Making Sense of the Online World: The State of Marketing in 2012

Inbound Marketing Training WebinarJanuary 19, 2012

Marketing Today5 Realities You Can’t Ignoreby Ben Stroup(benstroup.com)

1) Every company is a publisherLike it or not, you are now required to create downloadable PDFs, white papers, case studies, blog posts, social media updates, etc.

Your future (and existing) donors, clients, and customers are more likely to find you than you are them. You can’t become a thought leader and not publish. And a strategy of spreading your message one person at a time won’t keep pace with the ever-changing digital landscape.

You simply can’t scale outside of digital publishing efforts.

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Marketing Today5 Realities You Can’t Ignoreby Ben Stroup(benstroup.com)

2) Every key person should have a digital presence

Determine the individuals who are your spokespeople. This isn’t limited to owners or senior executives. These are the people who are most likely to interact with your core target audience on a regular basis.

People will want to follow them on Twitter, read their status updates on Facebook, and connect with them on LinkedIn (and maybe even Google Plus). This helps “the rest of us” stay connected and gain trust with those who live on the platform.

If you don’t have a digital presence, in a sense, you don’t exist.

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Marketing Today5 Realities You Can’t Ignoreby Ben Stroup(benstroup.com)

3) Every marketing campaign should begin and end online

Print media still has a place. But digital real-estate is the most valuable property your company will ever own. Your print campaigns should be an extension of your Web presence.

Any call to action should include an opportunity for people to respond online in some fashion. No company wants to miss out on the excitement of a new customer, client, or donor sharing their decision with their social sphere of influence. You can’t buy that kind of advertising and promotion.

Thanks for attending. The webinar will begin shortly.

Marketing Today5 Realities You Can’t Ignoreby Ben Stroup(benstroup.com)

4) Every new staff member must, at least, understand social networking

Of course, there are positions that may not immediately connect with social media. But what if I could communicate with my mechanic via Twitter instead of the phone? Or what if I could receive regular updates from my running coach via short videos on his or her YouTube channel that demonstrated technique?

It goes without saying that every marketing new hire must understand social networking. Things are moving too fast to hire someone and then “teach them the ropes.” But don’t limit social networking to your marketing department only!

Thanks for attending. The webinar will begin shortly.

Marketing Today5 Realities You Can’t Ignoreby Ben Stroup(benstroup.com)

5) Every company must consistently create great content

The world of inbound marketing demands that companies “feed the beast.” Consistency and frequency of content is what search engines crave.

This is not a sprint; it’s a marathon. Your ability to execute an editorial calendar consistently will not only boost your SEO, it will also separate you from your competition.

Few companies are doing this well right now.

Thanks for attending. The webinar will begin shortly.

Making Sense of the Online World: The State of Marketing in 2012

Inbound Marketing Training WebinarJanuary 19, 2012

Facebook tops Google for weekly traffic in the U.S.

The number of people on Facebook 2x the size of the U.S. population

A new member joins LinkedIn every second

The #2 largest search engine in the world is YouTube

During our webinar this morning, over 300 hours of video will be uploaded to YouTube

Facts about the online world

Ford Explorer launch on Facebook was more effective than Super Bowl Ad

Over 32 million have watched the Volkswagen Darth Vader Kid advertisement ... on YouTube

eReaders have surpassed traditional book sales

Groupon will reach $1 billion in sales faster than any company in history

There are over 75 million more people playing Farmville than there are real Farmers

A shift from traditional marketing

2012: The Year of Growing Social Marketing Maturity

“Finding” and “Getting Found”

Finding your “community”

Community = prospects, current customers, competition

Finding your “community”

1) An integrated web presence2) Community “persona”3) Listening well

"Today, no company is too big to fail or too small to succeed. Simply knowing your customer is one thing. But, understanding how they make decisions and participating in that process influences behavior while building meaningful relationships."

~ Brian Solis

Getting Found OnlineIt remains true that more of your prospective customers will find you than you’ll find them.  So, for prospects and future business, it’s got to be a priority that your website and overall web presence is optimized for search.

Thank you for joining us.

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