#socialauthority - CrowdChat

Content Marketing

How to enlist SMEs for Content Marketing Success

#socialauthority @profitecture @robinscharpf marketing b2b socialmedia

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#socialauthoritySocial Media: Getting StartedHear answers to frequently asked questions when #B2B SMEs get started with #socialmedia?

#socialauthoritySocial Media MarketingHow to integrate social media into your marketing strategy.

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We're nearing the final minutes of today's #crowdchat. Please feel free to ask a question or share other key lessons about #SMEs for #contentmarketing

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Question - I don't have a huge pool of SMEs to pull from. How do you identify new potential SMEs in an organization?

I just want to emphasize the value of injecting a little friendly competition. The panelists shared some great stories about how that has worked for them.

.@kaseyastevens consider analysts or experts at partners, possibly customers

Mimi Murray Meagher

If you are not enlisting your #SMEs to become champions for your brand, perhaps it is time you do! #SocialSMEs

@kaseyastevens Have you tried customer svc reps, sales engineers, etc?

victoriabsocial

@pgillin I like the leaderboards @dynamic_signal uses

@PaulKrappman We've already identified our Sales Engineers, but only have 3 to pull from there. ;)

@kaseyastevens everyone is an SME in their own particular area. Look at everyone as potential expt.

@kaseyastevens How about your execs?

Lynn Preste McGinnis

No one is off limits for me. Everyone has a story to tell.

@PaulKrappman Clearly they are near the top of my list. :D

victoriabsocial

@kaseyastevens Who are the brand advocates now? The champions or fans or just people who know and love the brand. See what they have to offer.

@denisebahs Good point. @SharonHDS said she tries to develop ambassadors into SMEs!

@kaseyastevens They might require a bit more handholding, but they can also open the floodgates

@LynnAMcG Yes. Story-telling is so important.

A6: who does the speaking at sessions? good SME idea.

victoriabsocial

Yeah, @PaulKrappman - we know the value of a social CEO ... they can help set the tone and show the value.

Q5: What are common metrics for measuring success of SMEs participation in your #contentmarketing program?

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A5: like, favorites, comments, shares, etc. If your content is engaging, then people will want to "interact" with it.

Mimi Murray Meagher

Click throughs, RT's, #of views.

victoriabsocial

A5: Are your experts being invited to speak or contribute to blogs and participate in influencer programs?

A5: Obvious 1's r followers, engagements... But add a tool like @dynamic_signal & u can tie closer to $$

A5: As @sharonhds says, keep track of mentions and RT rather than impressions.

victoriabsocial

A5: How far is your content reaching? Is it generating leads that can be tracked to conversion?

Mimi Murray Meagher

Don't forget video!

A5: And @jimcahill talked about blogging as an inbound marketing tool.

@denisebahs Impressions are evil! An archaic holdover of the print/broadcast era.

A5: And @pgillin always says the shelf life of a blog post is long. View a year later. :)

Conversion rates of web visits to leads, leads to sales

@denisebahs It's true. Bloggers will tell you that posts from two years ago are still some of their most popular

victoriabsocial

A5: I like to think of content as breadcrumbs, so SMEs are people out there laying the path that leads people to choose your company.

A5 Engagement is like a drug. Once people see others engaging with their content, they want to do more.

Q2: Let's start with "It's not my job (#contentmarketing); how do you change a SMEs mind?

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A2: Yell at them and tell them it is too their job. #kidding

I see @PaulKrappman is jumping ahead. Tsk Tsk

A2: u can't force anyone, they must be inspired. So showing them who they can have an impact.

Stephanie Dobyns

A2) Incentives. If you connect them to other great thought leaders and explain the influence to their #personalbrand it becomes clear.

@stephaniedobyns Yes! I loved the example of shadowing CEO for a day as an incentive.

A2: Seriously though...It actually helps their job - better relationship to customers, better data

Mimi Murray Meagher

Show the #SMEs how they can be champions for your brand! #SocialSMEs

Is it ever appropriate to pay SMEs?

I don't think payment is appropriate. They are already being paid to be an SME, and I think providing thought leadership is part of their paid job already. ;)

A2: Those types of rewards don't work as well as things like career path incentives. ie. shadowing

Mentors and metrics are good tools for getting SMEs on board for #contentmarkwting

A2: It's part of the work....roll it into the job description and make it fun

Mimi Murray Meagher

@profitecture try to encourage participation in other ways like a contest or points system! SocialSMEs

Simply setting expectations can go a long way too

@SandyRikkers Make it fun! YES!

@profitecture Everyone benefits from better customer relationships - an extra spiff is too short-sighted.

A2 It should be everybody's job to be close to customers. It helps if the CEO is on the one saying that, BTW.

@RobinScharpf I agree that setting expectations can have an impact. It should be a general expectation that they provide input and content and drive awareness.

Lynn Preste McGinnis

Make it fun, provide suggestions for topics to get the ball rolling.

@kaseyastevens The panelists all agreed that payment is a bad idea. Gamification is great, though.

@LynnAMcG Do you have examples of making it fun for SMEs?

@denisebahs Yes, I loved the shadowing idea, too. Or maybe just lunch with the CEO, a chance to get a message across.

Lynn Preste McGinnis

@profitecture Making it fun. We joke, a lot. So I work with that. Write me something funny - support stories, failures, family, etc.

@LynnAMcG great reminder to embrace personality of team