How Marketing Can Make Social Media Easy for the B2B Sales Team

@markeelliott @sambrennand @vapartners

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How Marketing Can Make Social Media Easy for the B2B Sales Team

September 23rd, 2013

@markeelliott @sambrennand @vapartners

#smwB2BSalesJoin the Conversation:

Agenda

1 Introductions

45

LinkedIn

Twitter

3 Finding The Right Platforms

2 Why Use Social Media for Sales?7 Creating a Plan

9 Additional Resources

8 Taking Relationships Offline

6 How Marketing Can Make It Easy

@markeelliott @sambrennand @vapartners

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• Marketing Manager, Venture Accelerator Partners

• B2B marketing and sales roles with TELUS and Microsoft Canada

Introductions

• Co-Founder, Venture Accelerator Partners

• 10 years at a Fortune 500 company in various sales, marketing, and leadership roles

Mark Elliott Sam Brennand• Outsourced sales,

marketing, and social media services for growing companies

• Worked with dozens of companies and driven millions of dollars in revenues

VA Partners

@markeelliott @sambrennand @vapartners

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• Competitive intelligence

• Account management

• Prospecting• Stay top of mind• Demonstrating

subject matter expertise

Why Use Social Media for Sales?

@markeelliott @sambrennand @vapartners

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Where Do You Stand?

LinkedIn’s ‘Social Selling’ Spectrum:

@markeelliott @sambrennand @vapartners

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• Where are your customers and partners?

• How do they like to get information?

• Don’t spread yourself too thin

• Maximize your ROI

Which Platform Works for You?

@markeelliott @sambrennand @vapartners

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Why LinkedIn?

Source: TechVibes

Source: Carabiner PR

Why Twitter?

85%82%

77%36%

71%

@markeelliott @sambrennand @vapartners

#smwB2BSalesJoin the Conversation:

• Create great content that solves your customers’ problems• Consistent blogging• White papers• eBooks• Case studies• Videos• Webinars• Events

How Can Marketing Help?

@markeelliott @sambrennand @vapartners

#smwB2BSalesJoin the Conversation:

• Make it easy• Start small• Use free (or nearly free)

tools• Create lists• Schedule and send

reminders• Keep it simple and

consistent on social platforms

• Create easy to follow best practice documents

How Can Marketing Help?

@markeelliott @sambrennand @vapartners

#smwB2BSalesJoin the Conversation:

• Sales enablement with social media• Set an example• Help sales understand customers by sharing social insights• Set activity targets• Put sales reps on a pedestal • Measure results• Training sessions

How Can Marketing Help?

@markeelliott @sambrennand @vapartners

#smwB2BSalesJoin the Conversation:

• Solicit the sales team’s feedback• Weekly/monthly meetings• Compile customer stories• Celebrate and promote social selling success stories

How Can Marketing Help?

@markeelliott @sambrennand @vapartners

#smwB2BSalesJoin the Conversation:

LinkedIn: The Basics

Link to Company

Page

Photo

Complete Profile

Join Groups

@markeelliott @sambrennand @vapartners

#smwB2BSalesJoin the Conversation:

• Make connections with existing accounts

• Watch for profile changes

• Add 1 connection a day

• Update status• ‘Like’ posts• Participate in groups• Answer questions

Account Management with LinkedIn

@markeelliott @sambrennand @vapartners

#smwB2BSalesJoin the Conversation:

• Leverage 2nd Connections

• Company Page• Connections• Company Details

• Searches• Company• Contacts

• inMail• Who’s looking at you?• Always connect

LinkedIn Prospecting

@markeelliott @sambrennand @vapartners

#smwB2BSalesJoin the Conversation:

• Completed profile, with picture

• Create lists• 3rd Party Sources• Company• Prospects• Customers• Competitors

• Create searches• Use tools

• Web• Mobile

Twitter: The Basics

@markeelliott @sambrennand @vapartners

#smwB2BSalesJoin the Conversation:

• Use it every day• Follow before

engaging• RT is powerful• Events and ‘#’• Don’t be afraid to

connect with an @reply, but don’t pester

Using Twitter

@markeelliott @sambrennand @vapartners

#smwB2BSalesJoin the Conversation:

• Set aside time regularly

• Set goals • Connect• Everyone loves a

RT/Share• Don’t just share your

info• Create lists• Help others

Creating a Plan

@markeelliott @sambrennand @vapartners

#smwB2BSalesJoin the Conversation:

• Find the connectors• Meet at events• Ask new connections

for a coffee or a call• Review older

connections and schedule meetings

• Offer to help before you ask for anything

Taking Relationships Offline

@markeelliott @sambrennand @vapartners

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@B2BspecialistLinkedin Group

Great Resources

@aprildunford @markevans@CopywriterTO @MaRSDD

@james_t_shanks

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@markeelliott

Connect With Us

@sambrennand

@MaRSDD