A recent BusinessWeek article about chocolate of all things got me thinking this week about how B2B communicators can make better use of digital media and social networking. The article reported that Godiva Chocolatier is using its online social network to pump its most loyal customers for information that is helping it sell more high-end products, despite the recession.

By listening to what was being said in the online network, Godiva learned that its customers want baskets for under $25 and individual chocolates for “not much more than the price of a cappuccino.” Acting on this feedback, it created hot-selling products such as a $5.50 chocolate lollipop for Valentines’ day.

There’s a very important word in the paragraph above — listening. You see, Godiva understands that digital media and social networking is all about two-way communication. All too often, I’m afraid, companies look at digital and social media simply as a way to push information to their target audience. Or worse, they avoid these forums altogether because they fear losing control over the online conversation. Godiva is also nimble enough — and smart enough — to act on the feedback it receives with viable solutions for its customers.

OK, I know what you are thinking: My business is nothing like Godiva’s. While that’s probably very true, there are many ways you can reap similar benefits by using digital and social media to collect valuable intelligence for your business. Create a blog, participate in networking sites such as LinkedIn, get active on Twitter, post online “quickpolls” on your Web site and/or use interactive webinars — these are just a few examples of how you can do it. What’s most important is that you consider these tools in the context of the value they can bring to your customers and/or employees.

So, what I learned from my chocolate foray is that inspiration for better communicators can be found anywhere — even on a box of chocolates.  What do candy and chemicals have in common? A lot as it relates to the importance of meaningful customer dialogue. B2B communicators who actively engage their customers will be in for some “tasty” results. The keys are getting involved, tailoring the forum to your audience, encouraging open communication, actively listening to what is being said, and taking action on that insight.

Bon appetit!

My 5-year-old asked, “What do you do at your work?”

After a brief pause, I replied, “I introduce business professionals by telling them about each other and their products.”  Satisfied, he trundled off to the next room to demolish some toys.

Whether it’s an ambush by a kindergartener or a briefing with a journalist, the prevailing strategy for communicators appears to be the same. I was reminded of this at the recent  PR News Media Relations ForumAn attendee from a science-based organization asked a Media Training panel a question about overcoming a challenge many of us in the Advanced Manufacturing & Energy segment deal with regularly: How do you turn scientists, engineers or academics into effective spokespeople? Or, as he put it: How do you combat “long-speak?”

The panelists offered three very practical tips:

1. Practice, practice, practice. Do as much training and practice as it takes to get your spokespeople at ease. Practice presentations with them and provide constructive feedback. Do mock interviews to get them ready for interaction with the media. Make sure they are ready for the tough questions, and prepared to capitalize on that common final question they will get from many journalists — “anything else you’d like to say?”

2. Keep it Simple Smart Guy. James Carville’s reminder to “Keep it Simple Stupid (KISS)” helped turn Bill Clinton into a more effective communicator. But the KISS concept originally stood for “Keep it Short and Simple” — a great guideline for scientists, engineers and academics. In most media interviews, they should be using messages that can be understood by an 8^th grader. As PR professionals, most of us can use ourselves as a guide — if we don’t understand it, neither will most journalists or their audiences.

3. Make it Relatable. Most importantly, help them create analogies most people can understand to put scientific processes or data into context. For example, media training guru Andrew Gilman shared how he helped a spokesperson use the analogy of “bubble gum blocking a car’s ignition switch” to describe insulin resistance. Good analogies to everyday concepts can be created for even the most scientific or technical content.  

Most of us have seen the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to using these extremely smart people in our PR efforts. By providing the right guidance we can help them unleash their brilliance in a manner that delivers true value to our businesses. We might even be able to help them prepare for career day at school.

Nearly 200 public relations, public affairs and marketing professionals attended the PR News Media Relations Forum at the National Press Club in Washington last week. The full-day conference included sessions presented by communications experts from a diverse group of leading organizations, including manufacturing and energy companies Shell Oil Company, Bausch & Lomb, ITT, and US Telecom.

One session, “Marketing Communications: Media Relations that Drive Bottom-Line Results,” featured three speakers with extensive communications experience in the areas of manufacturing and B2B marketing.

In describing a B2B campaign that involved special media events to promote a product ingredient and encourage further adoption by manufacturers, Luke Lambert, President of Gibbs & Soell Public Relations, cautioned communicators against overlooking three strategic details.

(Video: 1 minute, 4 seconds)

Barbara Pierce, Assistant Director of Corporate Media Relations for Eastman Kodak Company, revealed a “game-changing” challenge to which Eastman Kodak responded with a PR-driven product launch. The resulting media coverage reached 1.5 billion consumers and differentiated the company’s technology from the competition.

(Video: 20 seconds)

Stephanie Anderson, Head of PR and Chief Corporate Spokesperson for OSRAM SYLVANIA, addressed a PR effort to position energy efficient lighting as a simple solution to rising energy costs and climate concerns. Here she makes a point about the need to generate coverage not only in major media but also in those relatively obscure trade publications that can really drive sales.

(Video: 17 seconds)

I recently attended a luncheon featuring John McDonough, the President of the Chicago Blackhawks who in a previous job used innovative marketing strategies to take the Chicago Cubs from mediocrity to one of the most popular franchises in all of pro sports.  While his talk focused on his life in sports marketing, many of his lessons hold true for B2B marketers and PR pros in the Advanced Manufacturing & Energy space. Here are three of the great concepts he shared:

1. Create a brand experience. Marketing is more than communicating about your products. You have to create a total brand experience. McDonough did this by marketing not only the Cubs games, but the ballplayers, the stadium (Wrigley Field), the announcer (Harry Caray) and the neighborhood (now known as “Wrigleyville”). This has created fans/customers out of baseball lovers and casual observers alike. We have to always ask ourselves — are we going beyond specific product features/benefits by connecting with our audience about other issues or factors that might matter to them?
2. There is no off-season. You must showcase your brand to your audience every day, consistently, year-after-year. Although the baseball season is only seven months long, McDonough did this via marketing tools such as the Cubs Convention, an off-season fan appreciation event that sells out each year and keeps fans connected to the team year-round. If we aren’t communicating with your audience during our own business downtimes, the competition will.
3. Drive your brand throughout the organization. Everyone on McDonough’s Blackhawks’ staff — from the pro athletes to the front office — is actively engaged in marketing efforts and trained to deliver a consistent image and message. This all creates a truly exceptional brand identity in everything the Chicago Blackhawks do, and has helped the up-and-coming team soar in popularity, gain new sponsors and lead the league in attendance. Similar internal engagement and training efforts help any business project a strong, consistent image in the marketplace.

OK, I’ll be the first to admit — most of us can’t say that our products and services are as cool or fun as a pro sports team. But doesn’t that make these concepts even more critical for those of us who don’t have tools like Fenway Park, LeBron James or Peyton Manning at our disposal?