Thanks to Glenn Marvin of Konnector who interviewed me on his 302 Temporary Redirect Show (that’s a geek joke – a website has a 302 error code…. ).
5 key activities for B2B Marketing
During the show Glenn asked me what my “always on” fundamental B2B marketing activities are. If you want to listen it’s at 18:25 through to 20:24.
Database of clients, suspects and prospects. Regularly updated.
Regular communications to your database
Trade shows and local in person meetups
LinkedIn to recognise the names of people in your industry – and LinkedIn Sales Navigator
Speaking at conferences, events and being a PR spokesperson for your trade magazine.
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https://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Konnector-podcast-302-show-1.png11462038Rebecca Caroehttps://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/CAS_Logo_1line_RGB.jpgRebecca Caroe2018-04-20 14:36:002019-04-23 10:53:31Featured on the 302 Temp Redirect show
“So little thought goes into websites” I said this afternoon, prompting my colleague, Conrado Langer to add “You just described humanity in one sentence!”
Reviewing the social sharing icons for two clients this week we had opposing experiences.
One was getting great traction – but the sharing icons overlaid the blog text when viewed on a tablet.
Our bad – we reviewed the settings and adjusted the screen size for when the layout switched to the mobile enabled format.
The other just installed a social sharing plugin without thought to their blog layout or users. It scrolls round to two rows, and includes some which are barely used including the highlighted, VK. This is a Russian site with few privacy controls and full of undesirable content. An unlikely choice for English-speaking consumers.
A poor choice of social sharing icons
Relevant social sharing icons
Do you know your audience? Do you know which social channels they use? If the answer isn’t yes you need to go do some research.
My choice of social sharing icons for a consumer business in 2018 are:- Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest
And if you are chasing a youth audience – consider adding Tumblr, Instagram and Snapchat (QR Code)
My choice of social sharing icons for a B2B business in 2018 are: LinkedIn, Email, Facebook, Reddit
And if you’re a creative, film, art or music business consider Vero the newly launched service.
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https://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/sharing.png2581216Rebecca Caroehttps://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/CAS_Logo_1line_RGB.jpgRebecca Caroe2018-04-16 10:00:052019-08-13 15:11:56Social Sharing Icons - choose the right ones for 2018
In doing market validation research for a client, we researched the Business Accelerators who are best known in New Zealand. Since I couldn’t find a place where they are all listed, I thought I’d create one. [We did this before for Youth Entrepreneur Organisations in New Zealand].
The Mums Garage group have pulled together a pretty comprehensive “Startup Ecosystem Map” list which goes from pre-seed investment upwards including regional connections – highly recommend as they encourage you to submit additional resources not yet on the list.
Check out these as a starting point for your own individual needs. And please use the comments to add others to the list.
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https://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/business-Accelerators.png7161266Rebecca Caroehttps://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/CAS_Logo_1line_RGB.jpgRebecca Caroe2018-04-06 10:37:492022-12-19 11:57:37Business Accelerators in New Zealand
It’s that time of the year again where we remind you about the benefits of good ol’ directories! Before the internet, we relied on finding services through the big yellow brick of a book we received each year. Thanks to the world wide web, we now find them stuffed under uneven table legs or as a booster seat. Today we find what we’re looking for with a click of a button. Does your business stand out?
In 2016, Google took away the right-hand sidebar where the paid adverts were displayed. Now the paid posts soar straight to the top, making it a tough battle for smaller companies to get noticed. Directories can be a cost-effective way to help get found via search engines. Being active on directories increases the chances of your business getting noticed.
Why updating your information is vital
It is important to keep your business updated in directories. If your business has gone through a recent change and you didn’t update your information, you could lose a lot of potential customers!
Never forget to NAP, this means not sleeping on the details. Make sure your Name, Address and Phone data is accurate and up to date. Location and accessibility are two of the most important factors when it comes to customers. If your telephone number is an old one and a customer can’t get through to you, they’re unlikely to try again. Likewise, if you were to put your address as a small town in South America, a New Zealand customer wouldn’t follow up with your business!
Pro tip: Check the directories your company is listed in and confirm your details are correct. Some websites take their information from others; resulting in a cycle of incorrect information.
Updated List of Directories*
This year, we bring you an even bigger list of potential directories your business may be found in. Take a look to see where your business is listed and where it isn’t.
It’s the only thing standing in between you and your next big client.
NB: Not all directories will apply to every type of business, some are more specific to particular fields. (eg. Tripadvisor will benefit restaurants and hotels over a telecommunications company.)
*The directories list has been ranked by domain authority, with the highest ranking at the top (accurate as of July 2018).
New Zealand Directories
RateBeer – Directory of beers, breweries, bars and stores.
Top Design Firms – Reviews and rankings of top web design firms, ecommerce development, graphic designers and design agencies around the world.
CompanyFM – Create a page to promote your company and brand, showcase your product or service, expose your content, build customer loyalty, or just be found.
Wand – Worldwide directory of businesses.
Place Reference – Place yourself on a map and see what’s around you (with the list and streetview).
BeanHunter – For finding the best cafes and coffees in various cities.
Fonolist – Find businesses, events, and reviews. Narrow it down by the country and city you’re looking at.
Local Wall – Free classifieds and advertisements worldwide.
Nettica – Online directory of products and services worldwide.
College Zoom – College directory with reviews and achievements.
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https://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/map-local-directories.jpg8531280Creative Agency Secrets Teamhttps://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/CAS_Logo_1line_RGB.jpgCreative Agency Secrets Team2018-03-29 12:48:422024-02-26 16:36:17Boost Your Business with Local Directories
You asked us about Trade Marketing. This is when you sell something to another business and they sell it to the ultimate customer. Fundamentally it’s just selling but because it’s restricted to selling within a single industry or “trade” it gets another name…. the key thing for you to know is that the principles of B2B marketing still hold true.
Trade marketing is a sub-type of B2B
What I love about any B2B is that the audience is individually identifiable. You can get or build a list of actual individuals who you can sell to. The best way to start that is through identifying these things
industry type
sub-type of industry
job title of decision makers and decision-influencers
Then you are within reach of a clearly identified audience. List broker will sell you lists, you can research and build your own too. If you choose the latter, please start with the trade association or professional body for the industry. That’s a great way to short-cut list building.
After the list, how to approach
Getting a list is only the beginning. You need to brand build with specific campaigns so that prospects recognise your business name or your product name (or both). Trade shows can be useful here because people who are interested are all gathered into a single location on a single day and you can meet many face to face.
Getting your strategy aligned with the prospect’s need is critical. Because it’s so easy to mess up an approach and build bad feeling against your brand. For this reason we always create a hypothesis and we test this out before a general launch.
Today a mailing list of 100 names is being tested for a client. When we see how it’s received [Good so far, thanks for asking 54% open rate 4% click through] then we can make decisions about whether to adapt / improve or just to roll it out to the rest of the prospect list.
Top 10 tips for trade marketing
Automate follow ups – have a pre-set process for capturing and following up
Time is always short – but don’t cut short conversations on the stand. Invest in the people who do come to build relationships
Connect on LinkedIn to everyone you meet if possible
Be very clear about what you are promising to prospects
Have a “cute” offer [fidget spinners are popular now]
If you use scrolling video at a trade show, always sub-title it so people get the message from afar
Put on your best smile. It’s my biggest business success tool – people remember my warm smile
Make eye contact and be the first to break contact after smiling and saying hello. This is un-threatening
Have a ‘golden question‘ or two ready for your prospect discovery questions
Turn up every year – as long as the show brings in prospects, plan to be there. Consistency pays off
Creative Agency Secrets is expert in B2B marketing. We understand how to research trade buyers, how to build a list of possible buyers, how to present your product or service to them and how to get them to buy from you over and over again.
Rebecca is running two webinars with CCH Learning designed for Business to Business organisations who need to ramp up their website as a marketing tool.
Setting a Website Strategy for Marketing Success: Understand the functionality your website needs & how to avoid common mistakes
The first webinar will help you gain a deep understanding of how to write a website strategy, what to improve on your current website and marketing communications, how to test your website is working well.
The second webinar teaches you the tools you need to assess the effectiveness of your existing website, and helps you to draw up a list of actions to improve its alignment with your business website strategy.
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https://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/CAS_Logo_1line_RGB.jpg00Rebecca Caroehttps://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/CAS_Logo_1line_RGB.jpgRebecca Caroe2018-02-23 10:00:002018-02-23 11:46:01Kickstart business website user skills
David Kean was interviewed and I found this 50 minute audio interview useful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHD4yx2pRx4
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https://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/CAS_Logo_1line_RGB.jpg00Rebecca Caroehttps://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/CAS_Logo_1line_RGB.jpgRebecca Caroe2017-11-24 20:49:542020-01-24 02:27:46Best books for Pitching and winning marketing work
This November, we’ve got another breakfast seminar happening! We will be covering 3 ways to change your business thinking and actions for 2018 success.
Has your business reached a standstill even with new business strategies and tactics implemented?
Perhaps it is time to renew your thinking with us! Getting your thinking right is the key to developing the right business strategy and tactics. Digital marketing is one of the most effective tools to utilise when unlocking business growth and boosting brand awareness. To help you better understand how incorporating digital marketing and the right business strategy can unlock secrets that underpin success, we have this insightful breakfast seminar lined up for you.
https://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/CAS_Logo_1line_RGB.jpg00Creative Agency Secrets Teamhttps://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/CAS_Logo_1line_RGB.jpgCreative Agency Secrets Team2017-11-10 16:16:122022-12-19 11:57:293 Ways to Change Your Business Thinking & Actions for 2018 Success
A robust, scalable business is always based on strong processes. And if you are in the business of offering a Software as a Service (SaaS) product, you will doubtless have a recurring revenue model.
Our business debit card expires tomorrow and so I’ve been in the throes of receiving alerts, notifications and emails from a range of providers asking me to update my card details so they do not lose their revenues. The experiences were very varied from the best, smoothest, least painful to the worst where I had to raise a support ticket.
Given SaaS firms risk losing revenue from non-renewals, this is a critical business process.
Here’s what we found
The earliest “nag” emails came from Hootsuite, Unbounce, Xero and MailChimp. They were sending them 30 days prior to expiry.
The laggards include Upwork, Skype, FeedBlitz, Teamwork and LinkedIn (from 10 to 5 days in advance),
The “best” process just allows me to update the expiry date on the card (PayPal) without having to re-enter all the other information
The “worst” don’t send me a link into the EXACT page on my account where I can update my details after logging in. Skype was particularly irritating with a hideous UX on their mobile browser. They leave me failing to find the right billing page detail and resorting to search / help / customer tickets.
The Very Very Worst was Teamwork where they successfully hide the link in an upgrade screen which is not where I’d look to find my payment information (see below)
Hard to find link for payment information on Teamwork.com
Mystery shopping
Any customer process needs testing and constant monitoring to keep it relevant and improved. Clues which may indicate you have this problem can be found:
Check the exit pages on your website
Check the long dwell time pages (that you don’t expect)
Check the customer service enquiries
Check the Searches on your website
When did you last mystery shop your business?
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https://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Teamwork-upgrade.png11262516Rebecca Caroehttps://creativeagencysecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/CAS_Logo_1line_RGB.jpgRebecca Caroe2017-10-30 16:14:062022-12-19 11:57:27SaaS renewals that are easy for customers
