By Jared Bodnar
June 2nd, 2010
I was reading this article about how Twitter will be obsolete as a marketing tool in the near future because of the shear number of connections someone has. The idea is that there will be so much Twitter clutter, that marketing messages will get lost in the shuffle.
Obviously Twitter’s business model is evolving as we speak, and surely its technology will continue to evolve to compensate for this. I’ve put together a few predictions for how I think Twitter will evolve to be more useful to marketers
- Contextual tweets: I see more Twitter-gration in the future. Twitter will integrate with other platforms like Facebook, 4square, Google and whatever is next. Therefore, Tweets can be prioritized by what you’re searching for, where you’re located, your most recent update, etc.
- Opt-in DMs: Marketers will be able to respond immediately with customized DMs to Tweets like: “I’m looking for a good e-mail marketing software with Salesforce.com integration, please DM me.”
- Automatic segmentation: Currently, you need an application like Hootsuite or Tweetdeck to organize Tweets, but I think Twitter will develop more sophisticated segmentation algorithms, so you’ll be able to receive messages that are most relevant to you.
Do you have other Twitter predictions? How do you think other social media applications will evolve to be more relevant to B2B marketers? What’s next for social marketing?
By Adam Garcia
June 1st, 2010
As a society we have reached a point where Google is needed on a daily basis. One of my favorite things about Google is its unique point of view on branding. Changing your visual identity multiple times a year is usually frowned upon, but with Google it’s expected.
I find myself looking forward to seeing the creative ways Google will make special occasions or dates even more special with its ingenious logos. Most recently, the Pac Man spin on the Google logo created quite a buzz.
What do you think about Google’s take on visual branding? Is there a way to incorporate this style of thinking into the B2B world? Please share your favorite Google logo with me.
By Matt Hensler
May 25th, 2010
Many companies lose sight of employees as an audience for communications. Employees play a critical role in a company’s external reputation and they are vital to the customer experience. Because employees are so integral to an organization’s success, it’s important that companies take time to focus on employee engagement.
At a recent BMA Phoenix meeting, Matt Kamensky, a Senior HR Consultant at Towers Watson explained that HR departments have a thing or two they can learn from their marketing colleagues when it comes to finding the right ‘touch points’ to properly engage employees. Kamensky offered these 10 key driver’s of employee engagement:
- Senior management takes an interest in employees’ well being
- Employees have the opportunity to improve skills and capabilities year over year
- Organization has a good external reputation (brand)
- Employees feel they have input into the decision making of their department
- Organization quickly resolves customers’ concerns
- Employees are able to set high personal standards
- Excellent career advancement opportunities exist
- Employees enjoy challenging work assignments that broaden their skills
- Good staff/supervisor relationships exist
- Organization encourages innovative thinking
With many B2B industries starting to show signs of recovery, Kamensky stressed that now is the time for companies to revisit who they are—not just to customers, but to employees. He concluded by explaining that the truly great companies are those who are able to align these efforts.
What does your company do to keep employees engaged? Do you think technology makes employee engagement easier or more difficult?
By Jared Bodnar
May 24th, 2010
As a small business owner, I’m always on the lookout for new technologies and techniques that can help small- and mid-sized businesses be more efficient, productive and profitable.
Recently, I was reading this article in USA Today about small businesses using Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), or cloud-based software as it’s popularly known. These pay-as-you-go software applications are not installed on a computer or server, but accessible from any web-browser on a monthly subscription basis.
I have been an advocate of hosted software for quite a while, for several different reasons.
- First off, you only pay for what you use. If you have five users, you only pay for five users, if you have 500, you pay for 500.
- Typically, all software upgrades and enhancements are deployed automatically and seamlessly, with no additional cost.
- In most cases, you get unlimited customer support.
- You save tons of money by not having the infrastructure, servers, IT professionals, etc. All you need is an internet connection and a compatible web browser
For B2B marketers, there are many great cloud-based options out there to capture and nurture leads, distribute e-mail blasts, track customer interactions and more.
Do you have experience with any SaaS software? What is your favorite cloud software application?
By Adam Garcia
May 13th, 2010
Are you a big fan of all things design related? Are you a fan of Twitter? I stumbled upon this new Web site called Dribbble that takes the best from both worlds and combines them.
Instead of sharing your daily thoughts 140 characters at a time, Dribble gives you 400 x 300 pixels of space to share visual creativity. Another great feature is that, like Twitter, Dribbble allows you to “follow” your favorite designer, illustrator or developer and keep up with what they are working on.
As Twitter can be helpful to trend what’s happening in this great b2b world of ours, I believe that Dribble can also help us keep up with all things design related and keep things fresh!
Are there any other b2b resources you use to keep at the top of your game?
