As I am working tonight, I am watching a CNBC special about the Swimsuit Issue of the Sports Illustrated magazine.  It is fascinating to me to watch what a large distinct business was created from a simple decision to do a particular photo shoot in a single magazine focused on sports.  The level of growth in the business and the number of superstars that were created from this single magazine issue is beyond anything that could have been comprehended.  As an example - it was quoted that it is Time Inc's most profitable single magazine issue.
 
I think it is a blueprint for all of us in business - to look at our audience (however we define the universe in which we do business) and then to define our products and our offerings in the context of that audience.  How many times have we heard about successful businesses that have started with a certain business plan, product or solution in mind, only to end up with a different offering and business model? 

People often ask me how important a business plan is to launching a business.  My response is that it is critical for the investment community that you have a well written and well thought out business plan but for internal purposes not so much.  In fact, what is more valuable for the CEO is a 2-page list of bullets that identify direction and plan and goals - something that can be easily morphed and managed.  Think about the business that you are in.  Think about the clients / audience that you are serving.  Now, think about what opportunities are available for you because of that client / audience base. 

Be flexible.  Be nimble.  Try different things.  Be "married" to your clients and your audience but do not get yourself "married" to your product - be open to what it could be and what potential you have created.

Photo Credit: Archangeli

We've been meeting with a variety B2B companies lately.   All of these companies are very successful and market movers within their industries.   As we've been planning out ways to build their digital channel, extend their brand equity online and help grow their business - part of our conversations have lead to storytelling.

At its very core, good marketing is storytelling.  The best marketing programs - service engagements, product experiences take us on an emotional journey appealing to our wants, needs and passions for something larger, deeper, more personal and connected.   

All the while, connecting with their customers - with the best traits of good storytelling.   Grabbing your attention from the start, pulling us in and taking us on an adventure along with characters and situations you can believe in and associate with elements of humor, drama, spectacle, action or mystery as catalysts to spark attention and interest.  All the while cutting through any marketing hyperbole and inwardly focused messaging because good storytelling is about engaging with an audience - tapping into their needs, passions, fears  - not talking about yourself.   

Storytelling Can Become Your Differentiator


Facts and figures, function, specifications and price all still matter, for certain.  But it takes stories to connect with customers on an emotional level.  The motivation to choose one brand, solution provider over another - when the choices are vast.

Now Comes The Creative Content Strategy - Theme Focus: Humor

IBM used Humor to humanize their Mainframe business.  A mainstay and very profitable business line for IBM but perhaps not the coolest or easiest to excite people about.

IBM turned to Tim Washer , a bona fide, professional comedian and storyteller to humanize their complex product line.   I met Tim last month at a Harvard Business School event where he spoke about his role as head of social media productions for IBM.  What first attracted my attention to Tim works was an article in TEXAS magazine, followed by a blog post about this viral video he helped produce for IBM.    And to Tim and IBM's credit, they've measured the impact of these humorous Office like produced videos.  
 

View more presentations from Tim Washer.

More recently, software giant, Infor, launched an interesting marketing campaign against their competitors, SAP and Oracle.   The campaign revolves around an Infor sponsored website called DownWithBigERP.com.

The campaign includes a "Declaration of Software Independence" and describes their competitors as "Big ERP".   And they've  moved their storytelling beyond its main website - establishing its main messaging persona on Twitter and cross multiple social and digital channels.  

To be a successful brand storyteller, you must first understand how your brand's products and services meet a customer's emotional needs.  Even business-to-business products and services fulfill emotional needs:  I will get promoted. I won't get fired.  I will be a hero if this works.
Next, understand not only where your customer will be exposed to your message, but what their emotional state will be when engaged with that media.

Lastly, tell a consistent story about your company, your product or your service regardless of where the message is delivered.  Inconsistencies degrade the power of the story and cause mistrust.  

Every brand has a story.  Tell it well, and you'll give your customers a reason to believe.

Photo Credit: Sean Drellinger

Chris Brogan has been talking about the human element of B2B for some time - as he says, there is another person on the end of that line regardless of whether your customer is a SMB, a large corporation or an individual consumer.

At New Marketing Labs, our partner base is comprised approximately a third each to B2B, B2C and those that are hybrids.  We are asked, however, disproportionately often by potential B2B partners how digital media can be useful for them.  Fortunately, we have demonstrated long term success with our B2B partners, so describing case study details makes this a relatively short conversation.  That said, the more we work with both B2B and B2C partners, the more it occurs to me that our approach doesn't differ according to whether a partner falls into either camp.  Instead once we do our deep dive, the approach is based on the objectives of the partner, and many of the methodologies are the same.  In fact, across social networks and the digital channel, I am not sure there needs to be a distinction along the lines of consumer or business customer focus.  The social network might change, but there will still be a social network, and knowledge of how to engage in that network's community is key.

Given this, it seems we really are focused more on a business to peer model, rather than one which differentiates between consumer and business facing brands.  What differentiates a digital initiative is not whether you are B2B or B2C, it is what you are looking to achieve, e.g. thought leadership, sales, traffic, branding, and so on.

Once you clearly identify your business objectives, it is up to partners like us (shameless NML plug) to put together and implement the plan for you.  We basically do this by finding where your target audience is on the web, and engaging them.  The type and nature of the engagement will depend on the audience, platform and the objective.

For a traditional B2C partner, we seek and find the target audience, focusing on the peer leaders.  It is more effective to engage peer leaders, as there is a ripple or multiplier effect when this is done well.  We have had 100% success in our outreach programs to these peer leaders.  That success is not a given, as there are protocols that have evolved already across the digital channel, and they are different than traditional media outreach protocols.  Hence, across digital, B2C has become a business to peer or B2P model.

For a traditional B2B company, we similarly seek and find the target audience through what amounts to an extensive platform analysis and listening effort.  We find where the CTO, CIT, CSO or other relevant company representatives are 'living' on line, and we engage them.  Ultimately, we find - shock - that said representative is a real, live person, who just happens to share our partner's interest in a specialized product or service.  If there is no such environment - which can happen given the specialized niche nature of some products or services - we just create the environment which allows them to talk about issues relevant to an industry.  Most times, this environment is a very lightly branded one, where direct sales attempts are not made, but where the community members make an association.  The environment is driven by continually fresh content, and the topics ultimately drive enough traffic and interest that leads are inevitably generated and the sales funnel starts to fill.  Many times, this is a bonus, as most branding and marketing folks are happy with the eye balls and the mantle of thought leadership.  In these communities and networks, our partners are engaging their business peers who share very specific expertise and interest.  Because business representatives are finding their peers, in the digital channel, B2B has also become a B2P play.

How to find, create and engage within communities is one of our secret sauces, but across the digital channel we are seeing a fundamental blurring of the line which has separated B2B and B2C business models - yet another demonstrable way that digital media has stimulated real peer to peer conversations and humanized businesses.

Do you see a relationship between B2P and digital media?

Photo Credit: enriqueburgosgarcia

Miriam Kutcher, VP of Marketing at IDC Insights was kind enough to sit down with me earlier this week to discuss the IDC Insights community.  Our discussion covered the community's goals, process, milestones, as well as success metrics for the community.  Miriam does of a fantastic job of talking about how she is linking the community to real sales at IDC! A video of our conversation is below:

To see the IDC Insights community in action, just visit: http://idc-insights-community.com or follow them on Twitter at: @IDCInsights.  You can find the blogging tips presentation that Miriam refers in an earlier post of mine: 10 Tips for Better Business Blogging.

I love the way Miriam measures her community's ROI through the SalesForce integration.  I would love for others to comment on how they are measuring their community ROI (if they are measuring it)?  

I've always believed that tapping into passions and open communications are the corner stones of success for digital engagement, community building and social media.   We hear about these successes within consumer focused and B2C social programs all to often.  P&G, Home Depot, Sharpie and H&R Block are all examples as well as New Marketing Labs' own B2C successes with Sony's DigiDads program and Citrix Online's WorkShifting.com.   Yet the same unique strategy of listening, storytelling and sharing that make B2C digital engagement programs a success hold true for B2B, perhaps even more.   They tend to be less well known for the unique nature of B2B which tend to be focused on addressing niche vertical market needs.  
 
Not every household needs an IBM Mainframe or a German engineered, industrial level, self-cleaning toilet system.  But you will find ideas and eventual success within B2B business by encouraging personal and professional interests from within the company's employee base who have a keen drive and unique knowledge to share.  A sense of humor, personal touch and authenticity help as well.

These invaluable resources have no unique title, hold no particular degree, years of training or experience and most often are not part of the communications or executive teams.  They are within your R&D, Customer Service, Product Development, Human Relations, IT, Sales, Training, Financial, Operations, Marketing, Branding and even Legal departments.

Emerging social teams within B2B companies today need to ensure they tap into all resources, divisions, departments and business units to educate and harness these invaluable gems.  Social media is not another department within a company.  No more silos.  Social media can become the digital bridge that runs through every touch point of a company and then out to your customers, partners, market influencers and industry.  This happens just like the energy of one of natures most powerful elements - water.  Tap into and harness it.   Identify those rich giving resources within your employee base - encourage, support them.

How do you tap into the your teams' potential and harness it?

Photo Credit: Post Scriptum

There were a lot of great new services and technologies that came out in 2009 to help the world of social and digital marketers.  In this last post of the year, I wanted to share the 4 that I have used on a daily basis and that I think can really help most B2B (and probably B2C) marketers increase the value of their social media programs.

4 B2B Social Media Tools from 2009