Digital Direction – Taking Business to the Next Level

Love it or hate it, social media cannot be ignored in the B2B world. But it must be strategic, or you’re wasting your time and resources. So don’t follow the social media herd, creating Twitter and Facebook pages because “everyone else is.” Take the time to identify and utilize the one or two strategies that can truly help make your business more competitive and you more prominent.  C. Pharr is helping clients define tailored “social media roadmaps” to determine which digital platforms are best, from blogging, community building and e-newsletters to Facebook and YouTube. There is no magic bullet in B2B social media, but there’s always room for some form of digital direction in every PR program. 

While social media engagement is obvious for the B2C world, B2B is still struggling to find its voice and best medium online. This is just one of the myriad of reasons why so many B2B company blogs, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter pages now look like a ghost town. You’ve heard it before – the key is strategy and outlining your goals. To start, many credible, well-known business publications have joined the social chatter. Business and trade journalists are flocking to social media sites to dig for story ideas and trends, mass-distribute their latest article, or simply to find expert sources. They are using social media as a competitive tool to remain in front of their audience 24/7 while making valuable connections online. B2B should take this same approach and determine which digital strategy works best for them.

For instance, some C. Pharr clients have learned the value of increasing their LinkedIn presence to stand out among competitors. Beyond using it as a recruitment tool, some are using it to stay in touch with a distributed workforce and make valuable connections online, yielding increased business referrals. For others, we are using different digital channels to amplify a client’s message or their most recent deal. Clients are no longer at the mercy of the media to broadcast their news. Social media has changed the game, enabling businesses to self-promote their news and serve as their own digital news channel.  This ability to remain top-of-mind as clients and prospective clients encounter your message in different outlets and multiple mediums, helps propel your business in front of the competition.

Our clients have leveraged social media, taking a traditional media relations approach and integrating a social media component for each news item. The key to standing out from the competition isn’t about pumping out “x” number of Tweets per day so you can say you’re “social.” It’s about generating relevant information your clients are passionate about so they actually pay attention and are actively engaged with your news and share it with their own networks.  During the social media bootcamps we lead for business and consumer brands, C. Pharr teaches clients to use social media as just one more tool in their marketing arsenal to stay at the forefront of competition. We always pair it with a traditional media relations campaign while utilizing digital connections as a tool to attract new clients (and media attention – of course!) while reinforcing client retention. 

As another year approaches, so does the onslaught of social media tools and apps that will be touted as the next “big thing.”  We are busy strategizing about what social media approach makes sense for our clients while staying in front of the social media herd.  The question remains, what’s next for social media, especially for B2B, and how do we compete? If I had a crystal ball I would tell you video is next and will soon be commonplace in robust communication and marketing strategies. C. Pharr is steadily guiding clients to identify video opportunities to build upon their thought leadership platforms and social media networking. Staying at the forefront of this trend will help our clients remain competitive in 2013.

This blog post was contributed by Leah Ekmark Williams @leahcpc

Digital Direction – Taking Business to the Next Level

C. Suite Strategies – How Competitive are You?

We chose “competitiveness” as the theme of our Fall 2012 newsletter. For most of us in business, it’s one of the key questions on our minds – “How can I become or stay competitive in an increasingly challenging and changing business environment?” A concern for the competitiveness of our businesses underlies every conversation, whether we’re talking about the U. S. national debt, impact of social media or threats from globalization.

Now that the U.S. presidential election is over, most business leaders are trying to figure out what the “new normal” will mean and how it will impact our ability to compete. The phrase “fiscal cliff” is on everyone’s lips and is expected to present the first opportunity for our elected leadership to demonstrate whether they can compromise and find solutions or whether last year’s stalemate will be next year’s disaster.

At the heart of the “fiscal cliff” debate is the national debt, its drag on our economy and inhibitor of America’s global leadership. How can America be a respected global leader if we cannot manage our own finances? How can our businesses be competitive at home and abroad if we are buried with egregious taxes, crippled with expensive mandates and smothered with anti-competitive regulations?

Renowned Harvard professor Michael Porter is leading a prestigious team in devising a plan to “rescue American’s economy.” Porter’s team believes it is completely wrong for most debates on the U. S. economy to focus primarily on action by the federal government. Hmmm. Not sure I’m buying that.

In this project to identify America’s competitiveness, Porter’s “all-star team” is working on a rescue plan for the U. S. economy. The team notes three major ways businesses can lead in restoring America’s competitiveness.

First, pursue productivity. We are encouraged to run our operations well, drawing on unique American strengths. But that may not always mean keeping all operations in the United States. 

Second, improve the communities that surround our businesses. We should appreciate the importance of the local business environment and do what we can to strengthen our communities by helping improve skills, upgrading supporting industries, supporting entrepreneurship and innovation and boosting regional strength.

Third, rein in self-interest. We are encouraged to pursue policies that improve the American business environment, rather than those that are purely self-serving. The tax code, described as a “rat’s nest of earmarks and subsidies in the federal budget,” needs to be simplified and constructed with an eye toward the common good of the economy.

Read the entire article here. 

In summary, Porter’s Competitiveness Team encourages business leaders to lead in regaining competitiveness rather than wait for Washington.

I’m willing to do my part. I just hope that Professor Porter’s team and all of us business leaders will be able to inspire our elected officials to act as statesmen rather than politicians, and work together toward the health of America – economic and otherwise. 

Let’s hope our leaders step up, figure out how to put partisanship aside and set a direction for our country that will put the United States back on a path of free enterprise-driven prosperity. 

If stepped up PR, social media or marketing can help strengthen the competitiveness of your business, let’s talk. We’re helping numerous clients with powerful social media strategies and integrated communications campaigns that drive business results. Maybe we could help you.

This post was contributed by Cynthia Pharr Lee.

C. Suite Strategies – How Competitive are You?