Social media for B2B: Avoid this common marketing mistake

This Slideshare prezo below (by Radian6.com) outlines the process very well, but watch out for allocating too little time for content production.

Analyze the audience the way a journalist would

It doesn't matter that you met your content quota (in this example, one e-book per month) if you don't gain traction with your target audience.

Analyze the audience the way a veteran journalist does by looking for:

(1) the unexpected

(2) info needed for decision-making

-- both from the audience's perspective, not the company's. (There's more to that ... much more.)


Give direct access to sources; a fact sheet won't work

Give the content producer direct access to people with direct experience using and developing the product or service.

They need to see demos and do interviews. It's not enough to hand them a fact sheet filled out by marketing staff (HUGE mistake there).


Process the info, don't just fling it

Allow time for an editing process that isn't just "freewriting," which means the putting of words on the page. Or in the case of video, simply uploading what you caught on the flipcam. Instead, leave time for processing the info in a way that permits storytelling, which will hold your audience's attention long enough to get your gist, giving them the time and a reason to identify with the info and -- ideally -- share it with friends.

Enjoy this presentation (below). I particularly like the metrics, which make it easy to quantify success.

Final advice:

(1) Be sure to tie the metrics to business goals, not just outreach goals.

(2) Consider hiring content producers with enough experience to read the direction of ongoing industry debate, so you can better position your company as a thought leader.

Social Media for B2B: It’s Not as Different as You Think

View more documents from Radian6.

For PR peeps: Quotes advice & AP style visuals

Have you seen these two SlideShare prezos?

Writing quotations for press releases

The first has been popular. It's guidance on crossing the chasm between a conventional PR quote and one that journalists will find useful and credible. My advice: Try to strike a balance.

Learning AP style with visual reinforcements

The second isn't eye-opening; it's meant for reinforcement. When you're learning AP style, it helps to expose yourself to visual representations of correct style. Better still, if you do a lot of editing or writing of press releases, that experience is a valuable way to acclimate yourself. This prezo puts right and wrong on the same slide, with visuals to reinforce which is good/bad.