?

Marketing in today’s world needs to use a different tactic, and the DNCL marks the decline of cold calling. While businesses are not yet qualified to add their numbers to the registry, it is only a matter of time. Marketing now needs to take into account that your potential clients are increasingly busy and resistant to impingements on their time.

The solution is to build trust with prospects before going for the sale. With the advent of white papers, search engine optimization, media insertion in trade magazines, industry analyst reports, email campaigns, blogs, and webinars, you can provide prospects with valuable information to encourage them to make a responsible decision on their own terms. The advantage with modern marketing lead generation tactics is that prospects will be more informed and therefore more receptive to your company and solutions—thus shortening your sales cycle. In addition, you will gain leads from prospects interested in your specific offering, if positioned correctly and enjoy a higher conversion rate—no cold calling required.

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Contact us today to discuss how to use telemarketing or other marketing tactics to gain interest or demand for your solutions, while complying with the Do-Not-Call List legislation.

Testimonials

“Ranking our Web site high on search engines results, designing a professional Web site look and developing engaging relevant content for a heavy technology company like us resulted in a dramatic increase in client leads that we receive from our Web site.”

Simon Robin CEO, Hardent