By Katrina Olson
This article originally appeared on tedmag.com on April 22, 2016.
At last year’s NAED AdVenture marketing conference, a whopping 60 percent of attendees were female, and approximately 43 percent were under age 36.
Contrast that with the demographics of electrical contractors.
The average age of the electrical contractor is 56.2, according to Electrical Contractor magazine’s 2014 Profile of the Electrical Contractor. And you probably won’t be surprised to learn that women hold only one percent of all electrician jobs, according to 2009 Census data.
“How do I market to people who are very different from me?”
A good marketer gets to know their customers, inside and out—who they are, what keeps them up at night, and how they make decisions. By understanding customers’ concerns, buying habits, attitudes, preferences and behaviors, you’ll get a feel for what kinds of media and messages they’ll respond to. Along the way, you’ll also learn about trends in their businesses and industry.
“How do I learn more about my customers?”
Following are seven ways you can find out what makes your customers tick. Some are pretty easy; others are more involved. But all should yield valuable insights..
1. Read your customers’ trade publications.
Most industries have trade association and publications. Health Facilities Management, Facilities Manger, Facility Management Decisions, Electrical Contractor, and Buildings and Electrical Contractor are just a few.
2. Join online groups.
Is there a LinkedIn group or social media platform where your customers and prospects hang out? Observe without participating or commenting to learn what’s important to them.
3. Ask your salespeople.
If you can’t talk directly to customers, talk to those who do. Counter staff, inside sales, outside sales, and customer service representatives can give you insight into what your customers care about.
4. Attend company events.
Get out from behind your desk or computer and attend counter days, workshops, training sessions, and other opportunities to get to know your customers. Try to uncover your customers’ hot buttons and pain points.
5. Contact customers directly.
Call or email some of your key customers and ask specific questions—like how they want to learn about new products and services. Or take them out to lunch. Explain that you want to better understand their business so you can better serve them.
6. Conduct a short survey.
Curious about what media your customers are consuming? Want to know what social media platforms they’re using? Wondering how much they use their smartphones? Ask them!
7. Host a focus group or customer advisory council.
To get honest feedback about what your customers think, conduct a focus group or establish a customer advisory council that meets every year. Rotate members out every few years to get fresh perspectives. (To make sure you get candid comments, hire an outside facilitator and leave the room.)
How can I apply this knowledge to be a better marketer?
Here’s an example. The electrical contractor’s role is evolving as they become more heavily involved in design and specification. Also, building systems are becoming more integrated and interdependent, using data hubs that communicate with each other. All systems are tied together; so all the products must be compatible with each other.
As a result, electrical contractors may look to you for comprehensive solutions, not just individual products. Electrical contractors will also rely more heavily on the electrical distributor’s expertise to help them choose the right products for both new and existing systems.
This knowledge should change the way you position and brand your company, and the way your salespeople are trained, too. Instead of just selling and marketing products, you’re marketing your staff’s expertise and product knowledge.
The trick is putting yourself in your customer’s and prospect’s shoes. That means not just understanding their wants and needs—but speaking their language. That takes a little more practice. But the more research you do, the easier it gets.
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Olson is a marketing and public relations consultant, and principal of Katrina Olson Strategic Communications. She has written for tED magazine’s print edition since 2005, judged tED magazine’s Best of the Best Competition since 2006, and emceed the Best of the Best Awards ceremony for a total of seven years. She can be reached at Katrina@katrinaolson.com or via her website at katrinaolson.com
We’ve been hearing for years that “content is king.” But in case you still need persuading, following are some statistics from the Content Marketing Institute’s “2016 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends—North American” annual content marketing survey released in September 2015:
- 88% of business-to-business marketers use content marketing (but only 32% have a documented content marketing strategy).
- 76% of B2B marketers say they will generate more content in 2016.
- 94% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn as part of their content strategy. Other popular platforms include Twitter (87%), Facebook (84%), YouTube (74%) and Google+ (62%).
- The top two most outsourced content marketing activities are writing (44%) and design (41%). (LinkedIn Technology Marketing Community)
“So what, exactly is content marketing?”
A 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, do drive profitable customer action.”
Anyone can do content marketing! In fact, 51% of the Content Marketing Institute’s study respondents had fewer than 100 employees. Content marketing includes:
- social media content
- case studies
- blogs
- eNewsletters
- in-person events
- articles on your website
- videos
- illustrations/photos
- white papers
- infographics
- webinars/webcasts
- online presentations
- research reports
- microsites/separate websites or hubs
- branded content tools
- ebooks
- print magazines
- books
- digital magazines
- mobile apps
- virtual conferences
- podcasts
- print newsletters
“What platforms should I use?”
In answer to the question, “How effective are the social media platforms your organization uses?” the study revealed the following:
- LinkedIn was most effective at 66% (up 2% from the previous year)
- Twitter came it second at 55% (same as previous year)
- YouTube was rated third at 51% in terms of effectiveness
- SlideShare (41%)
- Facebook (30%; down slightly from the previous year)
- Instagram (22%)
- Pinterest (20%)
- Google+ (13%)
When asked, “Which content offers does your organization ask its audience to subscribe to?” respondents reported primarily eNewsletters (72%) and blogs (56%). So don’t rule out the power of permission-based or opt-in content.
“How much should I spend on content marketing?”
The average proportion of the total marketing budget spent on content marketing was 28%. There was a positive correlation between budget allocated and effectiveness with the most effective marketers allocating 42% on content marketing, up from 37% the previous year. Just over half of B2B marketers surveyed planned to increase their content marketing spending over the next year.
“Why should I bother? It sounds like a lot of work.”
When you deliver high quality, relevant and engaging content to the right audience, you’ll increase leads generated, sales, brand awareness, engagement and customer retention and loyalty. In turn, those loyal customers will also advocate for you and refer you business. The key is a documented strategy that you consistently execute and measure to make sure you’re achieving your content strategy goals.
“How do I get started with content marketing?”
The easiest way is to start simply.Step 1: Choose a platform where you know your audience is actively participating. I chose LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook—the three places you can find these articles every week.
Step 2: Set a calendar but be flexible. I publish weekly because I enjoy writing them and I have (or make) the time.
Step 3: Search for topic ideas. Attend webinars. Read publications, blogs, white papers, and trade magazines to see what’s trending in your industry. Ask vendors, suppliers, distributors, customers, salespeople, and counter people what questions they frequently get asked or what people are talking about. If that’s not convenient, join LinkedIn groups or survey other social media platforms to see what people in your audience are talking about.
Step 4: Commit. Just do it! Set aside time in your schedule to get it done. You’ll be energized and excited to keep it up when that first lead or project comes in because of your efforts.
“I don’t have time and writing is not really my thing.”
No problem. Fortunately for you, content strategy and writing is my thing. I love learning about new industries and coming up with new content ideas. Just a couple of weeks ago I was writing about legislation affecting the transportation and logistics industry. I’d love to work with you.
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Katrina Olson is a marketing and public relations consultant, freelance writer, training/coach, former college professor, and principal of Katrina Olson Strategic Communications. She can be reached at 217-721-1679, katrina@katrinaolson.com or via her website at katrinaolson.com.