Top B2B New Media Tools and Platforms | DE talk at Newport Chamber of Commerce

Top B2B New Media Tools and Platforms:  Highlights from Suzanne’s talk at the Newport County Chamber of Commerce

So much new media buzz focuses on B2C. But there are wise investments for B2Bs using new media, too.  These are 4 stages outlining which  platforms and tools are best for B2B brands.

Suzanne McDonald presented this talk to a dozen highly engaged attendees at the Newport County Chamber of Commerce early morning on Wednesday, July 25, 2012. Attendees included representatives from Salve Regina University, the Newport Public Library, video and webinar specialists, chiropractors, a B&B owner, and the Newport Chamber’s executive director.

Stage 1 Your website

Others may disagree, but in our experience, and especially for B2Bs, your website is the first spot to invest in new media. Ultimately, you want prospects to come to your website: to learn more about your business,  download an eBook, or subscribe to a newsletter. Social media users expect your website to be relevant and current.

If your website is more than 3 years old, or isn’t up-to-date, you’ll want to get your house in order.  What do Realtors say to invest in first? Curb appeal.

Website checklist

• Easy to navigate
• Include a call to action, if applicable
• Understand your audience and use the words they use
• Tools: Google AdWords Keywords Tool, WikiMedia Commons

Stage 2 Your blog & email newsletter

Once your site is up-to-snuff, start blogging to help your prospects better understand your business, boost your search engine rankings, and demonstrate thought leadership. And, since content is intensive, plan to leverage it in as many ways as possible (but don’t duplicate content that search engines will pick up). Email is a top choice and still converts best. I ask all my audiences why they think email outpaces social media and other platforms: What’s your theory?

Blog & email top tips

• Google & search engines love fresh content
• Activate keywords & include multimedia
• Offer a glimpse inside your brand
• Enable and moderate comments
• Leverage blog posts to feed email
• Tools: Editorial Calendars, Google Alerts, MailChimp

Stage 3 Integrating Social Media

I always advise investing in your blog and quality content before social media. Consider what people are actually doing when they are using Google vs. Google+, or Facebook for example. When I’m searching for something, I have a need I need to fulfill. Now what do you use Facebook for? Plus, you own and control your blog, so why not retain control of those assets?

Social Media integration ideas

• LinkedIn: Search, Answers, Tags, Answers, Groups
• Facebook: Ads very targeted
• Twitter: Lists, media contacts
• YouTube: #2 search engine, set up playlists & channels
• Slideshare, Quora, Pinterest
• Google+ playing a bigger role in search; Google Local converted to Google+ pages

Stage 4 Social media optimization & metrics

Who has time for all this? Believe me, I hear you. And once you have all these balls in the air, it’s a challenge to keep them up AND do your regular job. This is where metrics will help because they’ll tell you what’s working and what’s not. Of course, I would recommend you first consider your target audience BEFORE you undertake any new media platform. And this is something we focus on for Designated Editor clients. If you’re struggling to keep up, perhaps it’s time to measure more carefully. And don’t make the mistake of ONLY measuring social; perhaps there’s an event or trade show that’s not delivering results anymore. Maybe it’s best to take that investment and apply it elsewhere?

Top tools to tell you what’s working

• Bit.ly: be sure to customize your links
• Facebook Insights: if your audience is there
• Google Analytics: further integrates social
• Klout: may be overrated and/or completely irrelevant to your brand

Your turn: What’s worked well for you B2B? Please comment with your tips