Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. Consumers are in the midst of a conversation that isn’t ours. The race is on to grow ears to learn what they are saying. John Hayes, CMO, American Express “ ”

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. Creating a B2B Social Media Strategy Lee Erickson June 10, 2008

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. What can social media do for me?

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. What do we mean by “social media”?

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. What do we mean by “social media”? Online destinations where individuals can share information in a variety of formats (text, audio, video) and engage in two-way, dialogs around topics of common interest.

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. Many technologies used in social media. share information engage in two-way dialogs variety of formats

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. But, it’s not about the technology.

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. The Internet leveled the playing field for businesses.

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. Social media levels it for the buyer. » Changing how buyers engage with our brands and make buying decisions. » Shifting buyers’ expectations. » Changing how we generate awareness, leads, and ultimately drive sales.

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. Deciding what’s right for your company.

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. B2B Social Media Methodology (develop a business rationale).

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. STEP 1: Assess the landscape (as it relates to your company). Your MarketYour CompetitorsYour AudienceYour Company

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. Market activity & maturity. Destination Sites Influencers/A-listers

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. ITtoolbox/PJA IT Social Media Index Wave II - Survey Results: November 29, 2007 Market activity & maturity.

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. Market activity & maturity. How to start: Get inside your buyer’s head. » Search like them. » Survey them. » Ask the experts (inside & out). What to look for: Where do they go for info. » Destination sites. » Quality & quantity. » Who’s leading the conversation.

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. Tools you can use (free and paid).

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. Competitive threats & opportunities. Presence Activities Experts Content

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. Competitive threats & opportunities. Be where your buyers are. Decision Makers Influencers 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% MarketingSherpa Business Technology Marketing Benchmark Guide We found them 80% They found us 20% We found them 75% They found us 25%

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. Competitive threats & opportunities. How to start: Determine their presence. » Search the blogosphere. » Review destination sites. » Check out their sites. What to look for: Activity level. » Who’s talking about them. » How they are engaging their buyers. » If they are pushing out content.

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. Tools you can use.

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. Audience participation & activities (your buyers). Who they are What they do

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved employees ,000Over 1,000 employees # of participants in buying process MarketingSherpa Business Technology Marketing Benchmark Guide Audience participation & activities. Meeting everyone’s needs is difficult (prioritize).

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. Audience participation & activities. Data from Forrester Research Technographics® surveys, For further details on the Social Technographics profile, see groundswell.forrester.com. What activities do they engage in (at least monthly): Publish blogs, maintain web pages, upload videos to sites like YouTube. Comment on blogs, post ratings and reviews on sites like Amazon. Tend to pick and choose where they participate. Use social bookmarking sites like del.icio.us, RSS feeds on Bloglines. Create metadata to share with community. One defining behavior - they use social networking sites like LinkedIn, Facebook. Blog readers, video viewers, podcast listeners. No participation.

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. Audience participation & activities. How to start: Get back inside their heads. » Ask them. » Tap into current research. » Monitor activities on destination sites. What to look for: Preferred activities. » Sweet spots & dead spots. » Map activities to latest research. » Segment audience by priority.

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. Tools you can use (quick look to in-depth personas). (EB Survey)

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. Internal readiness. Resources Content Culture

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. Resources: » What resources/tools can you tap into? » Who can dedicate the time required on on-going basis (daily, weekly)? » Who are your experts? Internal readiness.

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. 84% of technology buyers said they want content that “educates”. They want content specific to their jobs and industry. KnowledgeStorm, 2007 Content: » What educational content is available now? » What plans are there to create more on an on-going basis? » What is the approval process for new content? Internal readiness.

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. For me, transparency is a competitive weapon. Sun COO Jonathan Schwartz on why he blogs “ ” Culture: » How does management view role of social media for organization? » Are they comfortable with sharing content openly? » Can they handle negative feedback and loss of control over the message? Internal readiness.

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. How do I pull all this together?

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. B2B Social Media Methodology.

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. What does it all mean? Market Activity/Maturity: Keyword A Keyword B Keyword C LowHigh Nobody’s talking about it No clear destination sites or “pockets” of expertise No clear influencers/A-listers, no cross- linking Sites have wide focus, not specialized High-level, or introductory content, targeted topic appears infrequently Limited or no blog activity (infrequent posts with no comments) Everything at your fingertips Clear destination sites or “known” expert sources for information Recognized influencers/A-listers, heavily cross- linked Narrowly focused sites around specific topic Rich, helpful and relevant content, use of rich media Lots of activity (frequent posts, active commenters) If you look you can find it Multiple destination sites beginning to focus on issue A handful of recognized influencers/A-listers, some cross-linking Sites may have wide focus, but at least half of content related to targeted topic Combination of high-level content and some “how to” information Frequent posts with varied comment activity

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. Not on the radar No/limited, posts/comments (within last month) No/limited, presence of syndicated content on destination, news or analyst sites No/inactive keywords, for company or company products on social bookmarking sites No company, or company sponsored blog If active, primarily negative comments Making some noise Company appears on multiple destination sites at least once (within 3 months) Company’s content appears on destination, news or analyst sites at least once Active keywords for company and products exist on social bookmarking sites Company has blog to which it posts regularly, but limited comments Primarily neutral or positive comments What does it all mean? Market Activity/Maturity: Keyword A Keyword B Keyword C LowHigh Competition Activity: You Company A Company B Company C Company D Known thought leaders Employee/Company is a recognized influencer/A-lister, heavily cross-linked by other influencers Company’s content appears regularly on destination sites Company maintains blog with active community, heavily cross-linked by others

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. Audience Participation What does it all mean? Market Activity/Maturity: Keyword A Keyword B Keyword C LowHigh Competition Activity: You Company A Company B Company C Company D Not for me None or limited engagement with social media Infrequent or irregular visits to destination sites Tend to reach out to others via or personally for information I live for it Regularly visits 3 or more blogs, networks, or bookmarking sites for information Published a blog or uploads original content monthly Posts comments to others’ blogs weekly Belongs to and participates in 1 or more social networks on a weekly basis Good for reference References 1 or more blogs, networks, or bookmarking sites for information Regularly reads 1 or more blogs Listens to podcasts and attends webinars Has posted comments on topics of interest

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. What does it all mean? Market Activity/Maturity: Keyword A Keyword B Keyword C LowHigh Company Readiness Audience Participation Competition Activity: You Company A Company B Company C Company D Maybe later Leadership views social media as latest “trend” and doesn’t see how it supports business goals Company has limited content assets from which to draw and no plans to create more in the near future Company isn’t prepared to expose issues in real-time to others - “not worth the risks” Bring it on Leadership understands how social media supports business goals Robust assets available (whitepapers, how to’s, video, etc.) Dedicated resource for creating content Employee(s) actively posting and commenting on destination sites Company has initiatives already in place for gathering and responding to customer feedback Let’s give it a try Leadership is willing to experiment with social media but wants to limit exposure Company has a variety of content assets and is willing to set aside a resource to actively generate more Company understands “risks” but feels the opportunity to engage with customers is more beneficial

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. What does it all mean? Market Opportunity There are 3 main destination sites for keyword A. Begin to monitor the discussion and syndicated content to these blogs. There is little talk around keyword C. This may be an opportunity for your company to begin to establish some content related to this keyword. Market Activity/Maturity: Keyword A Keyword B Keyword C Company Readiness Competition Activity: You Company A Company B Company C Company D Audience Engagement Overall your audience is more engaged than average. Based on survey responses, your audience tends to engage in “collector” activities. To engage this audience, add the ability to rate or comment on whitepapers, news releases, and case studies on your site. Competitive Threats Company A is clearly leading others when it comes to being seen. Their presence could be a threat to your company as they have the ability to make more impressions as prospects look for information related to your market. You need to build a presence on the destination sites associated with keyword A. Company May be difficult to secure support of management. Limited resources and content will make it difficult if not impossible to engage audience on on-going basis. Start by monitoring conversations and feeding opportunities to others inside company. Create plan to build content to address issues being discussed on destination sites. LowHigh Audience Participation

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. Seriously, how long will that take?

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. STEP 2: Define Goals & Objectives

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. Outline measurable objectives & define success. » Internal collaboration & idea sharing. » Better understand buyers’ needs & issues. » Product improvement & innovation. » Improve customer relations. » Connect customers with each other. » Build a reputation as a thought leader. In the absence of clearly- defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it. Robert Heinlein “ ”

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. STEP 3: Develop Plan.

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. Prepare your organization. » Get management buy-in. » Set up engagement guidelines. » Start creating relevant content. » Consider running internal experiments with wikis, blogs, or forums. It takes years, not weeks, to embed consumer conversations in an organization. Companies need to address this now or it will be a huge challenge to catch up. Anthony van der Hoek, Coca-Cola “ ”

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. Monitor destination sites. » Set aside time each day to review destination sites. » Note what buyers are talking about (needs, issues, terminology). » Review for competitor presence. » Follow interesting conversations. Icon from SmashingMagazine.com

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. Leverage influencers & A-listers. » Create relationships with people already out there. » Learn how to engage with them (there’s risk in doing it wrong). » If you start a conversation, be prepared to continue it. » Look for ways to syndicate your content or sponsor events.

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. Join in the conversation. » Inform. Don’t sell. » Leverage existing destinations. » Recruit experts with content knowledge. » Select key destinations. » Push relevant posts to experts for their comment.

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. Create a destination site. » Start a “conversation” (that’s not limited to blogs). » Be sure you provide valuable information and can sustain the conversation. » Be sure you have the right people in place. » Do a trial run internally.

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. Be realistic. Key components: » Short-term and semi long-term goals. » Determine appropriate level of engagement for your market, your audience, and your company. » Create a content strategy - editorial calendar. » Don’t forget your site and other marketing initiatives.

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. STEP 4: Monitor & Measure.

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. Monitor and measure. » Track back to your objectives. » It’s not just numbers, sentiment is important. » Ask sales, product development, management, employees.

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. The road to MarketingProfs (a.k.a. the pursuit of Ann Handley).

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. Walk don’t run, but start the journey.

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. Three things to do today. 1.Get out and personally experience social media - it’s a different way of thinking. 2.Pick industry blogs and listen in. 3.Monitor blogosphere for your company and competitors.

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. Do not interrupt what people are interested in; be what people are interested in. Jeff Lanctot, Avenue A | razorfish “ ”

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. Resources Blogs: » Web Strategy by Jeremiah » Micro Persuasion » DoshDosh » PR Squared » KDPaine’s PR Measurement Blog Books: » The New Rules of Marketing & PR Meerman » Naked Conversations Scoble & Israel » Groundswell Li & Bernoff » The New Influencers Gillin » Marketing the Social Web Weber Online usage & demographics: » Groundswell Profile Tool » Topology of Information and Communications Technology Users, Pew Internet

Copyright © 2008 by Erickson Barnett, Inc. All rights reserved. Discussion. There’s people on the Internet who don’t like Gandhi. Jimmy Fallon “ ” » Download presentation and survey results. » Join in the conversation. | ericksonbarnett.com/blog » Contact me.