Anna Ritchie : Community Maven
Anna Ritchie
Marketing & communications practitioner, and product manager for TMCnet. Focus on content marketing and social media with a specialty in Online Community-building for businesses. Follow @Connectincloud and @apritchie
| Expertise and Advice on Successful Online Communities

October 2011

You are browsing the archive for October 2011.

Boo! How Not to Scare Your Customers Away from Your Online Community

October 31, 2011

Scouring the internet can be scary. At any turn you may be asked to download a document, submit a form, or enter any amount of personal information. And then, the dreaded Spam starts flowing into your precious inbox that you work so hard to keep organized and clean. So you stop.

B2B vs. B2C Marketing: Where Passion and Practicality Collide?

October 28, 2011

In a recent webinar, Navigating the New World of Online Lead Generation and Advertising, experts Rich Tehrani (CEO, TMCnet) and Jon Miller (Co-Founder, Marketo) discussed some challenges companies currently face with promoting their brand and boosting sales online. In addition, they make some insightful distinctions between what activities work best for B2B versus B2C brands during the Q&A portion of the event. Here are some highlights from their responses:

Q:  “Do you draw distinction between B2B and B2C marketing?

Social May be the 'Silver Bullet' - But All Roads Lead to Your Company Website

October 26, 2011

The recent 2011 Demandbase National Marketing and Sales Study by the Focus Expert Network had some interesting findings that some social media strategists might not want to hear: That your company website is the top source of new sales leads, and is 7x – yes 7x! more effective than social media.

Wait- before you shut down your Twitter and LinkedIn accounts, just listen to the rest of the findings. Though perceived as a ‘silver bullet’ for online marketers who, let’s face it, love to experiment in the latest social spaces, this survey urges marketers not to ignore the #1 source of sales – your company website.  

It's Time For Your Community's 6-Month Check Up- Are You Prepared?

October 24, 2011

I had an interesting call with a client today who was in the process of reviewing their online community’s “health” 6 months after launch.  I thought this was an interesting concept: I’m a strong proponent for constant site evaluations, audits and updates to keep content and design fresh, but a six-month “check up” was a concept I hadn’t considered before.  But what does this evaluation entail?

Online Lead Generation Podcast- Branding: A Profitable Undertaking

October 18, 2011

During the third installment of the online marketing Podcast series, hosted by Rich Tehrani (CEO, TMC) and Peter Radizeski (RAD-INFO, Inc.), the topic du jour was online lead generation and advertising: Two interrelated but very different battles marketers must fight day-in and day-out .

You can listen to the complete Podcast here, which features insights on how marketers aren’t spending enough time, or budget, on proper branding initiative, even though it’s one of the most important things a company can invest in. By building trust with your target audience, your sales efforts will see radical improvement as people don’t buy from companies they don’t trust.

Consistency is another vital component of online marketing and lead gen discussed during the Podcast, and also covered by TMCnet Managing Editor Juliana Kenny in a recent article about the event.

The Risky Business of Online Lead Generation and Advertising

October 4, 2011

According to a recent Infographic released form @Econsultancy, “76% of CMO's list high-quality lead generation as their greatest challenge.” In addition, according to reports from IDC, 44.7% stated their biggest challenge in implementing lead nurturing initiatives was lack of resources available to do the work.

So the biggest ticket item for marketers is also the biggest challenge. No surprise here. As marketers struggle to navigate the new world of online lead gen and advertising, more and more are turning to social media and online communities to help them not only build brand awareness, but nurture and capture those prospects who visit their sites.