Like most service industries, over the past few years HVAC contractors have seen an explosion in online social directories like Angies List, ServiceMagic and InsiderPages.com. As these new social directories take hold, and consumers begin to learn from each other, share stories and rate contractors, their popularity has made other archaic directories like the yellow pages a thing of the past. In fact, according to a recent Decision Analyst study, the Yellow Pages have seen a decline in usage by more than 24% since 2002.

So are these new social directories the preferred advertising medium of the future? The jury is still out on that question. All of these companies are trying to capture that Holy Grail of endorsements that have traditionally only come from word-of-mouth opinions of family, friends, and co-workers. Have they successfully accomplished that…not yet.

Studies show that over 31% of respondents still report that they seek the advice of friends,
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Recent posts by Stacy Whisel and Jim Everhart provide good reasons WHY B2B marketers should consider adding social media to their marketing communications programs.

As we engage marketing people about B2B social media, the conversations usually starts with HOW, whether it's externally (the technologies and channels) or internally (the company policy that governs social media participation).

Both of these are important, but what tends to be a secondary conversation is WHAT should be communicated. Maybe that's assumed, although the "wild frontier" nature of social media brings with it a lack of focus, so we don't like to assume away the need for a solid messaging plan. It's an essential part of brand guardianship in the social media arena.

What's more, there isn't much conversation about how to ensure that core messaging is conveyed in an effective manner.
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I didn't mean to be anti-social. Really, I didn't. 

I shut down my Twitter and Facebook accounts recently because I was failing to maintain these on-line representations of me, a B2B marketing and PR professional, in a way that was adding value. In fact I was hardly maintaining them at all. And that's not the way to be social these days, much less helpful. So, I've temporarily unplugged. (Oh, not entirely. I kept my LinkedIn page up and even updated my profile a bit, but that's beside the point).

The point, as my 20-something reverse mentor tells me, is to get and stay engaged. "Commit to 10 to 20 minutes a day," she said. I know she's right. And I know it's a bit early for a New Year's resolution, but I think I have one already. It's a matter of see and be seen, listen and contribute, or risk irrelevancy.

In an impressive study released today, Business.com reports about
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Last week Google announced that they will be including tweets in their search results, and will be building a real-time search that includes Twitter and other providers.

What does that mean to a B2B company looking to optimize their web site for search? While the details of how tweets will be incorporated into Google results are yet to be determined, it is becoming clear that B2B marketers cannot dismiss social networking mediums like Twitter.

The Pew Internet and American Life Project recently released survey results reporting that 19% of internet users now say they use Twitter or another service to share updates about themselves, or to see updates about others.

The Google announcement is yet another reason to consider
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As social media continues to make inroads into the B2B universe, more companies are including blogs as a communications tactic. According to the Society for New Communications Research, 16 percent of Fortune 500 companies support a corporate blog while Forrester Research reports the number is closer to 29 percent. Both reports are one to two years old so I suspect the numbers are much higher today.

As acceptance of blogging continues to grow I thought it might be helpful to give some advice on how to create and maintain a company blog. This is the first of several blogs, each focusing on a specific topic.

Let’s start at the beginning. You’ve decided to create a blog but are faced with two important questions:
1.    Who should write the blog?
2.    How often should you post?

Some companies are fortunate and have an “industry expert” on staff, someone with broad industry
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The growth of social media is explosive. And, if you are thinking about participating in social media, your brand strategy is more important than ever. Social media gives your employees a direct line of communication to your audience. Do your employees understand your brand? Are they able to communicate with your audience in a way that is both engaging and reflective of the company brand?

As you start planning for 2010 and consider engaging in social media, an organizational assessment might be a wise investment. An organizational assessment can determine if there is congruence between employee opinions and your company’s brand values. High congruence = a strong brand that is lived by employees. This process will identify those employees that are most aligned with the brand, and therefore most likely to successfully represent your brand through social media. And, conversely, it will also identify the people that probably should not be participating in social media
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It’s time to come to terms with MySpace, Facebook and LinkedIn. Or as some of my coworkers like to call it, “MyFaceSpace.” No matter what you call it or how you slice it, the time has come to familiarize yourself with social networking.

Many of us have found it’s the best way to keep in touch with our kids, old college friends or family living afar. However there is another valuable use for social networking and it lives within the B2B/B2C world.

According to Jake Swearingen of BNet.com, “online networks can help you hire the right people, market your product – or even find a manufacturer.” Social networking opens the door for previous unknowns to “meet” and
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• 93% said a company should have a presence in social media
• 85% stated that a company should not only be present, but also interact with its customers via social media
• 56% said they feel a stronger connection with and better served by companies when they can interact with them in a social media environment
• 43% stated companies should use social networks to solve customers' problems
• 41% said companies should use social media to solicit feedback
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One of the consequences of the new marketing landscape is that, as you necessarily devote ourselves to learning new technologies and media channels, you can lose focus on the big picture. It takes time and attention to learn how to properly execute a search engine optimization program, and keep it going continuously. It takes time and attention to implement and constantly tweak a search engine marketing program for continuous improvement. And to know, understand and leverage the continuing stream of new media opportunities and techniques available to B-to-B marketers.

There are endless details and procedures involved in optimizing press materials
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