The Social Sandbox: Is it postworthy?
Editor’s note: This the latest article in an occasional series covering the turbulent world of social media for businesses. We’re calling this series The Social Sandbox. This time we dig into the challenge of uncovering fresh topics. How do you judge the value of a B2B social media topic? The obvious answer is to review post performance. That’s why there are metrics for almost every aspect of social media. You can track impressions, likes, shares, click throughs, web traffic, response time, audience growth rates, share of voice, sentiment analyses and virality rates. Those measurements will provide valuable insights and guidance after your post has been published. You can leverage them to help inform your engagement
5 journalism best practices for your content marketing
Journalism and content marketing are not identical twins, but they’re in the same family photo. Both are intended to tell an illuminating story using relevant facts and expert analysis. When they do so, journalism and content marketing serve to enlighten their readers, which frequently leads them to more informed opinions and better decisions. Given those similarities, content marketers can take a page from the journalist’s notebook to improve the focus and effectiveness of their work. The following are five foundational best practices of journalism that will take your content development from inception through the finished article. Create an outline A well-constructed outline leads to a good article. The outline does not need
A cure for the common chaos
By Randy Mitchell A wise client once confided that a little chaos was good for creatives. She believed it forced us to think in unexpected ways. That was an eye-opening revelation and I embraced her sage guidance. However, in today’s turbulent B2B marketplace with labor shortages and global supply chain challenges, the last thing marketing managers need is more chaos. That’s particularly true when it comes to planning a major initiative. If you have a significant project coming in 2023, a marketing RFP is the logical starting point. However, the marketing RFP process, particularly on the B2B side, is an inexact science. It’s a complex, time-consuming, high-profile assignment that is initiated out of necessity.
The Social Sandbox: Converting the haters
By Randy Mitchell “I hate social because my customers hate social. They’re engineers. They deal in facts, not fluff.” - Industrial Product Director “Social media is a popularity contest. We don’t need likes. We need leads.” - Entertainment Services Company Owner “Our products are SaaS. That’s a big investment. We sell to the C-Suite and they are not on Twitter.” - Technology Marketing Manager “Social is for branding. Social is for buzz. Social is not for B2B.” - Food Ingredients Regional Sales Director Sound familiar? If you believe social media is a waste for your B2B marketing mix, you’re not alone. Many B2B decision makers are devout social haters because they think it’s not substantial, serious and it doesn’t drive
Reimagining the quadrant
By Randy Mitchell Boomm works with many diverse technology companies. Some are clients others are partners. They come from multiple practice areas, including data management and marketing automation. And they range in size from startups to industry leaders. However, despite their many nuanced differences, these technology companies have one trait in common. They all dream about getting their platforms into the Gartner Magic Quadrant. If you’re not familiar with the Gartner Magic Quadrant, let me do my best to give you a creative person’s rudimentary definition. The Quadrant provides a graphical representation of where companies and their tools rank on a simple Cartesian grid. The Quadrant is influenced by key criteria such as “ability to
How to Create an Editorial Calendar You’ll Actually Use
by Kathryn Brill, Social Media and Content Marketing Specialist The end of the year is fast approaching, which can only mean one thing. No, not holiday food—planning your content marketing for 2019. This crucial activity involves budgeting, taking stock of the successes and failures of the past year, and often, putting together an editorial calendar. These shiny documents often represent sincere hopes for the next year and a genuine desire to follow a strategic plan for content marketing. However, putting one together can be overwhelming, and frequently these calendars are abandoned quickly after hitting snags in the new year—or never used at all. But when used right, editorial calendars are some of the
In-House Guest Blogging: How to Get Great Blog Content From Everyone in Your Office
by Kathryn Brill, Social Media and Content Marketing Specialist Every blog manager has one perennial problem: how to continue generating high-quality content on a regular basis. This problem is intensified for small content teams. If you’re anything like me, you often find yourself staring at your computer screen, knowing the company blog needs an update but not sure what to write. Many companies can afford to hire outside freelancers to keep their blog running smoothly, or have a huge network of potential guest bloggers to turn to. But for the rest of us, we have to look internally for solutions. Our companies are full of smart people with great insights into many
B2B Blogging Without the Blood, Sweat and Tears
Every B2B marketer worth their salt knows that blogs are a great way to generate leads, create fresh content for your audience, and improve your search engine optimization. On the other hand, blogs are a very big undertaking. Many B2B companies are scared away from blogging because they feel like they don’t have enough content, are pressed for time, or have a small content team. But with a little planning and some savvy, B2B blogging doesn’t have to be so scary. Here are some tips on how to make blogging doable no matter your schedule, budget or team size. Make a plan. Don’t just jump in with both feet—get a plan together
Confessions of a B2B video marketing geek: the 30-second cage
by Randy Mitchell, Creative Director Greetings from Geekland. This is Randy, the video geek. In my previous blog article, I confessed that B2B video marketing doesn’t have to be dry. In fact, it can actually rock, which is welcome news for marketers and viewers. Today, I have another heartfelt confession and another video that’s worth a look. CONFESSION #2: FREEDOM CAN BE DECEPTIVE I used to be a broadcast producer and it had an unusual effect on my thinking. During those days, I experienced life in 30-second intervals. That was the length of the TV commercials I worked on, and there was absolutely no wiggle room. Consequently, I began to think of every story in terms
How to Think Like an Editor: Tips for B2B Content Marketers
B2B content marketers wear many hats, from “writer” to “social media guru” to “lead generator.” One of the more intimidating things that content marketers are called upon to do is editing. Depending on your experience, editing may feel like a daunting task. But with a little practice and the right mindset, you’ll be well on your way to being a confident, effective editor. Put On Your Editor Hat If you’re not used to thinking like an editor, you might need to adjust your thinking before putting red pen to paper. One major characteristic that good editors have in common: they’re bold. As an editor, your role is to protect the story and