Derek informed me of an article he recently published on how manufacturers can use social media to win business. He found in Forrester’s report that only 30 percent of global manufacturers planned to increase social media spending in 2012. What about local manufacturers? He believes that small to

mid-sized manufacturers have the most benefit in building social media outlets compared to global manufacturers. Why? Read his article as he outlines tools to help small and mid-sized manufacturers generate brand awareness, engage/share information and gain more business:

• Think strategically when developing a social media plan
• Use Facebook and Twitter to brand your company and build an audience
• Promote your brand with YouTube or a blog (i.e. share a factory tour or customer testimonial)
  • Love this idea!!
• Expand your network to target sales prospects via LinkedIn

In response to my last post on the debate if social media works in B2B, I think this article proves that social media can be successful in B2B if you use the right tools in front of the right audience.

Big thanks to Derek for reading the Canyon B2B fishbowl and pointing out a helpful resource to our readers!

Recently, I was able to attend my first industry convention, the Marketing Technology Summit, hosted jointly by the Phoenix Chapter of the Business Marketers Association and the Arizona Technology Council. For a relative newcomer to the marketing world, this was a really exciting opportunity. I had been working on several projects and productions in preparation for this event in the weeks prior, and now I was able to see how it all came together.

Long story short, the event was a great experience. The speakers that Arizona Technology Council and the Business Marketing Association put together were fantastic. This may have been a fairly small convention, but the quality of knowledge that I got out of just a few hours of speakers was fitting for even the largest scale of events.

Now it may be an obvious thing to claim, but my largest takeaway from this event was just how far technology has come, and just how relevant it is in the marketing world.

Embracing my millennial demographic, I pride myself being fairly technologically adept and informed, but even I was hearing about new things. For example, QR codes are becoming more mainstream and chances are, you know what they do or have seen them around before.

But even trendier, is augmented reality, where live, real world images/video are enhanced, or supplemented with digital images or tools. Facial recognition on you camera screen for example, is a very basic example of this. Just how technology like this is working its way into established marketing practices is still being decided, but the act that it has potential to add value is undeniable.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Not all information has to be new in order to be informative. Another topic at the summit-marketing automation-offered a lot of good information on a subject I was already aware of. The concepts of marketing automation like CRMs and e-mail marketing aren’t exactly new, but hearing the top minds in the industry share their input, experience, and insight on the subject, Make you realize just how important a good CRM and marketing automation program can be.

So the next time you’re thinking about ways to innovate within your workplace, think about how technology can factor in. Whether it’s implementing new marketing automation and CRMs, or optimizing your existing online content for mobile devices, technology plays a huge role in your marketing plan.

What are some of the recent technological implementations made in your company?

In my experience, biting off more than you can chew when it comes to anything, especially social media, can lead to poor performance, lack of engagement and abandoned efforts. In fact, statistics show that only 21 percent of Twitter users are active. To avoid this, I think it’s better to start small. Start with a couple social media sites and do those well before expanding your efforts.

It’s also important to have a well-thought-out plan for each social media network before starting. Within that plan, you need to evaluate your target audiences, designate specific employees to oversee social media efforts, determine the type of content you’ll post and decide how frequently you’ll update your sites. I think you’ll find that the chances of success are greater this way.

How have you started social media efforts? Do you think it’s better to dive into multiple sites or get a grasp on a couple before expanding?

I found some information from an ExactTarget study that examines which digital outlet people check first when they wake up in the morning. I think this information can benefit B2B marketers. Knowing where online consumers begin their daily online activities reveals a lot about their priorities. This information can also help B2B marketers effectively pinpoint where to deliver marketing messages. Some highlights of the study include:

• 58 percent of online consumers check e-mail first
• 11 percent of online consumers check Facebook or Twitter first

This tells me that when messages are being delivered in the morning, B2B marketers should focus on delivering those messages through e-mail, more so than Facebook and Twitter. But with the rise of social media, Facebook and Twitter have their places too so I think it’s important to keep them on the list.

What do you think? Do you think the ExactTarget study can benefit B2B marketers? Why or why not?

The release of products like the Canon EOS 5D Mark II and the NewTek Tricaster allow video to be produced at a fraction of the price that it used to be. For example, the Tricaster provides you with the opportunity to go live with a web broadcast for your next customer experience or sales training event. Because the editing is done live you save the money and the time you would have otherwise spent in an edit bay. You still need to be prepared to do the work on the front end with preproduction, but by taking advantage of new technology in the marketplace you can now afford to deliver your message through video.

How have you used video in your B2B communications?

This week, while implementing a new social media plan for a client, I wondered, when it comes to Facebook, is there a way to determine how much a Facebook fan is actually worth? Of course, I have other success metrics in the plan including measuring the velocity of fans within the first 30 days, visits to the fan page and number of comments or “likes” each week, but I was still curious about the value of a fan.

Through research, I found an article titled “How Much Is a Facebook Fan Really Worth?” It outlines a strategy from a firm called Syncapse that puts an actual dollar value on a Facebook fan. According to them, an average Facebook fan is worth $136.38. This was determined by asking fans of top brands on Facebook why they were fans of those particular companies and about their past and future buying habits.

I’m not completely sure that this conclusion is entirely accurate but, it’s interesting to see that companies are trying to put a value on a fan.

Have you ever put a value on your Facebook fans? What methods have you used to do this?

As PR professionals, it’s our job to educate our clients and bosses about the importance of social media and online reputations. Much like great print coverage, social media conversations deliver valuable information about a company or brand directly to current and prospective customers and influence opinions.

In my opinion, the best part about social media is that you can participate in the conversations about your company or brand that are already happening and you can engage with your customers on a more personal level.

Instead of sharing your daily thoughts 140 characters at a time, Dribble gives you 400 x 300 pixels of space to share visual creativity. Another great feature is that, like Twitter, Dribbble allows you to “follow” your favorite designer, illustrator or developer and keep up with what they are working on.

As Twitter can be helpful to trend what’s happening in this great b2b world of ours, I believe that Dribble can also help us keep up with all things design related and keep things fresh!

Are there any other b2b resources you use to keep at the top of your game?

What inspires me lately are new ways to manage social media and get more people involved. I came across the idea of assigning team ambassadors to each social media outlet and working together to ensure the brand experience is consistent and the messaging streamlined. By allowing more than one person to have their hand in social media, they’re given the freedom to learn and improve their skills, track results and be a lead on driving sales and awareness.

Try this for your next campaign:

• Assign a team ambassador to each social media channel.
• Meet initially to discuss the points of focus, topics, sites and messaging for consistency throughout the campaign. Work together to ensure posts are consistent.
• Set goals per social media channel and establish how each ambassador plans to manage and track them.
• At the end of the campaign, each ambassador will present their results and share feedback on how they increased traffic/usage. Compare results!

If you have the internal resources to support a team effort for your social media, this may be extremely beneficial for employee morale and productivity! What are some other ways you get your employees to work as a team?

1. Marketing Automation is the tool or technology. Lead nurturing and lead management are what you use marketing automation for.
2. Social Media, or New Media, is the technology (or medium). Content distribution, promotion or two-way communication is what you use social media for.
3. CRM is the technology. Documenting and tracking customer interactions are what you use the tool for.
4. RSS is the tool. Online publishing and syndication are what you use RSS feeds for.

Do you know anyone who claims to ‘do’ social media? Are there any other B2B marketing terminology distinctions you want to clear up?