In today’s interview with Aliénor COMBEUIL – Global Campaign Leader at Sage we will be mainly talking about the importance of Social Media marketing strategy and successfully  applying it within your business.

After 3 years of apprenticeship at Sage, handling marketing campaigns in France, lead generation activities for Business Partners in Europe, and Social Marketing strategy globally Aliénor COMBEUIL is now Global Campaign Leader promoting Sage Accounting solutions.

1. Why Sage? What excites you in your day to day marketing role at Sage?

I like Sage for 2 main aspects. First of all it is a big company, very strong, founded more than 30 years ago and rich of its products with a strong customer base. On the other side, Sage is also like a young company, very agile, always growing and re-inventing itself constantly. There are no boring days at Sage, especially nowadays when we are currently re-thinking the entire Marketing organisation.

2. How important is social media marketing for a SME and what is the difference with big brands as Sage?

Social Media Marketing is very different from a small company to a big one. The messaging and targeting are not the same, and obviously the service or product you sell will change the tactic you use. Something that is common for both types of companies is that Social Media is a window for businesses, in a negative and positive way. It is really important to have a strong Social strategy because what you don’t do can be harmful for you – where you’re not your competitors will be – and what you do badly can affect your e-reputation and so your sales.

3. What is your best social media marketing tip?

That something that really depends on the type of business you’re running. First common tactic which comes to my mind is Social Selling. Create a connection between communication, marketing and sales department in your company and do not hesitate to spend time and money on Social Selling. LinkedIn, which is the most important professional Social network in the world, can enable you to detect leads and even close deals very quickly and easily, by targeting your audience and reaching people in a smart and subtle way.

4. What social media channels do you manage on a daily basis for Sage and which one do you find the most effective?

At Sage we actively use Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and we are about to start using Instagram. Again it’s something that depends on your target audience and your objectives: I would use LinkedIn and Twitter to target enterprises, Facebook and Instagram to reach SMBs and start-ups. In fact all of this is complementary, you just need to run couple of tests on your channel, the messaging you use and you’ll see what works the best for you! Boosting your posts by using sponsored ads is also a good way of lead generation.

5. What type of marketing challenges are you facing in your role at Sage?

Currently it’s hard to be efficient with marketing activities as people are reached constantly, by BtoB and BtoC brands, via different channels and on various topics; actually nowadays we’re constantly harassed by the companies! So I would say that the main marketing challenge today is to push THE right message through THE right channel. That’s the way to remind people of your brand in the end of the day.

6. Does the existence of the SMM pushing away traditional marketing methods?

Of course, Social Media Marketing has changed the way of doing marketing. We definitely still need to use the ‘old’ tactics such as emailing, but we have no choice but being present on Social Media to detect leads. Active people on SM are open to your messages and again if you’re not there, your competitors will be.

7. Where do you get your inspiration in case you run out of marketing ideas?

On Social Media! J Especially on blogs, LinkedIn and Twitter you can find really valuable information, best practices, feedbacks and advices. Sometimes by just opening your eyes and looking at the world around you can bring brilliant ideas.

8. Do you think that email marketing is more effective than social media marketing?

Actually some people are easier to catch with an email; others are Social addicts and opened to your message on Social Media. I wouldn’t advice to make a choice between these 2 tactics because both of them are definitely vital today for a good marketing campaign. Ideally you should build an integrated marketing campaign and create links between each channel, feeding every prospect when he needs it and the way he needs it. Taming your database will enable you to create marketing automation scenarios and the way of boosting your performance. But that’s another topic… 😉