Sterling Kilgore

Why Social Media Matters for B2B

Georgia Gerber — Tue, 13 Jul 2021 19:54:55 +0000

It is sometimes difficult to convince business-to-business (B2B) companies that social media marketing is valuable for their brand’s growth. This stems from the belief that social media channels such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and blogs have more value for business-to-consumer (B2C) companies. While many B2C companies do gain value from the exposure social media gives them, the same benefits can be experienced by those in B2B.
Below are five reasons why social media is a good investment for B2B companies as well:

Social media is where your customers go to find information

Social media is where your customers get industry news, thought leadership articles, and search for product information. It is where they can get a feel for a brand’s social responsibility, the unique attributes of their products and engage with the brand directly. When you are dedicated to developing your brand voice on social media, it can offer customers a more human view of your brand. This is valuable for a company when it comes to gaining trust.

Social media can provide customer support

Customers are increasingly using social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn to give feedback and ask questions. Social media is often preferred over email, live chat, and toll-free numbers for customer care because it allows for quick contact without inconvenience. B2B customers, just like B2C consumers, want to connect directly with brands and receive a human response.

Social media improves SEO

One can leverage their social media to increase website traffic and direct users to specific pages. Paid ads such as Google ads can also increase website traffic; however, many customers are often distrustful of paid advertising. This makes organic social media an even more effective way to increase traffic for B2B companies and thus increase your customer base and sales.

Customers use LinkedIn to connect with B2B brands

It is no secret that LinkedIn played an important role in the B2B world pre-pandemic, but during the pandemic, its role grew even more significant. This is because B2B selling and buying became increasingly digital. Four out of five users on LinkedIn drive business decisions, and 33% of B2B decision-makers are using the platform to research their purchase decisions. What does this mean? 33% of those LinkedIn users who drive business decisions are using LinkedIn to help them decide whether or not they want to purchase a product.

Social media complements your B2B public relations initiatives

A great way to amplify your PR coverage is by sharing it and repurposing it on social media. An outlet may share the article, interview, or quote from your B2B company on their social media channels, but you should share it as well. When you share media coverage and press releases on your social media, it only boosts the number of eyes on your essential news. Sharing media coverage also helps build a relationship with the editor or journalist because it shows that you appreciate the coverage and want this valuable exposure.
At Sterling Kilgore, we encourage and support our clients to use social media as a way of establishing a brand image, connecting with customers, driving their audience to their website, and complementing our various initiatives. As the digital world continues to evolve and snowball, it is our job to monitor its advancements so that we can seize every opportunity to further your business goals.

What is a Thought Leader?

Georgia Gerber — Wed, 02 Jun 2021 13:50:16 +0000

A thought leader is defined as a leading authority in their industry, creating content that highlights their experience, unique perspective and passion for their field. They publish articles, videos, research and other original content that potential clients and members of their industry associate with insight and authority.
Of course, it takes more than one article or piece of original content to bolster one’s reputation as a thought leader in any field. Expertise, a unique perspective, and good communication are just a few key elements of thought leadership. We have outlined the most important elements below:
1. Expertise
In order to be a credible thought leader, one must be extremely knowledgeable in their field. This doesn’t necessarily mean they need to be the CEO or President of the company. It merely means they are perceived by others as a person about which people say, “Wow, they really know their stuff.” A thought leader must stay in the know on industry trends in order to form educated opinions, ideas, and resolutions.
2. Remove Bias
It is imperative that a thought leader comments on the industry without bias and can step back from their business agenda. A thought leader wants the content they write to positively impact a larger audience. Their ideas and resolutions are meant for all and not just for their own company. Therefore, content should not be overtly promotional, and the audience should be able to apply a thought leaders insights to their own business.
3. Lifelong Learning
Thought leaders are not only experts in their field, but also dedicated to a life of learning to have the ability to comment on what is going on in their industry today as well as speculate on what may happen in their field tomorrow.
4. Good Communicators
Thought leaders are excellent communicators. They can clearly convey abstract ideas and thoughts. In order to be a good communicator, it is important to be a good listener. Listening helps a thought leader form authentic opinion, address problems, create solutions and more.
5. Unique Perspective
Expertise coupled with a unique perspective is how a thought leader adds value to the conversation and finds resolutions to challenges in their field. This unique perspective helps others view the industry differently – hence the meaning behind the words “thought leader.”
What are the benefits of thought leadership?
Thought leaders brand a company and articulate the messaging a company wants to have promoted. Additionally, thought leadership articles enhance a company’s reputation, give a company credibility and helps customers better understand the qualifications of a company.
Thought leaders are an important part of any field because they are a part of what drives change. They also inspire their audience to be innovative and have unique opinions or ideas. At Sterling Kilgore, we encourage our clients to become the thought leaders they already are. We do this by landing them targeted bylined articles, quotes and interviews in online and print publications where they can highlight their unique perspective and expertise in their field.

Is There Value in Press Releases? Five Reasons Why They Matter

Georgia Gerber — Tue, 30 Mar 2021 15:19:28 +0000

The main purpose of a press release is to clearly promote something of signifance to the media in hopes that they will find it newsworthy enough to write an article. That has not changed. However, the impact of a press release and why it’s a valuable asset to your brand has evolved over the years, especially within the online world. Now, not only journalists have access to press releases, but customers, sales prospects, analysts and stakesholders as well.
There are five reasons press releases are valuable in this new age of PR and digital marketing:
Establish a relationship with the media. Press releases are the primary source of information for 71% of journalists looking for content from brands. They show a journalist that the news is researched, factual and newsworthy. Having a history of issuing clear, concise press releases helps build a rapport with journalists and leads to lasting relationships.
Credibility. The media and general public see press releases as trusted sources of news. As mentioned above, they are pieces of news that are researched and factual. This brings a sense of integrity to the clients we represent. Press releases are especially an asset to new or small businesses looking to build a trustworthy reputation.
Build social relevance. When press releases are posted on social media, such as Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, readers not only is given direct access online, but also they can then share that press release with others. This provides the opportunity to directly engage with the target audience and reach audiences that weren’t even considered.
Search optimization. Press releases add to your search optimization score. When you are employing SEO best practices for search algorithms, search engines can find, match, index and rank your press releases. The more the link of a press release or the website featured in a press release is clicked on, the higher the search optimization score.
Build content portfolio. In a world where content is is still king, it helps to have new and relevant content being promoted as often as possible. This ties into press releases giving credibility to a brand. The more the world sees your brand, the more trust they have in your product or service.
At Sterling Kilgore we promote the use of press releases as a way to continue to share your brand’s newsworthy moments, keeping in mind how both PR and digital media are ever evolving. If you are interested in learning more about how we can make your company famous with press releases that get noticed, please visit our website https://sterlingkilgore.com/why-choose-us

Can High-quality Photography Help Your Business?

Georgia Gerber — Mon, 08 Mar 2021 15:05:07 +0000

When it comes to marketing your brand, professional, well-curated images are a necessity on all platforms.
One way to set yourself apart from your competitors is by using original photographs to build brand credibility. Sharp, colorful, thoughtful images help your customers and prospects see your products or services more clearly (literally and figuratively).
Authentic photographs also personalize your brand and tell your story in a way that stock images cannot. Stock images may seem easier to obtain, but they are often overused and seen as inauthentic and disconnected. (How many times have you seen that handshake or the transparent whiteboad thinker?)
Here are a few examples of how accurate, original photographs can communicate company values and culture: Is your company doing a team-building activity, throwing a celebration or attending a conference? Does your brand emphasize the importance of diversity and inclusion? Hiring a photographer even for a few hours can help you “tell a story” about your company. When you capture these moments, audiences feel connected to a culture of camaraderie, a positive work environment and shared values. A good consumer example of this is Nike’s Instagram where Nike demonstrates diversity in sports with imagery of athletes of all different abilities, races, and genders. Nike emphasizing diversity and inclusion increases sales without even highlighting a product, because customers feel connected to these values.
Most importantly, photographs make your brand and products more likely to get noticed. If hiring managers only spend six seconds on a resume, then consumers are even less willing to look at large blocks of text. In the age of Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, where audiences are consuming images and information at rapid rates, studies show that social media with photos performs far better than posts that only contain text or overused graphics.
It is money well spent to build your marketing assets with a professional photographer. In just a few hours, you can get a plethora of fresh photos for your website, social media content and marketing collateral that perfectly align with your brand. Oh, and while you are at it, don’t forget to get a good headshot. You will be surprised how many times you need one as engagement grows from sharing well-curated images of your products, services and company.

Lessons from Three Marketing Campaigns – What Makes Some Brands Go Viral While Others Fail to Thrive

Joe Garber — Fri, 24 Jul 2020 15:47:29 +0000

What makes a marketing campaign effective varies widely depending on the product, target audience, and the all-important execution. When marketing teams get things right, the result is a viral campaign that establishes brand credibility among consumers and keeps people talking for years. At worst, an ineffective campaign can tarnish a brand. More often, these campaigns merely land with a thud, sentencing products to virtual obscurity before they even get off the ground.
The lackluster launch of Quibi provides an illustrative example of how ineffective marketing campaigns can sabotage a product. Prior to its launch, Quibi was attracting plenty of attention. Skeptics predicted that short-form content placed behind a paywall could never compete with the likes of YouTube and TikTok, while others were intrigued by the app’s concept and the high-powered names attached to the project. Three months later, the app is struggling to gain traction among its target demographic and losing the confidence of its investors, with advertisers like PepsiCo, Walmart, and Yum Brands seeking to postpone payments due to low subscription numbers.
Many of Quibi’s woes can be traced to questionable decisions about its mobile-only design and pricing, as well some unfortunate timing thanks to COVID-19. However, one of the biggest reasons for Quibi’s failure to launch appears to be an unclear marketing strategy characterized by muddled messaging, a poorly defined value proposition, and a misreading of millennial viewing habits.
When looking at what makes an effective marketing campaign, we can learn a lot from Quibi’s missteps, especially if we consider them in relation to the inspired decisions behind two of the most successful campaigns of the 2000’s—the Dove Natural Beauty campaign and Dos Equis’ long-running Most Interesting Man in the World ads. When we look at what makes these campaigns effective, it boils down to three core lessons.
Lesson 1: Know your audience
Understanding its target audience is a major reason Dove hit it out of the park with its Natural Beauty campaign. Dove started the campaign with a survey of over 3000 women in 10 countries and discovered that only 2% of respondents considered themselves beautiful. Dove followed up with a billboard campaign that asked consumers to evaluate images of women featuring two tick-box options and text their votes to a listed number. Soon, more than 1.5 million consumers were flocking to the Campaign for Real Beauty website and Dove realized they were on to something. They also had actionable data about women’s concerns to validate their initial concept and build out future campaigns.
Lesson 2: Know Yourself
In contrast to Quibi, which has struggled to communicate its offerings, Dos Equis launched its Most Interesting Man in the World campaign with a very clear understanding of what it had to offer and what distinguished its product from other beers. When the campaign launched, craft beer was taking off and sales for imported beer had fallen by 4%. Dos Equis served up a cheeky campaign that featured an older, Hemingway-inspired adventurer from a bygone era placed in contemporary situations that generated a seemingly endless supply of comedy for the viewing public. By playing on the divide between older lager imports and upstart craft beers, Dos Equis created a campaign that had people sharing Most Interesting Man memes and viewing the campaign’s online ads in droves, with videos regularly garnering over a million views. Dos Equis rode the wave of its successful campaign and boosted sales by 22%.
Lesson 3: Optimize Your Campaign to Go Viral
Crafting hybrid, multi-media campaigns was another thing that Dove and Dos Equis got right, while Quibi missed the mark. Whereas Quibi launched with a mobile-only design that prevented viewers from sharing screenshots and captures, Dove and Dos Equis embraced hybrid campaigns that combined traditional outlets like television and billboards with online distribution across diverse social media platforms. By making their campaigns interactive and easy to share, Dove and Dos Equis translated clever campaign concepts into increased sales and brand recognition.
With more and more businesses competing for consumers’ attention, why waste resources on ineffective marketing campaigns? Learn valuable lessons from campaigns that worked, as well as those that didn’t to keep your brand in the conversation.

The Importence (sp?) of Proofreading Your Writing

Sandy Armstrong — Mon, 06 May 2019 20:11:59 +0000

Did you notice the spelling error in the headline? Quick…Tell me what impressions you have of me as the originator of said error? Careless? Unintelligent? Lacking credibility? No matter what taste my error leaves in your mouth, it’s bound to be a bad one—particularly if you don’t know me.
Research shows that people are judged harshly by strangers who read their spelling errors, typos or grammar errors (such as their vs. there). This judgement is even harsher if the message is brief, such as an email or social media post. In a short communication, you don’t have the time to prove your worth outside of your mistake.
Therefore, as a business interested in building your network among those you don’t know or don’t know well, proofreading your work matters. We advise always having another set of eyes on anything you write that will be made public and/or will be read by someone you are trying to impress. Even the best writers have editors—in fact, authors we consider legendary typically have at least three. It’s no coincidence, then, that three people have reviewed this very blog post before it was placed on Sterling Kilgore’s website.
Although texting and personal social media have propagated loose grammatical and typographical habits, and may be responsible for making society careless in writing for any channel, don’t fall into this trap. In a world in which large investments in time and money are spent on trusting relationships, spelling and grammatical errors are dangerous. The devil is in the details. Your message—no matter how astute or revolutionary—may get lost as your credibility decreases and you are judged as careless. And your perfectly constructed message aimed at your perfectly targeted audience goes to waste with one slip of a keystroke.
Tips for becoming a better speller:

Read, read, read – there is no substitute for reading when it comes to hammering home grammar and spelling proficiency—just make sure you are reading materials like published works like books and magazines that have gone through an editing process, as opposed to text conversations or social media
Play word games – board games and apps will work to challenge your skills and improve your retention while having fun
Keep your spell check on – spell check is a great way to alert you to inadvertent errors or slips of the fingers
Keep a list of words you use a lot that you tend to misspell – refer to this working document often, removing words as you master them and adding words as they become a problem
Write, write, write – practice makes perfect as you model your writing skills from what you read and writing something down helps with retention

As Maya Angelou said, “Easy reading is damn hard writing.” Working damn hard to make sure every message you send to your customers and prospects is proofed and perfect will help you get the results you desire.

Coming Soon to a LinkedIn Page Near You – Reactions

John Funteas — Thu, 02 May 2019 20:40:27 +0000

You’re not imagining it; your LinkedIn Page is changing. The social media platform has undergone a series of updates since it was acquired by Microsoft in 2016. You can now upload videos, share PDFs and slide decks…and that’s not even getting into the added features of Company Pages.
All of this helped lead to record levels of engagement at the end of 2018, and it has not slowed down since. In fact, Microsoft recently shared an update stating LinkedIn engagement is continuing to rise in 2019. Based on my anecdotal evidence, I certainly agree. Every day, it seems like there are more and more active conversations taking place among my connections and on my timeline.
While LinkedIn started off as a network to help people land their next career opportunity, it has evolved to become a social media tool where professionals can share their ideas, connect with colleagues in their field and help their business grow. As I mentioned, all the new features have helped enhance the platform. Now, get ready for a few new LinkedIn features about to be added that will play right into added levels of engagement…
You are (most likely) familiar with the reaction capabilities of Facebook where you can choose from a series of emojis to leave on a post. Just a couple weeks ago, LinkedIn launched a test program to select accounts adding similar capabilities. Within the next few months, all LinkedIn members will have the ability to leave a reaction. Your new reaction buttons will consist of:

Like
Celebrate
Love
Insightful
Curious

The reaction buttons will eventually be available for both individuals and company page posts. For your organization and its LinkedIn Company Page, this will provide an added level of measurement. Each of these reactions can provide important intel on how you’re enhancing brand loyalty and awareness through your LinkedIn efforts.
Are posts promoting your company culture generating more “Loves” and “Celebrates” than other posts? Does a certain style of post garner a lot of “Insightful” and “Curious” from your audience? You’ll now be able to answer questions like these.
With the full rollout of reactions set to be complete in a few months, you’ll have time to prepare accordingly for the new ways your audience can engage with you. I, for one, am looking forward to “Celebrating” these new engagement opportunities!

Is it Time to Rethink Your Content Marketing Strategy?

Stephanie Gilmore — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 14:10:23 +0000

Content marketing now plays a larger and more strategic role in an organization’s overall marketing strategy than ever before. Organizations are beginning to understand how content can be a valuable tool for helping to grow their customer base and achieve their business goals.
So, what is content marketing? The Content Marketing Institute defines content marketing as follows:
“Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience – and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.”
Even though content marketing has evolved significantly over the past few years due to changes in technology and customer expectations, one thing will always remain the same: “content is king.” Customers will always be drawn to high-quality content that demonstrates that a brand understands them and their needs. When used effectively, content marketing can help to both create and build meaningful relationships with customers.
One thing to take note of is that the lifespan of content has been shrinking. As company content has become increasingly digital, there is less time to catch a viewer’s attention because your audience is constantly bombarded with messages. Understanding how to get your message across quickly and effectively is important because content can easily get lost in the newsfeeds as your viewers are scrolling through.
Additionally, content has become increasingly targeted. While it’s easier to get your message in front of your target audience than ever before, your customers have come to expect a relevant message that speaks to their specific needs and preferences in a tone that is appropriate and appealing. Businesses risk alienating customers with generic content that is written for a broad audience.
At Sterling, we love helping businesses create content that gets noticed and sparks engagement. Give us a call and we will work together to engage with your audience, build your brand and deliver your remarkable message.

Is Your Company Media-ready? Let’s find out.

Sandy Armstrong — Thu, 21 Mar 2019 14:50:30 +0000

Everyone loves positive media coverage. What’s wonderful about it is how it drives interest in your company, which equates to an increase in traffic to your website and social media properties. For many companies, however, this is also what’s bad about it—if they have a less-than-stellar online marketing presence.
Therefore, before securing media coverage, we recommend companies first prepare for the attention that will come from being in the spotlight. This preparation isn’t just about knowing your products and services and being able to talk about them eloquently; and it isn’t solely about having media training so you ace an interview with a reporter. It’s also about being prepared for the influx of activity that comes after a well-targeted piece of media coverage is published or aired, which prompts your prospects to follow through by learning more about you.
When they come to visit your online properties, you want to have the welcome mat out. An excellent media piece is worth significantly less if interested readers, listeners or viewers research your company and find an unprofessional website with unclear messaging or a LinkedIn page with sloppy language and irregular posting. Think of these online go-to resources as the very first impression you will provide people researching your company.
In order to make your media coverage really count, be sure these strategic pieces are in place:

Company description, key messages and value proposition – Write down these foundational elements so prospects know if you can help them solve their problems, so your staff knows how to frame your offerings and identify the right partnerships, and so your salespeople can SELL! Involving an outside third party in this task (think: PR firm) is critical to help develop messaging that can be understood and valued by someone who isn’t mired in your business. This information will then be ready-made for use on your website, social media properties, direct mailers and anything else you share with the world.
Your website – This most basic of marketing tools should be appealing to the eye, contain easily-locatable information about who you are and what you do, contain calls to action and contact information, links to your social media platforms, and—these days—host a resource center of valuable educational information such as white papers, blogs, analyst reports, articles, etc. Content like this reinforces you are experts in your field.
LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram – The number of social media platforms you are on is secondary to the quality you put into to the ones that matter most to your target audience. If your prospects and customers aren’t on Instagram, then don’t get an Instagram account just to put the icon on your website. Again, quality matters, not quantity—each platform you choose to engage on should be done well. In some cases, prospects may go to your LinkedIn profile or Twitter page before your website. Read our many blog posts about social media to find out what I mean by “done well.”

Oh sure, media coverage can happen without key messages, a solid website or any social properties at all, but when the goal of gaining attention in the press is to gain more attention, then it makes sense to set yourself up for success by having your welcome mat out and ready to greet new customers seeking your services.

There’s No Need to be Random About Marketing

Stephanie Gilmore — Thu, 14 Mar 2019 16:30:22 +0000

Here’s a hypothetical situation you may have witnessed at some point in your career: Company A is looking to keep up with one of its top competitors. A quick survey of the marketplace indicates the competition has a fully integrated marketing program that includes an active Instagram page. In order to show action and not be left behind, Company A decides to launch its own Instagram page. They post a couple photos the first week that do not have clear goals and then the page goes dark for the next few months.
What you just witnessed is what we like to call a “random act of marketing.” A random act of marketing is an organization’s attempt to increase brand awareness and drive revenue through disjointed marketing tactics that are not linked to the goals of the business. And, they can actually hinder the success of a brand in the long term due to a lack of forethought and integration with the brand’s message and objectives.
As I stated in the hypothetical above, companies are often tempted to try new ways of interacting with their customers – whether it’s joining a new social media platform, writing a press release targeting a new vertical, attending industry events or creating a viral video – because they see other companies having success with that tactic. All of these ideas are great ways to enhance your customer relationships – if they are executed with purpose.
When they’re executed as random acts of marketing, they can serve to confuse and alienate your customers.
If you’re wondering how your business can avoid random acts of marketing, here are three tips to keep in mind as decide what marketing initiatives are right for your goals:

Understand your target audience and their needs. Choose which marketing channels are appropriate for your audience and your message.
Define your message and integrate it across channels. Your customers want to hear your brand’s consistent story across all customer touchpoints.
Create measurable objectives for your marketing actions. Every marketing action should make a measurable impact on your business goals. You won’t know if you are succeeding until you are able to measure your progress.

We hope those three tips help! If you want help in delivering a consistent message across channels, give us a call. We stand ready to help your company tell its story in a strategic and measured way!