We’ve discussed why companies are missing the boat by not connecting sales and marketing, as well as methods for connecting marketing and sales, but how about ways that marketing, specifically social media marketing, can help sales? Here are some ideas, some of which apply to marketing in general, but are amplified by the power of the social web: Provide One-to-One Contact - The biggest thing social media marketing can do for sales is help create one-on-one relationships between customers and potential customers and the company. What did I miss? Marketing Strategy MORE >>

Since social media makes it easier for people to connect one-to-one, it makes it easier for people to see what other people have to say about a company. Besides helping increase reputation as an expert in your field, social media also provides the opportunity to increase the conversations that people are having online about your company (which, if positive, can lead to an increase in referrals). While there’s nothing wrong with growing slowly, and referrals are the best kind of business lead, social media can help make more people aware of your services. MORE >>

13 Tips for Increasing Your Company’s Google Rank (Mashable!). Why social media is leading to a new era of identity    (Simply Zesty). Lead Nurturing Emails Every Business Should Send (HubSpot). Here are the top Internet strategy, marketing and technology links for the week of January 14, 2012…  . Some Do’s and Don’ts of Social Updating (Marketing Profs Daily). Forget Blogging as Usual: 5 Outrageous Tips for Super-sized Attention (ProBlogger). Mastering the Art of Slow Blogging (ProBlogger). Content Marketing Tip: Add something when you share! MORE >>

But what if your brand is more than just your company? As a B2B company, it can be difficult to have any type of brand recognition. If LED lighting can become forefront in the mind of consumers, they’ll start asking for them at stores, which will lead to more purchases by by these stores, who are customers of Cree (or their distributors). Tags: Business Marketing Social Media Social Networks Strategy brand brand recognition branding communication company cree graphic design lighting mission statements What if your brand stands for a whole new revolution? MORE >>

Social media lead generation has been notoriously challenging for B2B companies. Looking at data from 2011, we did a study of 3,000+ B2B businesses to understand how B2B companies are succeeding with social media. Shockingly (or maybe not), the data revealed that 63% of B2B businesses were not generating leads from social media. This means that, while these companies were generating traffic from social media channels, they were not converting that traffic into leads for their businesses. How B2B Marketers Can Generate More Social Media Leads. MORE >>