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Well, as you can tell from the date of my last post, I have not had much time to write lately. I actually still don't feel like I have much time right now either, but was inspired to write after reading a couple of posts by Geoffrey James on BNET. I like to read about marketing and get different perspectives and I sometimes like the articles on BNET - but this one got me going a bit. Since I had too much to say to post a reply on the BNET article, I thought it would be best to simply write my own post. I will try to not be as self-serving and one-sided as Mr. James - as I post a different view of Sales and Marketing roles. By the way Mr. James - have you ever heard of a Product Manager or a Product Marketing Manager? Here are a few of my picks for organizational dos and don'ts related to Marketing: 1. Sales and Marketing should always be under the same leadership 2. For any business with more than $5million or so in Sales, Sales and Marketing Departments should also have a Product Management function. 3. No matter what the 'experts' tell you - it is still important for someone to focus on the 4Ps of marketing - Product, Price, Place and Promotion. 4. In a perfect world, the Product Manager sets the rules on Pricing, determines, with Sales, the product mix and looks to Sales to determine the 'place'. Marketing takes care of the promotion piece. BTW, if pricing is set by Sales, it will inevitably be too low. It is easier to sell things when you can beat competitors prices. Like it or not, it is a rare company that offers commissions based on margins. 5. Promotion can mean just about anything, but a good Marketer can figure out what is best based on the company goals, the product mix, the market being targeted and the demographics of the decision makers. Promotion does not mean booking a booth at a show or running an ad and walking away. A good Marketer can also craft a message correctly to help Sales. ALthough B2B selling is largely based on relationships and reputation, everyone needs to find new leads and provide messaging that will engage these propects. 6. Marketing should talk to Sales and Sales should talk to Marketing - regularly. It does not have to be an us vs. them situation. 7. Anyone in Marketing should have to go on a few sales calls and to a couple of trade shows. Talk to customers and look at competitors - figure out what everyone needs and does. 8. Anyone in charge of Marketing at a high tech company better know the products. If you do not have a technical background, get one. You have to be able to understand what your product does and why it is worth buying. There are few Marketing professionals who can market a product they don't understand. 9. Branding and Strategy are important elements to Marketing, but here is the problem - people get too caught up in trying to define and work out these elements until they are 'perfect'. The problem is - they are never going to be perfect to everyone - they are too subjective. [ Quick aside - a professional I know chose not to quote on a logo design project for one of my clients. He cited the difficulties in getting the logo right and stated that even $10,000 was probably not enough to make logo design worth the effort. WHAT? I'm sorry - I don't want to minimize the difficulties in coming up with a new company logo, but really? This is what I mean - it is not THAT important. Make sure it is nice and a good representation of your company and/or your products... and off we go.] Anyway, to continue - 'Branding' comes when you develop a name for yourself - a reputation. Take enough time to make sure that your products and information all look like they come from your company so that everything you do builds your brand. But, don't get too worked up with the logo, font and color choices, tag lines and all that. Pick something appropriate and nice and stick to it. If you have something old or dated looking or just plain ugly, change it. If you do everything else right, you will build a brand whether your logo is blue or red or... As far as strategy goes, let's rename it 'planning'. Marketing planning is an essential function. Marketing strategy is too often confused with Strategic planning for the business. Marketing plans should be part of your business strategy - not vice verse.
 It is time for high tech to get involved in Social Media. Even with the millions of people on Facebook, twitter, etc., there is a very small number of high tech companies joining the conversation. It's not easy convincing these companies to get involve though - kind of a catch22 going on. Other companies are not on Twitter for instance, so companies don't want to waste time talking to no one. Someone has to bite the bullet and start an industry trend, but no one wants to be first - and alone.
After putting much thought into this for the industry that I know best, fiberoptics, I have decided that Twitter is the place to be. OK - let me back up a bit. I guess I should clarify that I think all businesses should have a profile on LinkedIn and be active there, but I'm pushing for a high tech Twitter movement.
Here is my thinking. High Tech does not (in general) see much need for the social aspect of Twitter, but they can be well served by using it to share information. For many of us involved with twitter, one of the most useful aspects is how easy it is to find articles about things that interest us. We follow people and keywords that are relevant to what we want to read about and learn and are rewarded daily with snippets of information and links that prove to be helpful. This, I believe, is the key to social media engagement for tech industries.
The Proposal:
-Every industry has a trade association, a few industry news websites and even some local chapters/sub-chapters of associations. Start there. These organizations need to get active with twitter - posting industry news and info.
-Associations with member mailing lists need to email their members with a call to get engaged and share their knowledge and product information.
-Make a plan. Who will post for your company? What type of things will you tweet about? Don't just sell - engage. Post info about what you offer, but balance it with industry news and general info that your potential customers may find informative. Make a plan for addressing complaints or nasty posts that may crop up. Monitor your business name and keywords.
-Set up your Twitter account and search out a few people to follow - look for customers, vendors, competitors, trade associations, industry news sites...
-Make sure to put a link to your twitter on your website.
-Send an email to your customers and vendors announcing your twitter address and encouraging them to join the conversation. Tell them what type of information you plan to post.
-Now engage! Use one of the many sites that help manage your social media info if you find that helpful. I use HootSuite, but you can use Tweetdeck, Tweetizen or many other sites.
-Remember, this is still "Social", so send thank you notes to new followers, follow some of the people who follow you, retweet interesting posts, acknowledge people who retweet you.
That's it - go for it. Don't give up or get discouraged. It takes time to build a following. You will not have 100 followers in a week - or even a month. But, if you follow the plan and keep at it, you will suddenly realize that people are following and engaging and you are seeing posts with links to good information... It's all good!
What do you do about socal media when you are part of an industry that has not embraced it?
This is my current dilemna. Having worked in the fiberoptics industry for many years, I have been approached by Marketing Directors of small FO companies, asking "Why should I have a Facebook page?" or "How can I justify the cost of setting up and maintaining a Twitter account or a blog...?" Since I am a true believer in the power of Social Media Marketing and feel it is here to stay (will evolve, but won't go away), I can generally give good information and examples of how SM can help a company.
But... here it comes... it is difficult to convince companies that this is worthwhile when other companies from their industry are not active in social media. Who is a small fiberoptic company going to reach if other companies and potential customers are not engaged? It's not just fiberoptics. There are many industries out there that are not involved in social media widely enough to attract a good number of companies to join in.
So, how do we solve this problem? I can't say for sure what will work, but relative to the industry I have been involved in the most, I am proposing the following:
Start with industry groups and news outlets - they are generally involved in social media at least a bit and they have mailing lists. See if they will send a call out to their members/readers to get active and help to build a useful online community.
Find the few from the industry who are active (there are generally a handful from any industry trying things out) and reach out to them to contact their customers/vendors and encourage engagement.
Encourage industry trade shows to bring in at least 1 speaker on social media marketing to inform and encourage companies to engage and to share some much desired statistics,...
I can't say for sure that this will have the desired effect, but it's worth a try. I'm off to put together a nice note to send out to some news and trade associations to see if I can jump start this. I'll let you know in a few months if I make any headway in the Fiber Optics market and we can take it from there!
I was at a business dinner a couple of weeks ago with a group from the New England Fiberoptic Council (NEFC). After a lot of chit chat around our table about the changes in our industry over the last 30 years, we listened to talk about FTTH (fiber to the home). It was a bit long, but interesting to most in the room. As we wrapped up and started saying our goodbyes, one of the gentlemen at my table approached me. I was ready to offer my hand to say "It was nice to meet you..." when he said "Tell me why my company needs to be involved in Social Meda. And how will we benefit?" Wow, I just wanted to say goodbye and go home!
Actually, anyone who knows me does not believe that last line! So, we engaged in a lively discussion about the importance of social media today. He was very stuck on the idea of Facebook and how a company like his (small company doing specialty optics stuff) could not possibly find Facebook to be anything but a waste of time. It struck me a bit odd that his whole view of social media centered around Facebook. He admitted that he really did not know much about it, but he just did not get it. Obviously!
So, I offered up a few thoughts about other things that may be more worthwhile for his type of business. Perhaps a blog to show expertise and develop a following, make a few videos showing some applications for his products, get involved with Linkedin, look at Twitter to see if some of his keywords are being discussed... He did not seem moved! So, it was late and we left it there. I offered to send him an email with a bit of data about B2B social media successes and a few more thoughts on what might be right for his business in particular.
Fast forward 2 weeks and we have now gone back and forth several times in an email conversation. I have made him think about this more and he has pushed back, citing the Target boycott ordeal on Facebook. I reminded him that people can post negative things on the internet whether or not you have a presence in Social Media, so you might want to engage and monitor - at least you will be able to respond. He has not been convinced that any of it is worthwhile to spend time doing, but he has engaged - even discussed it with his daughter in college who happens to be creating a FB page for a company as part of her part-time job. A little ironic, eh?!
I have to say that he does have reason to doubt the effectiveness of social media for his business in particular. The fiberoptics industry has been slow to adopt social media as part of their marketing strategy. When you have an industry that, in general, is not on board, there are not many people to engage with online. So, I am joining the NEFC as a board member soon and I'm on a mission to change that. It's time for this high tech, fast moving industry to see the positive side of engagement. Every industry needs to have a good presence in social media (for B2B companies) otherwise, maybe it is a waste of time. Oh my! Did I really say that?!
I was thinking about marketing tonight. Actually, I think about marketing a lot of the time - but anyway...
I was thinking about how some companies really get it and some just don't. Some companies are lucky enough to be in a well defined space, where it is clear how to market your products, and some are in a new technology or in cross-over or emerging markets and just can't find the right message.
I am thinking about this because I applied for a job at a company that makes solar panels, and I was perusing their website to get more info about their products, markets, etc. After spending a little time navigating their site, I really hope they will talk to me about working there. I really think I could help. Really.
Maybe I have it all wrong. Maybe they are not interested in selling product - just telling people about how cool their technology is and how they make it well. Maybe that is enough to get people to buy these expensive solar panels. Maybe I'm in the minority to think that the best way to sell something like residential and commercial solar panels is to show how someone can be environmentally friendly while not spending their life savings or corporate profits. Perhaps I am alone in thinking that making a financial case to show home owners, contractors, businesses, etc. that it is actually a cost effective move, would be a good marketing strategy. What do I know?
Well, actually, I know quite a bit. I know that new technology, no matter how 'cool' it is, is hard to adopt when it is expensive and has long term implications. I know that even when you want to do the right thing for the environment, you are often only willing to spend a limited amount to do it. I also know that it is hard to buy something when you don't really understand how it works. So, if I were marketing solar panels, I would suggest including this kind of information on the website. Examples of energy cost savings and payback time for the initial outlay. Explanations of how solar ties into your home or business electrical system to keep you 'off grid' so to speak. I would educate and enlighten - and then pitch "now that you know you want it, buy from us because we make it better..."
Anyway, what do I know?!
Image building, branding, messaging - all so important to your business, but one of the most vague marketing concepts in my book. There are so many ways to say something, so many ways to design a logo and a look for your business. What looks great to you may seem odd or out of date to me - or vice versa. How do you know if what you are doing is right?
You can look at a few things and ask a few key questions to make sure you are at least on the right path. So, first and foremost - do no harm! If you do only one thing - make sure your web site, company look, email campaigns, Social Media and anything else you put out there, do not make you look bad in anyone's eyes. Check that nothing you do could be considered inappropriate, insulting, or just plain sound stupid. Make sure you have good grammar, no typos and nothing that is just plain wrong.
Once you have done this, decide what your message is going to be and what company image you want to build. Everything you do should then revolve around these ideas. Check yourself often by asking if what you are doing fits into this message. For instance, are you trying to be a market leader, a low price solution, high quality/high price, the innovator - what is your value proposition? Then, what is your image (based, at least in part, on your target market)- modern/young, older and established, very corporate, kind of funky, artsy, on the cutting edge? Define your image with 2 or 3 adjectives and use those when evaluating design choices for your materials.
Now that you have determined your value proposition and your positioning, build your image around them. Start with your company name/logo and any tag line you may use. Do they fit the parameters you have just determined? Do they need to be adjusted? Will adding a tag line help? Is this a good time to design or re-design your logo? Choose colors for your logo that will extend into other areas like your website, printed materials, email marketing pieces, social media pages, etc.
Next, look at your web site. Does your home page tell the visitor what your value proposition is? Does it at least answer the question - "What does this company do?" in the first 5-8 seconds? Would you use your company "adjectives" to describe this site? Is it 'funky' or 'corporate' or 'young' looking? Is it visually appealing and does it look like your company? And, most of all, is it correct! Does everything link properly? Enough people will come and go, don't give them a reason (like poor design) to leave.
This is just the tip of the image building iceberg, but I hope this gives you something to think about.
For many companies, the social media craze is something for others to do - it's not really for them. Does this sound familiar? Are you ignoring this trend in hopes that it will just blow over? Did you think email was just a fad too?!
Well, its time to get over it. Social media is here to stay. It's time to get past the discomfort and start doing something. Unless you sell to the over 55 set only, it's time to start tuning in and participating - your competitors surely are.
So, let's start with the basics. Register with Twitter and set up an account. Choose one person to be in charge of twitter in the beginning - this will keep your messaging consistent. Try to choose a twitter name that allows people to find you. If your actual business name is available, take it. If that is not possible, choose a spelling or abbreviation that is logical and allows you to keep at least part of your real name in tact.
For instance, if your company is "Standard Safety Products", StandardSafety would be a good choice. If it is not available, try the entire name. The key is to be found if someone searches for you. Don't make up some crazy abbreviation like Stdsafeprods - even people who know you will not find you easily.
Now, set up the information on your account. Make sure to write a good description in the bio. This is what everyone will see when they go to your page. Make sure your business is described well using key words that, again, will be found in a search.
I also recommend that you customize at least the background of your page. Upload a logo or symbol that represents your company well. Then, choose colors for the sidebar and fonts that complements that background well. Do not choose dark letters on a dark background - no one can read it.
Now, you are set up. Take some time to search for some people to connect with - even before you start posting your own tweets. Look up companies you do business with - customers, vendors, services you use. Then, search for key words and see who is tweeting about subjects that are pertinent to your business. If you make software for the health care market, search on software, health care, patient data, etc. Then look at the profiles of the people posting things on these subjects and click to follow the ones that seem to tweet about things that are in line with your product and market. Pay attention to the tweets you see - what do you like to read? - what don't you like to read? This will give you some ideas about how to compose your posts.
It is important that posts are informational and welcoming. Just tweeting about how great you are and telling people to buy, buy, buy, will not make you a popular site. The initial goal should be to start making a reputation for yourself as a company that has something good to say, some information to offer and perhaps even someone good to converse with. Set a goal to become viewed as an expert in your field and this will help focus your posting efforts.
You now need to start posting your own tweets. Start out with a few things about your business - informational, not hard sell. Post a teaser line and a link to your latest press release. Put in something about a new product or a sales milestone. I like to prepare with good 'go to' reference sites. These are sites that have good information about happenings in your industry. When I need an idea for a useful post, I sometimes check these reference sites to get ideas. Post a link to an interesting technical article or a newspaper story or a blog post about something new in your field.
Although you don't have to spend hours on Twitter every week to be successful with it, you should plan to spend more time in the first couple of weeks. Find good resources, get some regular posts up, re-tweet some people and keep looking for good people to follow. Next thing you know, some people will be following you and clicking into your web site (or onto your blog, etc.). This really should be the short term goal for most small businesses- more traffic. It's hard to tell if sales will result, but more clicks to your web site and finding leads through new followers, is not a bad thing. Remember to check your new followers regularly. Get rid of any spamy looking ones (you can block people from following you), follow up on any that look like a good lead and follow people back.
I too was a non-believer not that long ago. I thought Twitter was a bad idea and something in which I would never find value. I was wrong. I think it is one of many important tools in the marketing arsenal for many small businesses out there - so give it a try.
I have officially run out of time. I just can't work for a client, write blog posts, tweet something profound, click on (and read) all the links to articles about new marketing ideas and trends, post pictures on facebook, look for new job opportunities on all the job sites, connect with everyone I know on linkedin ... Oh, and eat, sleep and see my family - impossible!
As a consultant, I have a need to keep up with the latest and greatest things happening out there. I have to stay fresh, be up on trends, understand how to implement these for the next client coming around the bend - or the next full time employer. Don't I?
I'm actually starting to wonder. I saw a seminar being offered on social networking - sponsored by our local Chamber of Commerce. The panel was comprised of a few local small business owners who are tweeting, ... Are they experts? Are they going to tell me something I don't know? Maybe - maybe not. How much more do I need to know? Can I be considered an 'expert'? I certainly seem to have as much knowledge as some people out there peddling their seminars and advice.
I approached twitter, linkedin, facebook ... the same way I approach most things - I talked to some people, I observed people/companies already doing it, I read a bunch of articles - until they all started to sound the same. Then I tried it out, slowly but surely putting things there for people to see. Only time will tell if I can be successful with my approach, but I'm starting to feel pretty good so far. I can't say that I am an expert, or know everything there is to know. But, I'm off to a good start and think I can learn new things without spending every spare moment on these activities.
As with most things in life, perhaps moderation is the key to surviving the social media frenzy! So, happy tweeting, blogging, facebooking, linking in, etc ...
For all of you working for mid-sized or larger companies, taking time now to plan for 2010 is part of the process - something that just happens. For millions of small businesses out there, I'm guessing that not much (or certainly not enough) time is spent on planning a marketing strategy for next year.
Here are a few thoughts on what I would consider 'low hanging fruit' - things that may have smaller returns, but are easy and low (or no) cost to implement.
1. Take a look at your overall image and message. Is it what you want it to be? Is it consistant? Is it clear? If everything is good, then move on to something else. If not, decide what needs to be changed or updated and make it happen. Every business can benefit from proper branding and a consistent look and message - customers find comfort in knowing what to expect.
2. Review your web site. Is it still on message? Is site navigation easy and logical? Do pictures look good, is the message clear, are products shown properly? Is it clear what you do, why someone should trust you and how to reach you? Now is the time to fix anything that is not quite right.
3. Should you reach out to customers with social media? Is it time to tweet or to build a facebook page? Should you add a blog? Do you have someone who could start this without spending too much time? Caution here though - if you start, be prepared to keep going. Posting a tweet once or twice a month is going to do nothing good for you. Putting up a facebook page and then leaving it unattended will not impress anyone!
4. Try your hand at email marketing. Sites like Constant Contact, iContact, Vertical Response and many others make it easy and fairly low cost. Gather a mailing list of existing customers, put a sign up link on your web site, sign people up in your store or restaurant, etc and start offering email promotions to attract business. If you have a company that offers services and not product, have your emails be informational newsletters. Become an expert in the eyes of your potential customers.
These are just a few of the things you should consider for your 2010 marketing plans. Get out of your Marketing rut and start planning some new things for next year. You may or may not agree - but image is a key component of success. Do you buy things from businesses that seem shabby, are unknown to you and look like they don't have their act together?
I had a job interview the other day and one of the questions stumped me a bit. The interviewer simply asked, "What is your favorite marketing campaign". It's not that I don't have favorites, it's just that I had never thought about it in terms of answering an interview question.
I know this is not hard, but put yourself in my shoes. It's ok to take a moment before answering, but I can't sit for 2 minutes considering all the possibilities - that's a lot of dead air. Then, all I can think of is "What is he looking for here?", "What does he want me to like?" "What does he like?" These thoughts are wasting valuable time!
So, I blurt out Nike's Marketing campaign - all around the swoosh. It's simple, effective and recognizable everywhere. You don't even need to say Nike - just show the swoosh.
The answer doesn't seem to impress and now, all these other campaigns are flooding into my head. I ask what his favorite is. He tells me he has lots, but Intel and Apple are high on the list. Of course they are - they have amazing marketing machines. Why didn't I say that?
I have to say, Apple was one of the ones that came to mind after I went with the Nike thing. But, I couldn't say that. I also thought of Dove's campaign for real beauty - one of my favorites and what has made me a loyal Dove customer.
Chalk up another interview experience and new things to think about.
So, what's your favorite marketing campaign? Help me out - maybe I'll get the job next time!
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