BMA-Minnesota to Explore the Use of Social Media within the B2B Marketing Arena

A panel of social media experts will discuss how business-to-business organizations can effectively use social media strategy to help achieve business goals

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Minnesota chapter of the Business Marketing Association (BMA-Minnesota) will host a panel discussion on how business-to-business (B2B) marketers can use social media to boost their performance metrics and support a customer-centric business model. The session will be held on March 11, 2009 at the Metropolitan Ballroom & Clubroom in St. Louis Park, Minn. from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Featuring local social media experts, the session will provide an overview of social networking sites, search engine optimization and emerging new media to watch for as well as discuss what’s working, what’s not and what’s here to stay within the social media universe. Moderated by Beth Fischer, market research advisor from The TCI Group, panelists include:

Mark Palony, marketing manager of SAP Solutions at SoftBrands
Jared Roy, president of Risdall Integration Group

“We’ve all heard about business-to-consumer companies joining Facebook, Twitter and blogs to generate consumer business and brand loyalty but there is little discussion about how the same strategies can be applied for B2B companies,” said Chris Schermer, president of BMA-Minnesota. “This panel will dispel the misperception that social media can’t be applied in the B2B arena by illustrating how tools like Twitter and blogs can be applied to monitor, communicate and engage audiences.”
Sponsored by Minnesota’s only professional organization dedicated exclusively to the needs of business-to-business marketing professionals, the event will be held at the Metropolitan located at 5418 Wayzata Blvd, Minneapolis.
The program will run from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. with registration and continental breakfast beginning at 7:30 a.m. The cost of the event is $25 for BMA members and $40 for non-members. Attendees can register online at www.bmaminnesota.org through March 10. A limited number of walk-up registration is available.
About the Panelists

Beth Fischer. Beth Fischer, PRC is Principal of The TCI Group. Over the past 30+ years, she has taken her 53 year “young” marketing research firm to new levels by partnering with her clients as a trusted advisor, helping them know more, get close and stay connected to their customers better than any of the competition in their marketplace. The TCI Group offers a total spectrum of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, including methods that harness the power of technology. Currently Beth is on the University of St Thomas’s College of Business MBA Adjunct Faculty, a trainer for Optum, a United Healthcare Division, and serves on a number of boards for local non-profit organizations.
Tom Pick. Tom helps clients—independently and through B2B technology marketing and PR firm KC Associates—increase visibility, credibility and business success through interactive marketing and PR activities. He has helped dozens of B2B clients improve their online business results through search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) programs. Tom has also created successful interactive marketing and PR programs including video, blogging, podcasting and social media optimization. Get to know Tom at: https://twitter.com/tompick and http://www.linkedin.com/in/tompick
Mark Palony. As a global marketing manager for SoftBrands, Mark is responsible for all aspects of marketing, communications and public relations for the SAP Solutions division of the global enterprise software provider. With approximately 5,000 customers in more than 60 countries, SoftBrands is a leader in providing software solutions to the manufacturing and hospitality industries. Mark manages all aspects of the social media strategy -- including the blog, Twitter, podcasts, videos and KPIs. Get to know Mark at: www.linkedin.com/in/markpalony, www.twitter.com/markpalony
Jared Roy. Jared believes in the power of connecting brands with consumers in new and innovative ways. As President of Risdall Integration Group Jared focuses on leveraging the strengths of Risdall Marketing Group's divisions to develop solutions for clients that harness the power of integrated marketing. Jared’s focus is on managing the convergence of traditional and new media to effectively influence, inform and engage key audiences. On a daily basis, he develops integrated digital and social marketing campaign strategies to help achieve client objectives. Get to know Jared at: www.linkedin.com/in/jaredroy

About Business Marketing Association
Business Marketing Association is the leading professional resource for business-to-business marketers and communicators. The organization develops and delivers services, information, skill enhancement, and networking opportunities that help its members grow, develop and succeed throughout their marketing careers. For more information on BMA-Minnesota, visit www.bmaminnesota.org.
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Comments

mrktg said…

Marketing on the internet can be an expensive proposition. You need to learn exactly how to market properly so that you reach the right public for your product of service. You could buy leads but the best way to test anything is to do it for low or no cost. Leads can be low cost or expensive depending on the type of leads you are buying and from whom. If you want to know about Marketing Solutions visit our site.

6:14 AM

Anonymous said…

you did a nice job on the panel. Palony was excellent as a representative of a company that has been implementing social media over several years with video, podcasts, blogs and twitter usage.

4:48 PM

Tom Pick said…

Thank you Albert, that is high praise indeed coming from one of the leading gurus of podcasting.

I look forward to the next event where our paths cross and we can solve the world's (social media) problems.

5:05 PM

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