Business Marketing

Keys to effective communication with the market

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 15:50:00 GMT

The world is going Mobile. With the smart phones and tablets, applications are the new way to move prospects into clients and to nurture your existing clientele. For the app owners, they have to give added value content to their customers to maintain the relationship.

Identify the target market segment/segments you will address;

- Know very well the significance (characteristics, advantages, values, conceptions, buyer/user personality) of your brand (product/service, company, institution, person brand) to include in the communication plan;

- Conceive the message, taking into consideration the elementary 5W (Who, what, where, when, why) or the "4F rule" (friendly, frank, fair, factual) for a start;

- Communication channels (personal channels, as they tend to gain a higher influence: social channels (attention, it`s not the same with social media!)friends, relatives, family members; mediating channels - company reps. interacting with buyers (in social media, among others), expert channels - community influential experts), non personal channels - Internet (ads), prints, radio, TV, etc.

- Timing (when to talk to the targeted market, when to develop promotions?)

- Place (where to develop the communicational campaigns)?

- What budget to assign?

- Most companies skip the step of developing archetypes of the "ideal customers", along with the "different players" within the client' organization. Its vital in identifying the appropriate target communication channels, and in developing the correct message

- Identify what you provide, for whom, for what benefit, in what uniquely effective way,

in a manner that is clear, concise, compelling, consistent, and continuous -- using whatever mix of media your target audience uses. Choosing the right medium to present the wrong message will only hasten your demise.

- Knowing your audience and their psychographics and even what your competition is doing is a critical step to finding the best approach.

- If you peel past the rhetoric, you'll find that almost all social media success stories can be found in B2C sales environments -- where almost anyone can buy the product or service. But in 6-figure B2B sales environments, especially in the technology sector, you need to appeal to a very exclusive group of people responsible to recommend, fund, and purchase the product or service. I can assure you, they're not counting on Facebook or Twitter to find vendors. I have yet to hear a B2B salesperson lament, "We had the best quality, features, salesmanship, business case, and customer references, but we lost because our competitor did more blogging and Tweeting.

- BEFORE looking to implement 'the keys to effective communication within any market' it is essential that you understand who are your CORE target audience (both in a quantitative & qualitative sense)? Only once you have really got under their skin and understand what makes them tick, will you then be able to 'match' them against the correct media tools & channels to market.

- The breadth of customers that you are attracting and whether/how they are buying. A segmentation scheme that is grounded in customer buying habits and analytics (i.e. propensity to continue to purchase), along with specific goals for each segment, provides a roadmap to communicating. With that in place, you can then overlay demographic profiles and customer channel preference to improve versioning/delivering the communication.

Take advantage of web traffic

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 14:01:00 GMT

On the Internet, your website is your Billboard to your target audience. There are many things that occur in a visitors mind when deciding to use your services or not.

Is you website set up to engage and take advantage of the traffic it receives?

Getting more people to give you a call from your website depends upon many factors including: How targeted your market is How clearly you can communicate the benefits of your services to your target market, e.g. video. How comfortable your visitors feel with using your services, e.g. third party validation, testimonial.

Metrics clearly show web design and content have a clear impact on the ability for a website to convert visitors. The website owner has to have the tools in place and clearly understand exactly what the best combination is for the highest conversion rates and (ROI).

Cutting corners here will cost you far more in revenue than the perceived savings.

Old Spice Man Answers Tweets On YouTube…

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:56:00 GMT

What if commercials really did talk to you? What if a familiar spokesperson addressed you by name and responded to your thoughts and feelings. In what is definitely one of the more creative social media ad campaigns in a while, Old Spice is doing just that. Its shirtless, muscled spokesman, the Old Spice Man, is shooting YouTube videos in response to people’s Tweets. Many oft these are well-known people with tons of followers like Kevin Rose and actress Alyssa Milano, who retweet the videos and spread them virally.

For instance, Digg founder Kevin Rose Tweeted out that he was sick, and in response the Old Spice Man created the video embedded below, in which he tells Rose that he has never had a fever himself because his body is “98 percent muscle.” He even talks to Rose in binary code so that Rose can understand, to which Rose responded on Twitter:

HOLY SH*T, best get well video EVER from the old spice man!

This is what its all about!

Content Marketing

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:51:00 GMT

Content marketing was a top priority for businesses in 2011, and it is going to remain so in 2012. That’s according to a study conducted by the Content Marketing Institute, a marketing research company.

In the past year, marketers distributed more business-to-business content on YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook more than ever.

Content marketing encompasses new techniques and methods of sharing information. Spreading unique, helpful bits within the industry or with consumers creates brand awareness, new customers and client loyalty.

Businesses should be sharing information from company research and client data. Data can be displayed in web infographics, articles outlining business tips and videos.

Interactive Media Helps Marketers

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:50:00 GMT

Interactive Media Helps Marketers

2011 was something of a tipping point year for B2B marketers. Connecting with prospects on a growing list of mobile devices and across social media platforms were just a few of the challenges added to the list of traditional campaign initiatives.

In an effort to uncover some of the secret sauce that helped leading B2B organizations fuel efficiency and growth last year, DemandGen Report surveyed more than a dozen demand generation experts to find out “what’s working” and why.

As marketers focus deeper on the funnel and look to impact the revenue cycle, there was more of a focus on the tactics and strategies that helped to convert qualified leads into opportunities, as well as new content formats that helped to break through with today’s time- and attention-starved buyers. Additionally, marketers are increasingly turning toward marketing tactics centered on social, inbound, integration and data management to maximize campaigns initiatives.

Interactive Media Helps Marketers Step Outside The Automation Box

While automation functionality is helping a variety of organizations across different industries more efficiently manage campaigns, progressive organizations are utilizing more interactive elements to supplement marketing initiatives and cater to the “consumerization” of B2B buying patterns.

While the corporate web site remains critical, with the rise of social and mobile to add to the more traditional B2B channel mix (email, web, display), there continues to be a proliferation of online channels. It is harder than ever to gain an individual prospect’s attention and even more challenging to get time-strapped B2B professionals to visit your web site in order for the identifying and nurturing process to begin in your RPM system, for any individual prospect.

Many companies are utilizing video-based platforms to extend the brand’s message and value proposition in a more interactive, engaging way.

Marketing?

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:00:00 GMT

Marketing is a multifaceted discipline, and most people only understand one or two aspects of marketing, many times confusing with Advertising.

Marketing is a science of hypothesizing, testing, and monitoring.

Marketing is about listening to the Target Market via interviews, statistical analysis, and other metrics.

Develop your strategy based on solid analysis and goals. Once strategy, resources and timeline are established stay focused and committed.

Brainstorm and develop based on analysis; however, don’t let the next great idea muddy the waters diverting execution of current strategy.

The target market/audience must perceive value beyond the value of the widget. Personalization is critical to retaining the attention of your audience.

Identify with target market needs and how you can execute or deliver more efficiently than competitors. Find the need, fill the need.

Sensory overload is masking generic (TEMPLATE) marketing. You need to "stand-out, break through the clutter" and enter into the lives of your target market in a personal way that is engaging and useful.

'Meaningful marketing' implies that the product transcends…

To have meaning is to evoke an emotional response that will ultimately lead to brand loyalty once you have fulfilled the promise.

How to Get the Most Out of Google Analytics

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 03:04:00 GMT

Measuring how many people are coming to your site is the most cut and dried — but it’s only one piece of the metrics pie.

Engagement

These numbers consider the quality of your site traffic. Once visitors come to your site, they’ll do one of three things: read the page they came to, click to more pages beyond their entry page, or leave.

Engagement metrics focus on these actions visitors are taking once they get to your site — and how good you are at keeping them there. The three key engagement metrics in Google Analytics are: ▪ Pages per Visit: This is the average number of pages a visitor views when coming to your website.

The more engaging your site is, the more inclined visitors will be to continue clicking beyond the entry page. ▪ Average Time on Site: This refers to the typical amount of time visitors spend on your site, despite whether they continue to stay on the page they came in on or navigate elsewhere within your domain. ▪ Bounce Rate: This represents the percentage of single-page visits to your site. It gives you a sense of how many visitors left your site from the entrance page rather than clicking further into your site as compared to total visitors. Like Pages per Visit, Bounce Rate can help you determine the performance of your entry pages based on the actions visitors take (or don’t take) after they’ve arrived on your site.

Engagement metrics are especially important for reports created in the Traffic Sources and Content tabs.On report pages, Pages per Visit and Average Time on site are located at the top middle of report pages, while Bounce Rate is at the far right. So, how do you know if your site is “engaging?” Ask yourself: Is your site user-friendly? How simple is it for a visitor to click to the next page? Is there interactive content in which your readers can participate? Does landing page content match the keywords in its title? Considering these questions when designing your site is a surefire way to improve the quality of your web traffic.

Online Ad Spending to Surpass Print for First Time in 2012

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 02:44:00 GMT

For the first time in U.S. history, marketers are projected to spend more on online advertising than on advertising in print magazines and newspapers.

According to a study released Thursday by eMarketer, online advertising is expected to generate $39.5 billion in sales this year — a 23.3% increase from 2011 — compared to a spend of $33.8 billion on print.

That’s impressive growth, especially since 2011 also witnessed a 23% jump in online ad spending, according to eMarketer’s calculations.

Online ad revenues should continue to grow over the next half-decade, albeit at a more modest rate, as shown in the chart below. Total online ad investment is projected to hit $62 billion by that time.

12 Items That Technology Will Replace This Decade

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:15:00 GMT

1. Wrist watches: Sure, some will still wear them for fashion or swimming, but ask a Gen Y or Z crowd to raise their hand if they aren't wearing a wristwatch and you will see many naked wrists in the air.

2. Paperbacks: I still love a good book in my hands, but more and more I find myself cheating on my first love with my new love - Ms. Kindle.

3. Traditional homework: With offerings like Khan Academy and MITx, more and more teachers are assigning watching a lecture or lesson on YouTube as the homework and then doing the "traditional homework" in the classroom with the help of the instructor and peers. Being able to watch the best in the world deliver a lecture on a topic is a much better way to learn when you combine it with in-class practice. I wish this was around when I went to school - break out the popcorn!

4. Newspapers

5. Car keys

6. College backpacks: Imagine how nice it will be just to carry around a tablet with all your textbooks accessible in the cloud. And they won't cost $150 either. Also, you will be able to see the notes of all the other A+ students from around the world rather than praying that the used book you just purchased was from the next Einstein rather than the next Stoner. The books will be auto-updated as well.

7. DVDs

8. Instruction manuals: Replaced by much easier to comprehend "How to" videos.

9. Corked wine: Screw tops are better technology, but not quite as romantic.

10. Offline voting: No more "hanging chads" and imagine the percentage of voter increase when you can do it with a click of a button from your house. Even better, the results will be real time.

11. Cash: Mobile phones become transactional.

12. Desktop computers

Marketing momentum is shifting to digital channels

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:54:00 GMT

According to the Forrester Research US Interactive Marketing Forecast, 2009-2014 report, online marketing is predicted to grow to 21% of all marketing spend by 2014. As marketing dollars shift to online, it is critical to evaluate how you spend that investment so that you effectively increase conversions.

Your Brand

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 18:33:00 GMT

Prevailing business wisdom:

Your brand (whether organizational or personal) is the image and expectations you create in the minds of consumers (customers/clients or prospective employers).

Consider this alternative idea:

Your brand is less about what you say and more about what you consistently do.

Branding to have any meaning and sustainability has to be more than a marketing or public relations exercise. A brand is a promise that you consistently deliver on - that relates to and is built upon who you are (as an individual or as an organization.) To change perception, you first have to change behaviors.

In this New Year, consider what it looks like for you to take charge of your brand. Bring greater alignment between what you do and what you say. And set yourself up to close 2012 with exceptional success...and significance.

Betsy

Bizimage Marketing Contributor

Owner-Accelera Consulting Group

Slashing Pricing = Slashing Value

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 20:19:00 GMT

Notice all the price cutting and special offers during our economic tsunami? Seems that many brands decided that in order to increase brand profitability, they needed to slash prices. Well, a recent study with marketing professionals noted that this price-slash practice is having a negative impact on profits. Even with deep discount, merchants are experiencing less than stellar sales.

Why are we surprised by this? During good times, price discounts typically have a positive impact because consumers have more discretionary income. Offer a product at a special price and they’ll shop at your store AND buy other items. But with limited discretionary dollars, low price doesn’t have the same impact. They’ll buy the discounted product but don’t expect their loyalty. As soon as the economy turns around, they’ll be gone.

Surely, there is a better way to manage your brand. Let’s go back to the basics.

1. Get focused. The best brands have clarity about who they are and what they provide. If you don’t know what you stand for, or the value your brand provides, you can easily fall into the discounting trap.

2. Look more closely at your portfolio. Is this the time to add a lower priced item? Consider a recent strategy by Quiznos. They aren’t discounting their existing menu items, rather they created new items that are smaller in size (proving that everything doesn’t have to be super-sized) and offered at a lower priced. If you want the standard menu items, they’re still there at the same price.

3. Emphasize benefits, not price. This is difficult to do in our commoditized world, but try to find those nuggets that differentiate your brand personality from your competitors, and exploit them. Consumers already think about the money they have to spend – give them something else to think about instead.

Don’t play the price slashing game. It’s not a sustainable brand strategy. It’s a quick hit with little to show after it’s taken away.