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July 2008, Issue 53 |
Lead-Generation Best Practices
IT or Bust How to Market to IT Buyers: A Q&A We've compiled the Q&A session from Reaching the IT Buyer: An Expert Panel on Technology Marketing, a live Webinar from BtoB Online and Bulldog Solutions. The Q&A below includes some questions ITtoolbox President George Krautzel and Bulldog President Todd Davison did not answer during the live Webinar. We also invite you to visit BullBlog to continue the discussion on IT marketing challenges. The full Webinar is available on-demand. View now.
Q: In addition to participating in other online communities, how important is it for us to set up our own forum/source for social media, such as a blog or other online discussion? George Krautzel, ITtoolbox: It's important for you to take advantage of existing online communities when making a foray into social media marketing, and then to supplement this strategy by adding communication tools to your own Web site. In most cases, both current and future customers you're trying to reach are already using online communities to share information and feedback about your brand, products and services. By getting involved in these communities, you’ll be able to enter into a dialogue with these customers to learn about their needs, help them find solutions, and guide their impressions and awareness of your brand. Treat this strategy as an investment that will have a strong return. Creating a community of your own by adding tools like blogs and discussion forums to your company Web site is another strategy to consider that many marketers have had success with. However, it's important to realize that the core competency associated with creating and fostering a community requires a significant investment both in time and money to develop. Therefore, a two-pronged approach, adding social media elements to your own site and participating in existing online communities, will help you capitalize on new and existing opportunities in social media marketing. Q: Which marketing vehicles prove the best results? Mail, e-mail, networking events, sales rep in the office, etc.? Todd Davison, Bulldog Solutions: First of all, the definition of "best results" really depends on what you're trying to accomplish, in terms of quantity and quality of leads as well as other metrics, such as data gathering for market research. There's no one-size-fits-all solution, and we typically spend a good amount of time talking with our clients about their goals before we determine which vehicles, or "modes" as we call them, meet their objectives. For all its challenges, such as new CAN-SPAM regulations and an increasing amount of volume to compete with, e-mail is still a very powerful online marketing tool. It's effective, flexible, can be tested and tweaked easily, and most important, is measurable, so you can use your campaigns not only to drive leads but to get smarter about what you're doing, and apply it to your next initiative. In-person events, such as trade shows and networking events, are much less measurable. That doesn't mean they don't have a place in an integrated plan, though. But the key is integration: Ensuring that these events drive toward something more measurable. We recently produced a short Webinar on this very topic, "Get More Bang from Your Trade Show Budget with Online Marketing." If your organization is involved in a lot of trade shows, you might want to check it out. George: To echo Todd's advice, a combination of strategies works well for our clients at ITtoolbox. We'll assess the client's goals and available resources and then tailor a campaign that will help them meet these goals, whether it's promoting a new product launch, building awareness about their brand, or generating leads within a specific segment of the audience. One of the most important pieces of advice I can provide on this topic is to continually evolve and optimize your campaigns. Regardless of the marketing vehicle you're utilizing, you should keep a close eye on performance and make adjustments when you see what's working and what could be improved. Q: Can you tell me more about this video white paper concept? How is it executed? Is there typically a print piece to complement the video white paper? Do you have any examples you can send me? Todd: White papers are one of the most effective methods at the disposal of BtoB marketers for engaging prospects—and this is certainly true in the IT space. White papers can be used to deliver in-depth information on how to address issues your prospects are facing, and they also establish your company as a thought leader in solving that issue. The video white paper doesn't typically replace a printable piece; instead, it complements the print piece by adding an interactive, engaging element. The video may serve as an introduction or teaser to the longer white paper, or it may be used to explain a particularly complex concept that could benefit from a video element. You can see an example here of a video white paper. Do you see these tactics as competitive to "traditional" media, or can they complement existing media campaigns? George: The media landscape is shifting. We're seeing social media and online communities joining "traditional" media as important sources of information in the workplace. In fact, a recent survey conducted by ITtoolbox and PJA Advertising & Marketing found that IT decision-makers and influencers spend more than 3.5 hours per week consuming social media content (which is about 30 minutes more than they spend on either editorial or vendor content). They also consider online communities to be the most important source of information when making purchasing decisions. This means that it's essential for marketers to consider social media and online communities as part of their marketing lineup, since this is where they’re going to find their target audiences. This is not to say that they should abandon current tactics focused on "traditional" media, since these are still viable in many ways; but social media marketing is proving to be an efficient way to achieve a high return on investment for marketing dollars. Q: What would you recommend as the best way to find out if our demographic is associated with or using a community? George: In order to take full advantage of what online communities have to offer, users of these communities will provide very specific demographic information about themselves when they register. Operators of these communities should be able to provide you with detailed information about their members, and whether or not you're likely to find your target audiences within the community. At ITtoolbox, we have demographic information, including job roles, titles, company size, etc., for more than 1.3 million community members. We use this data to help tailor campaigns for our advertising clients and to optimize their results. Return to MWJ Home George Krautzel is president and co-founder of ITtoolbox. Todd Davison is president and co-founder of Bulldog Solutions. Marketing Watchdog Journal is a monthly newsletter from Bulldog Solutions, a lead optimization and lead management company dedicated to helping our clients generate more, better leads and turn them into revenue. We welcome your feedback on this newsletter's content and design, and encourage you to share your ideas for topics you would like us to cover in future issues. Please send your comments or questions about Bulldog Solutions to Amy Bills, senior manager of Field Marketing. |
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