The Found Gen

Marketing That Works.

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How to Reach B2B Customers with Content: You’re still targeting people

Most people see B2B marketing as substantially different than B2C marketing. And while the topics and structure of the content itself is different, the concept and strategy is often pretty similar.

B2B content, like all other content, must be impeccably written and strive to educate or entertain. And, ultimately, you’re still marketing to a person. These tips can help you reach B2B customers with content:

Get Expert Information

Credibility is highly important in B2B marketing, and using expert information is one of the best ways to establish credibility. Cite trade publications and include industry-specific data to back up your points. And, be sure to link back to any original sources.

B2B decision-makers appreciate authority. When you include industry-specific expert information, you’re providing them with the best knowledge that they need to make their important decisions. This also gives you an opportunity to share your ideas and broadens your content’s reach.

Target Customers at Different Stages

B2B customers go through various steps before deciding whether to do business with you, so it’s crucial to target them with content at each stage. This can also expand your content’s reach and helps to increase the return on investment for the content.

In the early stages, customers may not know exactly what they want. That’s the time to establish a need for your product or service by highlighting the problems it solves — the main avenue with which you can succeed with in B2B marketing. At later stages, customers may know that your product exists but may be sifting through all the competition. This is the time to establish the value of what you offer and highlight what makes you different from your competitors.

Use Storytelling

B2B customers like referrals and using real stories from real clients is one of the best ways to incorporate referrals into your content. Case studies and testimonials showcase your product or service in a practical sense. This reassures potential customers that they’re making the right decision. These stories should focus not only on you, but also how the B2B client was able to improve as a result of using your product or service.

If your B2B marketing isn’t working the way it should, drop us a line. We can design a marketing plan for you so that you meet your goals. Get in touch today.

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Take a Chance: Making Calculated Risks in Content Marketing

We’re lucky. Our clients seem to share an overwhelming trait that makes them the best clients in the business: they’re all drawn to a good creative risk.

“You want to change our branding? Including our tagline?”

“So…live streaming while we’re on-site?”

“A pop-up shop and a podcast?”

Yes. Yes. And yes.

Like we said, we’re very lucky. But not all of us are ok taking calculated risks in marketing, and even clients who claim to want edgy campaigns and content still drag their feet a little at pitch time. So how to overcome the idea that a new concept is a dangerous concept? Here are a few approaches we use:

When to Take Calculated Risks in Marketing

Marketing Analysis

Start by looking at the data rather than locking yourself in the conference room, ordering Chinese delivery and brainstorming wacky ideas all night. Look at the snags in the client journey (for example: if people are putting items in their shopping cart but not checking out, if you’re driving a lot of traffic to your site but they’re not sticking around, or if people are going to your contact page but then not calling) — those are the points that need some changing up.

Designing For Your Audience

Next: take a look at your audience. And not just the demographics, but the actual people.  Often, a risky campaign might not appeal to the owners and decision-makers of the company, but will be a surprising – to everyone but us! – hit with their clients. At The Found Gen, it is never a waste of time to perform the most research at the customer’s level and then design the marketing campaign to cater to them.

Calculate the Risk in Your Strategy

Don’t just acknowledge the risk, but look at the downside. If the campaign doesn’t succeed, will it just go unnoticed or will it generate negative attention?

Sometimes even the best content flops for no apparent, predicted reason. Especially now, when social media offers up instant responses, and one powerful voice can overturn even the best attempts at a successful campaign. Accept that fear of the unknown, and be reassured by the research and strategy you’ve put into the project.

Ongoing Development of Your Marketing Campaign

Taking calculated risks in marketing should always start slowly. We call it taking baby steps, but it’s basically slowing the pace of a project and pausing in between stages to make sure the actual execution of the campaign is going correctly and not just diving head first.

We’ve got a quote from George Lucas on a wall in our conference room: “We are all living in cages with the door wide open.” When you’re ready to walk out, that’s when the fun really begins. We’ll meet you there. Call us to set something up.

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Branding 101: Let Your Clients Know WHAT ELSE You Can Do

Have you ever found your business in a rut, stuck in the niche you created but wishing desperately to be something else — something more? Your clients know you as a trusted expert, your peers think of you as the go-to person with all the answers, and you’re bored beyond tears.

Be careful how you brand yourself.

Branding 101

At a recent writers’ workshop, I met a woman who specializes in creating commercial real estate content. All day, every day, she writes blog post after LinkedIn article after tweet about all things commercial real estate. Her work is shared and liked and retweeted. She’s kind of a big deal and has moved on from branding 101 when it comes to commercial real estate content.

We talked for a while about our careers, and while she was describing hers, she mentioned that she’d really love to delve into the pop-up shop industry. Specifically, she wants to utilize all those empty storefronts and offices as temporary retail spaces. Genius, right?

She’s done the research, she has the first-hand knowledge of the viability for such an endeavor, and she quite possibly has a long list of potential clients and investors. It’s just that no one knows about her brilliant idea, except for me. What a shame.

Bringing Up Your Suite of Services

If you’ve got a goal to expand your services, but keep finding yourself unable to successfully accomplish it, you might want to reconsider your branding strategy (and go back to branding 101). Here’s how:

  • Educate your clients on what else you can do. Show them that there are more reasons to hire you than the skills you originally brought to the table (for example: we’re more than a content marketing agency. We help our clients create the perfect marketing strategy, design the process to generate awareness, develop the content and distribute it, and then analyze the data and tweak the strategy to maximize results). Chances are, your vision may match their needs perfectly.
  • Start doing the work you actually want to be doing. It’s difficult to make room for unpaid or unproven work, but it’s necessary to fit it in any way possible. In the case of my pop-up pal, she could benefit greatly by embarking on a one-day-only retail spot benefitting a local charity of her choice. She’d dip her toe in the pop-up waters and do some good while she’s at it.
  • Blend your new skill set into your client offerings. Initially, you may have to show your clients fresh possibilities before they believe in you. Be flexible, and give yourself some space to be authentic and strategic.

Above all, when you’re adding a new profile to your services, don’t undersell your skills; they’re now part of your complete strategic package. Remember to talk less about what you bring to the table, and show more.

If you’d like some ideas to rebrand yourself, just ask us instead of going back to Branding 101. We’ve helped a lot of clients reinvent themselves.

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Why Your Small Business Must Start a Blog/Social Media

The fantastic thing about the internet is that there’s a place for all of us. It’s an enormous office building. And no matter our business or brand, there are countless people who will find it interesting. But do you really want to start and maintain a blog just for a few hundred potential readers? Yes. A small business blog is an effective way to stay ahead of your competitors and grow into a medium-sized business.

Like it or not, the internet is here to stay. Not accessing it for whatever reason is a lot like refusing to travel outside of a small town’s three-street range, with the possible exception of hitting the Target two towns over once a month. There’s a lot you’re missing. And if you’re a business owner, there’s a lot your clients and potential customers are missing, too. Like…

Information.

Most people don’t go to the internet for the sole purpose of buying stuff. They go because they want information. You’re here reading this right now (probably because you were trying to learn more about how to manage a small business blog). Are you considering hiring us to help with your content? Or maybe you’re a writer wondering what to do with your talent. (Hint: Call us. We’ve got great ideas.) Regardless, we have your attention for at least a minute or two, and that’s a pretty valuable gift.

Whether you’ve got a product or a service or something entirely different, your blog is best when it offers knowledge. Share what you know, and share it no strings attached. When it comes times to charge, you’ll already have given your clients part of your brand for free. They’ll remember that.

Relationships.

It’s true: We want to become patrons of companies we like. A blog that represents your ideology and positively communicates your message helps like-minded individuals get to know you and your brand, and also aids you in learning more about your potential customers.

Write about your business, write about your customers, write about your successes and failures, write about the lessons you’ve learned along the way. Chances are, you’ve got an audience who will find your content valuable. That’s the goal (sidenote: here’s what not to do).

The chance of finding you.

There are a lot of (insert your business here) out there. Wouldn’t it be a shame if a potential customer needed your services, only to land on someone’s else’s blog first?

Every 18 months or so, the total amount of data made in the history of the world doubles, and that rate is speeding up. Search engines put your blog through their algorithms, and your blog receives a high grade if you use relevant keywords, proper grammar and spelling, and if website visitors like, share, or comment on your articles. Imagine what your potential customers would search for in an attempt to find you, and then gear your site toward that content.

It sounds like a lot of work, doesn’t it? In our experience, however, it’s well worth it. If you need help starting your blog or even reigniting an old one, we’re here for you. Just ask.

 

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Words Matter

2016 was not a great year for words. According to Dictionary.com, there was an overarching theme in trending lookup data that wasn’t too surprising, but was terribly disappointing. The Word of the Year was xenophobia, defined as the fear or hatred of foreigners, people from different cultures, or strangers. It also refers to fear or dislike of customs, dress, and cultures of people with backgrounds different from our own.

Sigh.

It doesn’t get much better when we consider the Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year 2016 is post-truth, an adjective defined as relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief. The runners up are equally dismal, from coulrophobia (an extreme or rational fear of clowns), glass cliff (used with reference to a situation in which a woman or member of a minority group ascends to a leadership position in challenging circumstances where the risk of failure is high), and alt-right (we can’t even write that definition).

Even Merriam-Webster issued a warning in late November: “Fascism is still our #1 lookup. Number of lookups is how we choose our Word of the Year,” they tweeted. “There’s still time to look up something else.”

In other, better news, The Association of National Advertisers chose transparency as their Word of the Year. Consumers want to do business with brands they can trust, which speaks to the heart of transparency. It’s about honesty, integrity, and a true message.

At The Found Gen, we believe in the power of words and meaningful, intentional substance. Transparency is a good start. But we’d also like to see a few more content trends take tight hold in 2017.

  • Less us, more you. We gravitate toward brands that treat their customers like people.
  • Localism. The world can be pretty overwhelming. Why not start small, but with oversized ideas?
  • Buoyant projects that rise and work for us. (See also: unsinkable.)
  • Personalized, custom content. No more mass customization and wild attempts at reaching customers. You talkin’ to me? Yeah, I’m talkin’ to you. (Name that movie, friends.)
  • Expiration dates. Snapchat is on to something. Content that self-destructs creates a fresh sense of urgency. Catch us if you can. We’re going somewhere awesome.

Until then, we’ll be here, focusing on the positive: a sharp rise in the number of people using “woke” as an alert to injustice in society, especially racism. That’ll do, 2016. That’ll do.

Because T.S. Eliot said it perfectly. “For last year’s words belong to last year’s language, and next year’s words await another voice.” We are looking forward to hearing yours. If you’d like to borrow some of ours, just contact us. We’ve got a lot of excellent words in these parts.

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Facebook Live: Changing the Face of Your Business

Everyone’s on Facebook. All ages, every demographic, and every interest group you could ever imagine. It’s a built-in audience of clients and customers and pure potential.

And now there’s Facebook Live, a feature that offers live-streaming video capabilities to users. Because who hasn’t dreamed of being a star? Facebook Live could certainly deliver such a result: just look at Chewbacca Mask Lady.

Video is a powerful tool in the marketing and messaging of your business, no matter what industry you may call your own. Think about it: If given the choice to either read a blog post about, say, how to renovate your kitchen, versus watching entertaining live feeds from the cabinet demo to the granite install…you’d probably watch the video, right?

And that’s exactly what makes Facebook Live brilliant for your business: the behind-the-scenes peeks into your company’s personality, in real time.

A successful Facebook Live video leads to higher engagement rates, as well as actual leads and sales, because your viewers have now met you. You’re human, you seem quite nice, and you’re coming off as an expert in your field. Excellent!

But sometimes Facebook Live doesn’t maximize your professional message. In fact, it doesn’t do a thing for your image, and may even hurt your branding. Here are a few tips to getting it right. In five, four, three…

  • Have a plan. This is not the time to fly by the seat of your pants and wing it. Prepare your topics, write down key phrases you don’t want to skip, and adjust all the external elements before you go live. Shifting positions because of aggressively shiny sunlight that’s turning you into a golden-white blur should’ve happened two minutes ago. Same with turning off your alerts, putting your pets in another room because the beeping garbage truck is headed down your street, or shutting your office door and posting a note outside alerting others you’re Facebook Living. (Yes, it’s a verb. Or, it will be.)
  • It’s all about the benefits. Give your audience a reason for watching and a reason for staying interested in you. Whatever industry insider information you’re highlighting, would viewers benefit from your live share of projects and trends, and prompt them to keep tuning in for more? Make sure the answer is yes.
  • It’s quality, not quantity. Build your audience slowly and organically. Don’t try to attract numbers of viewers with ambiguous and untrustworthy click bait. Instead, set yourself up as a generous information sharer who tells a good story.
  • Interact with your viewers. As I mentioned earlier, the positives with Facebook Live increase with your exposure and interaction. When viewers put a face to the company, they respond more intensely. Same goes for your engagement with your viewers, so be ready with questions and greet people who comment by name. You’ll be surprised by the uptick in loyal viewership.

Above all, be yourself. Talk to your potential clients as you would any industry peer. But be careful! Any slightly controversial comment could land your brand in hot water. So maybe our advice is to speak on Facebook Live as you would any industry peer you’re meeting for the first time, sans cocktails!

And remember: If you need help crafting your message and telling your story, just ask us for help. It’s kind of our thing.