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Your B2B Marketing Plan Doesn’t Need Twitter. Or Does It?

Editor’s Note: Welcome back Billy Mitchell of MLT Creative for this guest post on B2B and Twitter.  And join him tonight for #B2Bchat as our first guest moderator.

If you’re looking for reasons not to make Twitter part of your plan, I can think of three:

  1. You don’t know much about it and don’t have the time or interest to learn.
  2. As far as you know, your customers aren’t asking for it, your competition isn’t using it and your top management couldn’t care less about it.
  3. You have nothing new to learn about B2B marketing, your customers, your competition or yourself. You know it all.

Do those describe you? Great! And good luck with your plan.

But what if you don’t want to keep ignoring Twitter? Well, in the interest of objectivity, here are three reasons you absolutely must add Twitter to your marketing plan:

  1. You’re interested in learning more about your customers and what they’re interested in.
  2. You either need to catch up, keep up or stay ahead of your competition.
  3. You are willing to share some of what you know with your customers and your industry to help improve business.

For me, this debate was over long ago. I’ve been a B2B marketing professional for more than a quarter century, and can honestly say Twitter has helped make the last two years the most interesting and rewarding of all.

Here are three reasons why:

  1. A greatly expanded network of strategic partners, industry influencers, prospects, qualified vendors, research and reference sources, and professional friendships.
  2. A measurable – I mean truly measurable and impossible to ignore – increase in inbound website traffic that we’ve since converted into leads, and from leads into new business.
  3. We’ve “grown bigger ears,” and our whole company is much smarter at almost everything we do for our clients and ourselves.  And we get smarter every day, so I suppose we’ve grown bigger brains too.

I would like to become the ultimate thought leader in all things B2B marketing – including Twitter – but until I am, I follow a nonstop feed of ideas and helpful information from hundreds of B2B braniacs and maniacs.

B-to-B Twitter Success: The B2B Twitterer of the Year Award.There are three more things I discovered through Twitter with which I’d like to end this post. Please take my advice at check them each out. I believe you will find them worthwhile.

  1. This site, B2BBloggers.com. I discovered it via a tweet from Jeremy Victor with a link to one of its many great blogs. It is now part of my morning coffee ritual. I learn something new every day, and so will you. Guaranteed.
  2. I learned I like to chat. #B2Bchat that is. The hashtag (#) is how Twitter users tag topics to make them easier to find. Follow the hashtag #B2Bchat on Thursday nights at 8 p.m., and you’ll discover an hour full of fast-paced, friendly discussions about B2B marketing.
  3. Plenty of B2B marketing professionals have helped me via Twitter, so I’ve nominated many for a B2B Twitterer of the Year Award. The 2010 @B2BTOTY Awards are an easy and notable way to say thanks to those you follow with a nomination and/or vote.

What things would you add to this list?

Please take a minute or so to leave a comment with your best B2B Twitter discovery. And, while you’re at it, take a second to tweet or retweet this blog post. Why stop there? Join other B2B marketing pros tonight for a live chat at 8 p.m.

The topic tonight is “B2B & Twitter.” Join us, and I promise you’ll learn something new.

About The B2Bblogger: Billy Mitchell is the president and creative director of Atlanta-based B2B marketing firm MLT Creative. Located on the east side of Atlanta, GA, with a Northeast office in Rhode Island, Mitchell co-founded MLT Creative in 1984 along with partners Craig Lindberg and Glenn Taylor.

Known as the Idea Launch PadTM for B-to-B marketers, MLT Creative’s services include strategic planning, positioning, brand development, advertising and sales promotions for business-to-business clients.


Professional and Corporate Twitter for B2B – Best Practices [#B2Bchat]

#B2BChat Thursday 8 PM

Twitter is one of the pillars of social media communications, or so we are told, along with corporate blogging, Facebook, web. The reasons for being on Twitter are numerous:

  • Competitive and industry intelligence
  • Brand monitoring and “listening” to the conversation about your industry and your brand
  • Interaction with industry influencers: editors, bloggers, analysts
  • Learning new trends in the industry, in the marketing discipline, and what the movers and shakers are up to
  • Catching up with other B2B marketers (which #b2bchat is part of)

  So assuming that B2B companies need to be on Twitter, we’ll discuss the ins and outs of managing corporate (brand) and professional (yours) Twitter accounts: 

  • How do you set your Twitter objectives? What are you looking to accomplish?
  • If you manage a corporate Twitter account, do you also maintain a separate “professional you” account? How do you balance the two?
  • How much do you know about your followers? Do they engage with your brand?
  • Who should and should not corporate accounts follow?
  • How to avoid a Twitter burnout? Or is some time away a good thing?

 Join fellow B2B marketers for a discussion on Twitter best practices, tips and advice!

#B2Bchat - B2B Marketing Chat On Twitter


About the B2Bblogger: Ksenia Coffman is senior marketing manager at Firetide, a wireless infrastructure mesh company, where she is responsible for Firetide’s marketing strategy and technology solution partnerships. Her articles on wireless infrastructure appeared in various publications, including Security Products, Law & Order, SecurityInfoWatch.com and Communications News.

An ASIS member (an international association for security professionals), she is a frequent speaker at industry events, including ASIS workshops and IWCE conferences. Ksenia launched @Firetide – with 800+ followers, it’s is one of the most active Twitter accounts in physical security and wireless infrastructure space. You can read more from Ksenia at Mesh Without Wires blog.



Top Seven B2B Marketing Tweets Of The Week

@B2Bbloggers Top Seven Tweets Of The Week
We send a lot of tweets…
here’s a weekly recap of the most popular. Enjoy!
7 An excellent B2B perspective on Twitter: Do My Twitter Followers Know What Material Handling Is? http://ow.ly/1pkCp #B2B
6 The 7 Things Nestlé Should’ve Done –/via @scottgould http://ow.ly/1po6y #socialmedia
5 If you are in B2B marketing, you should really read this book: The BuyerSphere Project – An Interview With Gord Hotchkiss http://ow.ly/1pLbg
4
Just Read: Six Degrees Of Social Media Monitoring by @webby2001 http://ow.ly/1qdVk #socialmedia
3 Great Post @stevewoods –> Calculating the Value of a B2B Marketing Campaign http://ow.ly/1qe6y #B2B
2 If B2B marketers do nothing else, they should follow these 9 rules. | B2BMarketingSmarts http://ow.ly/1qdFD #B2B
And the most popular tweet of the week is
1 A Great Case Of Old School Mindset Gone Awry –> Nestle’s Facebook Page: How a Company Can Really Screw Up Social Media http://ow.ly/1oABy

Top Seven B2B Marketing Tweets Of The Week – Mar 19

@B2Bbloggers Top Seven Tweets Of The Week
We send a lot of tweets…
here’s a weekly recap of the most popular. Enjoy!
7 RT @markwschaefer: Finally some good news? -> RT @nathanegan Are you ready for the B2B marketing boom?http://bit.ly/b9CWsU
6 RT @WhenGrowthStall: “There are things you can measure and things you can’t. Don’t mix them up.” (BusinessWeek.com) http://bit.ly/cIE07g
5 Are you a Thought Leader or a Community Leader? A Guest Post by @Barbragago of @Genius_com http://bit.ly/dCPYot #B2B
4
Just read: Architecting A Social Web Marketing And PR Strategy by @AdamSinger http://ow.ly/1gppL
3 @juntajoe writes: Rethinking Print as Part of the Content Strategy: Fortune, APA Proving Print is Not Dead http://bit.ly/cCsiLx
2 Just read: Social Relevance Plays a Role In Vendor Selection by @ardath421 http://bit.ly/9KYjzk #B2B #Marketing
And the most popular tweet of the week is
1 Brands Must Become Media to Earn Relevance by @briansolis http://bit.ly/9uhMEn

Top Seven B2B Marketing Tweets Of The Week

@B2Bbloggers Top Seven Tweets Of The Week
We send a lot of tweets…
here’s a weekly recap of the most popular. Enjoy!
7 Kill Useless Web Metrics: Apply The “Three Layers Of So What” Test http://bit.ly/acNS59
6 An interesting post by @stevewoods Deep Searches and Content Proliferation http://bit.ly/aE3dDV
5 Do websites even matter any more? | {grow} http://bit.ly/a8l6jx In B2B – of course that do!
4
Just read: Architecting A Social Web Marketing And PR Strategy by @AdamSinger http://ow.ly/1gppL
3 Content Mapping 101: Determining Questions for Buying Stages via @ConnectdMarkter http://ow.ly/1gpud #contentmarketing
2 How social media will change lead generation in B2B by @Ckochster #B2B Blog http://ow.ly/1gpsf
And the most popular tweet of the week is
1 Content Strategy: Secret to Writing for Buyers Consideration Phase http://bit.ly/dDocpFGreat advice from @ConversationAge

Top Seven B2B Marketing Tweets Of The Week Feb 26

@B2Bbloggers Top Seven Tweets Of The Week
We send a lot of tweets…
here’s a weekly recap of the most popular. Enjoy!
7 New Survey Shows B2B Buying, Budgeting Process Shifting Due To Social, ROI Factors via @DG_Report http://bit.ly/9BRx9F #B2B
6 Great Perspective -> #PR is Marketing’s New “Chop Shop” by @jchernov http://ow.ly/19TwS (good piece Joe) [ht^ @bhalligan]
5 Just read: Is this a Content Moment? by @TomMartin http://ow.ly/198bt
4
Is your best B2B marketing idea behind you? http://ow.ly/19BNf #B2B #Marketing
3 A good read by @michelelinn –> B2B Content Marketing is More Than Content http://ow.ly/19Bc6 #B2B #ContentMarketing
2 The Ultimate Guide to Email: http://ow.ly/1aqRI Are you a white belt, black belt, or battle-hardened ninja?
And the most popular tweet of the week is
1 The BuyerSphere Project – My Interview w/ @Enquiro CEO and Author Gord Hotchkiss (@outofmygord) #B2B http://bit.ly/d6ks0B

Top Seven Tweets Of The Week Feb 19

@B2Bbloggers Top Seven Tweets Of The Week
We send a lot of tweets…
here’s a weekly recap of the most popular. Enjoy!
7 A Six-Step Content Marketing Check-Up For B2B Marketers http://ow.ly/13oxs by @GalenDY #contentmarketing
6 7 Simple Steps to Get Started With Content Marketing http://ow.ly/157gn #contentmarketing
5 The Chief Marketing Officer – A New Boardroom Role http://ow.ly/17CAW
4
A Good Read -> What is Content Marketing & Why is it Hot? by @mjsweeney via Marketing Trenches http://ow.ly/17E8l #contentmarketing
3 Back by popular demand: Is Your Social Media Director Qualified? via@thebrandbuilder http://ow.ly/160vP
2 RT @djwaldow: Articles like this one from @StephanieSAM remind me of why she rocks: http://ow.ly/18gua "10 Myths for Inbox Deliverability"
And the most popular tweet of the week is
1 SEOmoz | A Step by Step 15 Minute SEO Audit (A Sample from SEO Secrets) http://ow.ly/16RC4

Top Seven Tweets Of The Week – Feb 12

@B2Bbloggers Top Seven Tweets Of The Week
We send a lot of tweets…
here’s a weekly recap of the most popular. Enjoy!
7 In the land of the liars, the truth-teller is king. via @jaybaer – Convince & Convert http://ow.ly/15CDx
6 Back by popular demand: Is Your Social Media Director Qualified? via @thebrandbuilder http://ow.ly/160vP
5 7 Simple Steps to Get Started With Content Marketing http://ow.ly/157gn #contentmarketing
4 Is Social Media Just Another Channel? The Potential of #SocialMedia for #B2B Markets. via @TheSocialCMO http://ow.ly/15pgT
3 Brilliant comes to mind –> Five Areas to Focus On for Effective SEO Copywriting by @copyblogger http://ow.ly/14tNt ht @halvorson
2 @ericfletcher writes, “the metric that matters is the number of quality conversations you’re having with YOUR targets” http://ow.ly/15pl6
And the most popular tweet of the week is
1 A great post and conversation here –> Is a Blog the Hub of Social Media Marketing? via @debbieweil #SocialMedia http://ow.ly/15tg6

Top Seven Tweets Of The Week – Feb 2nd

@B2Bbloggers Top Seven Tweets Of The Week
We send a lot of tweets…
here’s a weekly recap of the most popular. Enjoy!
7 Questions To Ponder Before Plunging into Social Media from @treypennington http://ow.ly/13Mav #socialmedia #B2B
6 Go ahead read this, you’ll learn a few things. The ultimate guide to blogging when you don’t have time @markwschaefer http://ow.ly/13dIw
5 A Six-Step Content Marketing Check-Up For B2B Marketers http://ow.ly/13oxs by @GalenDY #contentmarketing
4 Well done @halvorson – Content Strategy: More than a Bunch of Tactics via @BrainTraffic Blog http://ow.ly/12F2G #contentmarketing
3 MIT Technology Review: How Google Ranks Tweets http://ow.ly/13LZu
2 Is social media growing up? – by @mackcollier via The Viral Garden http://ow.ly/11LCo #socialmedia
And the most popular tweet of the week is
1 Just Read: When Should B2B Lead Nurturing Stop? by @ardath421 #b2b #marketing http://ow.ly/137fB

Top Seven Tweets Of The Week – Jan 29th

@B2Bbloggers Top Seven Tweets Of The Week
We send a lot of tweets…
here’s a weekly recap of the most popular. Enjoy!
7 Some you’ll know, some you won’t -> 11 more intriguing people in PR in 2010 by @arikhanson http://ow.ly/10UBi
6 Building Emotional Connections To Your Brand: Branding Strategy Insider http://ow.ly/ZrIC
5 “The mktg automation category has reached a key inflection point – moving to … ‘must have’” @marketo CEO Phil Fernandez http://ow.ly/ZPxp
4 What is Driving B2B Marketers to Adopt Marketing Automation Technology? by @abneedles http://ow.ly/10UcJ #B2B #Marketing
3 New Blog Post: Humanize Your Marketing With Buyer Personas http://ow.ly/1076Z
2 More @treypennington goodness – 5 Steps to Keep the Sales Funnel Flowing http://ow.ly/11kY8 #b2b #marketing
And the most popular tweet of the week is
1 @marketingveep It ‘s THE best post I’ve read this year. Timely, relevant, & on point. Advice for Skeptical Execs: http://ow.ly/10Vhn
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Jeremy Victor Make Good Media

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Hi, I'm @jeremyvictor, the founder of Make Good Media and Editor In Chief of B2Bbloggers.com.

B2Bbloggers.com is an online magazine for B2B marketers. Our goal is to engage, educate, and make it easier for B2B marketers to find the information they care about to do their jobs successfully.

As a publisher and new media marketing agency, Make Good Media advises businesses how to integrate social media and content marketing with traditional marketing tactics to attract, nurture, engage, and convert customers in the brave new B2B world of the social, mobile web. How can we help you Make Good Media?

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