Date post: | 01-Nov-2014 |
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Business |
Upload: | steve-hartkopf |
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INTRODUCTION
Content Marke-ng means crea)ng and sharing valuable free content to a5ract and convert prospects into customers, and customers into repeat buyers. The type of content you share is closely related to what you sell; in other words, you’re educa)ng people so that they know, like, and trust you enough to do business with you.
• Copyblogger
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Online marke-ng and social media con)nue to challenge B2B marketers. Primary research, while anecdotal, reveals that 55% of Industrial and Electrical execu)ves “struggle” with their online marke)ng goals and aspira)ons. Manufacturers and distributors con)nue to use old tools to build a new world and defend against non-‐tradi)onal compe)tors. Big clucky websites store safety data sheets and printed brochures are almost invisible to today’s search engines and lack a clear vision and sustained budget. Online marke)ng is not the growth engine promised but a (nuisance) expense. Execu)ves feel jus)fied with this posi)on because the organiza)on lacks clear goals and measurable ROI. It’s a chicken-‐and-‐egg situa)on. We wanted to learn a bit more so compiled a short survey, just 10 ques)ons, to add some metrics to the prevailing commentary. We received dozens of responses and want to thank everyone who par)cipated. Steve Hartkopf shartkopf@aligned-‐marke)ng.com 800-‐707-‐9150
Q1 HOW MANY ONLINE INFORMATION SOURCES such as magazines, newspapers, CNN, WSJ, blogs or Facebook do you read each week?
Sponsored by:
Q2 IN THE BOX BELOW LIST YOUR MOST VISITED INFORMATION WEBSITES, blogs, and/or online groups:
1. Company website 2. LinkedIn 3. Yahoo 4. WSJ 5. Facebook 6. ISA (NewsleWer) 7. MDM 8. Fox News 9. Google News 10. Industrial Distribu-on Magazine 11. NewsMax 12. Accurint
Sponsored by:
Q3 WHICH TOPICS WOULD YOU READ ABOUT MORE if there was an easy to access and easy to read online source available?
Sponsored by:
Industrial and Electrical professionals were the largest group of respondents so the fact that they want more “Industry content” is not surprising.
What’s surprising is 25% of respondents want more informa)on on “Content crea)on and online marke)ng.”
Q4 OUR ONLINE MARTKETING CLEARLY EXPLAINS our product’s and service’s value proposi-on.
Sponsored by:
Just over 30% “Strongly agree” that their company’s website “clearly explains” their product’s and service’s value proposi)on.
55%+ “Somewhat agree,” which was characterized as a “less than enthusias)c endorsement” by our online marke)ng team.
Q5 OVERALL ARE YOU SATISFIED with your company’s website and online marke-ng?
Sponsored by:
The response to this ques)on also surprised our team a bit.
22% of respondents are “Neither sa)sfied or dissa)sfied” with their company’s website and online marke)ng. Almost a quarter of respondents seem indifferent.
Further, just over 65% are either “Extremely or Slightly sa)sfied.”
Q6 MY COMPANY STRUGGLES to consistently create high-‐quality website and social media content.
Sponsored by:
Over 55% of respondents “Somewhat agree” that their company struggles to create high-‐quality website and social media content.
Another <25% “Neither agree or disagree.” Are they indecisive, indifferent, or just don’t know? If they don’t know then why would they respond to this, clearly online markeFng, survey?
Q7 HOW WOULD YOU COMPARE your company’s online marke-ng to your main compe-tor’s?
Sponsored by:
Q7 helps reconcile the inconsistency between Q5 and Q6. Namely the high response rate to the term “struggling” while only 10% responded “Slightly or Extremely dissa)sfied.”
Our team drew three conclusions, there may be more: 1. The general: We’re “struggling” but we’re doing an acceptable job. 2. The comparaFve: We’re matching our compeFtor’s and that’s acceptable. 3. The execuFve conclusion: We suffer from low expectaFons.
Q8 HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE your company’s online marke-ng?
Sponsored by:
Only 20% of respondents thought the online marke)ng (website, social media, etc.) was a “marke)ng investment with a clear ROI designed to increase sales.”
Primary research revealed most online marke)ng consisted of websites focused on product research and/or purchasing.
Note: This approach may maintain the status quo but it lacks online markeFng objecFves, such as: • Be an industry thought leader • Online customer service • Engaging a younger audience • AQracFng new customers • Defense against new online
compeFtors like Amazon and Google
44%
Q9 MY COMPANY’S GREATEST online need is:
Sponsored by:
Finally, the respondent’s “needs” were quite mixed: (the numbers were rounded up or down slightly for the reader’s convenience)
• 30% need be5er content to improve search engine results
• 30% need dedicated resources with specific skills
• 20% need a larger budget (we thought this would be higher)
• 10% need a social media policy, strategy and resources
• 10% need senior management to make online marke)ng a priority