Recession proof marketing ???

Everybody would like to be in a recession proof job at the moment and unfortunately marketing is not one of them. In the current climate the marketing budget is on shaky ground and looking around I’ve seen more than one marketing department offered up as a credit crunch sacrifice.
So if retraining as a plumber or nurse isn’t for you (although with over 30,000 unfilled plumbing vacancies in the UK and many advertised with salaries in excess of £40,000 plumbing may be looking quite appealing to some) what can marketers learn from supposed ‘recession proof’ jobs to help make our own position more secure?

Make marketing indispensible
Just like in the real world where we will always need firemen, ambulance drivers and vets, in the B2B world businesses will always need more leads and opportunities. Unfortunately people often don’t realise how much they rely on a service until it is gone – obviously most marketers would like the organisation to have this realisation before cutting back on marketing budgets or headcount but how? Although us marketing types all believe we are an indispensible function getting other departments and senior management to share this view is key. Being seen to be flexible is being seen to be helpful.

Blow your own trumpet
What makes a successful plumber? The leaks they fix don’t start leaking again and people talk about how well the job was done. No-one likes a show off but likewise no-one can give you credit for your work if they don’t know its’ due. Marketing successes often aren’t as tangible as saving the ground floor of the building from flooding but are often still worth celebrating. Start sharing your marketing successes, tell people when something works and why you’re proud of it and start celebrating achievements.

Be half full
Most people would agree that today isn’t the easiest of times to be doing business. Ignoring the world economic condition isn’t going to make it go away and stop bothering you, disliking the sometimes necessary changes that may be taking place closer to home won’t stop them from happening and being negative and reactive as a department won’t help make marketing recession proof - it will only serve to damage the perception of you and your team.

Being positive, having a great attitude and being proactive in looking for solutions rather than problems will impact elsewhere. To market well when the world and his wife are looking to purchase your products or services is one thing but to find a way to market equally as well and with as many positive results in a downturn sets you apart from the marketing masses. Treat your current glass as being half full and see the current climate as your opportunity to shine.

Plan B
In boom times and in downturns it is never a bad thing to have a plan B. Start networking, keep an eye on the opportunities and changes occurring in your space and be prepared. Keeping your skills and qualifications up to date makes you’re a valuable employee but in a worst case scenario it also makes you more employable. Volunteering for new projects and initiatives will not only put marketing in a positive light but it will also help develop the skills and experiences of your team.

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B2B christmas gifts - navigating the minefield

When it comes to choosing the annual Christmas gifts for customers, channel partners and potential customers things seem to be getting more and more complicated.

How do you find a gift that resonates with your brand? Is there a correlation between what you stand for and what you are sending out? As much fun as novelty desk toys can be they don't reinforce the message of quality and high performance or the market leader image you've been building up. Likewise the standard company diaries and 2009 calendars don't really say innovative, edgy and thought leader do they?

A well thought out Xmas gift was recently sent out by a construction company who has been doing lots of regeneration works and to tie in with this and over achieving in meeting their carbon footprint targets they decided to send out saplings to each of their employees, customers and partners. This sat nicely with their message that everyone connected to the organisation can do their bit to improve their carbon footprint, get greener and improve the local social environment.

Not all companies get it quite as right. Receiving chocolates (which had obviously been ordered well in advance of the Christmas rush) that had passed their sell by date really makes a company stick in my mind for the wrong reasons. As does the entire team receiving a gift from one particular supplier apart from the person who actually processes the payments - how to ensure you are always last on the payment run!

So what are your options? What should you consider?

Before looking through the endless promotions and incentive catalogues decide what the point of sending the Christmas gift is. Ask yourself a few questions...Why are you sending gifts - to raise awareness, as an incentive, just to spread christmas cheer? What are the most important aspects of your brand and does your choice of present reinforce (rather than contradict) your brand values?

Other things to consider include;

• With monetary gifts such as gift vouchers or gift cards - be aware of tax implications for those who receive them.
• Sweets & Chocolates - although having the benefit of being able to be shared amongst an entire office another minefield opens up. What if your gifts may contain nuts, are not diabetic friendly or they don't allow for the increase in varieties of food intolerances. Chocolates are dropping down in the Christmas gift rankings.
• Alcohol - Although a personal favourite of mine many people do not drink for personal or religious reasons and these gifts often cannot be shared amongst a team (unless they are opened in the office which would be a no no in several organisations)
• Desk toys - test them first. Don't send a gift that breaks shortly after receipt.

How to make things easier...

• Send a gift an entire team can enjoy rather than sending things only to the main contact.
• Have a bit of quality control - don't just just order from a catalogue. See, feel, test any gift you want to send out. The negative comeback for a poor quality gift will be directed at you and not the manufacturer.
• Get your data right - make sure you are sending things to the right people in the right office. Otherwise it is budget straight into the bin.
• Send them early - Although November might be a little too early don't leave it too late either. Many staff start Christmas holidays way before the 20th Dec to tie in with school holidays or just to use up excess holiday built up during the year. Don't send your gifts too late - they might not have the same effect when opened on January 5th!

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Marketing in a credit crunch

After a long time of being told that, as a B2B marketer my role is lead generation, lead generation, lead generation and if I have any time left a bit of branding, it was interesting to hear about a new push for educational marketing.

In a time of all marketing camapigns being focussed around the credit crunch, surviving the downturn and how to get through the economic doom and gloom it is refreshing to hear that some companies are still looking at value adds for the customer rather than trying to undercut / discount / offer BOGOF deals.

So how can a B2B company start up a programme of educational marketing?
And how will this benefit the bottom line?

• Become the expert you say you are

Do you really know as much as you think you do? Proclaiming yourself or your company as an expert in a particular field is all well and good but make sure you know your stuff. For example, as a professional services marketing expert you will be red faced if you can't answer questions on the recent Legal Services Bill.

• Offer you knowledge and expertise FOC

Obviously not unconditionally, but offering small tasters of help, advice and expertise to your potential marketplace is an incredibly strong way to build reputation. This can be done through events, speaker opportunities at industry events, industry or company newsletters or via your website or blog. This builds reputation, goodwill (when the advice is useful) and keeps your name in the mind of your key decision makers.

In summary this is a realtively low cost way to build reputation and increase your share of voice in the market place. And in the current market being remembered for your expertise rather than for short term give aways and promotional campaigns can only be a good thing.

Any way to differentiate from the crowd = competitive advantage

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Keeping your team happy and productive - for free

I recently saw a 'Happiness at Work Index' report talking about the top thing stressing us out and affecting our performance at work. The findings show that our teams are working longer, harder and are feeling the strain a lot more than in previous years.

So what can we do to make things better? Of course we would all like a big pay rise but even without the current economic climate this would be tough sell to management. Here are a few tips on how to get more while spending less...

Show you care: Sounds a little cheesy but a little appreciation goes a long way. Praise costs nothing and can go a lot further than you think. Public praise within the team can also have the effect of increasing competitiveness and therefore productivity.

Show respect: Never ask someone to do something you wouldn't be prepared to do yourself. People always work harder for a manager they respect rather than a manager they fear. Having a team where all members mutually respect one anaother makes for a much more pleasant working environment and again can help increase productivity and improve results.

Trust: As scary as it can be to let go and let your team run with a campaign, project or event without you, it lets your team feel that you trust them and rate them. No one wants to be micro managed and many people flourish when given a little trust and space to show their true worth.

Personal Development: back to the old adage - Whats in it for me? - offering something to your team for inputting more into a task or project will get greater performance out of them. Whether it is the chance to gain a new skillset, increase experience or to provide variety, most people want to be challenged, stretched and given the chance to develop their skills. Giving your team the chance to take on new responsibilities or projects could be more welcome than a straight pay rise for continuing with their current job.

Harmonious teams: Trying to ensure your team get along cannot be underrated. They spend so much time together that any conflict will reduce productivity and cause more stress. Keeping the team buoyed will impact their performance.

Keep your team in the loop: In uncertain times people want to know what is going on and if they feel they are being kept in the dark rumours and gossip will flourish. Knowing what the team and organisational goals are will help employees feel part of something bigger and they will be more likely to drive things in the right direction.

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Planning and organising a prospect seminar

I do like my checklists and here is another one. I recently organised a seminar for a B2B software company. The objective was to get as many decision maker bums on seats to review the latest software. Below is a timeline of event planning activities leading up to and after the seminar.

Seminar Checklist

9 weeks before
Create invite list for all prospects you want to attend
Book date and Venue
Confirm speakers & agenda
Update your website updates – news page / newsletter / event pages etc
Draft invites
Think of a client you invite along (prospects are always more inclined to believe other customers / user of a product or service than the vendor)
Create a template of attendee spread sheet

7 weeks before
Send out hardcopy invite
Follow up invites with calls over the next few weeks to confirm receipt of the invite and prompt a registration

6 weeks before
Send email reminder

3 weeks before
Send Email reminder 2
Continue to follow up invites with emails and calls
Review presentations

2 weeks before
Send final email reminder – headed something like ‘Last few places on the seminar’
Create Directions and agenda
Create Feedback forms to give out on the day
Create Lead sheets for your sales team to complete on the day (as much as they think they'll remember everything - they won't)
Do all of your printing in advance
Organise team meeting for everyone attending. Run through;
- who is doing what
- room layout
- delegate list

1 week before
Create delegate packs
Call/email all attendees to confirm they have received directions and are still coming
Call/email host / vemue to run through final requirements
Send host / venue list of attendees
Create a ‘hot list’ for sales. Prospect leads which are really hot and should get extra attention at the event.

On the day – at the event
Take with you;
Print out sales' diaries so meetings can be booked on site
Delegate packs
Feedback forms
Lead sheets
Any display equipment like a pull up stand
Business cards
Name badges
Camera (pictures for PR or website)
Contact numbers for all staff attending

On the day – back in office
Send out ‘thank you for attending email’ to prospects.
Send out ‘sorry you could not attend email’ to no-shows and cancellations.

Afterwards
Review feedback forms - what can you do better - tell the team
Give event evaluation at next team meeting (best bits, things to remember for future etc)
Send out info delegates have requested

Remember to record any actions afterwards so you can compare teh performance of each event (especially in relation to cost, time spent organising etc)

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Making the most of an exhibition

How to make the most of an exhibition

Exhibitions are a costly marketing activity. If you get it wrong its a costly mistake! Here is a checklist to help you make the most of your exhibition spend.

• Ask why are you exhibiting? Too many exhibitors fail to define their aims when attending exhibitions and events. Why are you there? What do you need to get out of attending to consider it a successful show? (sales, brand exposure, share of voice etc)
• Don’t just book the space because your competitors will be there. If you are not sure why you are attending perhaps you shouldn’t be there at all.
• What style of stand should you book? The stand that you book and the way you use it should be defined by your aims for the show.
• Establish a budget for the entire event and keep to it. If you are in doubt about the cost of anything, contact the organisers or the suppliers directly. Rough estimates I work to are approximately one third of your budget on hiring the stand area itself. Shell Scheme is cheaper than designing a bespoke stand and there is plenty you can do to make the space suit your personal needs and to attract customers.
• Be proactive. Make appointments with your customers beforehand, invite your prospects to come meet with you – they will be busy once they get to the show - make sure you're on their list of peopel to meet. Make sure that your company does not miss out because you have not made the effort to contact them before the show.
• How long do you want people spending on your stand? Should staff gather contact details and move on or should they be giving full demonstrations and sales pitches to each visitor? What is the best use of their time?
• Keep your stand tidy! Sounds silly but coffee cups, water bottles, sweet wrappers look messy and unprofessional.
• First impressions count. Stand staff should be easily identifiable and approachable - staff checking their emails when the stand is quiet or on their phones WILL put off visitors.
• Consider some ‘training’ for the staff that will be on the stand or at least have a prep meeting before the show. Do they know how to use any equipment (badge scanners etc), do they know the objectives of the exhibition (generate xxx leads, give xxx demonstrations etc).
• Make sure you have enough collatoral for the visitors. Marketing collatoral is vital in aiding the visitor to remember your company. They visit over 100 stands at most exhibitions – you need to make sure it is you and your offering that is remembered and ordered.
• Use the press. Most exhibitions will have a press area. Make sure you leave your information or press packs in this area. Trade journalists are usually sent along to cover any major exhibitions, and I apologise to my journalist friends here, but they are lazy. Creating the press releases in advance on your activity at the exhibition and leaving contact details in the press pack will make it more likely that it is your stand that is mentioned in the post event news articles.
• Ensure that your hard work doesn't get wasted by failing to follow up the leads. People have visited your stand – this means they are interested in your products or services, make sure your team follows them up. Take notes on each customer who visits your stand – there is nothing worse than calling them up after the show and not being able to remember what it was you discussed on the day. I am amazed by the number of companies who pay extortionate amounts of money to attend an exhibition and then the sales team only follow up a handful of leads from the show.

And finally, measure your success. 3 months after an exhibtion the marketing team should be able to answer the following questions;

• What was the total cost of participation in this event?
• How many leads did you get?
• What was the cost per lead for this exhibition?
• What was the cost per subsequent meeting / product demonstration / invitation to tender etc? Use whatever your primary objective of exhibiting was.
• What was the cost per sale generated?
• What was the exhibition ROI?

After a year of multiple events and exhibitions the marketing team should be able to tell the business where the money was spent, what it achieved and how much sales revenue was generated.

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Guide to writing a B2B marketing plan

This B2B marketing plan overview should help get you started drafting a plan of your own and give you some ideas on content and things to consider. This is not an exhaustive list so please feel free to add comments and offer ideas on any areas missed out.

B2B Marketing Plan

Situation analysis
What has happened in your market place over the last 12 month?
What is the market value estimated to be?
How does this compare to the previous year?
What are the growth rates?
What has caused this growth?
How have your prospects & customers needs / wants changed?
What are their key demands expected to be for this year?
Where does your company sit in the market place?
What is the perception of your brand / product & service offering?


Objectives
Make them smart.
Keep it simple.
You can get more specific later with each tactical activity having its own specific objectives.

Sample objective : To reach the sales target for 2008 of £XX million, company ABC should bring in £XXmillion in renewals, based on XX% renewal rate and £XX million in new business (including product A, service B and modules C,D & E). This requires 35% growth from 2007.


Strategy
What main things have to happen to reach your objectives?
i.e. the market’s perception of Company A must change to be considered for larger deals, the average order value must increase, Brand X must increase its share of voice in the marketplace etc.
Will you have a vertical or geographical strategy?
Is more targeted marketing required?
Will each sales person have a personal marketing plan for their regions/ vertical sectors.

Basically what will your over riding marketing message to the wider organisation (who don't want to know the nitty gritty of the marketing plan) on what you plan to do in the next year be?


Tactics

PR
Will you have an agency?
Will you manage in house?
Will you actively court press coverage and share of voice in your particular market place?
Who are the key press / journalists you need to know?
How will you distribute your PR messages?
How will you monitor PR success?
Will you enter any industry awards?
Will you nominate clients / partners for industry awards?


Exhibitions
What exhibition will you attend as visitors, speakers, exhibitors?
When and where are they?
Who will be exhibiting and visiting them?
Why have you chosen each one?
What will you get out of it? (sales, branding, exposure, competitor intel, thought leadership etc)


Events
Will you organise your own events or attend others?
Will you present at the event? / What will you present (thought leadership, products and services etc)
What is the objective of each event? (networking, sales, lead generation, branding, relationship building?)
Who will attend? (clients, prospects, competition, press, industry commentators?)


Direct Mail
Who will you target? (clients, partners, prospects, vertical sectors, geographic regions, industry wide etc)
How often will they run?
What will the message be?
What will the medium be? - print, email, etc
How will it be followed up?
How will you measure success?


Online marketing

Website
What is the objective of your website? (ecommerce, lead generation, self service, etc)
What do you want visitors to do on your site? (Make contact, find information easily, download, see advertising etc)
What are the calls to action on your site?
What would you consider a successful site visit?

SEO
How do you plan to improve your website optimisation?
How often will the website copy be updated?
How will you improve your organic search listings?

PPC
What will your paid search campaigns be?
How will you target your ppc campaigns? (with day/week parting, ad groups, geographic ad serving etc)
How often will you change campaigns / update ad copy?

Blogs
Will you run a blog?
Will you monitor / sponsor industry blogs?
Will you comment on relevant blogs?

Advertising
Print or online?
Which are the key publications?
What are your target market actually reading?
What will the essage of your adverts be?

Other
areas to consider if specific to you;

Memberships
Are there any industry associatoins you should join?
What are the real membership benefits?

Networking
Where are the networking opportunities for your sales / management / product development teams?
Are there any industry roundtables, seminars, forums, local or sector specific events your team should be attending?

Speaker opportunities
What guest speaker engagements are available? these will raise profiles, increase awareness in the marketing place, create thought leadership / perception of expertise for your company etc


Measurement and Reporting
What does success look like?
What will this marketing generate?
How will you report on activity and ROI? - Cost per lead, cost per sale, Roi per campaign, per marketing channel, per marketing source etc?


Budget
What is your budget?
What are the dates for your plan?
Who will be involved in its delivery?

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Marketing & Sales – what a tricky relationship

When working in various organisations I have found the relationship between sales and marketing to be tempestuous. In my experience the friction has usually been caused by a combination of sales’ dismissive attitude to marketing as a fluffy department who’s contribution to the business amounts to the brochures being printed on time and marketing's resentment of sales recognition for closing deals combined with a lack of recognition of marketing’s contribution to the achievement of sales targets.

Personally I think it is Marketing’s responsibility to improve this relationship. It will always be easy to lay the blame for poor relations on other individuals or departments but by being proactive and actively trying to improve relations I have found it can only have a positive impact on marketing’s performance as well as the perception of marketing’s contribution to the business as a whole.

It all boils down to the old adage W.I.I.F.M (what’s in it for me?)
- Why should sales care about the branding campaigns you have running?
- Why should they care about your organic rankings in Google?
- Why should they be bothered about the turnout to your last client training day?
- What’s in it for them?

Everyday marketers apply this rule to each and every campaign and action aimed at our clients and prospects but we sometimes fail to flip it over and apply the same logic to members of the sales team we’re trying to get involved in marketing. Although the answer to 'What's in it for sales? may be clear to you as a marketer, you sometimes still have to spell it out to the rest of the organisation. And nothing gets through to those you need to listen like impacting bottom line figures on the order book!

Previously I have worked with sales teams to identify the source of their new business (ergo commission). This is the sort of marketing information that sales people really value - as it is this insight that helps them work smarter not harder to get more out of their individual sales performance. If you have accurate performance measurement in place you can show that an event generated £xx,xxx in new business or a direct mail campaign generated xx% increase in meeting requests via the website. A sales person is often only considered as good as their last commission sheet and if you can show how marketing can improve that commission you will get sales buy in and create marketing advocates within the business.

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