Marketing

Virally Fungal

A virus is something that comes along, knocks you for six for a while, then usually leaves your system once your immune system kicks in.

A fungus, on the other hand, usually gets its teeth into you then never lets go. It’s there in the background, and just when you think you’ve seen the last of it, there it is again. Ever-present, ever-ready to keep its grip on you.

So many businesses try to go viral with their promotions. Great. Get the extra eyeballs while you can and ride the wave.

But wouldn’t it be better to be fungal instead?

How NOT to Win Friends and Influence People

When is sharing information useful, and when is it just spamming off the back of someone else’s community?

I ask because when I logged into my Facebook page today to post an update on a future Bonsai Interactive event, I was met with this at the top of my wall (click to expand).

It was posted by Claire Reynolds on behalf of the DSNR Media Group. At least I think it’s by Claire on behalf of DSNR, since Claire’s Facebook profile has her located in the U.K., while DSNR are based in Israel.

DSNR describe themselves as “a recognized global provider of result-based online and mobile advertising solutions… with cutting edge optimization tools.” Really, DSNR?

So spamming your message onto a Facebook wall is considered cutting edge? Shilling your wares without permission is your great advertising solutions? Posting links to your service where they may or may not be relevant to the audience is ethical?

Here’s a heads-up – spam is not cool.

You can paint it whatever way you like, but you’re spamming.

You’re an online advertising company, so I’m pretty sure you’re aware of Permission Marketing from Seth Godin. Even though it was written over 10 years ago, it’s still more than relevant today. Check it out – it’s a great read and might open your eyes as to why your current spamming approach isn’t welcome.

In the meantime, I’m removing your post on my wall. I respect the community I have over there, and I don’t want them spammed by you either.

Have a great week.

Blog Awards, Recognition, And Your Part in It

When I first started this blog just under two years ago, I had one clear goal – fostering thought connections.

Sure, I’d be using it to offer my views on the still-emerging (at the time) social media platform, as well as ideas and solutions on how you could get the most out of the new networks and tools that seemed to be popping up all over the place.

But the overriding factor would be to have my blog as a focal point where ideas could be shared; viewpoints could be discussed; friendships and connections made; and a community built that wasn’t afraid to challenge thinking to help each other grow.

What I didn’t expect was how the blog would grow in that timescale.

Today I found out that this blog was one of the recipients of Young Entrepreneur’s Top 10 Marketing Blogs Award. While I was uber-happy to be recognized by such an organization to start with, my jaw literally dropped on the floor when I saw the company I was keeping – Seth Godin, Andy Beal, John Jantsch and Valeria Maltoni among others.

These are marketers and bloggers that I look up to immensely, so to be sitting alongside them is pretty mind-blowing. What’s even more mind-blowing is how the Young Entrepreneur award is part of what’s been an incredible first half of the year for this blog.

In January, it was voted PostRank’s Top Marketing and Social Media Blog.
In February, it came in at number three as one of the Top 50 Canadian Marketing Blogs.
In March, it received the Hive Award for Best Social Media Blog at South by Southwest.
In April, it came in at number six as one of Cision’s Top 100 Social Media and Internet Marketing Blogs.

Couple that with its syndication across the Social Media Today, WebProNews and Newstex business networks as well as its inclusion on the AdAge Power 150 list, and this blog has taken on a life that I could never have foreseen back in September 2008.

Now, while I could lay claim to having done it all myself and how the content has spoken, blah-de-blah-de-blah, even it if were true it’d only tell half the story.

As I mentioned at the start, the aim of this blog has always been to foster a community that would not only question and offer views, but would help the blog grow because of that questioning and view sharing. And these awards and recognition are proof that’s exactly what has happened.

If you didn’t come here and read my thoughts; if you didn’t come here and offer yours; if you didn’t question my viewpoint and make me think differently and strive to be the best I can every time, none of the recognition or award-winning would have happened. I’m not that dumb.

So.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Thank you for giving me the time from your life to make me think better. To make me question my thoughts. To make me learn and improve daily.

And thank you even more for helping foster what is, without question, one of the best resources of knowledge, expertise, thought leadership and more – our community.

Your community.

Here’s to you.

photo credit: blentley

B2B Marketing and Social Media – Close, But No Cigar. Yet…

A new report from digital agency White Horse shows that while social media is gaining traction with B2B (business-to-business) marketers, there’s still a way to go for it to be on the same level as B2C (business-to-consumer) marketing.

Entitled B2B Goes Social, the report offers some interesting insights into how social media continues to struggle somewhat at making inroads into business-led marketing.

While it could be argued that social media is more suited to B2C marketing – due to a more customer-focused approach and feel than a dedicated corporate sales channel – it’s still a little disappointing to see that B2B continues to lag in some key areas.

32% of B2B marketers are active within social media daily, as opposed to 52% of B2C marketers.
46% of B2B marketers say internal decision-makers view social media as irrelevant, compared to only 12% of B2C marketers.
60% of B2B marketing companies have no full-time social media bodies as opposed to 46% of B2C companies.
Only 10% of B2B marketing companies have 5 or more part-time staff involved in social media compared to 19% in B2C.

The good news is that, while these stats are a little disappointing, B2B marketing and social media is coming together better than B2C marketing in some areas.

86% of B2B marketers use social media, compared to 82% of B2C marketers.
B2B marketers are more active with podcasts and forums, while B2C marketers remain focused on user-generated content.
42% of B2B marketers have at least two part-time staff dedicated to social media, compared to 19% of B2C marketers.

While this is encouraging, reading the complete report shows B2B marketing and social media are still awkward bedfellows.

What stands out the most is the irrelevance factor. With almost half of those surveyed saying that decision makers see social media as irrelevant, the result is that only 10% of B2B marketers have used an outsourced agency or consultant for their social media needs. Compare this to 28% of B2C marketers, and the difference is clear.

So what can be done?

Better education. It’s no longer enough to be using the Why or the How argument anymore when ot comes to social media. What’s needed is the Enable, where solid proof, examples, results and more are used to promote social media as a viable business strategy.
Lead by example. Use your company as an example of how B2B marketing can and does succeed. Share your success stories. Don’t worry about your competitors stealing from them, because you’ll already be at the next stage. You’ll also be seen as thought leaders by your competitors’ customers.
Tactical awareness. Social media for B2B marketing is just like any other part of your marketing make-up. You still need tactics and strategies to map out where you are, where you want to be and the compass points in-between. Build your social media marketing ideas around the same solid tactics you use for other marketing plans.
Man the forts. Social media won’t succeed unless you have the adequate manpower. Whether it’s a core team of part-time or an an outsourced use-when-needed basis, or at least one full-time strategist or planner, make room in your marketing department for a dedicated social player. Otherwise, why bother?

The good news is that B2B marketers have come a long way when it comes to social media. The bad news is, again it’s still not far enough. Blame the decision-makers, or blame poor education. But at some stage, the blame talk has to stop and the real action begin.

Is your business blaming or acting upon?

You can get the free B2B Goes Social report by downloading it here.

image credit: white horse