Today, I spoke with Dianna Huff, who gives us a unique perspective on personal branding through the eyes of a B2B communications expert, whose been in the marketing game for years. We discuss traditional and new marketing tools that can be used for businesses, as well as individuals, to maximize brand strength. Dianna reminds us to think about objectives before focusing on building a brand, using social media tools.
Dianna, what new and traditional media tools are available to everyone? Can you list them?
Dan, companies large, small, and micro have so many advantages today in terms of marketing. You have all the traditional media tools, such as direct mail, print advertising, TV and radio advertising, partnerships with other companies, networking, tradeshows, and public speaking.
Then you have all the new tools, courtesy of the Internet, that allow you to reach prospects in a very targeted way: Websites, search engine optimization, pay per click, blogging, podcasts and video, and social networking such as Facebook and LinkedIn.
Which tools are better to use in certain situations?
That really depends on your business and your objectives. For example, some experts say that print advertising is dying and that companies are now directing ad dollars to pay per click, etc. Yes, print advertising is losing ground – there is no denying that fact.
However, I met with a prospective B2C client recently who advertises in her town’s local newspaper. Now generally, I would say, “Don’t advertise. Spend the money building an optimized Website instead. The ROI is better.” This is especially true for business-to-business companies.
This company, however, kept track of calls generated by the ad. On top of that, the newspaper itself had *increased* in size, from 15 pages to 50 pages, because of population growth in the town. In this case, the ad was generating response and it was working for this company.
So my advice to any company is this: Analyze the tactics you’re currently using. Are they generating inquiries? If not, why not? If you’re not seeing any ROI, reassess your marketing program and make changes. Hire an outside consultant if you have to – a marketing consultant will see the big picture and can recommend a very targeted plan of action.
If your marketing tactics do generate inquiries/sales, track the inquiries to ensure they become sales. Then, consider adding one or two of the new tactics outlined above that fit in with your business. Maybe your business and its products don’t lend themselves to clever YouTube videos, but someone on your staff (or you) is an enthusiast / cheerleader for your company – this person could make a great blogger.
Is an email mailing list necessary anymore if you have a blog with RSS? Why or why not?
Yes, an email mailing list is necessary even if you have RSS. Why? Because not everyone knows how to use RSS and because the bulk of online communication still happens via email.
In my own case I have a LinkedIn profile, a Twitter feed, a blog, and an e-newsletter. I still send out my e-newsletter because:
- I still have people subscribing to it the “old fashioned” way via a subscription form despite having an RSS feed for it, and
- many people who subscribe to it simply do not read my blog.
On top of that, I have a Bloglines account, which I don’t check all that often. But, I do read the newsletters and email offers that hit my inbox on a regular basis. So yes, an email list is still a necessity.
What B2C business strategies can be used with B2B and for personal brand building?
For B2B micro-companies and consultants, building a brand using “B2C strategies” has never been easier. Tools such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and blogs make it very easy for a small company or individual to showcase their expertise.
For those who want to build a personal brand, I advise that they find something they can be an expert in that’s related to their business and then start talking about it – constantly. Write articles and submit them only to portals, sites or newsletters that reach your targeted audience (be selective, in other words). Start a blog, develop a viral e-book and tell everyone about it, send out an e-newsletter, and open a Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook account.
You can also use these tools to get to know your prospects that goes beyond simple “demographic” information. You can read forums and discussions, follow people from specific companies on Twitter, and learn who is in their network on LinkedIn.
Is content king? If so, do you believe marketing is the queen and that she runs the house?
That’s a good question. Marketing is much maligned, I think. It’s seen as a cost center versus a revenue generator. People don’t understand it and are often suspicious of it. It’s been hard to track and prove ROI – and even now that we can prove ROI, some people still don’t know how to do it. I just had someone say to me, “The CFO wants to cut my marketing budget, what do I do?” and my first thought was, “Haven’t you been proving to him/her that your marketing is bringing in leads or sales?”
But without marketing, companies lose market share, their voice in the marketplace, and ultimately leads and sales. To answer your question, I would say content is definitely NOT king if it isn’t backed by a sound marketing strategy that’s tied to the top-level goals of the business and has clearly defined objectives that can be tracked and measured.
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Dianna Huff is a B2B marketing communications consultant and copywriting expert. You can subscribe to her e-newsletter, The MarCom Writer, at the DH Communications website. To download her latest free e-book, “Five B2B MarCom Strategies to Increase Sales Now,” visit MarCom Writer Blog.
