It’s not information overload.
CLAY SHIRKY
It’s filter failure.
ConnectPlus IP VPNDigital Marketing Presentation
Author: Kunal Robert | Date: 13th November 2014
Contents
Objective
Target Group
Landscape
Research
Strategy
Ideas
Annexures
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Objective
Increase brand awareness and top-of-mind recall for SingTel’s ConnectPlus IP VPN product within the target group
Position SingTel as a leading partner for connectivity in the APAC region
Target Group
Chief Information Officers (CIOs)
Network Managers
Decision makers in buying IT (Connectivity) related products in MNCs across the APAC region.
Landscape
SingTel Consumer Services
WEBSITE FACEBOOK LINKEDIN
TWITTER YOUTUBE GOOGLE+
SingTel Business Services
WEBSITE YOUTUBE LINKEDIN GROUP - HK
LINKEDIN GROUP - CHINAMYBUSINESS - FACEBOOKMYBUSINESS WEBSITE
AIRTEL - INDIA VODAFONE - INDIA TELSTRA - AUSTRALIA
AIS - THAILANDSTARHUB - SINGAPORENTT - JAPAN
Competition in APAC
OPTUS - AUSTRALIA VIRGIN - UK O2 - UK
VERIZON - USAAT&T - USALEVEL 3 - USA
Competition Globally
SINGAPORE SINGAPORE INDIA INDIA AUSTRALIA AUSTRALIA THAILAND JAPAN UK UK USA USA
Competition Evaluation – APAC & Global
ONLY TELECOM BUSINESS AND ENTERPRISE ASSETS WERE EVALUATED
Observations
• Facebook hasn’t found significance in any business/enterprise’s content strategy
• Twitter is being used extensively in the western markets but adoption in Asia is still nascent
• LinkedIn as a medium has wider acceptance across the board
• YouTube appears to be the platform of choice for most brands in this space but is highly underutilized
Research & Findings
Finding #1
“CIO’s are a heterogeneous group – diverse in characteristics and needs.”
“Treating the CIO buyer as a single, homogeneous demographic is a ridiculously ineffective and costly way to build relationships and drive revenue growth”
– Firebrick ConsultingWhitepaper: “Fortune 500 CIO” Is Not a Target Market (2012)
In their own words
“If a sales rep wants to connect with me, he needs to do his homework and know what business I am in, what problems I likely have, and uncover my needs and only then should he pitch a product that solves a specific problem for me.”
– Walt Thinfen, VP & CIO, Visoneer (California, USA)Source: www.aventigroup.com
“Please don’t try to sell restaurant point of sale software to me. I’m not the CIO for an Iron Chef.”
“…focus on your audience. Do your research on who we are, and what our companies do. If you help us see ‘what’s in it for us’ then I’m certain the results will show.”
– Guest CIOSource: www.sellingtothecio.com
Finding #2“86% of IT buyers are using social media networks and content in their purchase decision process”
“Social networks and communities are one of the first places that B2B buyers look to for general education as they make an IT investment.”
It is no longer enough for vendors to only be involved in one community or in one social network; they should have a social mix using Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn (the top four social networks that buyers look to for decision making).
– IDG ConnectResearch: Connecting Conversations to Content (2014)
The B2B Social Buyer
The B2B Social Buyers are young senior executives with clout, mostly under 40 decision makers in IT. They spend more time consuming content than their traditional counterparts.
“B2B Social Buyers and Traditional Buyers consume information differently.”
– ITSMASurvey: How Buyers Consume Information (2012-13)
Finding #3
The buying process may begin on Google, but it ends with a person
– ITSMASurvey: How Buyers Consume Information (2012-13)
The Path to Purchase
Awareness Consideration Purchase Retention Advocacy
Digital Touch-points in the Path to Purchase
Search & DisplayE-mailers
Branded Content
Social Networks
WebsiteBlogs
ForumsGoogle Hangouts
Professional Communities
Content is at the heart of it all
Digital Strategy & Framework
Unique & Individually
Diverse
Content Hungry
Necessitating Human
Connection
INSIGHTS
Personalised/ Customised
Solutions
SME / Thought Leadership
Bridge Online-Offline
Hyper-targeting, Curated Content
Social Channels Content Strategy,
Whitepapers, Quora
E-trade shows, Webinars leading to offline events
SOLUTIONSCHALLENGESTA
RG
ET G
RO
UP
PAID
EARNED
SOCIAL
OWNED
EMBASSIESFacebookLinkedInTwitterYouTubeGoogle+
DIGITAL PROPERTIESWebsiteBlogThe Hub
OUTPOSTSBlogosphereForums
ADVERTISINGSearch & DisplayEmailers
INFLUENCER ENGAGEMENTSME InteractionThought LeadershipAdvocacy
CONTENTSocial EngagementQuora AnswersLinkedIn Custom Groups
The POEM Framework
Search Engine Optimization
Wk1 Wk2 Wk3 Wk4 Wk5 Wk6 Wk7 Wk8
CONTENT STRATEGY
MEDIA STRATEGY
INFLUENCER OUTREACH
CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT
COMPANY PAGESHOWCASE PAGECUSTOM GROUPS
Indicative Deployment Roadmap
SingTel Business – Social Channels
MEDIA ROLLOUT
Ideas
Idea 1: Inbound
THE HUB
A content marketing engine to keep the conversation and engagement going within CIOs and Network Managers through a sustainable model.
THE HUB
WHITEPAPERS
CASE STUDIES
CURATED CONTENT
WEBINARS
GOOGLE HANGOUT with SMEs
BRANDED CONTENT
THE HUB
A platform for CIOs and Network Managers to discuss and solve their biggest challenges in an interactive, engaging medium.
LinkedIn CUSTOM GROUP
LinkedIn SHOWCASE
PAGE
The community can be facilitated using LinkedIn B2B solutions like Custom Groups and Showcase Page
ibmbigdatahub.com
LinkedIn Features UsedCustom Group, Partner Messages, Join Group ads, Banners, Text Links, Video Units, Article Banners
HCL’s offline magazine called CIO Straight Talk created a highly engaged, invitation only, online community of senior IT professionals
The CIO ‘Straight Talk’ community
WEBSITE
LINKEDIN GROUP
CIO WEBINARS
Customers were recognized as practitioner thought leaders whose experience based insights have tremendous community value.
• 80% Director Level and above; 25% CXOs
• 70% from organisations with >10,000 employees
• 110+ Fortune 500 companies
• Warm leads generated from engagement activities
The CIO ‘Straight Talk’ community
Idea 2: Outbound
Hyper-Personalised Videos targeted to the top 500 CIOs and IT buyers across APAC
56% of Internet Users Have Searched for Themselves Online
– PEW Research, 2013Source: www.mashable.com
Step 1
We use this ‘Egosurfing’ characteristic of people and hyper-target the ‘First and Last Names’ of top 500 CIOs in APAC on Google, etc.
There will be virtually nil competition on these keywords.
Step 2
We develop customized videos of a SingTel Senior Executive inviting each individual CIO by name to a brunch/coffee
These are individually hyper-targeted to each CIO on Google, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Step 3
Create detailed industry-wise case study packets with video narratives + PDF bundle and target these to enterprise buyers in that category
Final Thoughts
Define a core content strategy for SingTel Business Services1
234 Develop elements like On-Demand Webinars,
Video Case Studies and Presentations
Establish Social Media Channels for SingTel Business on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Leverage unique tools such as LinkedIn Showcase Pages and Custom Groups to build and engage communities
If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter presentation.
MARK TWAIN
AppendixCase Studies & Research
PHILIPS B2B LinkedIn Case Study
WEBSITE LINKEDIN COMPANY PAGE LINKEDIN SHOWCASE PAGE
LINKEDIN CUSTOM GROUPLINKEDIN CUSTOM GROUPLINKEDIN CUSTOM GROUP
PHILIPS B2B – LINKEDIN CASE STUDY
• Partnered with LinkedIn to create active communities that have become online destinations for medical and lighting professionals worldwide
• Helped establish Philips as a partner in these fields of expertise amongst their key target audiences
• Globally active 30,000+ member communities representing 121 counties and a wide range of specialist fields
PHILIPS B2B – LINKEDIN CASE STUDY
Content Sources used in making Technology Purchase Decisions
Source: IDG Connect (2014)
Search, Social Networks, Professional Networks and Video Sharing Platforms are the preferred sources of content when making IT investment decisions.
Source: IDG Connect (2014)
Relative Importance of Content Sources for IT Investment Decisions
Social Content will soon be the dominant source in making IT investment decisions – ahead of Vendor or Editorial Content
Source: IDG Connect (2014)
Preferred Engagement Activities on Social for IT Buyers
Virtual Events (Webinars, E-Trade Shows), Expert Blogs and Forums are the most preferred engagement activities on social media for IT Buyers.
Source: IDG Connect (2014)
Buying Stages When Social Media Networks and Content Are Used
B2B Social Buyers andTraditional Buyers prefer different sources to consume content.
Social Buyers prefer Social Media and Email Newsletters over In-person Events.
Traditional Buyers prefer In-person Seminars, Conferences and Trade Shows over Social.