Take the Marketing 2.0 Challenge
Are you up for the challenge? Marketing 2.0 is a mindset. It’s all about Inbound Marketing! Think like a publisher and a collaborator. The two pillars are content marketing and relationship building. Social media is a communication channel, not a magic wand. But, without a strategy you’ll fail!
The questions in the Marketing 2.0 Challenge are designed to challenge and inspire you. After you review them add your comments below and engage with your peers around the world who are invited to participate in this conversation. When adding a comment preface it with Q#. For example, Q3 for question 3.
Let’s get started…
Q1. What is your Inbound Marketing strategy?
Your Inbound Marketing strategy should uniquely comprise of online and offline strategies that engage your target customers through content and relationship building so that they will be attracted to your business. Tactics may include SEO, SEM, blogging, social networking and other forms of engaging content that produces trust and appeal to your target buyer.
Q2. What are the staffing implications of an Inbound Marketing strategy?
The staffing implications of your Inbound Marketing strategy are huge. Staff must have a mindset for Inbound Marketing. Applying the outdated style of shouting at customers doesn’t work in the new Marketing 2.0 model. Your staff must think like publishers and collaborators.
Q3. How do you manage social media in your business?
Manage social media in your business first by listening and engaging in relevant communities. Develop a strategy and assign social media platforms to staff according to strengths and interests. If necessary get outside help but always maintain an authentic and human voice in social media.
Q4. What is your content marketing strategy?
Your content marketing strategy should be unique to your business. Produce and re-purpose content that meets the criteria of the three E’s; educate, enlighten, entertain. Your content marketing strategy should never end. Content marketing is an ongoing process. Share content on and offline with your community.
Q5. How much emphasis do you place on building relationships online?
The emphasis of building relationships online is an important factor. It comes back to the mindset. Building relationships online with relevant people builds trust and strengthens your brand. Relationships create fans, loyalty and spreads the word about your content your products and your people, all of which produces positive results.
Q6. How do you measure results of your Inbound Marketing strategy?
To measure Inbound Marketing results start by setting goals. Create a baseline picture of “today.” Over time measure the results of your inbound marketing activities. Frequently measure details such as subscriptions, company mentions, referring traffic, sentiment of your brand and of course, progress on your goals.
Q7. What are the risks of an Inbound Marketing strategy?
There are risks in an Inbound Marketing strategy. The biggest risk is not doing it and falling behind your competition. Another big risk is applying yesterday’s mindset to it. This is Marketing 2.0. Avoid doing it the same way you did it in 1.0. Think like a publisher and build relationships and you’ll minimize all risks.
Q8. What are the roles of SEO and SEM in your Inbound Marketing strategy?
Use best practices to develop a sound SEO strategy. Similarly use SEM best practices to avoid over spending. Create landing pages around very specific themes. Test different versions of your landing pages. Measure everything to determine what works and cut non performing keywords and landing pages.
Q9. How do you integrate offline marketing with online marketing in your business?
Integrate offline marketing with online marketing by creating content that can be used in both media channels. The same principles apply. Take this blog post as an example. It is also available as a physical booklet. But the most value you’ll get from it is the user generated conversation on all these questions below.
Q10. What is your Inbound Marketing strategy if your customers don’t spend a lot of time online?
If your customers don’t spend a lot of time online your Inbound Marketing strategy is exactly the same in mindset. The tactics will differ through offline media. You should still aim to educate, enlighten and entertain with your content and be trustworthy and attractive to your community. You can think like a publisher and collaborator offline as well as online.
Add your comments below. Remember to precede each comment with the question number.
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13 Comments to Take the Marketing 2.0 Challenge
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This comment is a result of a discussion I had with @Chari_s on Twitter on article about the Atlanta Aquarium offering discounts for connecting with it on Twitter or being a fan on Facebook and Myspace (http://shar.es/1pSuo).
I believe social media is about increased market shares and brand expansion through differentiation and positioning. Every company should have a staff member in chrarge of social media communication, with a mandate to create content valuable for the market. That mandate should be limited according to policies, and anchored in toplevel management.
The main goal for that mandate is to differentiate and position the company's brands so that the buyers choose this brand for another. The staff member creates such content and comments, and the market repond according to goals (hopefully). This is an investment for that company and the result will indirectly be an increase in sales.
I believe that the example of Atlanta Aquarium is not according to this theory. They increased sales by offering discounts on admission fees, but I think this is a short term benefit that won't pay off in the long term perspective. The risk of such strategy is that the public expects, and perhaps, demands a discount for every online activity they parttake in. In this example the reward is the value, not the online content.
It's difficult to come up with an alternative strategy for Atlanta Aquarium. But I think that posting videos of the animals, and have the videos circulate among the student could be just as effective. Of course among other content-creating activities.
I will recommend @SteinarJOlsen on Twitter. He is founder and CEO of Stormberg.no a outdoor manufacturing company. SteinarJOlsens tweets and blogs about environmentalism, hiking and outdoor activities. You can see how he differentiate his brands?
I asked about Stormbergs ROI. His replay was that he didn't measure ROI and effects of his and the companys communication. The main goal was market awareness…
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I'd have to preface this with "listen to the latest Find and Convert Podcast for the answers!" Bernie has become a great interviewer, and managed to get me to answer most all of these in the interview he did with me! As I go over each question, I realize that many of these relate directly to our podcast strategy, and the same that we recommend to our clients. We INSIST that if a client is going to engage us, which means they want to start podcasting, that they discuss their strategy in such a way that they understand all the things that this will impact. If we can't get them to commit to a strategy, we can't give them the results that they want, period. This is a whole new way of engaging their audience, and building a fan base, which should be the first result they see from their efforts. Way to go Bernie, convert more of your followers, and let's get many of them to become podcasters!
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Question 1 Response
Our inbound marketing strategy is to establish our company as a resource and "thought leader" within our vertical market niche. By becoming the recognized experts and developing our audience by delivering quality content, we will "attract" leads naturally. Most, but not all, of our strategy does not involve trying to directly solicit sales leads.
We are utilizing a combination of online and offline tactics to achieve our strategy. Online strategies include developing a strong network of industry professionals and potential referral sources on LinkedIn, hosting an LinkedIn Group for industry professionals, monthly educational e-newsletter, an educational blog with flexibility to include some interesting content not directly related to our product offering but interesting to our target market, a Face book Fan page (focused on connecting with our client base), SEO work and coming soon – Twitter and podcasts.
Our offline approach includes trade shows and presenting at educational seminars offered through established industry associations. We cross pollinate by utilizing our offline efforts to drive our audience to our online efforts.
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Marketing 2.0 is a great book that is very well written and offers no nonsense, straight talk about social media and other things new to the 2.0 era. Bernie Borges has the ability to tell you in plain english all the benefits and cautions about marketing 2.0 tactics. I would reccommend this as a must read as part of your arsenal for anyone interested in dipping their toes into the next generation of marketing and communications.
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Q1. What is inbound marketing? I am serious. How many people out there are doing it without knowing they're doing it? I don't know much about the science of marketing or the processes that expert marketers use or would expect me to use; I just communicate with people.I wonder if knowing more about marketing techniques would make me better at it or worse…
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Re Q1. Communication and "being human" are 90% of it. The fact you're doing that is more than some marketers do. The other key factor is consistency. Inbound marketing requires a commitment. It's not a one shot or a little here and a little there thing. if you're going to blog, it should be consistent. If you're going to Tweet, it should be consistent. Whatever your content strategy is, it should be consistent.
Oh, yes and there's that other element – a content strategy. Successful inbound marketers have a focused content strategy, which makes consistency easier to implement because the strategy exists.
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My marketing strategy is to spread the word about my site using 2.0 sites, such as squidoo. Inbound marketing does require some work, its not something that you can afford not to do either. Consistency is a must for any online marketing.
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re Q10. That really hits home for my online dog collar business. I have been so successful selling at various bulldog shows and events, than I do online. However, I am trying to bridge that gap by using your 3 E strategy technique. And bridging that gap becomes alot easier when you establish a personal relationship with your clients. Once that relationship is met, it becomes viral. Thank you so much for posting this! Its a great referral to come back to and keep ourselves refreshed and to continue to keep me in the right mindset of…FOCUS!
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Well, it is great, however think about the other options we've got here? Would you mind crafting a further article regarding all of them too? Thank you!
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Hm, So i am ok with this but nonetheless not absolutely sure, hence i'm going to research even more.
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The age of spaming was better for me
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