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Do you have a favourite t-shirt? Hat? Maybe it’s from your favourite team. Or that band you supported back in the day when nobody knew them. Whatever it is, we seem to instill articles of clothing with sentimentality. Part nostalgia, part bragging rights? Proof that you were at that seminal concert tour – or you knew the band before they were famous. Whatever the reason, we have this strong relationship with the brand – team, band, product – that we want to share with anyone who’ll listen!

Give this song by Foo Fighters a listen and fly along with me as we see what the experts are saying this week.

Tech Brands in 2023

How do your customers interact with your brand? Are they loyal and vocal? Or are you lookin’ for a sign of life every time you reach out to your clients? Net Promoter Scores (NPSs) are used to gauge the public’s perception of a brand or product. In my experience with B2Cs and franchises, I’ve seen businesses that absolutely obsess over their NPS on a daily basis.

Check out this list of PC Mag’s best tech brands for 2022. These are brands that have high NPS and strong brands – with Tesla at the top of the list.

Of course, there is a flip side – this is the corresponding list of the most despised tech brands. You’ll see some super successful companies on this list, which begs the question: do we really care? Can a product or brand be successful without being adored?

How do you think this list will change for 2023? And what’s the impact of company leadership on the brand’s reputation? Has Tesla’s brand been damaged by its leader and all the recent Twitter controversy?

The Show Must Go On

Foo Fighters have announced their return to the stage and it’s sooner than some might expect. Since Taylor Hawkins’ passing, there has been speculation about the future of the band. However, they’ve announced a slew of major concert dates for 2023.

A band is also a brand and a business entity. And some members are tightly integrated with that perception of the brand, similar to business leaders. We’ve all seen examples of bands that have decided to pack it in when a member passes (such as Led Zeppelin). But we’ve also seen examples where the band has continued and had major success (like AC/DC).

How do your customers perceive your brand? For many clients, their interaction with your brand is through their Account Manager – and that person has an unbelievable amount of influence on how your clients perceive the overall corporation. Scary, right? So hopefully you’re doing the right things to positively influence those perceptions, and not just lookin’ to the sky to save you…

And Speaking of T-shirts…

We’ve all bought cheap t-shirts at concerts and sporting events. Sure, they may have been sold out of the back of a van, but they were much cheaper than the t-shirts at the venue, right? Well – looks like there’s been a recent case where a UK woman selling unlicensed concert shirts of bands like Foo Fighters and the Rolling Stones was ordered to pay back £140,000.

Merchandise is big business, and contributes a large part to a band’s touring revenue. In the ’80s, bands like Van Halen pioneered the art of selling merchandise and turning it into its own profitable revenue stream for the band and the record label. They were also notorious for aggressively cracking down on any unlicensed merch vendors operating outside their concerts.

It’s all about the brand, right? When merch is unlicensed, the band/team loses control of their brand and trademark, and these other products could be inferior and negatively impact the brand. Bands – and brands – are lookin’ for something to help them burn out bright. And being able to control their brand and how it’s perceived might be the best way to get on that best brands list, right? Right?? What do you think?

As always, don’t hesitate to call me to brainstorm or just say hello!

Looking forward,
Rick

Rick Endrulat, President | ricke@v-causeway.com | www.linkedin.com/in/rickendrulat

The post Controlling Your Brand appeared first on Virtual Causeway.

What Do B2B Marketers Do Now? is an ongoing email. Join the mailing list to be the first to receive these weekly insights!

I can take the cold. I’ve lived in Canada all my life, and even if I don’t like it, I should be used to the winter weather. What I can’t get used to is the darkness –  dark when you wake up, dark at the end of the workday. And you don’t realize how much you miss the sunshine until you have an oh-so-rare, bright, sunny day.

Give this song by the Black Keys a listen with me as we shine a little light on what the experts are saying this week.

HubSpot Data Shines a Light

The data from HubSpot has me a little perplexed. Closed deals are up significantly over January 2021, but created deals are much lower! Sales emails and conversations are way up over last January, as is contact growth.

So why are deals created so low? All of the sales focus was on closing deals? But closed deals were down over Q4 2021 – which I would usually expect in the beginning of the year, when typically activity is all about NEW opportunities. So where are they?

How will Q1 turn out this year? No one really knows where it goes from here but I do know I’ll be looking closely at the numbers to see how activity levels change over the next few months.

Timbiebs!

Have you ever had a Timbit? For the Canadians out there, these little donut holes have been ingrained in our lives and culture. And in November of 2021, Tim Hortons rolled out some special new flavours designed with Canadian pop music star Justin Bieber. These ‘Timbiebs’ caused quite a stir and people went wild for them… and all the Timbiebs swag.

According to Tim Hortons, this co-marketing campaign was one of the most successful traffic-driving initiatives in recent memory – resulting in unprecedented social engagement, merchandise sales, and increased appeal with younger guests.

How does this apply to B2B? Is there another brand you can partner with to expand your reach or increase awareness? Sometimes teaming up with just the right brand can grow your customer base, and the most unlikely of partnerships can help you go to places you used to go to reclaim some new or past customers and see the faces that you used to know.

What are some examples you can share?

As always, don’t hesitate to call me to brainstorm or just say hello.

Looking forward,
Rick

Rick Endrulat, President | ricke@v-causeway.com | www.linkedin.com/in/rickendrulat

The post Shedding a Light on B2B Sales Numbers appeared first on Virtual Causeway.

That all sounds really great for Snapchat, but it doesn’t really help you at all.  So, instead of continuing to bore you with financial data and investment information, I’m going to share with you some ways to get the most out of Snapchat by incorporating it into your marketing strategy. If you haven’t already, that is.

With a 72% adoption rate, Snapchat is the most-used social media platform among 18 to 24-years-olds. This group makes up 37% of users, which is the most sought-after Snapchat demographic for many marketers. In just three years it has grown from 5 million to 158 million users and keeps growing. Chances are, some of your target market is in that crowd waiting for you.

So is Snapchat right for B2B?

Some might say that B2B marketing generally targets an older generation in which case Snapchat might not be the best option. While this can be true for some, the 2016 BNP Paribas Global Entrepreneur Report found that 20-35 year-old’s are starting more companies, managing bigger staffs, and targeting higher profits than their baby boomer predecessors (which B2B marketers typically target). This means that 14% of US companies where created by entrepreneurs who are under the age of 35. With 26% of Snapchat users between the ages of 25-35, it’s a market you might want to consider tapping into.

That was a lot of numbers.

Here’s a funfact to relax your brain: When Snapchat was first launched in July 2011 it was called Pictaboo, which is where the ghost logo comes from.

Here are some ways to up your Snapchat game or how Snapchat could be good for your marketing strategy. But first, check out this video:

1. Provide an inside look / behind the scenes

More and more people are looking beyond the logos and ads and looking to the authenticity of a brand. They want to trust a brand before interacting with it and supporting it. A Mintel study found that half of American shoppers say they trust small businesses but only 36% say they trust large businesses. If you’re a small business then this is great, but if you are part of a large business then this means you might have to work a little harder to earn the trust of viewers. By providing a high degree of transparency and staying honest you can earn or continue to maintain that trust.

A great way to do this with Snapchat is to go behind the scenes and provide an inside look at what customers don’t usually get to see, such as; the annual holiday party and team meetings or events. This will help customers develop a connection with the brand and help you build a solid foundation of trust by reminding them that there are real people behind all of those blog posts, advertisements, and sales calls.

2. Partner with influencers

Sometimes it can be tricky to build a following right out of the gate or if you’re trying to reach a demographic that’s hard to reach through traditional media. By partnering with an influencer who already has a following, you can let them spread your message to their own followers who might be interested in your product/service.

Another fun tactic that gets a lot of attention is to let your influencer do a Snapchat “Takeover”. By allowing your influencer to takeover your feed for a period of time (usually while using your product), the influencer’s followers are encouraged to head over to your Snapchat to see what’s going on, resulting in increased awareness and potentially more followers for your own account.

Takeovers offer an authentic, raw, unfiltered account of the influencer’s experience. By seeing one of our own on behalf of another brand, it provides the notion that they are more than just a boring corporation and end up feeling closer to the brand.

3. Offer Exclusive Content

A great way to increase your Snapchat following, especially when you have already established a following on other social media channels, is to offer exclusive content that can be viewed only on Snapchat. You can accomplish this by inviting your followers from other social media accounts to follow you on Snapchat to see exclusive content they otherwise wouldn’t get to see.

Examples of this are product launches, exclusive deals, company announcements etc. The most popular example of this is when fast-food giant Taco Bell announced the reintroduction of an item to it’s menu to their Snapchat followers. This will spark intrigue in your followers and they will follow your account to stay tuned to what you have to Snap next.

4. Provide entertainment value

76% of users say they would share a branded video with their friends if it was entertaining, and 57% in the U.S. believe social networking sites are a form of entertainment. By providing content on Snapchat that is entertaining to your viewers you maintain their engagement and encourage them to tell others about it.

Here’s a great list from SalesForce of some great examples of how companies used Snapchat to provide great entertainment value to their customers.

Conclusion

Social media has become a must-have for any marketing strategy and it looks like Snapchat is here to stay. What was once known for sending inappropriate photos, has now proven to be a fun and useful tool for marketers. It is possible for B2B marketers to join in on the Snapchat revolution; it just requires a little creativity and courage to venture into something new and unfamiliar. When used strategically, it can be effective in interacting with followers and help support your social media and marketing campaigns.

Join the Conversation

Did this post help you at all? Do you think it might help others? If so, help the collective cause and Share, Like or Comment on this article.

The post Do You Even Snap? appeared first on Virtual Causeway.

The Internet is bursting at the seams with content and information. It is important to stand out so you are getting the most out of your B2B marketing strategies.

I recently read a book called Contagious by Jonah Berger, Professor of Marketing at The University of Pennsylvania. Berger spent decades researching (so you don’t have to) exactly what it takes to make something go viral. He used these same principles while writing this book to prove that it works. I can confirm that they do, in fact, work because I couldn’t stop reading it. Here is what I learned.

Social Currency

With the rise of social media and the multitude of social tools available to us, we are constantly sharing information. We share information with one another to appear knowledgeable, important, or just generally appealing to others. Social currency is the belief that value can be earned from social participation as a means to make us look good.

Jonah Berger identified three ways to get consumers talking about their favorite brands and to share this information with others in order to earn social currency among their peers.

A. Identify what’s remarkable about your brand

When people discover something remarkable, they can’t wait to be among the first to tell everyone else about it. Berger uses the example of Blentec Blenders. Blenders on their own seem standard and fairly unremarkable, we can all agree. You put in a bunch of ingredients and voila, you have a nice jug of mush. It does what it needs to do. So, how do you make everyone go bananas about a blender? Blend up an iPhone, golf balls or just about anything really. Blendtech gave us high entertainment value by blending unconventional items while showing how powerful their blenders are and in the process created a trigger. So, next time you think about blenders, Blendtech will be top of mind and you’ll have a great story to tell your friends. By identifying what’s remarkable about your brand or product, you will create social currency among viewers and get people talking about your product.

B. Utilize game mechanics

People love playing games. They like to be the best among their friends and they like to win in order to earn bragging rights. A good example of this is the “Challenge” feature of the popular activity tracker, Fitbit. You can challenge other friends with Fitbits to weekly challenges with a set goal. The first person to reach this goal, wins. These achievements can be shared with friends on social media. This is not only a way for Fitbit to encourage users and to become more active, but to increase the popularity of their devices and bring awareness to those who don’t currently have one. Others who don’t have a Fitbit see these updates and want to join in on the competition, so they are more inclined to go out and buy a Fitbit of their own.

C. Make people feel like insiders

When Google launched their social network platform Google+, it was by invite only. You had to be invited by someone who already had an account. What was Google’s secret? Probably nothing. They likely just wanted to limit the number of people using the website while they were still in beta, however, they essentially put up a wall and let the curiosity fester. Whether it be intentional or not, Google, and those already on the inside created a lot of buzz and intrigue and people wanted to know what was going on behind that wall. When people finally got their invite, it made them feel like insiders.

Triggers

Emotion

Happiness makes us want to share. Sadness makes us want to connect and empathize. Fear makes us want to cling to something, and anger makes us stubborn. Emotions are tied to experiences. For example: Since the beginning, Coca-Cola has associated its brand and product with very positive and happy experiences, the same way they want you to feel when drinking their beverages. Red Bull’s brand identity has always revolved around extreme sports. From dropping a man off the edge of the atmosphere to hosting the coolest bicycle stunts, their commercials always instill a sense of awe and adrenaline. Whenever we watch these videos, we feel like we can conquer anything. By focusing on igniting emotions, like Coca-Cola and Redbull, your audience will be motivated to share it.

Public

Monkey see monkey do. If you were walking down the street looking for a bite to eat, you would most likely avoid the empty restaurant and go for the one with more customers. Everyone else is there so it must be better than the other place. This is because we base a lot of our actions on those we see around us. If a lot of people buy something, it must be good. It is the same reason Livestrong bracelets were so popular; everybody had one, they supported a good cause, and they were easily identifiable. If people see others using your product, they will be encouraged to check it out for themselves.

Practical value

By providing some kind of practical value, you help your customers get better at what they’re doing. Whether it be FAQ’s, blog posts, infographics, tips and tools, or resources, the practical value not only helps them get better; they might want to share it with people they think might benefit from it.

Stories

We tell stories to gain social currency, share emotions, and to pass on helpful tips or advice. By creating or sharing stories you provide a way for customers to connect with the product or company on an emotional level and it will become easier to share that information with others. Stories are what people remember, even when they forget names and faces, they rarely forget the story and how it made them feel.

Conclusion

Being contagious will help you reach out to the consumers who are interested in your product or brand and who need your service. By providing messaging that makes consumers want to talk about, and share, your product and brand, you will get the highest return on your marketing goals.

The post Make Your Content Contagious With These 6 STEPPS appeared first on Virtual Causeway.