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15 Social Media Answers From OMS10

Lee Odden
Lee Odden
Marketing PR Conferences, Online Marketing, SEO, Social Media

Online Marketing Summit 2010 in San Diego is host to a smorgasboard of internet marketing topics and this afternoon I am priveledged to participate on a panel about Social Media. Panelists include:

  • Chris Baggott, CEO, Compendium Blogware
  • Lee Odden, CEO, TopRank Online Marketing
  • Michael Senger, CEO & Founder, StoneMass
  • Caitlin McCabe, Founder, WhiteLabel Marketing
  • Ben Hanna, VP Marketing, Business.com

That’s a lot of people for a panel, so moderator Jason Baer decided that in the spirit of Twitter, we’d keep bios, questions and answers succinct and at 140 characters or less.

For those that can’t be here I thought I’d share the prep questions and my short answers with you. If you’re at OMS and you live blog this Social Media Leaders Forum, please leave a link in the comments.

What’s your advice for individuals just getting started using Twitter?

Have some idea of what you want out of Twitter. Connect with people of similar interests and goals and engage with them.

What’s your advice for individuals just get started using Twitter?

Have some idea of what you want out of Twitter. Connect with people of similar interests and goals and engage with them.

What’s the #1 myth preventing companies from embracing social media?

To start when you’re ready. You’ll never be ready. But you need to do it anyway because it’s the only way towards progress.

What’s the best way to integrate social media with other marketing efforts like email, direct mail, etc?

Strategically. Learn what customers want and leverage social technologies across channels to make it easier for them to get it.

What are the main differences between B2B and B2C social media programs?

More romancing in B2B & emphasis on qualitative interactions. Mass appeal of B2C provides large audience engagement opportunities.

Is social media best used for customer acquisition, or for customer retention?

Both. Social media is essentially word of mouth and once you start facilitating that and customer conversations, you create a cycle of acquisition & retention.

How do social media and SEO work together?

Yin & Yang. Social network channels of distribution promote content & attract links. Optimized social content grows networks via search discovery.

What’s the biggest mistake most companies are making in social media?

Outsourcing customer engagement. Companies know their own business and customers best and lose opportunity by not participating themselves.

What’s the most overrated social media site or tactic today?

Google. LOL. Actually, the one your customers are not using.

When is it okay for companies to not engage with their customers in social media?

That’s like saying when should you not answer the phone at your business? For severe dissenters invite offline discussion.

Does it make sense to make a Facebook fan page at the core of your social media initiative?

If the audience to reach is all about Facebook, then why not? Only caveat is that you don’t “own” 3rd party web sites.

How can agencies work best with their clients in social media?

Be a guide, partner, educator, trainer and source of ongoing support and innovation. Help them help themselves.

What’s the one social media skill set that you wish more potential employees had?

Honesty about skills. Social media user & expert are very different. Passion, curiosity and ability to really listen, learn and create value using social technology.

How important (really) are geo-location services like Foursquare and Gowalla?

If you were a brand, how interested would you be to know all the most active people visiting your stores? Many Advertising & social networking tie-in opportunities.

With so many companies now using social media, what’s the best way for a brand to stand out?

Find remarkable people to curate & tell your brand’s story. Listen to, engage with & empower customers.

How can you measure the effectiveness of social media efforts?

Start with goals, outline a strategy and how to best reach audiences. Then pick the right tools and metrics aligned with those goals.

There you go. I think this exercise proves that shorter is not always better. There’s so much more that’s meaningful to say about each of these questions. I may come back and add to this post after the session or we might just use them as inspiration for a series of blog posts.  Until then, be sure to read this roundup of 25 social media marketing tips.

What are some of your most pressing questions about social media? About integrating social media with other channels?

About Lee Odden

@LeeOdden is the CEO of TopRank Marketing and editor of TopRank's B2B Marketing Blog. Cited for his expertise by The Economist, Forbes and the Wall Street Journal, he's the author of the book Optimize and presents internationally on B2B marketing topics including content, search, social media and influencer marketing. When not at conferences, consulting, or working with his talented team, he's likely running, traveling or cooking up something new.

Comments

  1. Kelsi Guidry says

    February 23, 2010 at 8:43 pm

    If you are starting off with social media, should you worry about branding yourself, your new business, or both? I find myself working with mutliple pages, profiles, and accounts to try to brand myself and have my website branded on its own. Sometimes that can drive you crazy.

    • leeodden says

      February 24, 2010 at 8:05 am

      Kelsi, it depends on the business but if your business is going to make you money then that's where you should spend a lot of your time. Branding yourself is only useful (outside of ego) if it can contribute to customer acquisition and retention. An example would be in real estate or other professional services. Also consulting where a person's brand is a very heavy influence on customers.

    • leeodden says

      February 24, 2010 at 8:05 am

      Kelsi, it depends on the business but if your business is going to make you money then that's where you should spend a lot of your time. Branding yourself is only useful (outside of ego) if it can contribute to customer acquisition and retention. An example would be in real estate or other professional services. Also consulting where a person's brand is a very heavy influence on customers.

  2. seo_training says

    February 28, 2010 at 11:36 am

    Lee, I agree with your advice for those just getting started … have a plan!

    That's useful advice even if you've used Twitter, or any social media, for quite some time, but a lot of businesses wing it for a few weeks then come back to say “that stuff didn't produce any results so it's a waste of time.” That's likely because “success” wasn't defined or planned out.

  3. home builder seo says

    March 9, 2010 at 11:49 pm

    to a smorgasboard of internet marketing topics and this afternoon I am priveledged to participate on a …

  4. Atomicdust says

    March 29, 2010 at 4:43 pm

    Lee,
    I loved all this advice- and formatting it in 140 characters, very nice!
    I especially like your warning against outsourcing your social media needs. You even got a shout out in my blog post last week – http://www.atomicdust.com/blog/single/be-yourse…

    I feel like I see/hear of so many companies turning to marketing and PR agencies to 'do' their social media for them. You're right, no one knows a company better than itself. Taking that real, honest voice out of social media defeats the purpose.
    Thanks for sharing this great advice!

    -Danielle, Atomicdust
    Saint Louis, Mo.

    • leeodden says

      March 30, 2010 at 2:25 pm

      I appreciate your appreciation Danielle 🙂

  5. leeodden says

    March 30, 2010 at 7:25 pm

    I appreciate your appreciation Danielle 🙂

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