Metrics, analytics and reporting are hot topics in the B2B marketing world these days. But as 1/2 of the EB Optimization team, I must confess even we have fallen into the trap of touting the benefits of analytics and metrics along with much of the B2B community. And if we were to follow the old "people don't buy drills, they buy holes" adage that I pass along to clients on a regular basis, we would have been talking about optimization, not analytics from the get-go.
Now that Google's Website Optimizer is a stand-alone tool (free), there is no reason NOT to optimize your site. Jumping in head first can be intimidating and deciding what to optimize can be tough. So start small, for instance with your "download now" button on an important case study or white paper. Try a few variations of colors and calls to action. Google will seamlessly test numerous variables by dividing traffic amongst the combinations. GWO will then give you a tallied report of which combination is performing best, and you can sit back and watch conversion rate go up.
While in our world there isn't much work to be done around shopping cart abandonment and the like, it shouldn't stop B2B marketers from testing the conversion rates of their pages. Used in concert, Google Analytics and Website Optimizer can be one of the most powerful tools for improving your marketing (not just your site) in this webcentric world we are living in, so why not give it a shot? Did I mention it was free?
The return of the Friday Poll! I know you've missed it. And we aplogize for withholding it from you the last few weeks. Rejoice, because it is back again. At least for a week.
So, you know those little social bookmarking icons and "share this" widgets you see on many blogs (yes, including this one) - do you use those to add the post to your preferred social bookmarking service or do you use some other browser bookmarklet, plugin, or other such tool not on the blog itself? I'm curious.
FWIW, I am leaving out old-school in-browser bookmark management for this poll. I mean, that's so 2004.
Last night was our second NFTE (National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship) Dare2Dream Gala. NFTE is an incredible organization that teaches a 10-week mini-MBA course to high school students in economically disadvantaged communities.
As an ex-teacher, I'm blown away by the curriculum and the teachers. As an entrepreneur, I've seen how the program gives students confidence and makes school relevant.
NFTE has made a difference in so many of these kids' lives by teaching them how to be entrepreneurs. With 7000 (yes 7000) kids dropping out of school every day in the US, we need programs like NFTE for all our at-risk students.
As an entrepreneur, it's a great way to give back. I'm energized by these kids, their passion, and ambition. If you want to know more about the organization or how you might get involved, you can contact me, or check out NFTE DC's web site.
B2B technology buyers spend a lot of time trolling the web for content, and they want content that "educates" such as whitepapers. But how do you drive up registration for your content?
One of the simplest ways is to provide buyers with a preview of what they'll get.
Buyers want information that helps them do their job better. 80% say the type of content is the most important factor in determining whether to register for content or not (see study by KnowledgeStorm and MarketingSherpa). The content must be relevant to them before they'll give you their info.
In order for buyers to evaluate what you're providing, they have to have some idea what the whitepaper is about. While titles are important is grabbing someone's attention, they aren't always sufficient in moving a prospect to action.
75% of buyers want to read at least one paragraph before providing registration info. Interestingly enough, only 48% of marketers provide this type of info. By adding a small preview, you can increase registration.
Speaking of registration. Another way to increase registration is to ask for only the most critical information - name, company, email. How many of us have bailed at the registration form because it asked for too much info? While it's important to know who your prospect is, your top priority is getting prospects into the pipeline to begin with. Reducing the amount of info you ask for will increase conversions.
As far as the information you get, the good news is most registrants provide real names (72%) and emails (68%). Many use personal emails instead of work related emails, but these are still good leads as most reported using them to help separate vendor emails from work related emails.
Sometimes it's hard to accurately describe how the world in changing due to social media and the power of the Internet to connect people in a real-time way. It's a shift in how you think about being "connected".
I'm always looking for examples of real events and uses to help better illustrate what's changed. Here's a story that totally does that for me.
A Berkeley graduate student, James Buck, was in Egypt doing a project for his masters degree thesis on Egypt's "new leftists and the blogosphere". He was using Twitter and a blog to keep everyone up-to-date on what he was doing and where he was.
Through Twitter, he heard that a planned protest against high food priced and low wages had been shut down by the authorities, and many of the individual involved in the planning had been detained. Family and friends of those detained created a protest of their own and things got pretty heated.
Buck when to cover the protest and wisely stayed away from the fray so he wouldn't be mistaken for a protester. But not far enough as he and his friend were detained and questioned. Worried that he be "off the grid", he Twittered the word "arrested" from the back of the police car on his way to the station.
That single word started a chain of events, alerting Buck's friends on two continents (US and in Egypt) instantly that he was being detained. His friends used the web to get the word out and document what was happening. Buck was also able to send hourly updated letting his friends know he was ok and what was going on.
Eventually Buck was release, Twittering "free" as he left the jail.
That's incredible. Read the entire story on CNN.com.
My colleagues over at the Kauffman Foundation recommended reading this book. Definitely worth a read, and can get through it in a weekend.
Frank Luntz, a political consultant and pollster, knows how to pick just the right words to make a compelling case for whatever he's shelping. He uses lots of examples throughout of how one small word can make a big difference.
What I like at Luntz's approach is that he focuses primarily on the listener (the audience). He tries to get inside their head to hear the message from their perspective, then select just the right words to make his case or get his point across in a way that the audience can hear.
What he says isn't revolutionary - basically your messages must focus on the benefits to your audience and the results you'll deliver. What is new is the depth with which he understands and explores the individual words we use.
Some tidbits:
"...tell consumers something that gives them a brand new take on an old idea. The combination of surprise and intrigue creates a compelling message." Your objective is to generate an "I didn't know that" response.
Focus on results not process. For example, Luntz found that "getting value for government" was much better received than "limited government". One focuses on results the other is process oriented.
"A 'service' helps you live with a problem. A 'solution' alleviates the problem."
Best piece of advice:
How to avoid a ticket: Create a hassle-free environment.
First, recognize the police officer's authority and superiority.
Acknowledge your guilt.
Turn off your engine, roll down the window, put both hands on the wheel where the cop can see them with your license and registration, and turn on the dome light if it's dark.
Say, "I'm sorry." Don't argue or make up excuses.
I tried it. It worked.
Business take-away:
It's not enough to have the right solution, the best technology, or the only answer. You must present it in a way that convinces your audience that it solves their problem.
Create personas for your target customers. They'll help you focus on what your audience wants and not what you want to tell them.
Remember that business people are people first. Write to them, not at them.
Simple, straight talk wins out over complex marketing messages.
A recent study by BurstMedia surveyed 13,00+ users about their usage habits and what they were looking for online. Not surprisingly, they found usage is up - 33.8% of people surveyed said they were visiting "many more" sites each week than they were a year ago.
But what I found interesting was the type of content people are looking for:
For 18 - 34 year olds, the primary focus was news (40.1%) and online games (38.1%), but 35% of their time was spent looking for content related to work.
For 35 - 54 year olds, news wins out again (54.2%), but work related content jumps to 42.7%.
It's clear that people are turning to the web for content. But what about B2B technology purchasers? How much time do they spend looking for work related info?
A 2007 study by KnowledgeStorm and MarketingSherpa found that technology buyers spend 74% of their time online looking for info related to their technology purchases.
49% found online info more valuable than what they got at events, by mail, or in publications, and 45% found it of equal value.
So what are they looking for?
84% said they want content that "educates them" and they expect vendors to provide it. They want content specific to their jobs and industry, not generic info.
Whitepapers top the charts as preferred content - 71% said they frequently read them, and 57% said they pass them on more than half the time.
Case studies are next at 67%, followed by product literature (64%), articles from industry journalists (63%), and analyst reports (61%).
But here's the kicker - 79% search the web at least weekly looking for new content and 95% at least monthly. What a great opportunity to get in front of your buyer and provide them relevant content.
First step in putting together a content strategy is to assess the content you currently have. Does it match up with that your prospects want? Is it focused on educating and not selling the reader? Are you showcasing the assets that you have, both on and off your site?
By reviewing the content you have today, you'll be better in touch with how well you're meeting your buyers' needs.
According to MarketingSherpa's Business Technology Marketing Benchmark Guide for 07-08, the number one challenge for technology marketers was dealing with the growing number of people involved in the buying process.
Here's what they found:
companies with 100 - 500 employees typically had 6 participants involved
501 - 1000 employees had 13 people providing opinions, and
over 1000 employees there were around 21 people involved.
And these numbers aren't associated with 6 and 7 figure sales. They found that this was the case with typical 5 figure purchases (over $25,000). Yikes!
So how can you make sure you get the right information in front of the people who need it?
Start with your web site and ensure that you have information both for the decision makers and influencers:
Don't assume visitors are coming through your home page. Ensure each page has information (or links to info) for multiple audiences.
Segment content into what it does for me (high level benefits, ROI, and case studies) and how it works (more detailed specs, requirements, and demos).
Include content in formats that are easy to pass on. For example, downloadable product info, case studies, and whitepapers (technical buyers love whitepapers and they tend to pass them on).
Buyers want details so provide information on timelines, processes, and pricing for purchasing and implementation. Note, one of the top complaints from tech purchasers was the lack of pricing information available on vendor sites.
When developing direct mail campaigns, don't just target the c-level folks. Reach out to the influencers and recommenders too.
Include an online component where individuals can get more info. Offer up a whitepaper, free evaluation, or incentive for a meeting.
Avoid the tendency to dump all your content on to the landing page. Keep it focused and highlight a specific benefit.
Consider developing a 30-45 second video focusing on product benefits or a customer testimonial.
Just a few thoughts. What have others found effective in dealing with the growing number of people involved in the sales process?
Forrester spent some time polling adults to see how they participate in social media. From this research they created what they refer to as a "social technographics" ladder. The ladder outlines 6 categories of social media users:
Inactives - they're not participating
Spectators - reading and watching (I've also heard them referred to as "lurkers")
Joiners - they belong to social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn
Collectors - all over social bookmarking and RSS feeds, and like to tag and organize information
Critics - like to vote, post reviews, and comment on blogs
Creators - publish blogs and post original content to places like YouTube
So here's the question...think about the types of social media activities you participate in related to your personal life. Now think about what you do related to work. Are they the same or different? If they're different how?
Last fall I ran across the Social Media Press Release (SMPR) template and the Social Media Newsroom (SMNR) template on Todd Defren's PR Squared blog. Both are great ideas that advanced the static "cookie cutter" approach to traditional press releases and online news rooms by incorporating aspects of social media directly into each.
So I got to thinking, this is exactly what B2B tech companies should be doing when it comes to the Products and Solutions pages on their web sites. For so many companies these pages are just static index pages that list the solutions or products they offer. They're wasted opportunities to engage a prospect, give them the information they're looking for, and in doing so to move them closer to being your customer.
So we set out to create sample Products and Solutions pages that would surround the visitor with relevant, engaging content, both created by the company and created by others via social media.
The Social/Rich Media Web Template pulls together content, in different formats, from different sources (even those outside your own site). It's less about selling and more about informing. Aspects of it are intended to help the company share it's expertise, while others leverage 3rd party content to help visitors learn more about the latest trends and opinions.
The Solutions page template includes elements of both rich media and social media:
Featured video from company exec discussing trends and focusing on company's expertise
Blog posts and news (yours and others) relevant to your industry and products
Featured content (e.g., most popular whitepaper or podcast)
Links to wikipedia entries, Technorati, Digg, and del.icio.us as appropriate
Subscription to the page via RSS for latest updates
The products page surrounds visitors with similar content but includes product demos, screen shots, webinars, etc. (again as appropriate to the product). Additionally, the bottom includes an area where the experts in your company can offer up other resources (outside your own) where visitors can learn more.
While many companies may not be able to fill out a template like this right away, it does provide a road map for types of content to include and companies can plan accordingly.
Download (PDF) the wireframes and let me know what you think. We've run these by a number of marketing professionals and will be sharing their thoughts next.
Now that Google's Website Optimizer is a stand-alone tool (free), there is no reason NOT to optimize your site. Jumping in head first can be intimidating and deciding what to optimize can be tough. So start small, for instance with your "download now" button on an important case study or white paper. Try a few variations of colors and calls to action. Google will seamlessly test numerous variables by dividing traffic amongst the combinations. GWO will then give you a tallied report of which combination is performing best, and you can sit back and watch conversion rate go up.
Last night was our second NFTE (National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship) Dare2Dream 
Title: 
12120 Sunset Hills Road