The Savvy Side of Internet Marketing

Viral Video Marketing

I love the idea of using video to promote B2B products and services -- in fact I'm affiliated with a startup that posts video content, webinars, and demos for business software.

But, the days of posting a creative video on YouTube and getting millions of views are long, long gone. Before spending a big chunk of your marketing budget on a killer viral video campaign, read this insider's article "The Secret Strategies Behind Many "Viral" Videos.

No time to read? Then watch the viral video of the viral video article. It's an amazing new marketing world folks.

If your marketing plans call for a viral video campaign, be sure you have some savvy Internet marketers on your staff, or have the funds to pay for professional marketing help. 

Social Media Marketing for Software Companies

This is the first, of a series of articles, that will discuss social media marketing best practices for software companies. In future articles I’ll cover social media PR, using del.icio.us, blogger relations, viral marketing, and more profitable social media tactics.

Social media marketing is a big topic to cover, so we'll start at the very beginning by answering two primary questions: what is social media marketing and why do it?

What Exactly is Social Media Marketing?
Like most recent Internet developments, the definition of social media marketing is in flux. Because of the slippery nature of this definition, I'll turn to Wikipedia the free encyclopedia that is continually updated by volunteers from around the world.

"Social Media Marketing (SMM) is a form of internet marketing which seeks to achieve branding and marketing communication goals through the participation in various social media networks, social web applications (webapps),  as well as within 3D virtual worlds..." Read more >>>

Why Social Media Marketing?
Social Media Marketing (SMM) and Optimization (SMO) is an important Internet marketing strategy that helps B2B organizations achieve their revenue goals. Benefits include the ability to:

* Generate leads at a lower cost.
* Increase online visibility and rankings on Google and other search engines.
* Engage prospects in conversations.
* Establish your organization as an industry leader and content resource.
* Build awareness and need for software offerings.
* Drive traffic/brand impressions from the social network.
* Build viral word of mouth.
* Increase links (critical to high Google rankings).
* Manage online reputation.
* and, reach B2B buyers where they are, online!

Getting Started
Social media marketing starts with content that is on target for the audience. The content can come in many forms, from articles to video, to press releases to podcasts. However, whatever forms are selected, it is critical that the content reaches the needs of your audience.

If you are uncertain at all as to who your audience is, and what challenges you can solve for them, it helps to build a persona for each target market. Once you've defined the characteristics, and more importantly the problems, of the market, you can get started on the content and then on the optimal distribution and promotion strategy. Social media marketing tactics include:

* Killer content. Think video, webinars, podcasts, blogs, virtual events, ebooks.
* SEO press releases
* Del.icio.us page
* Social media newsroom
* Corporate blogging
* Social media news release
* Viral marketing
* Social news sites
* Blogger relationships
* Guest blogging

Each of these tactics will be covered in future articles. You shouldn’t do every social media tactic. Pick those that work with your overall marketing strategy and resources. Come up with some killer content ideas. Leverage current marketing efforts to reach more prospects, and gradually shift resources dedicated to traditional tactics to online programs.

Do this well and you will have a lead on your competitors that will be hard to overcome.

Pedaling Pam and the Leukemia & Lymphona Society

I am getting ready for the biggest challenge of my life. On June 1, 2008, I plan to complete a century (100 mile) bike ride around Lake Tahoe "America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride"! Luckily, I am not doing this on my own; especially since the last bike I rode was a pink Schwinn with a little white basket on the front.

I have joined the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training program. Through this program, I have great coaches whose support will help me cross the finish line. I’m learning all about pacelining, clipping in and out (a very tricky thing, although a bit easier than balancing on some of the stilettos I wear), and the importance of drinking water instead of wine.

More importantly even than my physical commitment to the program is my commitment to raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in its effort to battle Leukemia and related cancers. These diseases strike some 118,000 Americans each year and acute leukemia is the number one cause of death of children under the age of 15. Every 10 minutes, another child or adult dies from blood cancer.

One of the greatest contributions of the Society is toward research. Significant progress has been made in the treatment of this disease. The five-year survival rate for leukemia has more than tripled in the past 46 years.

Honor Someone You Know
I am not only cycling this race for the Society, but also in honor of three Leukemia patients in particular Shira Weisbach, Patt Rubano and Henry Coufos. If you have someone that you would like to honor, we would be happy to add them to our TNT team list of honorees. Our team will include all of their names on our team banner that we carry to the race. Send me a comment below and I'll add their names.

You Can Help!
Research is the key to finding a cure, and funding for this research is essential. I am committed to raising more than $5,000 for this ride by the end of April. I encourage you to help me do this by giving whatever you can to support my ride. You can give online by pledging at the TNT website.

With over 75% of your donation going directly to research and patient services, you truly can make a difference. Many companies will match your donation making your contribution go even further. 100% of your contribution is tax deductible. 

In Gratitude
While I am excited (and more than a bit intimidated) to do the ride, I am thrilled to be involved in fundraising to finding a cure for blood-related cancers. I appreciate ANY support you can give to this effort.

B2B Interactive Marketing Guide - 2008

Trying to fit Internet marketing into your overall marketing plan? Wondering how to allocate your online budget? Need to know which tactics work best today, and what’s ahead for tomorrow? Then check out B2B’s new Interactive Marketing Guide – 2008.

Here are a few highlights, that are especially relevant for technology marketers.

What about the Recession?
“Just like last year, marketers can pick from a slew of interactive channels for reaching their customers and prospects. And just like a year ago, there are analytical tools for measuring how these channels perform, both individually and in concert. What’s different this year is the weak state of the U.S. economy. How will this reality affect marketers’ choices? Dark economic clouds will, in fact, accelerate the shift to digital away from traditional media, notably print, as marketers scale back budgets and seek granular, measurable media. This was the exact finding in BtoB’s exclusive survey of 684 b-to-b marketers, conducted during the last week of January and the first week of February. Of the 29.4% of respondents who said they have revised original 2008 marketing budgets, nearly half (45.3%) said print will see the greatest decline.

Where Online $$ are Spent
“Search continues to be the prime format, in terms of dollars spent ($8.6 billion in 2007 and expected to hit $11 billion this year) and as a percent of total online ad spending (40%). However, two formats beat search in terms of spending growth: Rich media/video will increase 48.9% from 2007, and lead generation, or referrals, will increase 30.9%. Search, by comparison, will grow 27.5%. (eMarketer).

Video
“Video is a particularly compelling way to tell a brand or product story and can be very useful for b-to-b communications, as these businesses tend to be more complex and can require additional explanation.” Online video advertising is projected to grow from $550 million in 2007 to $768 million this year and to $2.3 billion by 2012, according to a JupiterResearch report. Video-based online advertising is a force to be reckoned with and something b-to-b marketers need to get a handle on—and quickly. But as with most emerging technology, said Bobby Tulsiani, an analyst at JupiterResearch who covers online video, getting there isn’t going to be easy for anyone. Today, marketers are taking chances and experimenting with what works and what doesn’t when it comes to online video, he said. “Creating video marketing is not easy to do— or being effectively done right now,” he explained. “We’re getting a lot better, and there’s lots of investment and experimentation, but it’s all by trial and error.

Virtual Events Deliver Tangible Results
“Virtual events have gone beyond the novelty to gain mainstream adoption,” said Brent Arslaner, VP-marketing at Unisfair, the virtual events producer that worked with Quest on its inaugural online show. The company’s customer base has more than tripled in the past year, he said, with much of that growth coming from enterprise companies interested in putting together product launches and user events.

Social Communities
Corporate activity in the blogosphere has ramped up even as the hype has died down. Recent entries into the blogosphere include Marriott, Johnson & Johnson, Toyota and Wal-Mart. Even the Transportation Safety Administration has gotten into the act, giving five midlevel employees the green light to blog on behalf of the organization about the practices that befuddle frequent travelers.

B-to-b marketers are finding that employees can be powerful and persuasive advocates of the company message. Microsoft and Sun both claim to have more than 5,000 employee bloggers, and corporate giants like Southwest Airlines and Kodak have structured their blogging initiatives around ordinary employees and even customers.

The surprise social media winner has been podcasting. Those downloadable radio programs have turned out to be a hit with time-challenged business people.

All great things to think about!

I'm a Toastmaster Competent Communicator!

I made my tenth speech at my local Toastmasters Club last month  and proudly accepted my Competent Communicator award. I can't praise this organization enough. I saw amazing improvement in my speaking skills and more importantly, my self-esteem. The group is generous in praise and constructive in criticism.

I was really pleased to learn that I come across as warm and accessible. I feel so stiff when I'm speaking, but I guess it doesn't show. I learned that I don't use any fillers such as ah, um, you know, but it's because I never slow down! I'm learning to breath. I focused on speech organization "get to the point", including personal elements, using vocal variety (still working on this one), and to engage the audience.

To achieve competent communicator status you must complete the basic manual which provides a foundation for good speaking skills. While ten speeches may not sound like much, it takes a lot of work to prepare and practice, practice, practice a speech. The ten speeches in the basic manual include:

* The Ice Breaker
* Organize Your Speech 
* Get to the Point
* How to Say It
* Your Body Speaks
* Vocal Variety
* Research Your Topic
* Get Comfortable with Visual Aids
* Persuade with Power 
* Inspire Your Audience

My most popular speech was titled "Puppy Love". I spoke about the charm of my new Chihuahua puppy, Domino. How he came to me, and filled my life with love. At the end of the speech, as I showed off his doggie gear, Domino poked his head out of the carrier I had hidden. He instantly charmed the audience. I was upstaged by a dog!

I'm taking a break from Toastmasters for the next few months, while I focus on training for a charity bike ride. But I'll be back in the summer to start on two advanced manuals, Specialty Speeches and Storytelling.

Introducing VendorDemo

I'm excited to announce the launch of a brand new website for technology marketers and buyers - www.vendordemo.com. (Full disclosure, I'm the vice president of marketing for Gate58, the company behind VendorDemo.)

VendorDemo is a little bit like BitPipe for those of you that remember the early days of uploading your whitepapers for broader exposure. It has more features than YouTube with a sprinkle of Web 2.0 magic.

Sound exciting? It is.

Built with the needs of technology marketers in mind, VendorDemo provides an online community where technology vendors can share product demos, webinars, whitepapers and more. Technology buyers can easily research and compare solutions, tag favorites and share demos with other decision makers.

It’s free and easy to get started. Simply register for an account, and upload your marketing materials to VendorDemo. Within minutes, technology buyers will be searching, watching, and sharing your content.

Your demos, web seminars, whitepapers and case studies will appear beside other leading technology providers, boosting your company’s exposure.

Built-in lead management allows you to view the contact details who is watching your content -- and best of all, this information is free.

Right now the content is primarily focused on CRM solutions, but VendorDemo is expanding fast - with plans to cover all the major B2B segments shortly. Start sharing your content today.

My Career, in Video

Google’s Tech B2B Industry Knowledge Center

A few years ago, I was responsible for managing the AdWords account of one of the largest tech B2B advertisers on Google. At the time we had a Google account representative that we could go to for advice.

Now any B2B tech advertiser has access to same valuable information through Google’s Tech B2B Industry Knowledge Center. Although, you won’t get the sack lunch and Google goodies that you get during an in-person quarterly review meeting.

You still might need some help, especially if you don’t have time to learn the basics, manage the account, optimize, and keep up with changes! But, it’s a good place to start.

The Benefits of Guest Blogging

Writing your own blog is hard work. Unless you have some spare time and love to write, keeping up with your blog fast becomes a big chore. A problem I've experienced first-hand. And writing your blog is just the beginning. To get online exposure, you need to promote your blog. That takes time, effort and creativity. For example, here are 25 tips from Lee Odden on how to market your blog.

If I could start over with this blog, I wouldn't do it all. Instead of marketing my own blog, I would spend the time building guest blogging relationships with the leading bloggers in my area of expertise, (marketing and technology).

There are several benefits to being a guest blogger:

* It's a great way to get exposure for your company or your services if you are a consultant.
* You receive quality links back to your site which will improve your organic rankings on Google.
* You/your company will be viewed as an authority - and this leads to offers for speaking gigs, interviews, coverage in offline media, etc.
* Unless you have one of the leading blogs, you'll reach more people than you could through your own blog.
* You'll build valuable relationships with bloggers who will follow, and comment on, your company.

To get started as a guest blogger, first identify blogs where you could contribute great copy. Start by reading all the blogs in your industry. You can search for blogs that accept guest bloggers in your industry by using the following search string:

"your keyword" "submit * article" OR "submit * articles" OR "add * article" OR "add * articles" OR "featured writer" OR 
"featured writers" OR "featured author" OR "featured authors" OR "featured contributor" OR "featured blogger" OR "guest 
author" OR "guest writer" OR "guest blogger" OR "guest post" OR "submit * tutorial"

For example, if you were searching for guest blogging opportunities on business software blogs, you would replace "your keyword" with "business software".

You would then repeat the search for variations and related topics such as, "ERP", "software applications", "business management", etc.

Sort through the results to find blogs that are well-read and in your area of expertise. You can get the bloggers attention by writing interesting/relevent comments. Often the blogger will contact you to discuss, opening the door to a guest writing gig. Or, write to the blogger offering to do a guest post on a topic that is highly relevant to the blogs readers.

For many writers, being a guest blogger gives you greater returns than managing your own blog.

Guest blogging would be a much better option for me, one that I'll be actively exploring in 2008. As for this poor, neglected blog? I don't have the heart to kill it -- yet.

Your Brand Online

Most people remain confused about how the Internet works, what kind of information they can find, and how to search. The biggest mistake I make when speaking about Internet marketing is to assume my audience knows more than they do. I forget that most people don't spend their lives online, like I seem to.

Although the background of my Toastmaster club is very diverse, everyone cares what type of information can be discovered about them online.

Like it or not, people are searching for you. Search Engine Watch reports there are 50 million proper names searches performed each day. So is someone searching for you? And if they are, what are they finding?

My speech "Your Brand Online" presented some easy and free sources of online information where people may find out about you, and how you can manage your brand online.

I had to fit the speech into Toastmaster's requirement of five minutes. This only leaves time for the basics. Here are some highlights:

* If you’re trying to find someone’s address or phone number sometimes the easiest way is to use a reverse phone book lookup such as Google (type the phone number like this into the Google search box (555-555-1212). You'll discover who the number belongs to, and often their address.

* Once you have an address, you can go to Google maps and get directions to the home.

* Next zip over to www.Zilliant.com where you can get the home's valuation. If a home happens to be for sale, type the address into Google and you'll often find an online tour, or photos, of the home provided by the realtor.

* To see what juicy details Google can find about you, type your name in quotes into the search bar, to narrow results, type your name followed by the city you live in.

* You can find consolidated personal information on a new generation of people search engines, such as www.wink.com.

* To find sex offenders in your neighborhood go to www.familywatchdog.com.

* Social networks such as, www.linkedin.com, allow you to shape your online brand.

* Managing online brands is a growing business. If you run into trouble, firms such as www.reputationdefender.com can help -- for a fee.