teachthe4ps.com » B2B

“10 Examples of B2B Facebook Fan Pages”

Joe Cannon — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 18:11:02 +0000

This post was originally at Social Media B2B back in December. Since that time Facebook has changed so that users can now “Like” a page instead of indicating they are a “fan.” Quick aside: one of my colleagues who studies marketing on Facebook told me that users saw “liking” a brand as less of a commitment — and would therefore be more likely to click the like button than a “fan” button. While most major consumer brands have some sort of Facebook presence, I think that B2B marketers are still trying to figure out if Facebook pages are a worthwhile investment. I am one of them — we have this blog to keep in touch with customers but no Facebook page directed at marketing faculty. Anyway, looking for some examples, see “10 Examples of B2B Facebook Fan Pages,” (Social Media B2B, July 2010 Update).

John Deere Custom Tractor Contest…

Joe Cannon — Tue, 18 May 2010 13:48:13 +0000

We have always enjoyed the creative marketing programs from John Deere. John Deere has done a great job showing how a company can leverage the Internet in B2B. John Deere really understands its customers — farmers. Recently John Deere teamed up with Chip Foose, star of TLC’s Overhaulin – which every week “junkers into dream machines.” The created a series of webisodes that featured the conversion of a John Deere 4020 tractor into a “hot rod.” You can see the last episode below — find “BCS Big Buck Promo” series here. The tractor is currently touring the country, visiting John Deere dealerships, before it will be given away in a drawing. Sign up at your local John Deere dealership.

This might be interesting to discuss in organizational buying (our books feature John Deere in our opening case in this chapter) or when discussing Promotion where it is always nice to have B2B examples to supplement the numerous B2C examples.

B2B – “How search marketing can help your online reputation”

Joe Cannon — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 14:42:51 +0000

This seems pretty obvious once you read it, but I never thought about teaching my students about the value here. When B2B marketers are trying to break into new accounts, it seems pretty straightforward that potential new customers will search on the company and key executives. For more, check out the article, “How search marketing can help your online reputation” (BtoB, March 10, 2010).

“A return to telemarketing in b-to-b”

Joe Cannon — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:43:44 +0000

None of us likes to receive telemarketing calls — much less talk about them in class. But for B2B, it can be a cost-effective medium for seller and buyer. Sometimes we need to be reminded of this and how to do it better (”A return to telemarketing in b-to-b,” B2B, March 1, 2010).

“TV Ad Powerhouse FedEx Woos Small Biz with Web Parodies”

Joe Cannon — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 15:08:55 +0000

FedEx is targeting small businesses with a series of web parodies. One commentator in the Wired article “TV Ad Powerhouse FedEx Woos Small Biz with Web Parodies” (FEbruary 26, 2010) wonders how well this will work. I watched a couple of the 3 minute videos — they are kind of funny and educate customers on FedEx services at the same time (not an easy task). They are modest budget productions and the media costs are zero. The videos I saw had anywhere from 20,000 to more than 400,000 views. At this point, the payback from the use of YouTube and other social media is hard to predict, but one good way to find out is through experimentation.

The video is a versatile example of many marketing concepts. It is always nice to have clear, understandable B2B examples. The video shows how FedEx tailors its strategy for the small business target market and could fit with chapter 2’s discussion of strategy planning and chapter 4’s coverage of segmentation and targeting. The video might also be shown with a lecture on organizational buying, where we talk about service businesses. Finally, it also fits with integrated marketing communications and advertising on the web.

“Study: Amazon.com is most trusted brand in U.S.”

Joe Cannon — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:27:54 +0000

As some of you may know, I have done a fair amount of academic research on trust. I believe that trust is a very important factor in marketing. This article cites a recent study on trusted brands, “Study: Amazon.com is most trusted brand in U.S.” (CNET News, February 22, 2010).

The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same…

Joe Cannon — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 16:16:31 +0000

Many of us are familiar with the old “Man in the Chair” ad (if not, link to the blog post first). It does a nice job of demonstrating integrated marketing communications and how in business markets, advertising works in combination with personal selling. I saw this post at Mac Macintosh’s Sales Lead Insights blog that brought this point back home to me (click on the ad in the blog to see if full size). One of the comments on the blog post pointed me to this great presentation (see below) by Ralph Oliva at a Business Marketing Association event. It is a bit long (5:41), but might make a nice video to show when discussing organizational buying — or for an example of IMC in the B2B context. It updates the “Man in the Chair” ad — but also shows how the core marketing concepts have not changed. To fully appreciate this, I suggest you check out the blog post first and click on the ad to see if full size. Then watch the video below.

“Webinars educate, drive brand awareness”

Joe Cannon — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:13:10 +0000

We have used webinars to promote our text books — and I think they work great. The media is really easy to use and allows marketers to convey information in an interactive environment. It is also a very efficient way for buyers and sellers in B2B to share information. Many B2B sellers feel that “Webinars educate, drive brand awareness” (BtoB, January 18, 2010). This article does not provide any particular company examples, but it certainly suggests the types of Promotion objectives that Webinars can help achieve. So it provides some non-traditional examples you can use in discussing Promotion objectives.

“Case study: How IT company increased response on U.K. e-mail campaign”

Joe Cannon — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:31:17 +0000

This article in BtoB (January 21, 2010) “Case study: How IT company increased response on U.K. e-mail campaign,” offers instructors several benefits. While the article is short, it shows how an American firm had to adapt its communications approach to get a better response from UK buyers. The case study includes the adaptations made in an e-mail campaign and the before and after click-through rate. It is also a good example of the use of e-mail, an important component of the promotion blend in B2B. Check it out.

“Take the Leads with Webinars”

Joe Cannon — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 22:38:40 +0000

While Facebook and Twitter garner much of the attention in consumer markets, I am not sure they have as prominent a place in B2B. That is not to say the web has not made B2B more efficient, webinars are a valuable tool (we have used them as authors to connect with larger groups of instructors and tell them about our books). I believe that many more firms will have webinars as a key part of the promotion blend. Check out “Take the Leads with Webinars,” (BtoB, January 18, 2010) for more ideas.