Social Media Portal interview with Joel Harrison from B2B Marketing

Social Media Portal (SMP) profiled interview with Joel Harrison editorial and content director at B2B Marketing about the forthcoming B2B Marketing Summit 2013

Social Media Portal (SMP): What is your name and what do you do there at B2B Marketing?

Joel Harrison (JH): My name is Joel Harrison and I?m the editorial and content director. I?m in charge of all the content we produce and all the products that we put out ? which are our events, the magazine, the website and our reports.

SMP: Briefly, tell us about B2B Marketing (for those that don?t know), what is it and what does B2B Marketing do?

JH: B2B Marketing is the only UK information resource dedicated purely to business-to-business marketers. Our aim is to provide information to help B2B marketers be more effective and successful by helping them do their jobs better

SMP: Who are your target audience and why?

JH: Our target audience is B2B marketers, because almost 10 years after we launched they still aren?t catered for by other events or media owners. They have a very distinct set of challenges to address and obstacles to overcome, related particularly to the long sales cycle and convoluted decision-making, which means their needs are different to consumer marketers.

SMP: Tell us about the B2B Marketing Summit 2013 ? when / where is and who is it aimed at?

JH: This event is aimed more at manager level marketers, who are at the sharp end of marketing, and need practical hints and tips to make their marketing more effective and get better results. The event can also be fully personalised, with four different streams of content, allowing attendees to swap between streams to pick the sessions which best reflect their needs. In terms of value for money and relevance, it packs a real punch.

SMP: What was the feedback from the 2012 summit and what?s going to be different this year (how are you going to top it)?

JH: Feedback from the 2012 event was great ? it really hit the spot with marketers. The aim for 2013 is ?bigger and better?. We?re looking to get more attendees and to build on the success of 2012.  

We have changed the stream titles to better reflect the current areas of interest in the market.  We?ve retained social media and demand generation, and have also added multi-channel marketing and inbound marketing.  We?ve also put in some keynote sessions, which everyone can attend at the beginning and end of the day, providing a real focal point for the sessions. There will be further enhancements, which we?ll announce in due course.

SMP: How did you initially attracting delegates to the summit, and has that changed now marketing has changed with the growth of social media?

JH: Social media is great in terms of creating buzz, but it?s still email that?s the number one channel in B2B marketing and that?s unlikely to change any time soon. This is something that has been confirmed yet again by the results of our Social Media Benchmarking Research. There?s a lot of hype about social, but delivery is something else.  So whilst we?ll be using social media (we have 50K followers on Twitter and a 25K strong LinkedIn group) we?ll be using inbound marketing through content like video and blogs, we?ll also be using email, direct marketing and the B2B Marketing magazine itself.  We might even telemarket to some people too?!

SMP: What do you hope attendees will take away from the conference this year and what do you think will be their highlights?  

JH: I?m sure they will take away some clear actionable insights about how to do their job better, improve their results and make their organisation more competitive. Perhaps more importantly they will also come away with some inspiration from the speakers and the other attendees to try new things and generally be re-motivated to succeed. That?s the key thing we know people get from our events.

SMP: Is there an early bird discount and if so, when does it end?

JH: Until the 10th May there is £100 off - the full price is £350 (£250 for the early bird discount).

SMP: What are the low moments of what you have been doing so far (and in regards to B2B Marketing and the B2B Marketing Summit 2013)?

JH: Fitting in all the people who want to speak! We?ve been overwhelmed with demand, there are some great speakers out there and they know it?s a great platform.

SMP: What are the high moments of what you have been doing so far (and in regards to B2B Marketing and the B2B Marketing Summit 2013)?

JH: Generally the feedback on last year?s event ? we?ve set the bar very high for ourselves.

SMP: Has the growth of social media had an impact on the print magazine?  If so / not, please explain?

JH: The digital revolution has profoundly changed the way that marketers source information? although not always for the better. There?s a lot more noise, but a lot less authority. There?s a chance these days that he who shouts loudest and longest will win. Oddly social media seems to be giving so called ?traditional? techniques more authority and cut through, simply because of their rarity these days.

SMP: What B2B digital and social media campaigns you?ve seen that are interesting / disruptive (what brands are doing it well)?

JH: Dell?s CXO stuff on Facebook is very interesting, but a lot of social activity is still just noise ? there?s not a great deal that is particularly creative or that stands out. There are some great case studies from the B2B Marketing Awards 2012 http://www.b2bmarketing.net/awards.

SMP: And, which brands are not doing so well?

JH: There are too many to name ? and lots of them should know better!

SMP: What do you see as the biggest challenges and opportunities B2B brands face in terms of social media? (and how does B2B Marketing Summit 2013 address these?).

JH: Ensuring it is aligned with strategic objectives and not just a novelty sideshow, which absorbs time and money but delivers very little. That was the conclusion of our Social Media Benchmarking Report. Too many marketers and brands are in the ?discovery? phase still, and consequently it?s not delivering for them.

SMP: What?s the next big step for social media / networks and what impact may this have upon B2B brands?

JH: Our research showed that whilst Twitter is currently the number one B2B channel, LinkedIn is catching up fast, and may overtake in the next 12 months. Meanwhile, Google+ is also accelerating fast ? it?s a great platform, and although we may not need another channel, they are fast gaining critical mass. Can we handle four B2B platforms (including Facebook)? I don?t see it. One may lose out.

SMP: What do you think the biggest differences are in how B2B brands / marketers can and should approach social media than B2C brands?

JH: B2B brands need to be clear on how their social media strategy aligns with the ?brand versus demand? dynamic. In other words, is their social strategy geared around positioning (such as thought leadership), brand protection (dealing with complaints) or driving revenue. This will dictate their strategy.

In B2C, sales cycles are much less complex or convoluted so the process of linking social to sales through incentives and offers is much easier and buyers are much less cynical, and products themselves are much less complex. The difference between B2B and B2C social is just a microcosm of the wider differences between B2B and B2C.  

SMP: What?s going to be the most interesting aspect regarding social media / technology for the next 12 to 18-months?

JH: It will be interesting to see whether the marketing automation vendors can convince marketers that social media functionality is a reason to implement their platform, and that they are not just glorified email systems. That kind of hype could drive much greater uptake of these platforms.

SMP: What are your top five predictions for social media for the next 12 to 18-months (also note your 2012 predictions here.  What are you thoughts on Google+ now ? is this the year it changes things?)

JH replies with:

1. LinkedIn will replace Twitter as the number one social media platform
2. Google+ will become a serious rival to Facebook
3. Facebook will become accepted as a social channel
4. Twitter will be forced to develop its platform and functionality to drive more relevance and revenue
5. Much of the effort and budget spent on social in B2B will continue to be wasted 

SMP: What are your top five social media tips for B2B brands in making the most of the channel ? how have things changed over the last 3-6 months?

JH replies with:

1. Have a strategy ? or at least understand how social fits into your wider marketing strategy
2. Focus on ROI ? if you can?t demonstrate ROI on your social activity or spend, don?t do it
3. Use technology ? it will help drive efficiencies and show ROI
4. Don?t forget the basics ? social is overhyped: some of the other techniques are a better way of achieving short term objectives, as long as you get the fundamentals right
5. Use content ? the best way to get the most out of social is as a distribution channel for content, which is also visible through inbound marketing

SMP: Is there anything else we should know, or is there anything that you?d like to share?

JH: There?s a whole wealth of things in our Social Media Benchmarking Report, which will be launched in March.

SMP: Best way to contact you and B2B Marketing Summit 2013?

JH replies with: www.b2bmarketing.net/summit




SMP: What did you have for breakfast / lunch?

JH: I had a maple and pecan pastry at a school in the Isle of Dogs where I was taking part in a careers day. It was a lot of fun. The day, not the pastry.

SMP: What?s the last good thing that you did for someone?

JH: See above? hopefully! I gave up my morning to talk to kids in a fairly disadvantaged area about careers. Hard to tell if any of it went in, but I think it?s good to show role models who aren?t bankers.

SMP: If you weren?t working on the B2B Marketing Summit 2013 what would you be doing?

JH: Working as a journalist somewhere else, although probably not as interesting.

SMP: When and where did you go on your last holiday?

JH: I went to Dubrovnik in August with some friends and my now fiancé. It was very hot and crowded.

SMP: What?s the first thing you do when you get into the office of a morning?

JH: Turn on the lights ? I?m often the first one in!

SMP: If you had a superpower what would it be and why?

JH: Time travel ? I?m a history buff, and I?d love to see what London looked like through the ages.

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