By Dave Barbush
There is a plethora of disturbing news out there today. The economy, the bailout, the war on terror, you pick it. And if you’re still struggling with how to incorporate your traditional marketing with cost-effective, ROI-driven e-marketing, there’s even scarier news that came out recently.
Indeed, Facebook says its fastest-growing demo is 55-plus. As of January 2009, 50 percent of Facebook users in the U.S. were over 35 years old, according to ComScore estimates. The single biggest age demographic in the U.S. on Facebook is now between 35 and 44. But the baby boomers are now getting on-line, too.
Take another read at that. Your target market, the one we all thought was too old, wouldn’t get it, didn’t like it, couldn’t understand it … they’re all there. Yes, they are C-levels (CEO, CFO, COO), surgeons (who Twitter during surgery), decision makers, and government and community leaders. Believe it!
Here’s proof: a barely 30-something co-worker of mine recently shared with me a new friend request she received on Facebook. The new friend: her 56-year-old mother. She said, “I don’t know how comfortable I am with my mom on Facebook.” That one sentiment alone could spell the end of Facebook, but let’s understand and employ the strengths of social media marketing.
Einstein said he could figure out any answer if he asked the right question. I’m no Einstein – closer to Frankenstein when it comes to brain power – but there are two simple questions that occur to me: Why are they there? How can I leverage that in my B2B world?
Here’s the key to the whole social media question. Remember, it’s just another customer service channel.
Why are they there?
A social media web site works on one idea: people like to communicate their thoughts, feelings and life with others. Some people more closely, some at the more comfortable distance of cyberspace, but talking to one another is at the heart of Facebook’s success. That is undeniable.
Why is that so scary to business-to-business marketers? Because there’s one other little Internet-driven fact that turned the table: it is the consumers who have the megaphone now, not the marketers. They used to listen to us, now we must listen to them! But you can’t listen to your customers if you don’t give them a chance to speak.
How can you leverage this concept to grow your business?
Give your audience a place on-line where they can gather, a place where they “fit in,” a place where they can talk – to you and to each other – a place where you can actively listen. In marketing, active listening involves monitoring the conversations via message boards and forums, live chats and answer desks. Yes, you may hear some negative statements about your company, your work, your people, your everything. Get over it by getting into it, address it. Hey, maybe you did drop the ball on something. This is America, we love it when people admit their mistakes and move on to make it better. And besides, if you didn’t hear about the bad stuff there, where would you rather hear about it – from the competition or the prospect who says, “Sorry, we’re going with the other guy”?
The first price you must pay is commitment. Be committed to taking the plunge into upgrading your web presence. Not just your web site, that’s a no-brainer. But with the right Content Management System (CMS) online, you can create a cost-effective Joomla or DotNetNuke web site that starts to build your community.
For example, let’s say you are an engineering firm that specializes in government projects. Municipalities, boroughs and townships would love to talk about their similar pains, similar solutions tried, what worked, what didn’t and why. The beautiful part of all of this is that if your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is working for you, the potential audience for your business isn’t just regional, it’s national and global.
By offering this on-line business community of conversation, your brand as ABC Engineering will be elevated because you are adding value to their business and social lives by … providing a forum, listening and responding. They have a new resource for finding solutions, you’ve provided it and they’ll turn to you as the experts.
What about Traditional Media?
So is there a place for traditional media in the online community? Absolutely. Sending out direct mail postcards or a simple letter to your clients and customers is still important. And you can use these traditional outlets to announce your new on-line program and get the ball rolling. Then mix it up! Following up with a printed newsletter combined with e-newsletters, and direct mail combined with e-blasts are great ways to continue your program.
And as always, don’t even think about any of this without a strong brand in place. Branding, the most traditional of all media expressions, is more important than ever in this digital age. And it’s more important than ever that your on-line brand matches your traditional print materials image. Building brand equity across all venues is the key to business communications these days.
Moving from traditional media to a mix of on-line and traditional is where you should be. Getting to where you provide a place for your prospects and current customers to talk, while you listen, is what they want to do. If you don’t build it, they surely won’t come.
Dave Barbush is Vice President and Creative Director of Sacunas Integrated Communications, a 18-year, nationally recognized branding agency based in Harrisburg, PA. The agency has been named one of the Top 50 BtoB Agencies in the nation for the last four consecutive years.
www.sacunas.net