Business Bedrock

Optimising your online presence for shorter sales cycles

 

 By Jill Riddiford, B2B Marketing Consultant at Carpe Diem Consulting

 

Content matching with keywords

To better engage with customers we need to reach them with the right content at the right time. Buyers use different types of language, when looking for solutions, depending on what stage they are at along the buyer journey.

Businesses typically don’t have the mechanisms in place to attract prospects early in their buying journey, so using ‘late buyer journey’ tactics such as offering a ‘buy now’ incentive isn’t always appropriate. It certainly won’t help the buyer who is at the ‘search around problem’ stage and wants to first build their awareness of potential solutions to a problem.

So how do we increase the probability of buyers reaching us when they in the early stage of their buyer journey?

One of the best indicators of where someone is along the buyer journey is reviewing the types of keywords they are using within their searches - what people are searching for can provide a clue as to the type of content that could be developed.

For example the owner of a growing business wants to upgrade their phone network and types in: “upgrading small business phone system” which brings up a long list of suppliers and a few comparison sites, the “Search around problem” stage in diagram above.

The searcher takes a deep breath as he anticipates several hours of research ahead but notices on the first page of results, an article: “How to choose the right phone system for your small business.”

The article, authored by a Telco supplier, provides some useful information and the buyer is now better able to frame his requirements and the likely solution. The buyer narrows down the search to three suppliers which he then compares directly on their websites for features and prices, but he is more inclined to purchase from the supplier who provided the useful article.

Of course from the supplier’s perspective, throwing out a random ‘how to” article is not enough to ensure a high ranking in Google search results. Businesses need to build and nurture their online presence by regularly updating their website content, participating in social networks and using relevant keywords.

Using early buyer journey keywords in your website content such as white papers or blogs, means that buyers are more likely to discover you while still at the early stage of their buying cycle. At this point, buyers are unlikely to search for business names, and unless you are a major well-known brand, buyers probably don’t know who you are. But they may use generic words such as ‘review’ e.g. “cloud services review”.

However B2B buyers have become more sophisticated in their searches and are increasingly using “longer tail” keywords to enhance their SEO (search engine optimisation) process and increase the visibility of their website in organic, i.e. unpaid for search results. See example below, source: www.elliance.com

   

Long tail keywords are those that have less search volume but are highly targeted, e.g. “cloud services legal firms Sydney”. You can search for long-tail keywords with Google’s Keyword Planner Tool.

Or to generate ideas for long tail keywords, simply start typing in part of your keyword phrase into Google and keyword phrases will be suggested.

The SEO process doesn’t just apply to websites. LinkedIn profiles are also searchable so be mindful of the appropriate keywords to include on this platform to highlight the value you can provide to buyers.

By helping buyers to diagnose their needs — and at the earlier stages of the buyer's journey - businesses enhance their prospects of becoming a trusted advisor. To find out more, download our free whitepaper: Don’t let B2B buyers buy by themselves.

10 tips to successfully distribute content

 

By Jill Riddiford, B2B Marketing Consultant at Carpe Diem Consulting.

 

Producing quality content on a regular basis is vital in marketing today but you need to make sure it’s reaching the right people.

 So after all the hard work you put in to ensure your content is relevant and interesting to your target audience, consider how to make your content work for you.

1. Find your niche
Reaching a smaller number of the right people for your content is generally a more effective strategy than broadcasting your message out to the widest possible audience.

The good thing about niches is that a greater proportion of members are likely to be active and therefore the more impact your content will have. From there it’s easier to engage and build a reputation as an authority within your space.

For super sharp targeting, know your buyer personas (a representation of your ideal customer) – where are they hanging out and getting their content from? Make use of online communities such as LinkedIn groups and Facebook groups to help locate your best targets.

2. Share it
To start with, publish the content on your website blog and then share it in social media channels:
• Post on LinkedIn – be mindful of the best times – generally late morning is good
• Use Twitter to tweet a snippet of your content and link back to the blog
• Add a link to your blog in your email signature

3. Recycling is in
If you have great content to start with it can be reused and repurposed many times across various mediums. (It’s a good idea to aim for evergreen content that can be used for months or even years.)

For example, maybe you’ve invested a significant amount of time into creating a whitepaper that includes the results of research you’ve conducted into your customer base. Think about other places where you can reuse that content.

You could prepare a summary of it and turn it into a slideshare presentation. Or maybe some of the statistics would work well in an Infographic.

A good principle to keep in mind is that different people prefer to consume content in different ways. Some people are more visual and enjoy video presentations, others prefer text, and for those who spend a lot of time commuting, podcasts can be ideal. There’s also the time factor; for example, personally I usually prefer reading as I can quickly scan the article to find relevant information, which is not so easy with a video.

Why not include a question about preferred content consumption in your next customer newsletter or survey.

4. Quote sources and experts
Mentioning expert sources in your content increases credibility and the authorities you cite may also reshare in their network. Look for experts in topics that complement your area of specialty.

5. Media and other influencers
Think about the wider media sphere when preparing your content. Who are the influencers in your industry that carry weight – perhaps a journalist in your trade media or mainstream media, or an influential blogger? Remember these people are always looking for good content – keep a list of story ideas and build relationships with these influencers.

6. Email marketing
Content marketing involves more than social media channels. Make sure that you leverage the people who already have a connection to your business – your database of customers and others you have built a relationship with. These people have “bought in” to your messages so include carefully targeted email campaigns or newsletters as part of your content marketing program.

7. Getting real
We may live in a digital world but live events are a powerful marketing strategy as you can share content and interact directly with your audience. People remember experiences longer than what they recall from reading on social media. And of course you can continue to engage your customers with content after the event is over.

8. It’s all about the journey
Ideally your content should lead the buyer on a journey, perhaps starting by reading a post on LinkedIn, clicking through to read your blog and then downloading a whitepaper. From there you need to have the processes in place to contact your readers and stay in touch.

Keep in mind how the type of content maps to the buyer journey. For example, to reach customers who are unaware of a problem, use a piece of content that will shock them out of their comfort zone e.g. a webinar or video, but if you want to reach them when they’re searching around the problem, perhaps a ‘How to’ guide is best. See the guide below for how different types of content can work at different stages of the buyer journey.

9. Measuring
With a distribution plan in place, you need to set objectives and measure the effectiveness of your content marketing. Start with basic free tools such as Google Analytics for your website and HootSuite for social media.

10. Do you have content confidence?
Not sure where to start with a content marketing strategy? Complete this content self-assessment to see how you rate:

What content marketing is and why you need it

 

How do social and PR fit together for B2B marketers?

Social Media and Public Relations: “connecting the dots” 

By Jill Riddiford, B2B Marketing Consultant at Carpe Diem Consulting.

We often hear the question: what is the difference between social media and PR?

Social media is the new kid on the block compared to public relations, but both are part of the same brush in your marketing palette.

Both social media and PR - when done effectively - are about people saying good things about your business or your products and services, and spreading the word to other people.

Both PR and social can also build your brand and reputation over time. However, social media allows you to amplify your reach in ways that marketing via the traditional media can’t do.

Public Relations specialists typically work with editors / journalists rather than your actual target market. Social media specialists, on the other hand, are the ones who (should) know the insides of your business and be out there in your prospect base talking to real people.

A good social media consultant will be a natural networker and have their eye on what’s happening in your industry and community - they are not there to sell your product or service per se. They also build relations with less traditional industry influencers such as bloggers who can have a significant impact on your ability to generate awareness.

Also, with social, while you may ‘own’ the messages, you have limited control over how responses to your messaging will be reposted or circulated. On the other hand, traditional ‘earned’ PR allows some degree of control - in the context of the media relationships you have fostered. PR can also provide valuable third-party endorsement and credibility.

Here’s an outline of some more similarities and differences:

• Relationship building is key to both:

PR – you may only need a few key media targets, but these need to be cultivated carefully

Social – relationship is with many and allows you to have a two-way conversation with your actual customers/prospects

• You need to have something to say:

PR – usually have a ‘hook’ or particular event, i.e. something that is newsworthy that you can shout about for a short period of time

Social –You need constant ‘hooks’ and messages to take to your community on regular basis in order to maintain engagement and a cohesive image over time 

• Understand that your audience is different:

PR – your job is to pitch your story to the writer for your target media outlet, so you need to ask what will interest their readers?

Social – you are speaking directly to your customer/prospect so need to know their world inside out. You will need to repurpose content – e.g. don’t post in a press release format – use words that speak to them in their language

• Everyone is time poor:

PR - journalists like business owners are time poor these days, media fragmentation has disrupted the industry – which means your approach must be sharply honed

Social - need to take into account where your potential customers are on their buyer journey and package up your content/messages to get their attention at each stage

• It’s a two-way street:

PR- it is possible for marketers to coexist happily with the media - journalists value reliable contributors and having experts on hand they can call on

Social – use the 80/20 rule as a guide to your ratio of providing content around your customers’ issues vs directly promoting your business or services

B2B companies with an active social presence have a greater chance of attracting the broader media, as industry influencers such as journalists increasingly rely on content such as blogs to find story ideas.

Researching and nurturing the best media contacts for your business can be time consuming, so having a specialist PR consultant can be valuable. And it is always a good idea to have a PR on hand to help manage any adverse issues that may arise around your business. Of course any PR expert or social media specialist you appoint should have a thorough knowledge of your company.

You don’t have to be a big business to benefit from using PR as well as social – so don’t miss opportunities to make a mark in your niche – think about how particular insights from your customers could gain traction in the wider media arena.

If you would like to learn how to implement a successful PR & Social Media strategy, get in touch to register for a 1 hour consultation with one of our experts (limited number available per month).

Content marketing - when less is more

By Jill Riddiford, B2B Marketing Consultant at Carpe Diem Consulting. 

Marketers can sometimes feel pressured to produce a large volume of content without considering what type of content may be most effective and when.

With buyers today better informed, how can Marketing and Sales engage customers before they even know they have a problem – before they reach out to a sales organisation? (See steps in new buyer journey below and opportunity to engage early.)

Consider the case of the owner of a medium size business who relies on various IT infrastructure to keep his company running smoothly.

This Mr B2B potential buyer doesn’t wake up in the morning and decide suddenly that his business needs a new accounting system (the calm point at the left hand side, above.) It often takes a near disaster such as data loss or a security scare to shatter his sense of status quo, and spark his buying journey (the next point after calm.)

These status quo shattering moments occur frequently. Marketing and Sales can listen to when these occur, knowing that these instances would be a good point to reach out to the prospect with a timely, relevant and targeted message.

Being proactive

But the ultimate goal is to be the one doing the status quo shattering. The marketer of the accounting system should develop ‘disruptive customer insights’ and package these up into different marketing and sales collateral. This could be the online publication of whitepapers, blogs and webinars with early engagement keywords to attract buyers in the early stages. It could also be providing Sales with the tools and training they need to deliver these insights, enabling them to shatter the status quo. 

Typical thought leadership style of content, which teaches customers about something they could be doing, is not appropriate here. 

Disruptive, or “challenger” content deliberately gets the customer to “unlearn” something they already know or believe about the way their business operates. It also needs to be uniquely relevant.

To produce this type of material, marketers need to be investigative and curious, digging deep into their customers’ business challenges. The objective is to provoke the customer out of their comfort zone and focus on the potential cost of inaction. 

Aligning sales and marketing

This approach requires Marketing and Sales to work together. The job of B2B marketers is no longer just to generate leads and “throw these over the fence” to Sales. As Sales and Marketing have different perspectives on the same customer situations, collaboration and sharing of ideas between Sales and Marketing is the key to producing the best content.

 Although finding unique insights, packaging them up and enabling Sales to deliver them can be challenging, the good news is that the creation of disruptive content typically means that less content is required from marketing teams because of the increased impact of what is published, e.g. in terms of social media shares, reposts and reviews.

Content along the buyer’s journey

Looking at the buyer’s total journey, different types of content can be more appropriate at different times.

But the most effective time is early in the process – status quo shattering. In this way, interruption marketing is not such a bad thing if it means creating disruptive insights.

To read more about content marketing and the new buyer journey, see our whitepaper: The rise of Challenger marketing: 7 guiding principles on how to challenge the customer.

Should your employer fear your killer LinkedIn profile?

Top 4 concerns we have encountered from employers 

Our tips on the best way to write a killer LinkedIn profile are well documented, and in terms of number of downloads is our most successful piece of content ever!

Salespeople in particular are just waking up to the power of using their LinkedIn profile effectively - as well as their connections strategy, engagement in groups, and blogging on LinkedIn - to both attract and engage with prospects and customers.

Numerous pieces of research point to the fact that B2B buyers typically get at least 60% of the way through their buying journeys before engaging with a salesperson. That is of course unless during their web-based research when they are “Googling” the symptoms of their problem, they accidently land on a salesperson’s LinkedIn profile!

As Google is giving LinkedIn heavy weighting in their search rankings, salespeople’s profiles are appearing regularly as customers research their problems online.

The profiles of enlightened salespeople that used to be full of “I regularly make 120% of target” statements are now full of keywords and content relating to the types of business symptoms/problems they and their companies solve (especially if they are a Carpe Diem client!).

This, and regular refreshing of their profiles, can attract very high Google/Bing rankings which you would think employers are rejoicing about. Surely now we have “multiple company websites” that are attracting prospects as they embark along their buyer journey? 

Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth and many employers are running scared.

Top 4 concerns and antidotes

Below we list the top 4 concerns we have encountered from “nervous” employers – and we offer our commentary as to the “antidote” for each concern.

Concern #1

If my salesperson connects with all my customers they might all leave with her if she goes and works for my competitor.

Antidote #1

It’s great that your salespeople are building strong personal brands, and that customers want to connect with them - but it shouldn’t just be about “relationship building".

If your customers are really going to follow the salesperson to their new employer – what does that say about the value you’re offering the customer via the salesperson? Make sure all your salespeople are mouthpieces for genuinely disruptive insights that are developed proprietary to your organisation.

Concern #2

My competitors will know who we’re talking to if my salespeople connect with our prospects. 

Antidote #2

In our “internet everywhere” world and with the propensity to post everything on social networks, it’s safe to assume that everyone knows everything:  what prices you quote at, who your customers are, who your salespeople are talking with etc.

Again, if you develop a strong value proposition and adopt the Challenger approach by offering them unique customer insights – they’re going to stick with you anyway because of your superior value to their organisation.

Concern #3

What if my salesperson “says the wrong thing” online?

Antidote #3

Many organisations, particularly publicly listed ones, tie themselves in knots in case an active LinkedIn member “says the wrong thing” online, which gets repeated over and over again. But it’s no reason to not “do” social media – the pros can certainly outweigh the cons.

You need to educate your staff and have a social media policy in place - as part of a broader communications strategy - so you can limit the risk.

Concern #4

A prominent LinkedIn profile will surely attract recruiters, who will endeavour to poach my sales staff.

Antidote #4

Recruiters are getting canny – they can now largely see through the “sales journeymen” and are less attracted to statements around “personal sales brilliance”. More of them understand that the BEST salespeople are using their LinkedIn profile to attract customers. 

You need to consider - what is it that you are actively doing to keep your star employees even though everyone else wants to get them?

Sales coaching is a great example here. Don’t just coach your “mid-tier performers”, sales managers also need to coach their stars so they know they’re loved! As much as you need to market to customers, you need to ensure you’re “marketing” to your sales stars to ensure they recognise the value in staying with your organisation.

So - yes there are some downsides - but if all of this makes employers realise that they have to "up the ante" in terms of organisational value proposition and the attractiveness of the organisation to start sales employees - then the downside is worth the upside. Contact us to learn more about how to use LinkedIn to drive sales and marketing success.

Morbid 2014 B2B sales predictions

No doubt this is the time of year where we are inundated with predictions for what will happen in the coming 12 months

Depressingly, it's not difficult to predict what WON'T change when it comes to B2B sales practices.

A morbid post - although if we can all agree on what's wrong, at least that gives us an agenda of what to fix up!

Here's my list - let me know yours and then we're going to write all the contributed predictions up into a whitepaper for next week's newsletter (with full credits of course):

1. Late engagement - most B2B salespeople will wait until the customer knows what they want to buy before they engage - or even worse until the customer contacts them.  This increases competition, lowers margins, and reduces win rates.  Engage with the customer early - before they know what they want - in fact give them an insight that actually STARTS them on their buying journey (and then walk with them on their journey).  Review our notes on "sales triggers" to understand what starts buyers on new buying journeys.
2. Selling products, not outcomes - noone needs a sales person who is just a "talking brochure".  Real value for customers from sales people comes from their ability to "build the bridge" between the products they sell, and the business value these products/services can create for each individual customer.
3. Show up and throw up - research indicates that, on average, on early stage sales calls a sales person talks around 80% of the time.  This is inversely proportion to what should be happening.  Active listening, questioning - these are the critical early stage stage skills.  2 ears, 1 mouth - let's use them in that order.  Customers are impressed by your knowledge of THEM - not of your company and/or your products.
4. Sales and Marketing silos - IDC research indicates that B2B sales teams reject up to 90% of what Marketing comes up with.  Sales and Marketing need to walk arm in arm with the buyer along their buyer's journey.  Focus on the buyer and what they need at each stage of their journey - much will be solved.
5. Asking customers what keeps them up at night - this solution selling approach has been terrific, but now every sales person is asking the same question.  Modern buyers believe (rightly or wrongly) that they can figure out the solutions to their problems themselves.  What they want is to be educated - the modern sales organisation needs to come up with unique insights to challenge customers' thinking.
6. Relying on relationships - per the last point - customers want to be educated, and they don't need a relationship built to have this happen.  Research indicates that the "relationship builder" is the POOREST performing sales profile - if buyers want a relationship they should buy a dog.
7. Believing customers - the nicer the customer, the higher the likelihood they will "fib" rather than give you the bad news that they don't want to deal with you.  Selling time is precious - the need to qualify is critical - life is too short.

That's my list - and it's just a start.  Do add your thoughts as a comment - or drop me a line, and I'll be happy to add in your thoughts into our next whitepaper.

Also, if you would like to discuss your sales planning for 2014 and think I can offer some insights, don't hestiate to contact me to book in a complimentary 1 hour consultation. 

 

The salesperson of the future - 6 tips for 2014

What does the salesperson of the future look like? 

This blog summarises the points made by Bruce Rasmussen during the panel discussion on “Driving sales:  Introducing the salesman of the future” – made at CRN’s Fast50 Awards, held on Friday 22^nd November, 2013.

The salesperson of the future will be the one that adapts his/her selling processes to match the new way in which buyers buy.

People talk about the massive disruption that things like the cloud are making in the IT arena.  An even bigger disrupter however, and one that’s not really been investigated by ICT sales teams, is the fact that even over the last three years buyers have fundamentally changed how they buy.

My consulting firm Carpe Diem works with vendors, disti’s and service providers – and we’ve had to change all of our sales and marketing consulting and training offerings to reflect this new buyer’s journey. I suspect most ICT sales organisations need to review the degree to which their sales processes map onto this new journey. 

The 6 key things all salespeople must do to succeed in the 21^st Century:

1. Deploy a sales process that matches with the new buyer’s journey

On average, buyers get 70% of the way through their journey before they reach out to a sales organisation (according to research undertaken by the Corporate Executive Board). 

When they do reach out, they reach out to many of us – but there is only one winner and everyone else has wasted their time. 

2. Disrupt customers to shatter their status quo 

Understanding this new buyer’s journey is the key to early engagement: research says that “relationship building” is actually the poorest performing sales profile. Instead we need to disrupt customers to offer up insights into their businesses that offer them a better way of doing things.  

HOW we sell is now more important than WHAT we sell.  Buyers want to be educated – they want to hear about the insights we can provide into their business based on the work we do across all of our customers.

3. Leverage social media 

Certainly we need to “disrupt” customers to “shatter their status quo”, thus starting them on a new buyer’s journey.  We also need to use social media to hear when someone else has shattered the buyer’s status quo, starting a new buyer’s journey.  Research says that 74% of B2B sales people that use social media outperform those that don’t so social selling is something that can no longer be ignored. 

4. Innovate to reduce the cost of sale

Given the move to customers paying for everything as a service on a monthly basis, we have to dramatically reduce the cost of sale.  Innovation here is important – for example a popular offering from my firm involves teaching field based technical and consulting resources to spot and report back on opportunities.  This has immediate payback in terms of leads and customer satisfaction – and removes the risk of mis-hiring a sales person, an exercise we estimate costs nearly $200,000. 

5. Align sales and marketing

The old days of marketing generating leads and throwing them over the fence to sales is dead – sales and marketing have to work together all along the buyer’s journey.  In my firm, our marketing consultants work on every single one of our assignments, even if it is purely sales as recognise the two are so inexorably linked. 

IDC reports that sales teams use only 25% of what marketing comes up with – so this change is well overdue.

6. Create a seamless and enjoyable sales process

So – this is all very well for achieving the initial sale – but how do we keep customers?  What do we need to do to ensure customer loyalty – particularly in this era of SaaS, where customers can change providers instantly, with minimal switching costs?

More CEB research shows that – unlike branding, customer service, value for money etc – it is the sales experience that contributes to over 50% of the contribution to customer loyalty. The sales person needs to offer unique insights, and help the buyer navigate various alternatives, avoiding land mines along the way.  Again, HOW we sell is now more important than WHAT we sell – particularly when it comes to customer loyalty. 

Understanding the new buyers journey, and mapping our sales and marketing process to reflect this, is the key to unlocking sales and marketing success in the 21^st Century. 

To download the roundtable discussion in full, courtesy of CRN magazine, click here. 

Email Carpe Diem Consulting for your complimentary 121 hour planning consultation with Bruce to make sure you have the right 2014 strategy to success. Visit www.carpe-diem.com.au today. 

Portrait of a LinkedIn user from a sales perspective

With LinkedIn recently being confirmed as the #1 platform for B2B marketers that want to distribute content, it is useful to pause and better understand the usage patterns of individuals that use LinkedIn for business / marketing purposes.

Have you and your organisation analysed which social media platforms you want to leverage as part of your inbound / outbound strategy or are you still communicating in more traditional ways?

Take a moment to study the infographic below, and be sure to download our "How to create a killer LinkedIn profile" tip tips. 

Also be sure to contact one of our marketing specialists to find out more about our 1 day LinkedIn marketing consulting program, as well as our social selling course.

 

Via: PowerFormula for Linkedin Success

 

 

Social selling - the jury is in!

Just as occurred some years ago with global warming, there are people both scared and dismissive of B2B social selling.

The reasons why executives are scared of social selling are well documented. That being said, there are some hugely successful global business leaders using social selling tactics incredibly well, some of which even admit they could not operate without it!

Increasingly though, there is a mounting case of statistical evidence to point to the success that social media can provide if successfully mixed into the sales process. We thought we'd share some of the most compelling statistics with you.

Consider the following:

• Some 72.6% of sales people using social media outperformed their sales peers, and exceeded quota 23% more often
• Social selling increases total team attainment of sales quota, improves customer retention rate, increases sales forecast accuracy and increases the percentage of sales reps making target
• Some 3 in 4 IT purchasing committees are ready to have a conversation with a new vendor on social media
• Some 68% of IT buyers are open to connecdting with vendors via social media and 76% are ready to have a conversation via social media

We could list countless more statistics - but the case is inarguable.

So - why aren't more sales teams getting on board?

In our view, the problem lies in the training strategy. The emphasis is usually placed on training sales teams on individual platforms ("Come on everyone - let's attend this course on how to use Facebook to sell") rather than on selling techniques that happen to include (relevant) social platforms. 

We need to constantly remind ourselves that we need to learn about selling - not about social media!

At Carpe Diem we've had great success training sales teams on sales workflows that include social media, even though these workflows might span a number of social media platforms. We concentrate on teaching about how to sell more effectively and only focus on platforms relevant to the business we're training. 

What are these workflows?

• Finding new opportunities
• Finding new prospects
• Being introduced to new prospects
• Tracking competitor activity
• Maintaining thought leadership and "top of mind" with customers
• And so on.

See how your organisation's social media adoption is faring against others in it's space by participating in our annual "social media trends in B2B organisations" survey.

If you want your sales teams to start winning more deals, we're holding a bootcamp "Leveraging social media for sales success" on October 24 in Sydney (also 21 November in Brisbane) in response to the hundreds of people who come though our doors armed with the stats that prove social selling is having traction. 

The bootcamp will introduce and build on the key new concepts and skills required to create and implement a successful social media strategy for B2B sales. You will walk away with an action plan that will be followed up by the instructor after the session to ensure you are implementing what you have learnt.

Qualifying prospects via social selling - did they read the info we sent?

I wonder how many times in the last century a well-meaning salesperson has been sent away “happy” from a sales call because the prospect asked them to “send me some information”, and they dutifully email off the company profile and some brochures.

The follow up phone call goes unanswered. How do we know whether or not the prospect actually looked at what we sent?

At Carpe Diem we prefer to talk about social selling WORKFLOWS rather than social media PLATFORMS, but every now and then the capabilities of a specific platform make us sit up and take notice.

We believe that social selling is really about “listening”, “publishing” and “participating in communities” – but tools such as Postwire interestingly deliver the “publishing” piece, whilst at the same time allowing us to “listen” to see whether the prospect is responding.

Postwire involves setting up individual web pages for individual prospects/customers and then posting information within that page that we believe is of interest to them.  The prospect/customer accepts the invitation to review the page (and is free to review the information we send to them) which we can regularly update over time.

What a great situation to be in if the prospect/customer accepts our Postwire invitation. We can regularly update the information contained in our Postwire page, with that page wedged into our customer’s browser’s bookmarks.

If we’re smart, we’ll AVOID putting information about our company and our products - information which frankly is extremely BORING to our customers.  We could however provide thought leadership pieces, case studies, checklists etc – using content marketing principles to position ourselves in the minds of the customers.

The trouble is, how do we know if they’re reviewing the stuff we serve up?

What’s great about Postwire (and other platforms such as SlideShare that has similar functionality) is that it reports back to us on whether or not the customer accesses our information. Furthermore, it tells us which pieces they access and when, as well as a convenient form for them to provide us with feedback.

In summary, if we accept that the knowledge as to whether or not a customer reads what we send them is a valuable qualifying tool, why wouldn’t we use these sorts of platforms to deliver information to customers rather than just “email it out”?

To learn more about social selling and how to increase your sales by using social media, attend our full-day training bootcamp: Leveraging social media for sales success, taking place in Sydney (Oct 2013) and Brisbane (Nov 2013).