By Alex Romanovich
Chief Marketing Officer at EuroSpaClub International

Integrated marketing has been the mantra of B2B marketers for many years, as they were busy deploying CRM systems in support of sales and marketing efforts and charting new strategies for integrated care centers and marketing automation. With the advent of social media, the balance of “integration” has shifted. More attention is now devoted to content creation and curation, management, analytics, sentiment analysis, search engine optimization, knowledge sharing, and ways to enlighten customers without the hard-sell approach.

So what’s a B2B marketer to do? Continue to integrate.

Inserting social media into the mix of the existing marketing portfolio requires some planning and consideration—and definitely strategy. Consider the following aspects of integration as you are trying to experiment with social media in a B2B environment:

• Diagnose the impact of social media on your overall marketing basket. Your biggest challenge is to come out of the integration effort with more efficient and effective execution and a faster route to results. The impact of inserting social media into the existing mix may have far-reaching consequences, ranging from impact on content creation and consumption by your customer base, product marketing and development, lead generation, and conversion. Having a good diagnostic exercise will outline your risk and reward areas as well.

• Analyze your social media value chain. If you are a Chief Marketing Officer or a head of marketing, you have a unique opportunity to drive integration throughout the enterprise. The impact of social media as a business process can have immediate impact on branding and the social responsibility grid—as well as bottom line results—as it touches multiple disciplines within an enterprise: human resources, customer service, sales, and even finance. The leadership agenda will now touch on strategies for metrics and measurements, enterprise integration, budget allocation, optimization, logistics, and other aspects of the entire value chain.

• Implement social media training. This is another great opportunity for B2B marketers to integrate training and education into the overall plan. Training has been an afterthought in many organizations but is a vital part in educating the value chain on the impact of emerging trends. The social media impact topics can range from SEO and social media integration, measurement, analytics, methodology, etc. Topics may also include how to hire social media resources and leadership and how to develop and train your teams for a successful outcome.

• Consider social media content management and curation. Content is still king, and leveraging it for successful engagement and conversion is an art form. B2B marketers, especially in the technology and service sectors, have no choice but to engage their audiences with valuable educational content, proving their mettle in a highly competitive environment. This can also enhance their SEO and SEM positions along the way.

• Review tools and management processes. There are a myriad of tools and platforms out there, and they all do different things. How do you decide which ones to invest in and what each will deliver in terms of data, actionable information, etc.? Building a tool reporting architecture is extremely important, as many decisions will be made from the results of those investments. It also gets marketing closer to IT and web analytics for better result discovery and faster decision making. Building an integrated marketing environment with analytics and scalability capabilities is a must for any forward-thinking marketing leader and his or her organization.

As you begin to enter the more advanced stages of integrating social media into the overall marketing mix, build the appropriate infrastructure and environment to capture and improve ROI metrics. It starts with integration and the above steps.

Demystifying the Challenge of Enterprise Social Media

By Oz Sultan, Social2B Digital Media Evangelist

Jeff Pulver (@Jeffpulver) recently mentioned that this year was his fifth anniversary of being in Social Media. This got me thinking, as five years is the typical run for any major technological boom over the past few decades.

In the 80’s we saw the PC rise to change the way we engaged with computing devices and managed our lives. In the 90s, the Dot Com boom gave rise to a vast number of internet technologies that have since been incorporated into products and offerings of major technology brands.  Oracle became more than a database and a few financial service offerings growing to encompass corporate portals, analytics and recently even Hardware. Microsoft’s applications are available in the cloud. E-commerce, once a multi-million dollar endeavor for corporations, has been democratized by Open source technologies.

All of these things happened in five-year spans.

Today, we’ve seen Facebook become a platform that rivals the Google Empire.  Twitter and Yammer are allowing for communication and information sharing in ways that couldn’t have been envisioned a decade ago. Brands have prospered and startups have become household names. However, there is one market segment that has yet to benefit from this change – the Enterprise.

So what is the Enterprise?

The enterprise refers to Fortune 1000 companies that comprise the majority of large employers globally. Enterprise companies operate a myriad of g systems that are comprised of technology that spans a fifty-year lifecycle. Companies that operate multi-million and often billion and trillion dollar operations on technology where new technology often becomes siloed before it’s value can be leveraged in a more comprehensive way.

Enterprise Companies have also made large investments in content, operations management and commerce systems that don’t easily integrate with social media technologies.  Lastly, the concept of user profiles is very similar to Marshall Sponder’s allusion to “ultraviolet data”. In the Enterprise, there’s unseen or “ultraviolet data” as well as multiple user profiles in multiple repositories across different corporate divisions (think CRM, CSR, Marketing, Corporate Communications and Operations).

It’s all about data.

In a world of Social data, Ultraviolet data and complex corporate repositories, we have to think differently.

Enterprises refer to the management of multiple repositories as MDM or Master Data Management. Social data covers to behavioral, influencer, sentiment and keywords. Ultraviolet data is the data “you could be catching, but aren’t” in both MDM and Social.

The chart above depicts the use of social and MDM data across departments within the Enterprise.

Combined this data could be better used to solve complex business problems; better market companies; eliminate gross inefficiency while driving innovation.

So what to do?

Complex business and data problems need what’s culturally acceptable for a large corporation while highlighting the value-add that Social Media presents. This can be done by employing an MDM + Social roadmap.

The Roadmap Basics

• Educate the Executive: Corporate executives have seen their internal data for years. The value of Social Media data is a bit more nebulous.  Explanation and clarification of it’s utility to improve projects or enhance marketing efforts should be focused on.
• Identify Executive Champions: Without support from the C-level, most projects are destined for budget cuts or failure. Nip this one in the bud.
• Develop a Data Champion: It’s not all about Social Media data. Understanding MDM data will help highlight Ultraviolet data and allow for clearer mapping and use of Social Data
• Commission a Social Readiness Audit: Your company may have survived the Dot Com age, but what systems need upgrading? What needs done to map data from AS/400 and Database repositories to Omniture, Social and behavioral data? For banks and retailers – do you have systems that contain profiles that should be included? Are you looking at the customer (B2B or B2C) holistically?
• Develop Data Policies and Guidelines: Know how you’re going to use the data and where it may cause kinks along the way.
• Following the Audit, Evaluate and Plan: Social Media data and Social Media applications shouldn’t be an afterthought. Evaluate critical business projects for areas where Social and Social data could be huge value-adds.
• Manage Expectations and repeat the process quarterly: Change isn’t an overnight process. Inculcating Social and leveraging Social data could be a multi-year process. Just know that if these guidelines are followed, you’ll be in a good position to enhance the business in a way that adds to the bottom line.

I’ve scoured the Internet to find you the best, little known tips and tricks for your favorite social media platforms. I even found some tricky things to try on Google+ !

Did I leave out something? Tell us your favorite social media trick in comments below. Happy Networking!

In the wake of Google+, law firms are being forced to rethink their strategy. Attorneys are already growing a decent following on Facebook and Twitter, sharing the latest in legal news (as well as showing themselves as likable people). Small communities are popping up around such topics as accident injury, food poisoning, and toy recalls. The addition of Google+ gives the legal industry something new to think about.

The early adopters of Google+ will have to work hard to gain the trust of the social community and get into their circles. The best way to do this would be by developing and sharing fresh and exciting content, as well as engaging with others in the public stream.

It doesn’t just take great content. Growing a community in social media requires the careful use of ad words, engagement, and thoughtful design. A professional looking page still goes a long way in today’s competitive market. For an attorney, it’s also important to come across as a likeable person and not just another lawyer.  The occasional non-business status update and genuinely responding to others in the stream will make a lawyer seem more personable.

Sharing content across multiple social platforms will also increase a law firm’s chances of landing a client. It’s already been proven that Facebook users aren’t as likely to be Twitter users. Although, the majority of Twitter users are found to be active on Facebook. Through the use of Twitter chats, Facebook polls, blog posts and now Google+ huddles and sparks… attorneys have multiple ways to share what they have to offer, listen to their potential clients needs, and act accordingly.

However, Google+ isn’t for the casual social media user. It seems to have attracted those who are typically early adopters of technology. So if a law firm is looking to expand its reach in the social media community, being a part of the new platform will show they’re forward thinkers. And the upcoming addition of Google+ for businesses will make the social transition even easier.

Here are some new terms coined by Google+:

Circles:

These are groups sorted according to their relationship to the user. Family, Friends, Clients, and even People Who Annoy Me all have their place in Google+ Circles. Status updates and content sharing can be done publicly or can be limited to specific circles. This comes in handy when you’re talking about that crazy weekend in Vegas.

Sparks:

Sparks are content create based on the users interests. This comes in handy when it comes to sharing relevant content.

Huddles:

A huddle is essentially a group chat messenger. It allows you to communicate with users in various circles.

Hangouts:

Just like it sounds… a hangout is a video chat room for groups. Users can participate via video, voice, or text chat. Content such as a YouTube video can also be shared in a Hangout.

Many specialized industries will be jumping into Google+ in the days and weeks to come. Not only would Law Firms benefit from being so technically savvy… but the medical field and financial divisions would also do well by updating their social media strategies. Take my word for it. Better yet… shoot me a message (KellyL@Social2B.com) or a tweet (@Social2B) and I’ll help to train you or your enterprise for the next phase of your social media marketing. *Photo Credit Aaron Wood on Google+*

#OnSocial Twitter Chat Wrap Up: June 20 2011 View more presentations from Social2B. Was your tweet featured in this week’s #OnSocial wrap up? Join us Mondays at 4pm EST and be a part of our growing social media, marketing, and best practices chat!

Was your tweet featured in this week’s #OnSocial wrap up? Join us Mondays at 4pm EST and be a part of our growing social media, marketing, and best practices chat!

I took some time to ask my Twitter audience the following question: Why do you follow your favorite brands on Twitter? It turns out that most of us just want to be informed. Follow on!

You have a Facebook page, a account, a YouTube channel and a blog. You update them regularly and have a growing community on each of the platforms. This community could be much larger if the social profiles were integrated together. Below are some tips on seamlessly integrating your profiles and getting them the readership they deserve.

SEO:

Utilizing relevant search terms isn’t just for blog posts. Using key words tailored for you company are important even in the tweets you put out. Recently, Google announced that it’s search algorythm was adjusted to include social media. Don’t get left behind in the top searches because your company isn’t optimized properly.

Sharing Buttons:

It’s a well known fact that Facebook users aren’t avid Twitter users. By integrating your social profiles, you’re exposing your Facebook and Twitter readers to what’s happening on your blog, website, and YouTube channel. Sharing buttons, links, and portals to your profiles allow your readers to easily share and discover new content.

Press releases and email marketing:

Spread the word about your company and be sure to include all of your social profiles. In all outgoing collateral, include the many ways that your customer can find you online. And… don’t forget email marketing. Looked on by some as “spam”, emarketer recently reported that 95% of 18-25 year olds opt-in to email updates and newsletters.

Social Media Marketing doesn’t exist without some form of integration. Whether you are integrating your social media effort inside of a large organization or an independent marketer, there are a plethora of new tools to help you efficiently integrate social media based on the demands of their clients and partners. If you are a small business or a start up, don’t be left out – many of the tactics and strategies that apply in the Fortune 1000 world can just as easily be implemented by you.

Now get out there and share what you’re made of!

Kelly Loubet is the Director of Social Community Marketing at Social2B. She’s a believer in community building and using social media for good. Kelly is a mom, a writer, and a speaker. Follow her @Social2B and on her personal account @childhood. To read more of her writing, check out EverydayChildhood.com.

You have a new follower on Twitter! Great! You’re expanding your readership and increasing your  online influence. Now what? How do you retain  Twitter followers once they’ve clicked “follow”? Many  new followers click “follow” and that’s the end of  them. There’s no engagement… no involvement  whatsoever.

New followers bring a new relationship and like any new relationship, it will need cultivating. Developing personal relationships with your followers will create a loyal community. Of course having a one on one conversation with each of your followers everyday isn’t feasible, but it is important to set aside a portion of your day each day to converse with some of them.

First, see who’s speaking to you. Check your @’s and respond to them accordingly. Taking time to respond to those who took the time to reach out to you will go a long way in your community building efforts.

Second, be a source of knowledge. Answer questions and be a helpful member of the Twitter community. If you show knowledge on your topic, your followers will continually come to you for answers. Beyond answering questions, share your insight. Sharing insight on your products and services in a helpful way, makes you an expert in your field. I didn’t say “the” expert, but an expert. And there’s something to say for a knowledgeable representative. Use your expertise as a way to educate and your follows will appreciate it.

Give back. Showing that your company is community-minded is a great way to get the backing of your social media followers. Find a like-minded charity and throw your support behind them. Get your followers involved by doing a fundraiser. Perhaps a portion of your sales will go to charity. Design a campaign that fits your brand and implement it as you would any promotion. Giving back will create new cause-minded followers and bring existing followers in closer.

Have a giveaway! I’m not big on giveaways… but doing one every once in a while is a fun and exciting way to keep your followers engaged. The giveaway doesn’t even need to be related to your product or service, but could be the hottest new gadget. A giveaway like this will draw attention. One of the most interesting contests I’ve seen, involved a picture of a jar of coins and bills. Each day, the brand gave a clue as to how much money was in the jar. Followers tweeted in their guesses until finally, someone guessed right on the nose. They won the jar of money (which ended up being a couple thousand dollars). I thought it was such a creative way to keep readers coming back.

Lastly, don’t make it all about you. Share articles and insights from others in related fields. This might sound like you’re shooting yourself in the foot, but really, you’re saying that you respect and agree with the opinions of others. Sharing information from others in your field also shows that you’re up to date on the  latest techniques. A company this isn’t afraid to share information from others will gain the respect of their competitors. It also shows confidence to your readers.