Category: General Information

 

B2B marketing efforts can be challenging, though technology and even social media has offered more options that in the past. LinkedIn is a front runner in social media marketing for this sect, more so than Facebook, which tends to be geared more toward B2C marketing and engagement.

 

A recent study conducted by SageFrog Marketing Group looked at B2B Marketing options and how they changed between 2012 and 2013. The study suggests that while many of the marketing options show a lower use in 2013 when compared to last year, this does not mean that they are necessarily marketing less or using various marketing tactics less than they used to. Instead, they suggest that there are more options now for B2B marketers, giving them more ways to reach potential customers than before.

 

The chart below shows the various marketing options and the percentage of users in 2013 and 2013:

 

 

It’s interesting to note that trade shows didn’t show significant, if any, use in 2012, but this seems to be a strong tactic in 2013. Website, social media, and email marketing remain as the top three marketing channels. The big surprise was telemarketing, which showed an increase in usage compared to last year.

 

When email marketing was born, people said cold calling was dead. When social media emerged, people said email would die a slow death. Here we are in 2013, and cold calling, or at least sales calls, are still alive and kicking.

 

With this increase, I’m wondering if the percentages are up because people are laying the groundwork in other forms or marketing, especially social media/online, and these calls end up being “warm” leads vs the traditional telemarketing efforts of the past. This might account for the jump in percentages. After all, it’s easier to start a call by saying, “My name is XYZ and we have this in common…..” With sites like LinkedIn, these types of lead ins are possible, even more so than they were pre-social media days.

 

If you’re a B2B marketer, we’d love to hear from you! What are your top methods of marketing? Has it changed since last year? If so, how? Please feel free to share your thoughts and join in the conversation!

 

 

 

The Millennials are full force in the workplace, and are putting a new spin on things. I’m sure you’ve read many articles talking about the differences in these employees versus older staff, and their work ethic and way they do things has been under great scrutiny.

 

In working with this generation, I have noticed many differences in the way they work, take on tasks, and view employment. I see even more of a shift with the teenage set as they prepare to join the workforce, and wonder how things will change. It can be challenging to get used to working with the younger set, but an article was recently published to discuss 10 myths surrounding the Millennials. You can read the article in its entirety, but below I wanted to point out some of the highlights:

 

1. “Social media is not a career”: If any generation understands the power and importance of social media, it’s this one. Their lives have been consumed by technology, and that’s what they know. This myth is busted – social media is an important part of business, and this group will be the ones to make it a long term, relevant part of any company.

 

2. “We should get our butts kicked”: I agree with this article in that this generation, for the most part, has grown up under the “everyone’s a winner” umbrella. With that seems to come a sense of entitlement or lack of concern for going the extra mile. I’ve seen it in many cases – employees who do what they have to do and nothing more, and when a problem arises, not always being completely resourceful in trying to find a solution on their own. While the article states that performance reviews are important to this generation, they are not the be all, end all. Not that they should be, but if they get a lower than expected review, it may rock their world if they’re not used to criticism, and they may not have the ability to look at it as “Hey, what can I do to do better?”

 

3. “We should pick up the phone”: I agree with this one. The article suggests that this generation is more comfortable engaging with others online, whether it’s via email or social media. They also feel like they can get more done in less time. I agree with this, perhaps because our company is very internet based and the majority of our communication is via email. That being said, it’s always nice to pick up a phone and connect with colleagues and clients from time to time. Finding a good balance will help the generations work toward the same goal.

 

You can read the 10 Millennial Myths to see what else they are thinking with regard to employment, careers, etc. If you’re a Millennial, we’d love to hear from you! If you’re from a previous generation, please share your thoughts on working with this generation and what your experience has been. They are taking the workplace by storm, so the quicker we can all understand each other and work side by side, the better it will be!

 

 

This recently happened to me when shopping at a big box retailer – I was having trouble looking for a particular item and noticed an employee walking by. I stopped her and asked if she could help me. She quickly said, I’m sorry, I can’t help you. I’m on a break” and continued walking.

 

I was taken aback by this statement, but after learning more, I found out that it is company policy to not work in any way, shape or form, while off the clock.  In thinking about it, I understand this policy from the company’s perspective in a way, but as a typical customer, this only gives the impression of employees who don’t want to help customers and can give a negative perception of the store and its staff.

 

If this type of policy is in place, it’s a good idea to train staff on ways to handle this situation without appearing as though they don’t want to help or ‘do their job’ in order to maintain a positive experience for customers. Some tips to achieve this goal include:

 

1. Encourage staff to appear as much like a customer as possible – whether this means removing an apron that identifies them as an employee, putting a sweater or jacket on over a uniform, or anything else to help not identify them as an employee as they are walking through the store to take their break or meal will make them less conspicuous to customers, and hopefully this will lessen the interaction during these transition periods.

 

2. Teach them the right way to say things – in my example, the employee simply apologized and stated she could not help me. In a perfect world, it would have been better for the employee to say they couldn’t help me right now, but they’d get someone who could. In walking back to where ever this employee was going, I’m sure they would have encountered a coworker or possibly stopped at the service desk to let a coworker know I needed help. Another option would be to guide the customer to a place where help was available, whether it meant going to the service desk, picking up a help phone within an aisle, or offering another quick solution. This might alleviate any negative perceptions that may arise during these interactions.

 

3. Offer alternative exits and entrances when possible – this may not be possible within all companies, but providing a means to exit and enter the building that is out of the main customer traffic might be helpful. This way employees are not put in this type of situation.

 

4. Don’t penalize employees, at least not too harshly – if it happens where an employee ends up assisting a customer while off the clock, remind them of the policy and offer ways around this (see above), but try not to punish them too harshly. I once encountered an employee who could not help me because she was off the clock, and shared with me that she “already got in trouble once before, and if it happens again I’m really in trouble.” While I was sympathetic with the employee and did not want her to jeopardize her job, my perception of the company lessened a bit. I don’t think any employee should be fearful of losing their job over something like this. Of course, there could be a back story I’m not aware of as to why this employee might be on the verge of more trouble, but from my limited perception, it didn’t bode well for the company. And, as they say, perception is reality.

 

Ensure your employees feel empowered to handle all kinds of situations in the workplace to make them feel successful at what they do. This is just one small example, but I’m sure there are others you can think of. It might be a good time to ask your employees for their feedback on stumbling blocks to their work – you never know what they’ll share!