Our Partner Conference Marketing Roundtable Review

At our Partner Conference this year, we had a roundtable discussion about marketing. Here we are going to cover most of what we went over during the discussion, and throw in a couple little changes and links that we couldn’t remember off the top of our head. So whether you were apart of the discussion but want some notes, or you are just interested in the topic, here is the review of our Marketing Roundtable.

YouTube vs. Vimeo, which is better?

Neither of the two is really “better” than the other, we prefer YouTube mostly due to the familiarity we have and our customers have with the brand.

How did WAV make their promo video?

Shots were recorded with a MEVO camera and an iPhone (HOLD THE IPHONE SIDEWAYS WHEN RECORDING, NO ONE LIKES THE BLACK BARS ON THE SIDES).

Then put together on Adobe Premiere Pro. Lots of simple tutorials are online to get started and learn.

If concerned with monthly price, Premiere Elements 15 is a simplified version with just one cost. There is also a bundle with Photoshop Elements 15 (which is what we use for images and help in video editing).

Successful marketing against big companies:

People will want to buy from their local provider. Look to appeal to that. Be personable, and extend the advantages that you have over the big names. Remind them that there is no call center; everyone speaks to the same people every time. People like to buy from people. Let customers get to know your people, so when an issue arises, they know they need to talk to ____.

Tracking your analytics:

Google analytics is a useful tool

Lots of social media/site building site also have some analytics built in.

Pay per click/Post Boosting can be effective for targeting very specific people, just be sure to add a call to action so that you aren’t just paying for people to read your stuff, but for them to go to your site.

It helps to use an online marketing tool (see tools below) For example, if you use MailChimp, you can track analytics on your emails, such as… was the email opened? was it clicked through? did the email generate any revenue?

Read receipts on emails can also be helpful to know if you are getting through to people. This can be done with both outlook and gmail accounts.

Get people to your events:

Bribery. Incentives can be very powerful. You may want to go to them first, to create and build the relationship before they will come to you. Follow up with them often. Start 60 days out for time to get final head counts and awareness to grow.

Remember, what are you trying to achieve with this event? What goals will it help you hit?

Also remember to look into any state or local laws, which may apply to companies within the government and public safety sectors. Make sure you are within the regulations.

How do I get started on social media?

Share relevant content (see Social Media: What is appropriate content?). Use your employees to be your brand advocates. Encourage them to take pictures as well as come up with content. Incentivize them with your company’s SWAG, gift cards, whatever works. WAV does a social media raffle each month – every interaction on social media earns an entry into the raffle.

What channel is right for me?

LinkedIn: Good for B2B – more professional atmosphere.

Facebook: More casual, can be good for B2B or B2C. Allows for longer posts.

Twitter: most casual of all three channels.

Social Media: What is appropriate content?

Understand which customers/vendors use which platforms. Posting on all can still work but look to at least re-word the post in each platform.

Post your own content, but also share other content if you feel it is relevant to your customer base.

Be both promotional and educational.

If there are issues, tackle them head on. Be responsive when someone posts negative, and if issue is solved, either they will take it down or ask them to

Programs exist to do schedule postings, and some social media sites have that built in. Useful but also don’t forget to be responsive!

Post about your everyday stuff! It may seem boring to you, but it’s not to other people. Give them an “inside look”. Let your staff create content, task them with getting a picture, blog, etc. to give to you to post every so often.

How do I deal with negative feedback on my pages?

If there are issues, tackle them head on. Be responsive when someone posts negative, and if issue is solved, either they will take it down or ask them to

Free online marketing tools:

Free Stock Photos:   https://blog.snappa.com/free-stock-photos/

Email Marketing Tool:   https://mailchimp.com/

Social Media Scheduler:   https://hootsuite.com/

Free photo editing software:   https://photoeditor.polarr.co/