Executive Branding for Manufacturers: Your Hidden Marketing Superhero
by Emily Swet
Manufacturing is a traditional industry. And traditionally, industry executives have stayed off the grid, focusing on marketing their products and brands. Companies were a brand unto their own, and there was formidable strength in remaining faceless. But trends are shifting. Today’s audience is increasingly accustomed to building relationships not only with brands, but the people behind them. Work this to your advantage, and unleash one of your best assets – executive branding for manufacturers.
What is Executive Branding?
Executive branding is when key players at a company build their profiles online for the benefit of the company. Their beliefs, opinions, and most importantly, their industry expertise are put front-and-center. For manufacturing brands, it’s a great opportunity to bring your brand to life and add a little personality. Especially if your key players are already blessed with great personalities to begin with.
Manufacturing marketers often struggle with how to present dry subjects in ways that make an impact. And they’re often marketing to other manufacturers or distributers instead of directly to a consumer. As one of Forbes’ top trends for B2B marketing in 2017, executive branding is an effective strategy to counter this. Breathe life into your campaign by putting your leaders at the forefront. By placing some marketing emphasis on your leaders, prospective buyers will have a human reference point in their decision-making process. Plus, they’ll know what the company culture is like and a little about what the brand is likely to stand for.
Same Techniques, Smaller Scale
Executive branding takes the same concepts you’d use to market your products or services, and applies it to your executive leaders. Build and market your individual leaders’ knowledge, authority, and humanity. Use your executive to answer they buyer’s “why” and build their trust. Seeing the company from the CEO’s point of view goes a long way – buyers want to know what they think, not the staff writer. And a strong executive brand can create a connection with your future buyers long before the first purchase.
Think of your CEO as a brand persona. Create an executive communication plan that addresses:
- The kind of content your thought leaders (or the marketers behind them) will create
- The kind of content they will comment on/interact with
- How they present their persona digitally, as well as in real life
And when it comes to content, focus on knowledge, expertise, and personality. But – and we cannot express the importance of this – omit the direct pitch. A well-branded executive can guide your buyer into your funnel without needing an obvious shove. From LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to a personal company blog, there are plenty of opportunities to promote your executives as thought leaders. Even the humble email newsletter has a powerful impact when it comes from your CEO.
If you’re not interested in promoting yourself, we get it. A seasoned marketing company is a good place to start, both for devising a strategy and executing content. And consider the consequences of not participating on social media. Executives can come off either not technologically advanced or worse, not transparent. At a time when social presence, public relations, relationship building, and marketing are intrinsically linked, executive branding shouldn’t be considered an add-on, but a necessity.
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B2B Monday Myth: E-Commerce Is Too Complex and Unaffordable
by Emily Swet
The Myth: E-commerce Is Too Complex and Unaffordable.
The Truth: E-commerce for B2B Companies Is Easier Than You Think
E-commerce? Not for us. We’re a B2B brand, and it will take too much time and money to get rolling. Plus, our traditional sales techniques work better. Sound familiar? It might be time to rethink your approach.
A Growing Trend Among B2B Brands
E-Commerce on B2B websites is expected to grow twice as big as B2C by 2020. And with good reason. There are an increasing number of online decision-makers ready and eager to make a purchase online. Although the start-up cost of an e-commerce portal to your website may seem exorbitant, failure to adapt could be far more costly in the endgame. Think about it:
- Your Buyers Expect It. Consumer brands have set the bar pretty high when it comes to e-commerce channels, and your buyers have become conditioned to it. In fact, Forrester predicts that 56% of B2B buyers will make half of their work-related purchases online this year. Also worth noting: millennial buyers are on the rise, and they’ve been acclimated to online purchases from the get-go. Having a high-quality experience across all channels drives loyalty and keeps your customers returning.
- It Saves Money. An e-commerce portal can significantly reduce cost once it’s up. One company interviewed by Forester reported a whopping jump from $24.48 per transaction through a salesperson-driven ordering system to $1.50 per transaction through a customer self-serve e-commerce portal.
- It Saves Time. E-commerce saves time for both your buyers and your company. You can appreciate how saving time appeals to your company – now consider how valuable time is to your buyers. Since buying decisions often require teams, making one element in the purchase process more streamlined significantly reduces time lost. If your buyers can make their decisions and purchases swiftly, they’re likely to become repeat customers.
With B2B companies, it’s often difficult to recognize what the competition is up to until you’re already behind. Considering the projected growth of e-commerce for B2B companies in the coming years, your competitors are likely already adding e-commerce platforms to their sites. So perhaps the question should be less about how much it will cost to set up an e-commerce site, and more about how much it will cost not to.
Continue ReadingShould You Send B2B Emails on the Weekend?
by MGB2B
Last week, we took a look at whether or not business prospects were worth pursuing over July 4th weekend. But what about any old weekend? Or how about during vacation?
Consumer Email vs. B2B Email
Before we get into the stats for B2B emails, it’s important to note that consumer emails are different from B2B emails. People are out shopping on the weekends, so it makes sense to sell merchandise direct to consumer on the weekends. But there is a general hesitation to send out B2B emails on weekends and holidays. Well maybe there shouldn’t be. Here’s why.
Looking at Email Behavior Differently
While there are tons of articles on when to send B2B emails based on average industry open rates, it’s also a good idea to look at general behavior. A recent study from ReachMail takes a closer look at when Americans open their work emails [INFOGRAPHIC at bottom of post]. This is a broader study than much of the industry-specific territory that’s been explored in the past. But it’s still important, because it gives an insight into the mindset of most working Americans.
The Three Most Interesting Highlights of the Study
- 75% of Americans Check Their Work Email on Weekends. I assumed that number would be fairly large, but not that large. The key is to get the right message to them while they’re in that half work/half play mode. Perhaps your weekend emails, while still insightful, can be a little more lighthearted than usual.
- 61% Check While They’re on Vacation. You may get a lot of “I’m sunning myself on the shores of Europe” auto-replies during the summer months. But apparently a lot of vacationers are checking their work email when they get back to the hotel at night. If your subject line and your content is compelling enough, they may just give it a read before they head out for dinner and drinks.
- Only 20% of High Earners ($105k per year) Will Not Open Work Email on Days Off. These are often your top decision makers. The ones you want to get to know your brand more than anyone else. And they’re ready to give your email read on Saturday or Sunday – if you can get their attention.
These are just a few interesting facts found by the study. Amongst others, there is a certain faction of people who like getting emails on their days off because it makes them feel important (ahem – 55% of millennials). You can read more interesting stats as well as how people are trying to combat their full work inboxes in ReachMail’s infographic below:
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