B2B social media case study: BASF chemicals

Whilst conducting some research into social media uptake in the speciality chemical sector, I happened across a great slide deck that outlines how chemicals giant BASF goes about it.

With a dedicated social media manager and senior management buy-in, this is about as socially emersed as B2B marketing gets.

Slides of particular relevance to me include

[Slide 4] The statistics that support why they engage on social media

[Slide 11] How different tools and platforms like content, dialogue, news flow and aggregation are used separately and together

[Slide 14] How it is all brought together as a social newsroom (FirstDirect also doing this)

[Slide 17] How to use call to actions on Facebook

Sometimes we have to see how the big boys do it, in order to take the best from it. We may not all have the resource to bring to bear, but the attraction of social media for the smaller B2B firm is that, like most digital marketing, it doesn’t take a lot to stand out from the crowd in your sector.

Play to your strengths, identify your niche and above all, add value to the people of most interest to you.

NB: Note to RSS/email subscribers, a Slideshare is embedded which may need a trip to the blog to view in full.

4 reasons to consider outsourcing (some) of your b2b social media activities

Committing to any form of outsourcing in simplistic terms means you have to pay for a service. Yet Social Media Examiner’s 2011 survey found that over 72% of marketers still retain in-house control of social media campaigns.

So why consider outsourcing some elements of your social media activity when the whole point is supposed to be about personal engagement of prospects and customers and the creation of deeper relationships?

By paying for external support with your social media you will have to:

1. PLAN: Outline what you want to achieve to a third party which means you will have to provide a written brief detailing what you want social media to do for your business.

2. GOALS: Set objectives that will give you something to frame your activity within, to work towards and to evaluate your success against.

3. ROI: Deciding how success is going to be measured helps to quantify what the return on investment your management can expect to see.

4. CREATIVE: You may not have the creative spark (the big idea), technical expertise (to translate dry product information into high impact lead generating content) or in-house resource to develop a relevant and durable social media campaign.

Going through the process of explaining what you plan to do opens up your plans to scrutiny, which brings clarity. And whilst bringing in the experts naturally creates an additional cost,  managed well, you may just execute sharper, focused more creative and more relevant social media campaigns as a result.

Image: Tom Fishburne

Links worth a click #7

Some digital titbits to start your week with.

GOOGLE: Want to know more about the almighty battle going on between Google and Facebook right now and need an explanation of the key battlefields? Check out this must read piece on Google’s strategy to dominate on six fronts including search, mobile, browsing, local, social and technology.

B2B SOCIAL MEDIA: Interesting piece on locating and engaging with your connections online 5 Ways to Find Your B2B Company’s Online Fans

FOCUS ON BLOGGING: Three posts dedicated to the channel of blogging. First an interesting piece on 21 common blogging mistakes and how to fix them. Next some great advice on using a blog as a viral online publishing hub, and finally a useful piece on the biggest benefits of a company blog.

Image: Ark Wildlife

Links worth a click #5

There have been some really interesting reads online.

Here is my pick from the last week, we 24 June 2011.

SOCIAL MEDIA:  Mashable offered up an interesting ‘Behind the Scenes’ on 8 Innovative Social Media Campaigns. My personal favourite is The Voice because it is a new take on reality contest TV and was perfect for social media.

B2B: I particularly liked the advice on keeping your mind on ‘next action’ as a driver on what and how to present in Social Media B2B’s post on How to Create Great B2B Presentations

FACEBOOK: Australia’s finest, Jeff Bullas has pulled together an overview of 5 creative Facebook pages. I was initially surprised in scrolling through to find games, movies, cars and lingerie, but hey it is Facebook!

SEO COPY: The ever useful Marketing Profs site published a handy little guide on writing with SEO in mind. Their Five Tips for Writing Content That Keeps Pace With B2B Searches included titbits such as staying aware and staying relevant.

BLOGGING: If you need to get your CEO on board with your social media thinking, here is a useful post designed to get them involved in the blog side of things.

Now, a three way tie for content of the week:

EBOOKS: First off Hubspot’s How to Write and Launch an Ebook That Generates Leads. Staggeringly useful.

INFOGRAPHICS: Secondly, a must try: Infographics are all the rage right now if you have a dataset you want to present in an innovative way. Here are 5 tools to help turn data into infographics.

WEBSITES: Finally, from Econsultancy, and just to make most of you feel your age, just look at how some of the UK’s top e-commerce sites have changed in the past five years (or in some cases not changed).

Hope you see something you like. More next week.

Six ways to improve social media seminars for b2b

If you look hard enough, you can now attend a discussion on social media everyday of the week. Invariably, they are given by an expert (though how you can be an expert in something that evolves so quickly really escapes me). And you can attend for free or spend quite a lot of money for the enlightenment promised.

Yet most of the events, I’ve attended fail to deliver for the following reasons:

1. They are not sufficiently business focused. Speakers inevitably talk about big consumer marketing examples, perhaps because it is easier. These are the brands that have amassed some social media momentum and are more visible. Yet I believe that more people work in b2b marketing than b2c but time and time again this is overlooked. This has a knock on effect to tools selected (see point 2).

Action: Consider how companies selling to each other through a more complex b2b model are effectively using social media.

2. They talk about the same tools. Social media is not just about Facebook and Twitter. Yes they’re big and, used well, can communicate messages, drive traffic, stimulate debate, build profile. If you are in b2b marketing you need to use information and good content to drive traffic and stimulate interest in what you do. Relevant, usable content has been proven to help companies position themselves and their people at all stages of the b2b buying process.

Action: Really critique the tools you are using and check out the series on b2b social media tools that I wrote late last year – there will be something there for you. 

3. They fail to link the setting of objectives and the setting of success metrics. If you don’t know what success is going to look like and don’t set objectives to help you measure and quantify it in advance,  how can you possibly ascertain return on your investment?

This was the topic at a recent event in Manchester but predictably the panel and audience got a little stuck on tactical measurements like fans, connections, follows, retweets and so on, which actually have little tangible conversion value. Setting objectives and metrics doesn’t have to be difficult, and in reality is no different to any other form of marketing.

Action: See the graphic in this blog post to learn more about the range of social media metrics.

4. They fail to address attribution of outcome and to what extent social media plays a part. In a connected and integrated world it is harder to establish which activity ultimately impacts a buying decision. Was it the drip press advertising, the email, the personalised direct mail, the sales call, the website, Facebook page, offer on Twitter, the webinar, the YouTube video? Companies really need to build a strategy to understand this better otherwise how will they know what works and what doesn’t.

Action: Implement quick-fire, single question surveys across all activity to help establish attribution.

5. They often reference tired. dated case studies and social media cliches. Even at a meeting of opinionated, weathered social media folk in Manchester this week, Dell Outlet, Old Spice and Zappos were top of the ‘bingo’ list. Dell has indeed monetized Twitter, but in overall turnover % terms it’s barely 1%. And Zappos, the shoe chain, legend for empowering staff to deliver amazing customer service online, is no longer a new news story.

Action: Do some research and quote new examples.

6. Seminars are often given by people with no more practical experience than the people in the audience. But it is the cache of their brand or the clients they work for – again predominantly b2c – that elevates them to the panel. To be fair there are some very good speakers and some very knowledgable folk on the circuit, but the term ‘expert’ when applied to social media just really gets my back straight away.

Action: Push for more varied contributions and experience based content in your event planning and feedback.

You must have attended some events discussing social media? Did you come away with new insight and helpful information or were you left frustrated?

Image: http://www.marketingagencynj.com/seminar-2011.php

Eight reasons why Facebook IS a place to do business

Last week I wrote a blog post arguing why I felt Facebook was no place for b2b marketers. I seeded it in a number of Linkedin groups and it has developed some interesting debate. (Look up the B2B Social Media and B2B Online groups if you are interested).

The intention was to follow up immediately with this post, but the London Marathon got in the way. So by way of redress, here are EIGHT reasons why Facebook should be considered in your marketing mix:

1. You just can’t argue with the numbers. Scale: 600m registered users. Pace: Reached 150m in 5 years when it took TV 38 years. Removing the ‘interruption’ argument, some of your target customers will be amongst them.

2. Facebook remains quite cool and there is still an early adopter advantage. Few companies in traditional b2b sectors are embracing the business services available, the opportunity to build a brand, develop a hub for all online content, drive the creation of an engaged, opted in community and drive transactional traffic.

3. It is becoming increasingly harder to delineate professional-personal networking. Rather than using Linkedin and Facebook in markedly different ways and with different groups of contacts, a rising number of users are simply removing some of the more contentious material from Facebook and using it for professional purposes too. As engagement with brands, campaigns, viral and video takes off, we’ll inevitably see more b2c, b2b, public sector and media brands make the cross over to Facebook.

4. The tie up with Bing brings social-search closer. Let’s face it there was never going to be an agreement with Google. Facebook and Google are going to battle for Internet domination until one of them wins or until another platform rises to threaten them. There is much antipathy to Google around the world so integrating Bing search within Facebook simultaneously increases the likelihood of several things: more Facebook users around the world, users staying within Facebook longer, social media profiles and activity becoming more relevant to search results.

5. Facebook is viral by design. You want your content to spread, get it on Facebook. If it is any or all of the following – engaging, relevant, believable, accurate, amusing – it will be liked and shared. Having a page on Facebook is increasingly useful as it acts as a community creator and facilitator.

6. Facebook Places will inevitably dominate the location based sector. Though slow to take off, in comparison to the innovators at Foursquare and Gowalla, the resource that Facebook can bring to bear on their location based service, coupled with the attraction that an audience of 600 million provides, means it will become the most widely used platform of its kind.

7. And Facebook Deals will be the catalyst for this development as brands tap into the benefits of offering real-time offers to customers based on their location. Though this is largely restricted to big brand b2c at the moment, I’d expect a raft of b2b brands ranging from professional services, building and construction, IT, telecommunications and others to start to see the benefits of this.

8. Facebook offers highly targeted, low cost PPC advertising. Though it has been reported the costs are rising sharply, and the argument continues as to the overall effectiveness, Facebook advertising delivers in terms of reach, cost per impression and cost per click.

There are many more good reasons, and I’m sure there are scores of companies large and small, operating in mass market and the niche who will claim success in this area.

But what is your experience? Have you built a community from scratch? Developed your reach? Made a sale even?

Image: Learnaboutus.com

Ten reasons why Facebook is no place to do business

Social media, as you must know by now, is not just Facebook. Yet, it is the first platform discussed when businesses discuss their social media options. This might seem provocative, but if you’re in b2b marketing, consider these ten compelling reasons why Facebook  is no place for you to do serious business right now.

1. Facebook was conceived as a social network, not a business network. Think about your own use. Do you use it to source new products, services and suppliers or catch up with friends and family, share photos and video and ‘like’ the occasional link?

2. Just because there are 600m users, it doesn’t mean they are the slightest bit interested in what you have to say to them. See point one. Your brand messages and communications interrupt them whilst doing something else at a time when they have in all likelihood switched out of work mode.

3. Businesses using Facebook in ways that add real value are the exception rather than the rule.

4. Many businesses still outlaw Facebook use during work hours and on work hardware. It is seen as distracting, time wasting and risky. And far from being blurred (as some commentators suggest), there is a case to suggest that the divide between professional and personal networking is wider than ever.

5. Facebook had a great opportunity to create a powerful social-search platform but opted for a tie-up with Bing rather than Google. Google dominates search where Facebook dominates social. This has to be seen as an opportunity lost because Facebook probably wanted to dominate online, rather than offer a truly global service with customer experience at its heart.

6. It gets worse. There are no real SEO benefits. Having a profile might help you in the rankings but all site content is locked behind password access.

7. Facebook Places and Facebook Deals (the company’s take on innovative online players like Foursquare and Groupon) are inevitably b2c and retail high street focused. How will the immediacy of making a passing purchase in b2c translate to the slower, multi-stakeholder influenced b2b buying decision? Arguably not well and not very quickly either.

8. Highly targeted, low cost pay per click advertising might appear attractive, but if you’re not paying a lot for your clickthroughs, it suggests aren’t getting many. And if the news is correct, the cost of Facebook advertising is about to soar.

9. Websites remain the primary platform of choice for companies and brands to inform and engage customers. Throughout all stages of research, shortlisting and selection of suppliers, websites rank highest in all information resources. And doesn’t it seem a little absurd to send people to a Facebook page which then presumably wants to send them back again?

10. Ultimately, I think if you want to use Facebook for business you have to be a business falling into one of two categories. A hyper-local business operating in a clearly definable geography with a compelling retail USP which can use a friend network as word of mouth is one. Another is a significant b2b brand which, like a Blackberry, can draw on the brand cache of a consumer market and engage thousands of people. For everything in between, you might be disrupting people in their downtime and risking your long term reputation.

But that’s just my view, and the landscape is changing daily. What’s your experience?

Image: Bizmarkblog.com

The challenge of being a social media start up (SMWF pt 3)

Social media startups trying to launch new platforms aren’t just based in San Francisco, they are springing up in the UK too. Four social media startups got the opportunity to introduce themselves to the Social Media hub at SMWF, explain what they were about, what they were trying to achieve and then take questions from the floor.

Planely – Founder Nick Martin positioned his new social network which works on the assumption of making travel more interesting. Planely links ‘strangers’ thrown together with similar travel itineraries to create more stimulating and rewarding trips.

Datasift – Darren Patterson, CEO of MediaSift, the company behind the near-ubiquitous Tweetmeme which makes the sharing of internet content via Twitter much easier – announced Datasift alpha which will offer real-time social media data mining.

Likeourselves – Pardeep Kullar claimed Likeourselves brings together the online community essence of Meetup with the offline world, driving worldwide meet ups amongst likeminded people with a single broadcast message.

Memolane – Founder Eric Lagier presented a platform which pulls together all social media content into one linear, chronological package, giving greater transparency to your wide digital footprint.

To me, there are opportunities and issues with them all, but I do commend each entrepreneur for having the guts to go out on a limb. There is a great risk in this space that a small player will generate an interest in something on a shoestring budget and then be overtaken by a bigger player (like a Facebook) who inevitably has more resource.

By and large, conceiving a new social media tool, is a fraught process, with no guarantee of profit. The best, it seems, entrepreneurs can hope for is investment based on a working prototype, a merger or an acquisition.

The critical point to get to is prototype. You need to get to the point that it can be tested and assessed by your target audience for validity, relevance, attractiveness and durability. And in order for it to scale, API development and linkage with the platforms already being used is key.

Much like the development of apps, AR and other trailblazing technology, it sounds great but I think I’m going to leave it to someone else!

Image: Will O’Brien

Read part 1 here and part 2 here

The ASA and CAP Code implications on online marketing (SMWF pt 2)

Malcolm Phillips from the The ASA presented on how the changes in the CAP Code will affect social media marketing.

The ASA rules in disputes about whether a marketing campaign or activity is legal, decent, truthful and honest. Recently this remit extended online.

From a cynical perspective, does The ASA limit creativity in protecting consumers? Does this actually just create an open season where competing companies simply complain about each others claims to try and gain a moral advantage in the marketplace?

It seems that Facebook and Twitter are going to be prioritised simply because of their meteoric rise in a few years and due to the sheer numbers of users and increasing number of brands using them for promotional purposes.

But The ASA is clear that it is not interested in policing spontaneous customer interaction, engagement and customer service. Rather, it is in two areas: claims being made, and the use of user-generated content by marketers.

The ASA deal with many false claim cases, ranging from the unavailability of goods despite being advertised as such to specific product benefits that may be implied but can not be proven.

Brands have to be mindful of using user-generated content. Ministry of Sound fell foul of this when younger clubbers posted photos of themselves attending clubnights holding alcoholic drinks which gave the illusion of under-age drinking. Rules affect food claims, pharmaceuticals and other areas too.

Sponsorships and endorsements on social media also need to be clearly labelled, with a case involving Rolls Royce cited as a warning. Rolls Royce used a number of celebrities including the model Daisy Lowe as Twitter ambassadors for the brand.

Summary

The ASA argued it wasn’t citing creativity and reminded the audience that the advertising industry had asked for greater clarity to ensure a level playing field.

What do you think?

Read pt 1 here.

Social Media Forum Europe review pt 1

As I mentioned in a previous post, I’m a bit of a groupie for the tech marketing events so was eagerly looking forward to Social Media World Forum Europe which I attended yesterday.

The conference was well promoted pre-event with a well stocked website, blog, Twitter account, and event hash tag #SMWF. In lieu of this, and because it was a self funded trip, I opted for the free entry to the exhibition and Social Media Hub. This, I assumed, would ensure a day of packed presentations and takeaway tips from interesting speakers getting to the heart of social media matters.

I attended day two after falling to grasp from the website that b2b and sme featured on day one (doh!) With a paid stream (£395 for two days), it was to be expected that the calibre of the speakers and the brand case studies in the hub would not be as strong.

That said, save a few insights (more later), the sessions comprising day two of the Social Media Hub were a let down for a number of reasons. I’ll come to in a moment.

First some positives:

1. SMWF used the right digital channels to promote the show and engage the audience attending and online.

2. The conference delivered big brand, keynote speakers for the paying delegates.

3. The floor design provided lots of space and opportunity for networking – the Networking Bar and Social Hub were well designed.

4. There were some great opportunities to face to face network with a number of Twitter contacts that I’ve now met!

The negatives:

1. I missed the Social Media Hub agenda before booking my day there. It was tucked away on the main program page – which non paying members wouldn’t click to. Had I known that the Social Media Hub had been focusing on b2b and sme on day one, that’s the day I would have attended.

2. Whilst in the main attractive and informal, I think the open aspect of the Social Hub, with its ‘drop in, drop out arrangement’ meant that the engagement of the audience at any one time was fairly low. The moderator had a tough job and in the end resorted to putting a microphone in people’s faces.

3. I echoed the same criticisms about overly promotional presentations at TFM&A in early March where exhibitors talked about their own products a little too much. That’s what exhibition stands, demo’s and sales people are for. When I attend a conference, I really want actionable, usable information I can take back and try in my business.

4. I sensed an audience in the hub that was aware of social media but practically naive when it comes to planning, selection of tools and execution. This was evidenced by a small show of hands to questions like who uses facebook, linkedin, twitter, quora, youtube (less hands with every social platform named). Despite this, the same social media cliches were trotted out.

5. A potentially fantastic session titled ‘social media planning’ degenerated into an issues/concerns people have about using Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. THESE ARE NOT THE ONLY SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO YOU! Surprisingly, the audience voted that of the three, YouTube posed the most challenges, not Facebook which is inherently personal and barred from a good number of businesses during the working day.

Maybe, I missed the good b2b stuff on day one. If so, that’s my own fault. Or maybe its because I have a passion for supporting businesses that supply other businesses use the right tools, use them well and see some tangible results. Maybe its because I see mainstream nuts and bolts b2b (remove high tech, big brand and finance) shamefully missing from most conference programs. Or because I’ve been galvanised by recent talks that I’ve given to appreciative audiences.

Which ever way I look it, there appear to be opportunities missed at Social Media World Forum. Which makes me feel relieved I didn’t cough up the £395 that others delegates did.

Your view: Was SMWF value for money?

So, before I publish my thoughts on some of the social media hub sessions (and there were some useful insights), a Linkedin Poll question. I’m interested in value for money. If you paid to attend out of your own pocket, was it money well spent? If your company paid, ask yourself , would you have paid to attend the conference if you had to?