This is an introductory session outlining the reasons manufacturing or B2B services organizations should consider for diving into the digital, content or social world. It identifies some of the popular channels and various content options to consider. There is then, an exploration of how B2B Sales has changed with the influence of social media.

1. SOCIAL MEDIA & CONTENT MARKETING FOR
BUSINESS
Indo American Chamber of Commerce - Pune
19th January, 2017

2. • Introduction
• Social Media for Business
– What
– Why
• Introduction to some social channels and how they can be
leveraged
• Introduction to content marketing
• How the digital and social world has changed the traditional Sales
cycle.
• The Entry Barriers
Agenda

3. INTRODUCTION & BUSINESS REASONS TO
ADOPT SOCIAL MEDIA

4. • 97 percent of online adults aged 16-64 say they have visited or used a social
network within the last month. (Global Web Index)
• 75% of customers say they use social media as part of the buying process.
(Biznology)
• 56% of engineers are in the second or third stage of the buying cycle before they
make contact with a vendor, so they rely on digital resources (GlobalSpec 2013
Digital Media Use in the Industrial Sector)
• 53% of manufacturing marketers say they are going to increase their content
marketing spend over the next 12 months (Content Marketing Institute 2013
Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends report)
• Seven out of 10 small- and mid-sized suppliers are engaging with prospects through
social channels (ThomasNet)
These NumbersTell a Story

5. “Social media” is the collective of online communications channels
dedicated to community-based input, interaction, content-sharing and
collaboration. Websites and applications dedicated
to forums, microblogging, social networking, social bookmarking, social
curation, and wikis are among the different types of social media. (WhatIs)
– Online
– Collection of communication channels
– Input / Interaction/ Collaboration / Sharing
Definition

6. • Marketing
• Sales
• Customer Retention
• Customer Service
• Employee Engagement
• Business Operations
– For purposes of this session we will focus on Marketing & Sales
The Business Use-cases

7. What should businesses be doing on social?

8. • Social Listening
– Real time insights
– Customer sentiment
– Drill-down to specific segments
• Raise awareness of the brand, the specific problems they are solving –
get their messaging seen by their target segments
• Highly targeted advertising
– More real-time metrics to measure
– Much tighter targeting possible, much greater customization of message possible
– Engaging with target segment – with intent (for eg. while they are searching, re-
targeting etc.)
What can businesses do on social media?

9. • Conversions
– Higher quality of leads – since they are coming “with intent”
– Engage directly with “decision makers”
– Nearly 75 percent of companies that engaged in selling on social media reported
an increase in sales in 12 months. (State of Social Selling in 2015)
• Customer engagement
– Promote 2-way engagement with customers / prospects
– Gain trust – from content
– Build a relationship – consistency of the experience across channels, in the
offline world etc.
What can businesses do on social media?....2

10. • Inbound traffic to website and other web properties
– Google loves social media
• Competitive Information
– Benchmark against competition
– Listen to what’s working for them
– Engage directly with their customers / prospects on social channels – it’s all
public
• Visibility for content
– Channel for sharing
– Immediacy – for eg. offers & promotions
What can businesses do on social media?....3

11. INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL CHANNELS

12. What are the options?
Wikipedia lists over 200 social media networking sites – an embarrassment of
riches.

13. • Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• YouTube
• Instagram
• Pinterest
• Mobile networking – WhatsApp, SnapChat etc.
– And many, many, many more……….
– We will focus on a few that are more relevant to the B2B Space
The top channels?

14. Twitter
• 317 million monthly active users
• Generally younger, extremely mobile demographic
• Most popular platform for “Influencers” - 84 percent
of the world’s heads of state are active Twitter users.
Users
• Short, sharp updates, several times a day
• Sharing content, engaging directly with influencers &
decision makers
• Live coverage of “Events”
Usefulness
• Largely for creating awareness of brand or for
promoting some specific items - limited time offers,
launches etc
Advertising
Engine
• Crowded Timelines
• Generating an action
• Less developed ad model
Challenges

15. LinkedIn
• 106 million
• 160,000 posts per week long-form posts generated
weeklyUsers
• Professional Network
• Evolved from a “job seeking” network to a “content
sharing” & “social selling network”
Key
Characteristics
• Personal profile – professional networking
• LinkedIn company page – website within LinkedIn
• LinkedIn groups – join, participate or start, manage
Main Areas
•Less evolved ad model - trackability issues
•Engagement
Challenges

16. YouTube
•Top social network
•87% of the world’s internet users use it
•2nd Largest Search Engine processing more than 3
billion searches per month
Users
•Largely, “How to” or explainer videos, event videos,
corporate branding, viral content
•Extremely integrated into Google’s ecosystem
Key
Characteristics
•Hard to create quality videos
•Hard to maintain regular cadenceChallenges

17. Facebook
• 1.8 Billion active users
• 1.66 Mobile usersUsers
• Personal space
• Highly visual
• High virality
Key
Characteristics
• Extreme degree of ad targeting possible
Advertising
Engine
• Signal Vs Noise
• Unsuccessful community
• Less effective user generated content
Challenges

18. INTRODUCTION TO CONTENT MARKETING

19. Why Content Marketing?

20. • Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on
creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content
to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience — and, ultimately,
to drive profitable customer action. (Content Marketing Institute)
– Strategic
– Creation & Distribution
– Valuable content
• Reflect Credibility & Expertise
– Not try to sell (directly)
Definition

21. • Textual
– Blogs, In-depth Articles
– Social Media Updates
– Whitepapers, eBooks
• Visual
– Infographics
• Multimedia
– Webinars and Podcasts
Types of Content

22. • Share knowledge and
expertise
• Establish thought leadership
through educational content
• Provide answers to questions
• Get found on search engines
Objectives

23. GE LinkedIn Update
Objectives
 Create content relevant for each
platform
 For example:
 Twitter – Short, quick, current updates,
ongoing conversations
 Facebook – Highly Visual
 LinkedIn – More professional and formal
 Be active on relevant social channels with
the right information
 Be in the eye line of the target audience
when they are looking for the information
 Define the right frequency
 Define the right tonality inline with your
brand image
 Maintain consistency
Maersk Facebook Campaign

24. - Authoritative reports, more in-depth than blog
- Address specific business issues in detail – depth of research,
original point of view, invention / IP
- Demonstrate technical knowledge or business information
- Generally available on request
- Good weapons to use for specific targeted campaigns
Objectives

25. • Highly Visual
• Establish Thought Leadership
• Create Awareness
• Drive Traffic
• Start Conversations
Objectives

26. • Generate awareness
• Get qualified leads
• Move the prospects up
in the interest ladder
Options -
– Interviews with industry
leaders on a specific topic
– Product training
– Quick tips
– Panel Discussions
Objectives

27. Leaving you with some thoughts

28. HOW SOCIAL MEDIA IS CHANGING THE SALES
PROCESS

29. The Good Old Days

30. B2B Buyer Journey
Image Courtesy :B2B Marketing Directions
Awareness – Information Gathering Evaluation Selection

31. • 80% B2B Buyers confirm taking more time to research & 82% view more sources
• Out of those in the industry using social media, 69% follow manufacturing
companies, while 47% look specifically for product or industry news while they’re
online. (Source @MazakCorp)
• 53% of them said Social Media played a role in their purchase decision
• 52% viewed 2 – 4 pieces of content before making a decision and a further 28%
viewed 5 – 7 pieces of content
• 83% of B2B Marketers use content marketing for lead generation
• 81% of businesses report their blog as “useful” or “critical” to B2B Lead Generation
• 65% of companies acquired B2B customers through LinkedIn in 2013……………..
(All stats from CMI & 2015 B2B Buyers Survey Report by DemandGen Report)
TheTale OfTheTape

32. • No one likes to be sold to – everyone likes to Buy
• Better informed prospects - sales person no longer the sole
controller of information
• Level playing field – your content as likely as anyone else’s to
be “found”
– Answer the Qs. target audience has
• Direct access to decision makers
– Engage first on social media & prove your credentials – warmer
connection
What Has Changed?

33. Shifting Sales / Marketing Boundary

34. Change Is InThe Air

35. The New & Integrated Approach
Research identifies the area
getting funding / budgets
allocation - eg. Healthcare
Cos.
Content Creation: 1. White
Papers / User Case Studies –
for eg. “Training in Healthcare”
strength
2. Email Drafts – “Cold” +
“Nurturing” leads
Contact Discovery / Database
build up – for eg. companies in
the “Healthcare industry” area
or areas with comparable
parameters
Outreach – 1. Email campaigns
to share content + offer
introductions
2. Calling Campaign by
Telemarketing” team
Integrate into “Sales” process –
1. Follow up for “Leads”
generated
2. Feedback Loop for responses
received – inputs for Marketing /
Content
Social Media – start promoting
the content in targeted
channels – for eg. Healthcare
Training focused LinkedIn
groups
Influencer Marketing –
Identify Key influencers,
decision makers and start
tracking their social media
presence + engage with them

36. • Create a perception of the B2B brand on social media that
reflects the positioning
– Social Media Strategy
– Find and engage with communities of target customers – it’s a
conversation
• For example: LinkedIn groups
– Leverage Content
– Build an “Inbound” engine
The Dawn OfThe Social Selling Era

37. It’s ReallyThat Simple!
Image Courtesy: Boomity

38. • Getting started is easier than staying the course
– Consistency & Quality
• Content Creation for B2B is more difficult
• Integration with Sales
– Age-old sales process and practitioners
– Where to integrate – breaking down the siloes.
• Measuring the ROI
– What to measure
– What impact are you looking for
The Entry Barriers

39. Thank You!
@RadhaGiri
radha.giri@i-midastouch.com
@sanjeevnambudir
sanjeev.n@i-midastouch.com