Strategy + Solutions

Blogging: High ROI Marketing Tool

The New York Times ran an article today in the Small Business section that discusses blogging as a marketing tool. 

Salesforce.Com & Google Offer Marketing Software

Great news for the SMB market was announced on Tuesday.  Salesforce will resell the Google AdWords platform by acting as a distribution channel targeting the small and medium business marketplace. 

Lead Gen 2.0?

Check out LeadPoint, a new venture in L.A. that recently received VC funding.  This blog post describes their philosophy and it is very interesting and exciting.  One to watch.

The Gratitude Effect

Since I live in Austin, TX I closely follow the technology scene and what successful companies are talking about on the ground.

Powered is a company on the move and it provides online consumer education.  While reviewing their website I found this nugget of marketing information.  Please check out Powered and especially read this part of their website:

"As consumers' media consumption habits evolve -- and their aversion to traditional marketing techniques (like the 30 second spot) skyrocket -- many industry experts predict the future will produce a new "Golden Age" for education-based marketing, sponsorship, product placement, long-form content, and branded entertainment. And it's ironic that many of these "new marketing" tactics are currently being touted when they were the original form of advertising on radio and television.

The re-emergence of these strategies speaks to marketers' desire to find permission-based ways to connect with time-constrained, ad-weary consumers, and create marketing that consumers will seek out and find valuable. As these strategies increasingly become adopted, marketers will need to measure the impact on their ROI.

Enter "The Gratitude Effect"

The Gratitude Effect is a term coined by research firm Next Century Media (NCM) <http://www.nextcenturymedia.com/> in 1999 and developed based on a number of studies about the persuasive power of brands' sponsorships of desirable content, particularly as delivered through the Internet. These sponsorships offer exclusivity (meaning no other brand is presented) and an emotive connection to the content (meaning the free content is related to the brand's products). NCM has found that a no strings attached "gift" of content produces powerful outcomes for brands around:

• Inclusion in consumers' consideration set
• Increases in purchase intent
• Improved consumer opinion of the brand and attributes of a product

To learn more about the Gratitude Effect, download the NCM study Measuring Sponsorship Effectiveness.

With the help of NCM, Powered has found a strong Gratitude Effect at the heart of the ROI in our online consumer education programs. Increasingly, our clients are finding our programs to be a cost-effective and efficacious way to connect with the consumers they need to reach "

Does Twitter Have Legs?

Twitter was the "big thing" at the most recent SXSW conference in Austin, TX.  The question is how can marketers, salespeople or businesses benefit from this new Web 2.0 technology.  Is it a flash in the pan that will fizzle or does it have proverbial "legs."

At least one blogger has an application for salespeople:

"Travelling salesmen who want to communicate in a group whilst on the road - again, in a way that is recordable."

Please share your thoughts on how businesses can leverage this new technology.

Similar technologies are heading to the web like Jaiku so someone will win this battle but who?

Planypus - New Viral Marketing Platform

Planypus is an exciting new way to promote your venue or event in order to increase attendance.  This new form of viral marketing will be interesting to follow.  Obviously the concept will help restaurants, sports teams, music halls, convention centers, hotels and the like to promote large events to a broad audience.

Savvy marketers within small, medium and enterprise businesses currently notify current and potential customers that they are attending XYZ convention, trade show, or association meeting to speak or exhibit their products or services via print, phone or email and measure results.

This is yet another tool to accomplish this goal and will enable you to build customer relationships, increase retention with existing clients and promote your brand to new potential customers via word of mouth marketing. 

This solution is an actionable and measurable tool for your business to build a buzz for your speaking event, seminar, product launch at a conference, webinar, grand opening or any other event you need to promote and market.  Please check it out and let us know how your marketing team or business is leveraging and benefiting from Planypus.

Evolution of Email

Will email and consequently email marketing become extinct?  I read an interesting blog by the Web Worker Daily regarding the various tools that may replace email in the future.  It is hard to imagine that my blackberry will become obsolete but it is always interesting to think about what new innovations and technologies will do to change our consumer behavior.  The question becomes is there a better mousetrap than email? 

Seth Godin's Blog

The great creativity and thinking of Seth Godin is a joy to read every day.  You should consider visiting his blog and fill your mind with his interesting takes on everything from a to z. 

His blog combines witty humor with savvy business and marketing tips that just might provide you with a fresh perspective to a challenge you are facing in your business. 

You should also most definitely add one of his many books to your collection.  The money spent buying one of his books and the time it takes to read it and have it handy for inspiration will be well worth the total investment.

Charlie Rose Interview with Howard Schultz

If you get a chance try and catch a rerun of the Charlie Rose interview with Chairman Howard Schultz of Starbucks.

The interview is captivating because the former CEO now Chairman and Chief Global Strategist knows his business model and especially his customers so well.

The interview reminded and underscored for me as it will you how important a thorough understanding of your customer is for your business future and your ability to innovate and stay ahead of the curve for success.  People often pay lip service to customers and employees but this guy attempts to walk in their shoes.  He travels the world to check in on the various shops and how they are meeting their customers needs.  His employees are gold to him because they stand between him and his customer.  He believes that the way he treats his employees will be passed on to his customers on some level.  Therefore, Starbucks is considered one of the best employers in the world.

Operationally he praises the good things a store staff is doing.  He is not looking for faults when he goes into a store to do a walk through.  He is looking to accentuate the positives and look for the next success.  There are so many important business lessons to be taken from the segment but one that sticks out is his ability to laugh at failure and move past it for growth.  Charlie pokes fun at him for some of his admitted failures and his reaction to the ribbing really supports the idea that if you don't fail some of the time you can't succeed big.  This guy is someone who grew up poor and was told by his father-in-law to reconsider doing the coffee business thing.

In our culture of instant gratification it is difficult to overcome public failures.  I love the way this guy uses it to his advantage.  He truly represents the "American Dream" and has become perhaps one of the most influential business people in our history.  Do you avoid failure or chase success?  Do you let others discourage you or do you press forward. If you do the latter you are bound to falter somewhere along the way but the risk of having courage and pushing forward will be rewarded by an education of how not to do it the next time and position you and your organization for bigger things. 

Has the fear of failure prevented you from maximizing the marketing your product or service?  If so, what things could you do to tackle this villain and make it your friend for building a lasting and successful business?  In addition, when was the last time your really walked in your customers shoes?  How does it change the way you look at your business and what can you do to improve the way you market it to your target customer?

Marketing

Going forward, this category will provide topics, thoughts, quotes, and ideas that could possibly help your organization improve the marketing function, enhance teamwork, and maximize its return on marketing dollars spent.

Teamwork Quote and Thought:

"He has the right to criticize who has the heart to help."  ~Abraham Lincoln