creating the right market message for a u.s. b2b audience
DESCRIPTION
Presentation on May 22nd at Asharqia Chamber (of Commerce), Dammam, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Workshop titled "How to Export to the USA" with an audience of Saudi SMB executives.TRANSCRIPT
May 22, 2013
Creating the Right Market Message for a U.S. B2B Audience
Edward F Dixon
Partner/SVP, FleishmanHillard Middle East-Saudi Arabia
All information © FleishmanHillard unless otherwise attributed
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Agenda
What we’ll cover:
• US Business Landscape Insights
• Managing Your US Reputation
• B2B Communication for Business Impact
• The Digital Advantage
• Use the font Calibri
• Use the fewest words possible in bullets
• Put info in the notes, not on the slides
— Keep text size at least 16 pt for presenting on-screen
US Business Landscape Insights
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US Market Risks
“Global Report: Turn risks and opportunities into results”– Ernst & Young, 2011
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US Market Opportunities
“Global Report: Turn risks and opportunities into results”– Ernst & Young, 2011
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BUSINESS CULTURAL GEOGRAPHIC
• Financial anxiety
• Product safety & quality
• Transparency
• Sustainability
Business, Cultural, Geographic Insights
• Digital is ubiquitous – your customers are also consumers
• Extreme cultural diversity
• “Buy American”
• China effect
• Activist consumers
• Local vs. national mindset
• Industry pockets
• No geographies – digital communities
• 24x7 customer service
Managing Your US Reputation
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FleishmanHillard’s approach: Brand and Reputational Alignment
Organizations must understand and manage the visibility and authenticity of their actions with the experiences and expectations of their important audiences.
B R AN D What you say and how you behave
R E P U TAT I O N Shared perceptions
of all audiences
E X P E R I E N C E
E X P E C TAT I O N S V I S I B I L I T Y
AU T H E N T I C I T Y
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Authenticity
Authentic Engagement Managing alignment between brand and reputation to achieve more successful business results Authenticity Gap The divide between consumers expectations and their experiences
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The Nine Drivers of Authenticity
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Competitive Advantage
Stability
Price advantage
Companies with better reputations: • Command premium prices
• Pay lower prices
• Entice top recruits
• Have more stable revenues
• Face fewer risks of crisis
• Experience greater loyalty, internally and externally
• Are given greater latitude by constituents: opportunity to operate
• Have higher market valuation and stock prices
• Have greater loyalty of investors, less stock price volatility
Paul Argenti, Tuck School, Dartmouth June 2008
Reputation Advantages
B2B Communication for Business Impact
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Essential Ingredients
New solutions, expanding opportunities, call to action– not just about the company
Comments on current issues and events
Developments about the company, division products, process or people
NEWS EXPERTISE
LEADERSHIP
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Effective Communication
• Advances business goals
• Empowers friends & neutralizes adversaries
• Increases freedom to operate
• Builds and protects reputation
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Which Influencers Matters?
Government officials • Multiple levels
Labor unions • Not monolithic
Environmentalists • Moderates and Radicals
Policy advocates • Friends and adversaries
Thought leaders • Think tanks and academics
• Analysts
Delivering your message
P E S O
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The Opportunity is with US Trade Media
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The New Audience
Customer control • When, where and how they access information
Instant gratification • Search as a cultural phenomenon
Emigration away from mainstream media • Looking for specialized, not generalized content
Niche communities • People seek out those in-the-know or in a similar circumstance
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Targeting Vertical Industries: Trade Shows
• Go where the customers are
• Face to face engagement lends credibility
• Leverage existing customers & channel partners
• Spokesperson interviews (CEO)
• Leverage trade-specific media
• Use new technologies & social media
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Sharing Valuable Content
SlideShare
• YouTube of presentations
• 25 million monthly visitors
• Viral via LinkedIn and Facebook
• Branded business channels
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The Digital Advantage
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The New Math: New Influencers and the Value of One
Organization
• Old Marketing: Broadcasting to 1,000,000 to engage 100
• New Marketing: Engaging the right 10 people who reach 1,000 who influence 10,000
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Small Business Marketer Resources
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Join, Borrow or Build
Percentage of B2B Small Business Marketers Who Use various Social Media Platforms to Distribute Content
(Content Marketing Institute)
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Borrow: American Express OPEN Forum
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Build: CAT Online Community
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Search
• C-Suite (over-50-US) use search to help make decisions
Video
• 75MM people watch online videos daily
• YouTube has > 1B unique users per month
• 72 hours of video uploaded every minute
Don’t Forget
Source: Forbes Insights, “The Rise of the Digital C-Suite: How Executives Locate and Filter Business Information” Report, June 2009
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1) Understand your customer needs and challenges, and provide authentic engagement
2) Go where your customers are – physically or virtually
3) Don’t build communication tools if you don’t’ have to
4) Targeted, focused media is possible and effective in reaching US businesses
5) Digital gives you a powerful way to reach across geographies
Five Key Takeaways
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Resources
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com
• Inc. Magazine: www.inc.com
• American Express Open Forum: www.openforum.com
• Small Business Learning Center: www.sba.gov
• Fast Company: www.fastcompany.com
• SlideShare: www.slideshare.com
• Content Marketing Institute: www.contentmarketinginstitute.com
Edward F. Dixon [email protected] +966 55 193 7407