When you’re tweeting, follow these simple rules to make the most of your following, improve your interaction, and get the added attention your business deserves:

1. Don’t let your ego get in the way. We know you want people to notice you on Twitter, but don’t get their attention by constantly tooting your own horn. The attention you get will likely not be the positive attention you want. Instead, use Twitter dynamically to share industry relevant content and creative insight.

2. Interact, don’t sell. When you talk to your followers, don’t do it from the mindset of a salesperson. Interact with them as colleagues and friends. Connect on a personal level and build rapport. When you become a trusted source for prospects, you’ll be top-of-mind when they get closer to a purchasing decision.

3. Find and connect with thought leaders. By showing up on a thought leader’s Twitter page through conversation, you’ll lead people back to your page that will automatically associate you with that thought leader’s expertise.

4. Share interesting content relevant to your industry…and beyond! It’s important to stay relevant, but it’s also important to be interesting. Share trending news items and add an industry spin for the best of both worlds.

5. See what your competitors are doing. How many followers do your competitors have? Whether a lot or a few, take heed of what they’re doing to succeed or fail with their social media marketing in the Twitterverse.

6. Take advantage of the great tools available. Depending on your ultimate goals, there are a lot of tools available to make your experience more productive. Take a look at resources like Buffer and Refollow to start better managing the content you put out and the community you’re interacting with on Twitter.

7. Be creative. Original content like quotes, snippets of office life, and industry input make your business seem more involved and relatable. If you only regurgitate content without adding a personal flair, other companies won’t be interested in your input.

8. Strike a balance. Don’t share too much content or original insights. You don’t want to only regurgitate news other people have created or you’ll be considered boring. On the flip side, you don’t want to only talk about yourself or you won’t have as much opportunity to create a dialogue. Find a balance that works for you and helps build your following at the same time.

9. Find your place. Twitter is busy. There are thousands of people sending millions of tweets every day. Find a niche – a topic, style, or industry – and make your stand there. Don’t stretch yourself and your business too thin.

10. Stay consistent. People will unfollow you if you go for weeks without tweeting after doing it every day for a period of time. Keep your posting consistent in quantity to keep people interested in what you have to say.

11. Keep a dialogue going. Interact with the people tweeting about your favorite topics and retweet when you’re tweeted about. Interconnectivity is key when it comes to social success on Twitter.

Success in social media and B2B marketing comes down to two simple things: knowing what your audience needs and making sure they know you can give it to them. Improving your social presence is crucial in making sure you get the right messages to the right people at the right time.

Do you have any other Twitter rules that you follow? Share your social media marketing insight with us in a comment below!

If you like the content we share and want more of it, take the time to follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn and then like us on Facebook today!

We’ve compiled a series of questions to ask you stakeholders about your business and explained why each is important. Use these as a guide in building a definable and actionable brand mission statement.

What do you do? What solutions or services do you bring and why is that important to your industry? Think simple. Don’t confuse your message with convoluted language.

Who do you do it for? Go beyond the specific types of people and businesses your company serves by hitting on the specific pain points of these people and their businesses and how you can relate.

Why do you do it? Thinking about the root of your passion and your business’ practices allows you to better evaluate why it is important to the industry at large.

How do you do it? In any industry, there are going to be other companies that do the same things you do. What makes you different? What part of your offering do you own that competitors don’t?

What image do you want to convey? Are you traditional and trusted? Are you crazy, creative and fun? Either position can be a compelling one if you own that niche and don’t try to be everything to everyone. Establish that identity, and base future brand marketing campaigns around it.

What’s your ultimate goal? Do you want to raise awareness? Do you want to show people how easy their lives could be with your product? Do you want to be an industry thought leader? Focus your goals so you can create campaigns designed to reach them.

Your mission is who you are. When you know exactly who you are and can write it down, it becomes easier to build your business out from that hub. Brand marketing starts with knowing your brand and what it delivers, and ends with developing passion within your company, your partners, and your consumers for the awesome things that you do.

Have you defined your business’ brand mission statement? How has it made your marketing more effective? Share your experience with us in a comment below!

If you like the content we share and want more of it, take the time to follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn and then like us on Facebook today!

Managing Online Reputation: What to Listen for, and Where

If you’ve started interacting online, sooner or later you’ll find yourself meeting someone with negative opinions about your business or industry. This MarketingProfs article takes a look at how to address that negativity and come out ahead. A great resource for anyone new to the online game.

The State of Pinterest: What Content Marketers Need to Know Now

A lot of the world’s top brands are using Pinterest to add another level to their marketing campaigns. Are you interested in joining in as well, but don’t know where to start? Take a cue from this Copyblogger post about the best content being shared and how Pinterest differs from other social networks with the benefits it can bring to your company and your brand.

Survey Shows B2B Sales Cycle Lengthening, Increasing Challenges For Online Marketers

This survey data compiled by BtoB Magazine highlights the need for brand differentiation, better targeting and segmentation strategies in order to improve visibility into marketing program performance. Take a look at your sales funnel and see where your leaks might be by utilizing this useful information.

Have you come across any cool news, updates or tips this past week? Share them with us in a comment below!

If you like the content we share and want more of it, take the time to follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn and then like us on Facebook today!

Marketers are busy folk. Being marketers ourselves, we know first-hand! With so much content being shared each and every day, it’s hard to keep up with the coolest, newest, and most interesting stuff being added to the blogosphere. That’s why, starting today and weekly into the future, we’ll bring you a recap of the coolest B2B marketing news we have come across during the past week for your perusing pleasure.

Who Cares What Coca-Cola Has Learned?

Take a note from this AdAge article talking about Coca-Cola’s recent discovery that social media buzz doesn’t correlate with its short-term production sales. Jeff Rosenblum reminds us that such a micro trend for such a large company doesn’t translate to smaller businesses and that to truly gain insight into the benefits of social buzz, you need to look at macro trends and the practices involved.

6 Things Online Marketers are Doing Right!

Online marketing savvy is important! Are you doing these things? No? Well, you should be. As a business owner, taking the first steps with your online marketing means taking your first steps toward a wider reach and more opportunity to connect. Take this SearchEngineWatch article to heart.

Forget About What Your Customers Need: Branding is About What They Want

Brand building is about positioning yourself as an answer. For so long, we’ve defaulted by saying we’re exactly what our target needs. What about being what they want? Or even better – being both. This article from Entrepreneur brings up some great questions and gives some equally great answers.

The Ultimate Roundup of 2013’s Biggest April Fools’ Day Pranks

In case you didn’t have the time to search them all out yourself, this Mashable article gives a thorough recap of this year’s online April Fools’ jokes. We’re noticing a trend in kitten jokes. Might be time to incorporate a few more meows into your marketing.

The Three C’s of Effective Communication

We won’t give away what the three C’s are, but we were particularly interested in this Psychology Today article. With B2B marketing, it’s hard to figure out the right tone and message when communicating. This article gives some insight as to how to best communicate with anyone, businesses included.

Facebook Phone is Another Triumph of Mediocrity

Do you agree with this Wired article taking a critical look at the announcement of the new Facebook phone? We don’t have an opinion yet, but we are interested in seeing what B2B applications could be fostered on this new platform.

Have you come across any cool news, updates, or tips this past week? Share them with us in a comment below!

If you like the content we share and want more of it, take the time to follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn and then like us on Facebook today!

It’s easy to start selling to a business as an entity, forgetting the people. The people that do the work day in and day out to make the business itself profitable and successful. Living, breathing people with daily stresses and a limited amount of time. If you want them to buy your product or service, you have to reach into their lives and make a lasting impression. The question then becomes: how?

You make an impression by learning about them and creating campaigns around the type of people – or segments – in a given business that are the ones who would be using and purchasing your product or service. To implement this within your B2B marketing correctly, there are some things you have to know.

Ask yourself these five questions. Once you can answer them about a segment you’re trying to sell to, you’ll be able to reach out and connect with ease.

Where in their company hierarchy do they sit? The way you sell to someone at the C-level is different than the way you sell to someone at a lower position in a company. If you’re selling to someone in the marketing department who has multiple people they report to, you have to take the people they’re reporting to into consideration. If you’re selling to the big boss, you have to focus mainly on impressing them since they’re the ultimate decision maker. Always keep whether or not they can make the final decision on a purchase top of mind when you’re pitching.

How do they like to purchase? Do they take their sweet time when making a decision? Are they more impulsive? Do they want a solution right this very moment, or do they want to see what competitors have to offer? Do a lot of different individuals at their company have to okay a purchase before it goes through? Discover what they need from your solution when it comes to the timing of the sale – and then deliver.

What motivates them? Do they want to automate their processes? Are they more interested in saving money? What do they want most? What sort of content are they reading and sharing? Find out what’s most important to them so you can pitch those features of your product or service more heavily to increase interest.

What types of content are they most likely to engage with? There are a lot of content types available – from tweets to email blasts, infographics, direct mail and blogs. Take a closer look at the people that interact with certain types of content that you share and tailor future content to reach out to the ones you most want to connect with.

What mood are they in? This might seem silly, why would you care how they were feeling outside of their interactions with you – right? Wrong! A good mood could mean a sale, whereas a bad mood could be a ruined relationship. Promote positivity and foster friendliness through social interaction and motivational content.

People are complex, so don’t expect these questions to give you a foolproof selling solution. The trick is to remember that everyone is an individual, every business is different, and despite your best efforts, things don’t always go the way you expect them to. Be prepared for change and surprise, be informed about your segments, and be willing to try something different to make a sale – after that, success should be around the corner.

How does your business take time to connect with prospective customers? Share your experiences with us in a comment below.

If you like the content we share and want more of it, take the time to follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn and then like us on Facebook today!

Fans of this seminal program are fanatically loyal. They buy the licensed products, anxiously await new episodes, partake in in-depth discussions about the philosophy and direction of the show, and are never afraid to recommend it to someone new. With 8 million worldwide viewers, it’s not the most popular show out there, but it sure is one of the most loved.

As a business, that’s the kind of loyalty you want for your brand. When you decide what the core values of your company are and write them down, you’re developing a value proposition. Part of becoming a successful and long-lasting brand like the Doctor Who franchise is creating a value proposition that can change and evolve over time and space.

Take these three tips into consideration when building your brand values:

Be relevant: You can’t make a show last 50 years if you aren’t aware of the changing times and trends around you. The Doctor’s adventures fit the time the viewer is in – the latest episode in the series played into this idea with a plot based on the idea of something “evil” in the Wi-Fi. What are your customers interested in? Do research, talk to them via social networks, learn what they like, and discover how their needs have evolved with technology. Build your brand values around the values of both new and current customers to create a connection and make them care.

Be believable: When you’re writing a television show about a time-traveling alien and his adventures, it’s hard to keep your story straight. If the Doctor just went here and there without adhering to rules of space and time, viewers wouldn’t be as invested in the show. When you are building a story around your product or service, make sure it is one that the customer can believe – give them a world they can see themselves in and then show them how you can make that world better. Also, people can see through hype – they can sense if you’re making yourself out to be too good to be true, so don’t play yourself up too much or you won’t be able to deliver on your promises.

Be emotional: If you’ve watched a few episodes of Who, you can remember the moments that made you bite your lip to hold in the tears. Bad Wolf Bay, anyone? Making an emotional connection invests people in your product – just like in the show, there are moments so intense that you can’t shut it off. The writers of Who know how to connect you to the characters you’re watching in a big way. Figure out what makes people feel for your product, and then use that information to build greater value. Sell beyond features and benefits – give options to connect further, and deeper. People buy emotionally and justify rationally, so make sure you’re giving them answers to both their logical and emotional questions.

When it comes to your customers, take a note from the Eleventh Doctor: “Nobody important? Blimey, that’s amazing. You know, 900 years of time and space and I’ve never met anybody who wasn’t important before.”

Don’t forget – everyone is a potential client or contact, and everyone is important. Connect to them with your brand story by being relevant, believable, and emotional – who knows what new companions you could find (just like the Doctor).

How has your company delved into building your value proposition? Share with us in a comment below!

If you like the content we share and want more of it, take the time to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook today!

Free Download! NFC: What it is. Where You See It. Where It’s going.

Plenty of people are speculating on the consumer potential of NFC marketing as we watch major retailers including Starbucks and McDonalds take it on for easy payment. But B2B companies seldom collect money on the spot, so why should you care? We pondered the question ourselves and came up with a few ideas on how you might take advantage of NFC marketing to bring value to your business.

1. Engage employees

If you’re trying to build internal excitement about a new brand or product launch, imagine inviting employees to your big kick-off event with NFC-enabled posters they can scan to add the meeting date into their calendars. They can interact with the posters to get new info every day – like the latest sales results, success stories, or an inspirational video of the boss. What a simple way to use NFC for marketing that boosts interaction and reinforces key messages so they stick!

2. Cut tradeshow literature costs

Instead of printing boat loads of collateral to hand out at tradeshows, let prospects download it via NFC-enabled booth signage. Share brochures, whitepapers, testimonials and apps. Or give away a cool screen saver to keep your brand top of mind. There’s a lot better chance people will carry your stuff home on their phone than in their suitcase.

3. Make collateral work harder

As NFC grows ever more affordable, you could add NFC stickers to brochures to share more in-depth, interactive content. Reach prospects with more relevant information, targeted to them.

Why consider NFC for marketing a B2B brand?
A few reasons come to mind:

• It’s more robust than a QR code. Doesn’t a QR code do the same thing, for free, you ask? Why bother with an NFC sticker? Because QR codes simply link you to a URL, while an NFC sticker can trigger an action. You can actually download and “share” information — not just view it on a website. Plus, you don’t need an Internet connection, making it easier to transfer content anytime, anywhere. Think about the implications if your sales team spends a lot of time in the field.

• It’s cheaper than a flash drive. An NFC sticker might cost more than a QR code, but it’s nowhere near the cost of a flash drive. As costs drop further – which they will – you could conceivably use NFC stickers to get all kinds of content into your prospects’ hands more cost effectively. Brochures. White papers. Case studies. Videos. Demos. Apps. Plus, it’s always available. Who doesn’t carry a phone in their pocket 24/7 these days?

As device manufacturers, retailers, telecomm and credit card companies continue to sort out the future of NFC for marketing, don’t sit back and figure it doesn’t matter to you. Who knows? Maybe some forward-thinking B2B company will incubate the next big idea to gain a competitive edge with this game-changing technology. Let’s hope it’s you. And not your competition.

How is your B2B company innovating with NFC for marketing? Tell us about it with a comment.

Like a lot of folks in our biz, we like to use the holidays as a shameless opportunity to suck up to and thank clients for paying their bills and do our best to make them feel guilty for ever thinking about not enlisting our services in the new year. This holiday season, those client gifts came in the form of some very comfy and very plaid blankets. They were a hit. And we fully expect Tartan was top-of-mind as our clients snuggled up to watch the Super Bowl or the last episode of Honey Boo-Boo.

But the whole thing got us thinking about the nature of this client gift thing and how we could make it a little bit more impactful. Not just for us. Not just for our clients. But for the community. Then, as temperatures dropped, an idea started to surface. Let’s go big – with blankets.

So, t’was the night before Christmas (seriously), and our Production Manager, Sue, spent a couple hours at Kohl’s buying virtually every blanket on their shelves. Curious looks from the weary staff quickly turned into some shared tears as Sue explained our plan: to make a donation in the name of each of our clients to Bridging, a local non-profit that helps the underprivileged furnish their homes and transition out of poverty. The donations would come in the form of piles and piles of these brand-new blankets to help warm the hearts (and tummies and toes) of families across the metro.

We were thrilled a few days later when we received a letter from Bridging explaining how the 75 blankets donated were already flying off warehouse shelves. We look forward to continuing to support this great organization as we thank clients, and encourage you to do the same.

Bridging is the largest furniture bank in North America, with locations in Bloomington and Roseville. Learn more about this incredible organization by watching their video or visiting their website.

Consider the Duracell brand.  Believe it or not, it was the first brand to market batteries with a pink, battery-powered bunny back in 1973.  Duracell opted against renewing its U.S. trademark, and in 1989 its competitor Energizer emerged with a paradoxical mascot.  Audiences were confused as to which battery brand had a pink bunny mascot, and Duracell ads at that time did more for the competition than the advertiser.  Today, North American audiences see the Energizer bunny as iconic, whereas the rest of the world recognizes the Duracell bunny.

Brand confusion creates an unpleasant experience for customers and marketers alike. Check out these 3 easy tips for ensuring your brand identity doesn’t fall victim to confused messaging.

1. Say but little, and say it well.

Saying too much is an Achilles heel when it comes to defining your brand positioning.  Overwhelming an audience with too much information confuses them as to what your specialties truly are, and runs the risk of threatening your credibility.  Whether it’s at a networking event, in sales collateral or via social media, focus your message to the critical points that define who you are and what you do.  Most audiences don’t want your back story, so condense the novel you could write on your brand to key bullet points.  Then customize that message to what’s really important and unique to the segment of the audience you’re trying to influence.

2. Know who you are.

All too often, companies try to be everything to everyone, and lose sight of their brand identity in the process (if they even had one to begin with).  This type of company has high-level goals that are overly-simplistic and aspirational, but have no actionable support.  They may spend a lot of time looking at their competitive set, but relatively little time innovating and subsequently become ‘me too’ brands.  Brands in this position need to discover themselves and understand their unique value proposition first.  When you know who you are as an organization, you can confidently express your brand positioning to prospects.

3. Evolve (don’t reinvent)

Constantly reinventing the wheel is an unbelievably exhausting form of brand identity confusion.  Brands do this when they aren’t committed to or sure of what they’ve been doing, so they just roll out new product launches without backing them strategically.  These types of launches are rarely successful.  To gain clarity, define and stick to the strategic back bone of your brand.  Brand recognition is a result of repetition, and a certain degree of consistency in your message is crucial.  We’re not suggesting brands should be stuck in their ways, either.  But when the base of your brand is well-defined, you’re in a great position to evolve over time without losing your basic brand identity.

What examples of brand identity confusion have you encountered?  Tell us about it with a comment!

From Customer To Fan – Top CEOs Share Insights for Today and Tomorrow
Forbes, November 8, 2012

The difference between good and great companies is that customers of the latter are more than just customers; they’re fans. In this article, Forbes contributor Robert Reiss conducts a face-to-face round table of leaders whose companies have true fans in the real estate, television, phone, technology, automobile and retail industries. The companies that are succeeding understand customers as individuals and predict the customer service experience they will want. The more digital we become, the more valuable genuine individual connections will be.

3 Ways Improv Training Can Improve Customer Service
Fast Company, November 8, 2012

Frontline staff members are key to any brand’s customer experience. They are the ones who interact with customers, respond to customer needs, and ultimately deliver the service. The best services are also the ones that feel improvised. Customers respond poorly to those that feel robotic, automatic, or overly rehearsed. They want to be treated like individuals and know their situation is being handled based on their specific needs in the moment. We can learn several valuable lessons about how to create a better customer service experience from improv: loosen the script, train to improvise and stay in character!

Improve Employee Engagement to Maintain Loyal Customers
CMS Wire, November 7, 2012

The millennial era has introduced massive technology change, forcing companies to abandon business as usual thinking. Companies need to re-think their business growth strategy, how they optimize their core business processes and how they improve engagement and both the employee and customer experience. Many companies embark on this journey beginning with the end customer — but to offer truly compelling end-customer experiences, all employees must play a role. It is critical to create a client-centric organization at all levels.

How is your company focusing on customer experience improvement? Tell us about it with a comment!

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