Question

Topic: Strategy

Viral And Social Marketing

Posted by Anonymous on 12/1/2008 at 9:25 PM ET 100 Points
I am trying to come up with a viral and/or social marketing plan. The product is corporate tax software, so it is a B2B relationship.

Because it is B2B I find it hard to create a sort of social network of users since it is only employees of companies who use the software that would join. Also, I have had a hard time coming up with what would be the benefit of the software users being part of the network since we already have a strong support staff. To me the only social network which applies is Linkedin, but I can't see doing anything other than creating a Users Group. Facebook seems like it is to young of a generation.

In terms of viral, I have thought about a funny commercial or maybe a game. For the commercial I can't seem to come up with any ideas. Anyone have any thoughts? A flash game seems like it would be ok, but I don't see corporate people playing it.

As you can see I'm a little lost. Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated.
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by L. Duggan on 12/1/2008 at 9:37 PM Accepted
    Start with coming up with a more precise description of your buyers. Think about it, who buys corporate tax software? What titles would these people have? What departments would they be in? Where would they go to get information?

    Take cues from your competitors. Where do they advertise and how do they position themselves?

    Asking the right questions about your customers can provide you with the information you need to reach them.

    You should think about writing an article or white paper you could post on your web site for your target audience. Turn your web site into a destination site for corporate tax professionals. Use it as a forum for them to rate the various software packages out there, yours included. Use your website as a forum for building a community, or social network where members can come to share ideas, swap stories and get information about corporate tax issues.

    Good luck!
  • Posted by wnelson on 12/1/2008 at 10:08 PM Accepted
    Seth,

    You are thinking from your viewpoint, not your customers'. "Technical support" is not the only reason to belong to a social network. Your product du jour is tax software. Besides technical support, users also need tax tips. Sure, users can go to the IRS to get interpretations on regulations. But what about advice on situations? How about if you had a collection of users in a social network and you allowed tax preparers and accountants to be "experts." Members can ask questions of the experts. Experts can provide articles and presentations. Sounds a bit like MarketingProfs, huh?

    As far as viral, humor "passes" best. The idea of a viral piece is you want people to pass it along to all their friends. Think about hiring a "creative" person to create ideas for you. It may cost you $1000 to $2000 for the concept and filming - keep this in mind. I have a contact for you that is superb on this. Contact me off-forum for this - click on my name above the answer and you'll go to my profile. There, you will find my website. From there, you can contact me. You may think about a comic strip. This would play well virally. Again, contact me - I have someone who could do this for you. Not sure about the cost. You could also have a collection of tax preparation jokes on a site. This could "pass" like a viral message.

    I hope this helps.

    Wayde
  • Posted on 12/1/2008 at 11:34 PM Accepted
    Don't try one thing, try 10. One of them will work. Get to know your users really deeply, personally. Then brainstorm a lot.

    Some tips:

    1) Read "New Rules of Marketing and PR" by David Meerman Scott

    2) Read this blog - https://www.webinknow.com

    3) Read my blog - https://Blog.HubSpot.com

    4) Watch this - accountants probably find it hillarious, and it has 18,000 views - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2ylBKOURtw

    5) Watch this webinar to learn more about Twitter - https://www.hubspot.com/twitter-for-marketing
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