John Biancamano Inbound Digital LLC 609.865.7994 InboundDigital.net
About Me Owner of Inbound Digital, LLC: Digital Marketing Consulting and Training Website Design Content Development SEO/PPC Social Media Strategy Analytics Small business mentor and Chapter Chairman with Princeton SCORE.
What Trends Are Driving the Way We Do Business?
93% of business purchases start with an online search. 67% of the buyer s journey is complete before they contact sales. 72% of buyers start their research with Google.
Trends Driving Change The Internet has made information easily accessible and instantaneously available. Mobile devices are making it easy to stay connected 24 x 7. People are empowered with more information: Reviews, recommendations, pricing, Cloud computing allows companies to analyze more data than before. Inbound Digital
Trends Driving Change The Internet is an interactive medium. Marketing is a now a Two-way Conversation. Companies are no longer in complete control of their marketing message. Customers comment on the message, they critique it, 'Like' it, and discuss it with their peers. Control has Shifted to the Customer. Inbound Digital
You can sit back and listen to what others say about you, or You can actively participate in the conversation to educate customers and support your brand! Inbound Digital
The Traditional Marketing Funnel
Traditional (Outbound) Marketing Interruption marketing Communication is one way. Messages are pushed out through various channels, hoping that the right message reaches its target. Advertising, cold calling, direct mail, telemarketing, Expensive higher cost/lead. More difficult to measure ROI. Messages are being tune out!
Inbound Marketing Focuses on getting found by customers Communication is two way. Provide information to prospects where and when they want to consume it. Content, SEO, PPC, social media, mobile, Lower cost/lead than outbound.
Inbound Marketing Easier and less costly to measure performance and make adjustments. Marketers provide value: education and entertainment engage to build long-term relationships Customers are earned.
Online Marketing Channels Your Website Hub of All Online Marketing Content, Calls to Action, Search Engine Rankings / SEO PPC / Online Ads E-Mail Campaigns Mobile Directory Listings Social Media
Takeaway #1
Everything you do online must support your Business Goals!
Set Goals Current Status (Audit) Content Strategy Implement Measure Results Make Adjustments
For most of the people online Social Media is about ME! How can you help ME?
Social Media should be about: How can I help YOU? Provide Value: Share Information (quality over quantity), Answer Questions, Give Constructive Feedback, Engage with Followers, Establish Trust, Build Relationships! 80/20 Rule of Engagement
Social Media Strategy - KPIs REACH: Go for Quality over Quantity! Fans/Followers/Connections (your raw audience - the number of people who might see your posts): Generally want this number to be as large as possible the more people you reach, the A Don t more likely that you ll be able to convert some customers. successful campaign should see these numbers increase over time. get fooled by large numbers - more fans/followers/connections alone doesn t necessarily mean success! Demographics: Age, gender, interests, socio-economic status, location, If you reach the right people, you ll add quality to quantity.
Social Media Strategy - KPIs ENGAGMENT: Reaching your target audience is the first step; getting them to engage with your message is the goal. Likes/Favorites: Basic level of engagement, but can amplify reach. Your campaign is getting notice, but you ve just started. Comments/Mentions: Higher The Provide Regularly level of engagement. conversation begins. immediate feedback from customers/prospects. monitor comments/mentions and response promptly. Positive responses are your goals, but handle negative responses professionally.
Social Media Strategy - KPIs SOCIAL SHARING: Your followers/connections use their own social media channels to spread your message. Shares/Retweets: Sharing your social media posts with their audience. Sharing content from your website (blog posts, educational content, promotions, etc.) with their audience. Can greatly extend your reach! You enable Social Sharing by Providing Great Connect!
Social Media Strategy - KPIs METRICS: Tying social media likes/followers/shares to qualified leads and revenue Your Ultimate Goal! Use social media metrics to track performance of SM campaigns. Use Google Analytics to track the effectiveness of your social media campaigns on driving traffic to your website to generate qualified leads, which can ultimately be traced to sales.
Evaluate Your Resources What resources do you currently have to devote to social media marketing? Personnel Time Content Development Set goals and priorities, and monitor performance, to stay on track and avoid wasting time. Inbound Digital
Takeaway #2
LinkedIn Marketing is more about Marketing than it is about LinkedIn
LinkedIn Largest social network for business professionals. Opportunities to: Build relationships with other business professionals, Build credibility and online authority, Demonstrate industry expertise, Find new clients and business partners, get sales leads, Strong influence in Google search results. More relevant for B2B businesses.
LinkedIn Demographics > 400M total users. Only 100M active monthly users. 25% of adult internet users. 22% of entire adult population. Largest network for business professionals. Popular among working-age adults and college graduates. Highest household income. Largest user segment are recruiters. Increasingly used for social selling.
LinkedIn Strategy Who uses LinkedIn? Recruiters B2B Marketing and Sales Professionals Professional Service Providers B2B Business Owners Consultants Speakers and Authors
Takeaway #3
LinkedIn Marketing is not an event It s a Process!
LinkedIn Marketing Before you begin your LinkedIn Marketing strategy: Establish your goals for LinkedIn success. Set measureable objectives for reaching those goals. Understand which LinkedIn demographics are important to your business (ones that impact your marketing efforts). Don t invest any resources into a social media platform that can t help you achieve your goals.
Best Practice: All-Star Profile
Profile Strength Measured from 0-100%. Complete your profile to boost Profile Strength: Profile photo Minimum of three skills Industry and location Up-to-date current position Education At least 50 connections Click Improve your profile strength for recommended improvements.
Profile Optimization You re Marketing, not Looking For a Job! Headline: Create a compelling headline that makes people want to learn more. Summary: Explain how you solve customer problems. Include SEO-friendly keywords. Add website link: Drive well-targeted traffic to your site.
Profile of Sales Professional
LinkedIn Marketing Options Status Updates Share information. Demonstrate industry knowledge. Active participation gets you noticed. Use it wisely - LinkedIn is not Twitter. Publishing on LinkedIn (Write an article) Demonstrate your expertise. Get your message in front of decision makers and potential customers. Build a following - readers can follow you and see future posts even if you are not connected.
LinkedIn Publishing (Pulse) Blogging tool for publishing articles on LinkedIn Write and publish your own posts Expand your reach in a substantial way Show your Industry Expertise Demonstrate your Thought Leadership Link from other social media platforms
LinkedIn Publishing Publish a Post
LinkedIn Publishing Listed in Newsfeed and on Profile Page
LinkedIn Publishing Promote LinkedIn Posts with Social Media Use Twitter (and other Social Media) to promote LinkedIn posts.
LinkedIn Status Update Promote Website Content and Special Events
Reuse Published Content Publish as a Blog Post
LinkedIn Publishing What to Share? Publish long-form content demonstrate your thought leadership and industry expertise. Publish what you feel passionate about. Professional expertise & experiences Industry trends Lessons learned How often? Bi-weekly or once a month Be aware of Audience Fatigue!
B2B Content Social Media Platform Usage*
Content Marketing for Different Stages in the Buying Cycle
LinkedIn Content Strategy Establish objectives: Setting clear goals and targets for your content. Consistent style: Keeping a style that drives ongoing results. SEO: Keyword optimization for LinkedIn and Google search. Calls-to-action: Best practice to maximize traffic generation and conversion. Post frequency and scheduling. Content calendar: Build a working content plan.
Content Calendar
Content Curation Content curation is the process of finding, organizing and sharing online content. Content curators provide a customized selection of the best and most relevant resources on a very specific topic or theme. Automate the content curation process to increase efficiency!
Content Mix 80/20 Rule 50% curated content 20% promotional content 30% original content
Content Curation: paper.li
Content Curation: feedly
Content Curation: My Alltop
Content Creation: Canva (Graphic Design)
Content Creation: PicMonkey (Photo Editor)
Scheduling Posts: Hootsuite
Scheduling Posts: DrumUp
LinkedIn Marketing Options LinkedIn Group Discussions Share content, find answers, make business contacts, and establish yourself as an industry expert. Groups can have thousands of members, so your reach can be very wide. Message all group members. All groups are now Private
LinkedIn Marketing Options LinkedIn SlideShare Build authority, present a unique point, customer solutions What to Share: Company videos Webinar & conference recordings Product how-to s & tips Company presentations Webinar decks Infographics
LinkedIn Marketing Options LinkedIn Company Page Focus on challenges your clients are facing and your solutions. Brand Awareness - build your brand around understanding their problems and offering them a solution. Industry/Thought Leadership help customers through their buying journey. Lead Generation - Drive higher quality leads by featuring a good mix of upper funnel and lower funnel content. Showcase Pages feature specific business lines, products or initiatives within your company.
Company Pages A company page shows: what a company does, what industry it s in, and what products and services it offers. Includes some of the functionality available on personal profiles. People can follow your company for updates on product and industry news. A corporate website within LinkedIn.
Oracle Company Page
Oracle Showcase Page
LinkedIn Search (with filters)
Building a Boolean Search String web developer OR programmer OR software engineer OR developer AND javascript OR java OR PHP OR python OR CSS OR C++ AND new york OR new york city OR manhattan Build your search string in a text editor, not in the LinkedIn Search box.
Building a network Connect with current contacts Maintain relationships with existing connections
Building a network Send personalized invitations ALWAYS!
LinkedIn Marketing Options LinkedIn Messaging is now a Live Chat!
LinkedIn Messaging Best Practices Keep it brief and make the message relevant. Always personalize the message! The first time you send a message - reference a mutual connection or common interest, or remind the contact of how you know them. Establish a relationship - don t be promotional! Focus on their interests and problems not yours.
What To Do:
What Not To Do:
What Not To Do:
LinkedIn Emails: Hunter Chrome Extension
LinkedIn Advertising Paid Ads vs. Sponsored Updates
LinkedIn Analytics Why Use Analytics Measure results to see the effectiveness of your marketing programs: to identify what works, to help you make better decisions, and to focus more of your investment in the most productive areas. Monitor on-going performance, make changes, as needed, until you ve achieved your goals. Am I getting the behavior I want (conversions)?
LinkedIn Analytics Social Media Analytics Social Media Website analytics measure: Social engagement (clicks, Likes, follows, comments, shares, etc.) Impressions (reach) how many people see your promotion. Your influence within your industry. They don t measure the effects of social media interactions with your website. Your Website is the Hub of All Online Activities!
LinkedIn Analytics Website Analytics Use Google Analytics to monitor and measure the effect that social media engagement has on your website traffic. Website Traffic to look at: Who is visiting your website: new vs. repeat. How are they finding you: search, ads, social media, What are visitors doing when they get to you site. Are you getting Conversions?
Summary
LinkedIn Success What does success look like? You get to decide what success is! Confirm your (quantifiable) business objectives: Why did you want to market your business on LinkedIn? What goals/objectives did you set? Did you accomplish your objectives?
Final Takeaway
Do It Wrong Quickly! Establish your goals. Set measureable objectives. Experiment to learn what works. Monitor LinkedIn and Website Performance. Make Adjustments until you get your desired behavior (conversions).
Thank You! Any Questions?