Top 5 Inbound Marketing Stories of the Week: B2B Search Marketing Tips

To kick off our list of this week's top stories on InboundMarketing.com is a great article full of tips for B2B companies on how to maximize their search marketing results and do more than just get found.

1. 5 Must-Read Tips for B2B Search Marketing

Author: Michelle Bowles on Top Rank Online Marketing Blog

While Michelle agrees that search marketing should be a top priority for any business, she notes that B2B companies must employ different tactics than those of consumer-based businesses, thinking mostly in terms of target keywords, online content and link building.

She expands upon the following five points:

1. Getting found is just the beginning for B2B companies. 
2. Content is key.
   
3. Target keywords must be robust.
   
4. When it comes to link building, think outside the box.
5. Search marketing efforts must target multiple stakeholders in a business, each with different expectations and points of view.
   

Lesson: For search marketing, make sure you're focusing on the right tactics considering your type of business.

2. 5 Ways Social Media is Changing Our Daily Lives

Author: Soren Gordhamer on Mashable

We all know that social media has substantially changed the way we market products, services and ideas, but have you stopped to think lately how it's also changing your everyday life? 

Soren takes a step back and evaluates some broader ways social media has made an impact on how we do things.  For one thing, as social media increasingly becomes a trusted source of information, it's changed where people get their news.  In addition, it's affected how we do business , how we meet and stay in touch with people, what we reveal about ourselves and the things over which we have influence.

Lesson: Social media is affecting our lives in more ways than one.

3. 5 Essential Blogging Tips from the Father of Chinese Philosophy

Author: Michael Aagaard of Copyblogger

What did Confucius know about business blogging ?  Well, considering blogging is fairly new and he died over 2,500 years ago, probably nothing.  However, a lot of what he said can be applied to blogging philosophy.  In Michael's article, he highlights several quotes from Confucius that he encourages bloggers to keep in mind when trying to develop a successful blog:

• "The essence of knowledge is having it, to apply it." If you give away your knowledge for free, people will read your blog.
• "Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it." Don't try to satisfy your whole audience with every post.
• "When anger rises, think of the consequences." Negative blog comments are inevitable. Respond rationally and carefully.
• "Respect yourself and others will respect you." Be confident in your posts and show you're an authority on the topic, but avoid smugness and arrogance.
• "What you do not want done to yourself, do not to others." Notice what people like/dislike about your blog, repeat the good things and discontinue the bad.
• "I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand." Dedication and hard work are key.
  

Lesson: Confucius probably would've made a great blogger.

4. The 10 Most Innovative Viral Video Ads of 2009  

Author: Josh Warner on Mashable

Who doesn't love a great viral video ?  Josh compiles a list of 10 noteworthy viral videos from 2009 and helps us understand why they were so successful.  They key for marketers, he says, is to have a solid understanding of the brand, who the brand's target is and what moves that particular audience.  And while there is no surefire guarantee a video will go viral, we can all learn from some qualities that many viral videos share .

My favorite video on Josh's list?  Piano Stairs , which has over 9 million views, created for Volkswagen's campaign, The Fun Theory .  It's short, sweet, entertaining and gets the point across.  What's not to love?

Lesson: There is no secret sauce for ensuring a video goes viral, but you can learn a lot from others' successes.

5. 4 Social Media Ideas for the Reluctantly Social Brand  

Author: Rohit Bhargava of Influential Marketing Blog  

As Rohit highlights, it's easy for businesses to think twice -- or even ten times -- when it comes to the decision to start using social media.  And with all the stories out there of companies who have done wrong and been scrutinized for it, it's even easier to wonder what is the right way to get started.  If your company is one of these reluctant brands, Rohit has a few ideas to help get you to begin engaging with social media tools:

1. Use social media for internal training and experimentation by creating a password-protected blog or private wiki. 
2. Post videos you might already have (e.g. training videos) on YouTube and disable the comments function.
3. Tune in to what keywords people are using to talk about your industry.
4. Experiment with content aggregation, which means gathering already-existing, valuable content rather than creating your own.

Lesson: There are plenty of ways to dip your toe in and test the social media waters. 

Image from Shutterstock .

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