What's your web-based marketing doing for you? Not sure? Perhaps it's nonexistent.
So lets take a look at the "all-mighty" budget and see how you are spending dollars on producing sales. Firstly, I think it's well worth noting information presented by Mary Scheibel and Mike Stefaniak of Scheibel Halaska, a communications firm based in Milwaukee, WI — at the recent NPE Show. They spoke in depth on how manufacturers and processors struggle with the understanding of branding and the significant impact a company’s brand has on market share and position — particularly when entering new market sectors. I concur. The firm’s execs often see their tangible assets — machinery, buildings, and other capital equipment — as comprising the primary value of the company. However, for too many manufacturers, their total value is less than the value of these net assets.
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In a 2006 survey conducted by B2B magazine, 21% of the marketing executives surveyed ranked “branding” as a top priority. Manufacturers and processors are lagging behind. The fact: plastics manufacturers and processors are not tapping into this tremendous opportunity to gain a competitive advantage through branding. Companies that aren’t recognizing this will eventually lose out to more market-savvy competitors. We all know how the “budgeting for trade shows” can scrape the barrel clean, leaving you with very little to be an innovative marketeer. While trade shows certainly have a place in the industry, beware, successes of later years far too often justify use of major portions of marketing dollars.
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The results of the study, conducted by independent research firm Noll Research, illustrate the growing importance of web-based marketing, or branded editorial content, as a weapon in the arsenals of B2B marketing professionals.
For more on the study, Click Here to read the FREE white paper.
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This is particularly true in a business environment that is traditionally sales driven. It’s very easy to get stuck in the mindset where branding is viewed as an expense rather than an investment. One needs to recognize the direct correlation between a company’s brand and its value. It’s more than just talking about providing quality, innovation, and solutions. This won’t differentiate you from the competition.
B2B Marketing Trends
Research commissioned by Penton Custom Media and B2B Marketing Trends and conducted by an independent research firm, Noll Research, is an excellent source to turn to in understanding a new marketing landscape. The survey of marketing directors, managers, vice presidents and company owners in more than 14 different B2B industries, showed that from August 2004 to January 2006, a decrease in trade shows was offset by a big jump in custom publishing, followed by web casts and web advertising.
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According to the study, the number of B2B marketers listing web-based marketing as a marketing approach having the largest influence on their buyers nearly tripled — from 12% to 34% — from August 2004 to January 2006. This strongly indicates that not only are more B2B marketers using this marketing vehicle, but that it is increasingly effective.
Web-based Marketing for Branding... Bollocks the Budget
Marketing executives are embracing internet technologies as proven ways to more specifically target their customers with branded editorial content delivered from different angles and from varied sources. Below are just a few ways you can improve on your marketing reach that is highly focused, on target and on brand.
• Before moving forward on branding, solicit input from people throughout your organization. Be careful. Don’t base the brand entirely on internal perceptions of the company. Survey customers and benchmark against competitors and industry leaders.
• Tell your story. Don’t let the competition define you.
• Find industry websites focused on your products and services and get involved.
- Utilize well-defined website directories
- Check direct e-mail programs or e-mail list availability for your webcasts.
- Are editorial opportunities offered. These are highly effective as the material is not coming from you as a direct sales pitch.
• Find industry websites that provide e-newsletter opportunities such as advertising or editorial circulation. Aligning your company brand with an existing and trusted website brand is strategically beneficial to you.
• Consider web-based advertising for your webcasts, not just product or services. Webcasts should contain pertinent MSDS sheets and feature your customers stories and related case studies when applicable.
• Look hard at your websites ability to be search engine optimized (SEO). Web language that resides inside your webpages must be SEO friendly and contain all the critical metatags to get your website at the top of the major search engines.
• Consider paid or shared linking with vertical niche websites. When you do this, set up a separate page for this link only. This way you can track hits easily.
Sources:
http://www.b2bmarketingtrends.com
http://www.modplas.com
http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/NXTbook/whitepaper
