Admit it or not, every CMO wants to be the Man of Steel a.k.a. Superman within their organization. Man and woman alike—you want to be that superhero who goes about daily life like a normal human being but is capable of superhuman feats—including fighting off fellow Kryptonian and supervillain General Zod. By the way, I watched Man of Steel. I don’t know what the box office charts or the critics are saying but I found it thoroughly gripping and entertaining…until the final hour where the excessive climactic battles and loud, breathless, destructive action put me to sleep. Maybe this is just the way modern blockbusters are supposed to end…beats me!
Coming back to the point about top marketing executives and their struggle to achieve great things, I’d like to offer a billboard of inspirational thoughts from experts. I find these rich in simple, common sense type of wisdom, which is exactly what’s lacking most of the time when it comes to social media marketing. We fumble, we try one thing after another, we win some, then we fail, we come up for breath again…and there is Zod waiting to pounce and vanquish us again.
It does not have to be that way—here is my collection of Kryptonite if you will.
10 Enlightening Quotes from Marketing Gurus – There is Light at the End of the B2B Social Media Tunnel
- “Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but about the stories you tell.” – Seth Godin
- “A brand is no longer what we tell the consumer it is – it is what consumers tell each other it is.” – Scott Cook
- “Focus on how to be social, not on how to do social.” – Jay Baer
- “What’s the ROI of your Mom?” – Gary Vaynerchuk, in response to the question “What’s the ROI of Social Media?”
- “Often, B2B content is written to represent the company. Swell. Except your audience is most likely your customer base and prospects. To that end, write your posts with your customer’s usage in mind. Think about what they will want to know, and how you can be useful.” – Chris Brogan
- “It’s fascinating how the fundamentals of business-to-business marketing are the same today as they were 50 years ago. It’s still about relationships although today we have new tools and techniques at our disposal.” – David Meerman Scott
- “How can you squander even one more day not taking advantage of the greatest shifts of our generation? How dare you settle for less when the world has made it so easy for you to be remarkable?” – Seth Godin
- “Please Repeat: Influence is NOT Popularity!” – Brian Solis
- “Social Media can be a bit like a bunch of people with megaphones blurting out their messages one-way. People will cover their ears (unsubscribe) and tune that out. Use Social Media to ‘listen’ to and learn more about your audience.” – Brian J Carroll
- “Networking is not about hunting. It is about farming. It’s about cultivating relationships. Don’t engage in ‘premature solicitation’. You’ll be a better networker if you remember that.” – Dr. Ivan Misner, Founder & Chairman of BNI
- BONUS (FUNNY) QUOTE: “I hear YouTube, Twitter and Facebook are merging to form a super Social Media site – YouTwitFace.” – Conan O’Brien, The Tonight Show
Follow these beacons and you won’t be groping in the dark with social media and B2B marketing overall. Not only will you see the light at the end of the tunnel, you may just find yourself soaring. So the next time your co-workers, your boss and your target audience look to the sky and say, “Is it a bird? Is it a plane? It’s Superman!” – they may well just be pointing to YOU.
Feel free to add to this collection of expert quotes from some of the leading marketers of our time. Comments anyone?
