Marketers who sell highly considered products through direct channels or a sales force are experimenting with social media but struggle to show how it pays off in real business results. Large companies like Cisco Systems, HP, IBM, Microsoft, and SAP pour time; money; and resources into blogging, Twittering, shooting viral video, and setting up communities — fully expecting Web 2.0 tools like these to drive demand in 2010. Yet Forrester's research on social media best practices shows that marketers who start with the tactics and technology first fail to attract — and engage — buyers through social activity.
In this interactive full-day Workshop, learn how to use social media in your existing marketing strategy to build awareness, drive traffic, tap into real market issues, and energize your most loyal and enthusiastic customers. A solid social strategy — one that integrates both traditional and new digital approaches — helps B2B marketers improve the relationship between your firm and your buying communities and creates better business outcomes. Forrester analysts teach you concepts like the POST methodology for social media strategy and how to shift focus from traditional media to social media without losing ground. Then, apply this method along with social buyer behavior information gained in the Workshop through hands-on exercises with other attendees.
During this full day of presentations, hands-on exercises, and discussions, Forrester analysts teach you how to:
- Incorporate social media into your existing marketing program. Technology decision-makers continue to trust information sources that they have turned to for years — peers, Web sites, and publications. While it has yet to gain the same stature as many conventional channels enjoy, social media's use and influence is growing. Forrester expects these emerging channels to accelerate, and this Workshop teaches you how to bring these tactics into your toolbox and use them to complement traditional channels.
- Determine the right participation patterns for your audience. Buyer social activity changes as the purchase process progresses. By modeling behavior, marketers can design engagement opportunities that account for buyer movement up and down the Social Technographics® ladder. Marketers learn how to correlate social activity with progression through the buying process and how to create multiple participation points that move the buying process along.
- Sell social media internally, and show real business value. Many marketers are excited at the prospect of incorporating social media into their marketing portfolio but are faced with executives and regulatory climates that are far less welcoming. Through the course of the day we tackle these issues, focusing on how to sell a social media strategy to internal stakeholders and how to follow through with real value.
- Prepare your organization for participation and criticism. Encouraging social community participation is an inexact, unclear process so expect mistakes and painful lessons. This Workshop examines how to deal with negative comments, accept them, and create processes for addressing issues in a way that balances open communication with profitable business goals.
Who Should Attend?
- CMOs or VPs of marketing selling primarily to other businesses
- Directors and senior directors of marketing or customer service
- Marketing managers: field, corporate, or industry
- Community managers
- Sales; eCommerce; and other executives, directors, or managers involved with companywide customer community initiatives
Why Attend?
- Learn what makes social media effective in the marketing mix and how to measure this activity in business results.
- Learn social media marketing concepts and methodologies that you can use at your firm. Apply these concepts through hands-on exercises.
- Step back from your day-to-day activities to invent breakthrough strategies.
- Develop action plans to bring back to your company.
- Connect with other Forrester clients who are interested in social media marketing initiatives.