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Posts Tagged ‘Marketing’
Thursday, January 14th, 2010
 Want to get some quick market research on how your product stacks up to a competitor? Ask the Internet.
I teach a course at San Francisco State University entitled, “Essentials of Integrated Marketing.” In that course, I have a case study that has proven to be a lot of fun as well as very insightful when it comes to gathering ”product comparison” data. The case study is called Video Game Wars and follows the exploits of the Microsoft Xbox, Sony Playstation 3, and Nintendo Wii.
In developing the case study, I needed to somehow find a way to educate the class on these products quickly. So, I turned to the Internet. My first course of action was to do a Google search on each of the products. This yielded the expected corporate-esk press releases, data sheets, and website info. All of this was helpful in building “awareness.” But I wanted more practical information when it came to comparisons.
So I tried a search variation.
I went to Google and Youtube looking for specific product comparisons. As an example, I typed in “Xbox versus PS3” and “Why buy a Playstation?” This produced an “Aha!” moment.
The search results provided a perfect example on how the dynamics of search have changed the way people gather and process information. Here’s what I mean:
- Much of the “product comparison” data I gathered was produced by users, not corporate executives.
- I couldn’t help but feel that the more “unpolished” the presentation, the more genuine the information.
- Many of these search results also included some sort of social media commentary, meaning that the material was actually being used and discussed.
Lest we think this is only useful for consumer products, I started testing this “product comparison” research tactic on a few projects I’m working on with B2B clients. I’d do the same thing: go to Google and YouTube and search on “product A vs product B”. In every case, I found very interesting information. Now, while I don’t take everything I find to the bank, I do find that the results have added to my cumultative knowledge. It’s helps to further my skills as an investigative marketer in order to discover which product differentiators are true and meaningful, and which are bogus.
Lesson for marketers
Based on this insight, it is important for marketers to consider a couple things as they are architecting their integrated marketing campaigns:
- Producing only the traditional marketing datasheets and collateral are no longer sufficient.
- There is a mountain of “awareness” information available; but customers are also keenly interested in product comparison data (see Content & the Buying Process blog post)
- Consider adding your own product comparison articles and videos. Some companies do this already, and I applaud them for it. Prospects are looking for this information. Why not provide them with short snippets of useful information? Otherwise, someone else might do it for them.
- As you develop your own marketing materials, do a comparison search to see what people are talking about. Do your expectations match up to the user community’s reality? Might be worth checking out.
Technorati Tags: Integrated Marketing, Marketing, San Francisco State, search engine marketing, Social Media, social networks
Tags: Integrated Marketing, Marketing, San Francisco State, search engine marketing, Social Media, social networks
Posted in Marketing, Social Media | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 20th, 2009
There’s no question that 2009 has been tough on Customer Advisory Board(CAB) programs and events. Many companies had little choice but to cancel or postpone their events this fall. But good news is on the horizon. The Dow has hit 10,000 and many expect signs of recovery to continue to blossom in 2010. Kicking off or rejuvinating your company’s CAB (or Customer Advisory Council – CAC) program is an excellent way to strengthen customer loyalty and ensure you are on the right (roadmap) track for 2010.
I’ve been facilitating CABs and other executive summits and offsites for more than 10 years. Here is a collection of articles that offer insights, tips, and best practices that will help optimize your program and build stronger executive relationships.
Technorati Tags: CAB, CABs, Customer Advisory Board, Customer Advisory Boards, Marketing, marketing programs, nurture programs
Tags: CAB, CABs, Customer Advisory Board, Customer Advisory Boards, Marketing, marketing programs, nurture programs
Posted in Customer Advisory Boards, Marketing | 2 Comments »
Thursday, October 8th, 2009
In his article, CIO Tells Us How to Sell to CIOs, Sridhar Ramanathan interviews Walt Thinfen, CIO of Visioneer. This article is a timely reminder about the importance of customer relationships built on an understanding of the customer’s world. Especially in this difficult economy, marketers and sales people can fall into the trap of myopic short-term thinking centered on making the quarterly number. It’s easy to lose sight of the customer and the problems they are trying to solve.
One excerpt that I really like is the following:
Vendors do, of course, need to do all the usual things like webinars, trade shows, datasheets, whitepapers, analyst briefings, etc. But I actually find the most valuable ones are opportunities to speak with fellow CIOs whether it’s on the golf course or in customer reference calls. I never turn down “lunch and learns” and events where I can have quality time with a peer.
There are two key elements interwoven into this quote from Walt.
- Reading between the lines suggests that when all the features and benefits become commoditized, the executive relationship will become the only true differentiator. This is where and why customer forums and Customer Advisory Boards (CABs) become so important.
- While the traditional “push” marketing tactics (like webinars, datasheets, etc) will continue to be important, they are not sufficient for successfully engaging CIO prospects. Marketing teams need to consider “push” marketing tactics that make relevant content (information & experiences) available to CIOs in places where CIOs look. Consider that in today’s Internet-based, social media-infused marketplace, 90% of the average sales cycle does NOT involve a sales rep!
Bottom line: the tough economy is causing marketers everywhere to rethink their approach in order to balance push and pull marketing tactics. And, in the center of the marketing plan needs to be recognition and respect for the executive relationship.
Technorati Tags: customer marketing, executive relationship, Integrated Marketing, Marketing
Tags: customer marketing, executive relationship, Integrated Marketing, Marketing
Posted in Customer Advisory Boards, Marketing | No Comments »
Monday, April 27th, 2009
For anyone looking to refresh or expand their integrated marketing skills, I invite you to check out San Francisco State University’s Integrated Marketing Program. The Program kicks off on May 12 at 5:45 pm with an informational overview about the program. The Summer quarter begins in June.
Marketing Education in the Bay Area:
SFSU’s Downtown Campus on Market St.
SFSU’s Integrated Marketing Program has been designed to provide working professionals with a solid foundation in marketing fundamentals. Topics covered include:
- What marketing is and how to develop a targeted marketing strategy
- How market research works and how to conduct it
- How to maximize search engine marketing
- Why branding is so important and how to use it
- The latest online marketing tools and trends
- How to develop integrated marketing campaigns
I’ll be teaching the program’s kick-off course: “Essentials of Integrated Marketing.” These are hands-on courses designed to share best practices being put to use at companies across the country. Plus, it’s a lot of fun!
For more info: please visit here.
Technorati Tags: Integrated Marketing, Marketing, San Francisco State, SFSU
Tags: Integrated Marketing, Marketing, San Francisco State, SFSU
Posted in Marketing | No Comments »
Friday, April 10th, 2009
With the today’s tough economy, many companies are unsure as to whether they should hold their spring CAB meeting or not. While they have penciled in their CAB date for either late May or early June, these companies have been hesitant to take any real steps to plan their meeting until their customers have confirmed their attendance. Yet because the attendance list is in limbo, it’s been hard to get internal mindshare to plan the agenda and strategize on the meeting objectives and desired outcome. So, what’s a CAB manager to do?
First: don’t delay. Consider that whether you actually conduct a face-to-face CAB meeting or not, it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you truly believe that customers will come, you will be driven to produce a meaningful agenda and you will energetically promote the event. Your positive drive and enthusiasm for a rich customer event will shine through your outreach efforts. With determination, you can and will be successful in acquiring the customer attendees you desire. However, if you are unsure and hesitate in your outreach efforts, customers will sense a lack of purpose or energy on your company’s part. There’s nothing easier to turn down than a half-hearted, maybe-it’s-on, maybe-it’s-off CAB invitation.
Here are a few tips to help you get motivated.
1) CABs are a sign that you care about customers. Not every company has a CAB, and not every company that does executes them well. So, by investing in your customers now during a downturn, you will be noticed. In fact, use the CAB as a differentiator: while your competitors scale back and limit customer interaction, run a CAB to set yourself apart. By holding a CAB in 2009, you are saying “we value your business and we’re here for the long haul.” When times get better (and they will!), customers will remember how you treated them when times were tough.
2) The content, not the hotel, will determine your success. Everyone understands that glory days at the Ritz may not be appropriate this year; however, it’s the content that customers value most. If you deliver rich content that is relevant to them in a friendly venue that encourages customer networking with their peers, you will have a successful CAB. (The converse is also true: customers will not return even to the Ritz if the CAB is poorly structured and has irrelevant content.)
3) Plan now! Even if you are uncertain. A productive, world-class CAB takes time to prepare. Ideally, you want at least 12 weeks to align your resources, plan the full CAB program, and invite your customers. You can still be successful with only 8 weeks to plan, but you must start now. Planning requires more than your invite list. You need time to align your executives on the central objective of each CAB meeting. You also need time to prepare the agenda, construct your presentation and engagement models, and prioritize the feedback and customer input you want.
Now is the time to be bold and to invest in your customers. This is the best way to truly differentiate yourself from your competitors.
For more on CABs, see Are you getting strategic insight from your best customers? Customer Advisory Boards help you validate and refine your product direction.
Technorati Tags: Add new tag, CAB, CABs, Customer Advisory Board, Customer Advisory Boards, Marketing
Tags: Add new tag, CAB, CABs, Customer Advisory Board, Customer Advisory Boards, Marketing
Posted in Marketing | 1 Comment »
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