Archive for the ‘Marketing communications programs’ Category
Saturday, May 28th, 2011
“How many people read your blog anyway?” she asked me this morning. It sounds like such a simple question, but I really don’t know.
What do the statistics say?
I get statistics that show me:
how many people visit my site,
the number of pages they view,
the average amount of time they spend on each page, and
whether they’ve visited before.
If I were to dig deeper, I could find out more about visitors–where they hail from, what platform they used to find me, and perhaps even who they are.
Tags: blog, comments, content, conversions, engage, read my blog, read your blog, readers, retweet posts, sales, statistics, visitors
Posted in Marketing communications programs, social media | No Comments »
Thursday, April 21st, 2011
By Barbara Bix
Shortly after I got up this morning, I strolled over to Marketing Over Coffee for a quick shot before heading off to work and found this great article, entitled How to restore the faded luster to marketing by Rich Guha. In my opinion, it’s a “must read” for anyone looking to build a business or aiming to build a career in marketing.
It’s about the big picture
Referencing management heroes such as Peter Drucker and Ted Leavitt, the article discusses what companies have lost as marketing becomes more specialized. Guha advises marketers that wish to add significant value to the business to:
Tags: 6 Ps, behavior, branding, buyer personae, click stream, customer, customer needs, Drucker, Leavitt, market intelligence, market value, Marketing, Marketing Over Coffee, marketing research, marketing specialization, priorities, strategy, tactics, value of marketing, value proposition, voice of the customer
Posted in Framework, How to, Internet marketing, market intelligence, Marketing communications programs, Marketing strategy, Pricing, Uncategorized, value propositions | No Comments »
Friday, March 11th, 2011
By Barbara Bix
Stimulating? Exciting? Scary? Each of these are words that came to mind this morning as I listened to Google National Industry Manager, Seth van der Swaagh’s presentation to members of the Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) on Google’s Digital Vision – The Acceleration of Everything.
Accelerate with AIM
The topic and the speaker were an interesting choice when you consider that AIM represents companies in industries that have been around since the Industrial Revolution. Yet, one of the conversations I had prior to the meeting shed light on how the Digital Age affects everyone.
Tags: AIM, engaging, Google, MA, manufacturing, Massachusetts, media, mobile, mobile strategy, relevant, video
Posted in Internet marketing, Marketing communications programs, Marketing strategy, Speaker notes | No Comments »
Thursday, January 20th, 2011
One of the greatest challenges companies have today is capturing prospects’ attention. In a world where everyone is overwhelmed with information, only the most relevant messages get through.
For that reason, I advise my clients to get as much information as they can about prospects’ and customers’ priorities–and then develop marketing messages that address those priorities. Nevertheless, I left out one important tip.
Here’s the tip: look to your customer service department for help. Earlier this month, I learned this lesson by direct example.
Speak to prospects’ priorities
Tags: brand, content, customer service, marketing messages, priorities, relevant, tip, value
Posted in Marketing communications programs, Uncategorized, value propositions | 5 Comments »
Friday, December 31st, 2010
Recently, I lost my crystal ball. So, I won’t be adding to the posts about predictions for the new year. Instead, I took a look backward to see whether previous year end posts still apply. I think they do.
Learn from the past, capitalize on success
At the end of 2008, in Shorten the sales cycle next year: Year end marketing planning, I advocated taking stock of what worked and what didn’t—so that you can capitalize on your successes and avoid repeating what turned out to be mistakes. In particular, I suggested focusing on buyers’ perceptions in four areas: the desirability of the solutions, the reputation of the vendor, the effectiveness of the communications, and the responsiveness of the individuals leading the sales or business development effort.
Tags: buyer personas, buyers' perceptions, buying process, customer development, customer insights, customer research, demand generation, lead gen, market planning, online communities, sales cycle, sales enablement, web analytics
Posted in Internet marketing, market intelligence, Marketing communications programs, Marketing strategy, social media, social media marketing, Uncategorized, value propositions | No Comments »
Tuesday, November 9th, 2010
By Barbara Bix, B2B Marketing Consultant
Here’s an example of how a professional service provider can apply the do-it-yourself guide for creating value propositions in 3 steps. It uses the same formula as the green value proposition example I posted last week (immediately below). This time, I’ve used it to describe the value I offer my clients as a B2B strategic marketing consultant (below the value proposition formula).
The value proposition formula
We help [your most promising prospects] that [need help with the pressing concern you address] succeed by [providing the material improvement you will deliver]. Unlike [the alternative solution], [your solution] [describe the reason why your company is a better choice] as demonstrated by [evidence that you will deliver as promised].
This is a preview of
Value proposition example for a professional service provider
.
Read the full post (590 words, 4 images, estimated 2:22 mins reading time)
Tags: B2B strategic marketing consultant, call to action, compelling value proposition, sales productivity, value proposition, value proposition formula
Posted in How to, Internet marketing, Marketing communications programs, Uncategorized, value propositions | 7 Comments »
Monday, October 18th, 2010
By Barbara Bix, B2B Marketing Consultant
Businesses today are seeking products, services, and solutions that will directly or indirectly improve their competitive advantage. As part of the sales process, buyers expect to hear how sellers’ products or services will materially contribute to the buying organization’s success–and why the seller is uniquely qualified to deliver that value. This post outlines how to step into buyers’ minds, and create value propositions that compel them to buy.
What is a value proposition?
This is a preview of
How to create a compelling value proposition: Do it yourself in 3 steps
.
Read the full post (769 words, 2 images, estimated 3:05 mins reading time)
Tags: B2B buyers, business-to-business, call to action, compelling value proposition, competitive advantage, justify the investment, offer, position, products, quantifiable outcomes, reduce risk, services, value proposition
Posted in How to, Marketing communications programs, Marketing strategy | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, September 28th, 2010
Why do some posts get retweeted more than others? Here are the results of a recent experiment.
The experiment: Same article, different results
Last week, Marketing Profs published my article entitled Accelerate Referrals: 9 steps to success and their readers retweeted it 73 times! This week I began publicizing the article and it was retweeted at least once. Same article, different results…
So what can we learn from this? Here are some of my conclusions. Please chime in with yours!
1. Publish where others will see your article
This is a preview of
Want more retweets? 5 secrets to success + an example
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Read the full post (716 words, 4 images, estimated 2:52 mins reading time)
Tags: accelerate, community, content, content is king, email, followers, marketing consulting firm, newsletters, referrals, retweet, sharing
Posted in How to, Marketing communications programs, Marketing strategy, social media, social media marketing | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 14th, 2010
Believe it or not, I think the answer to smarter, greener cities may be more compelling communications. I reached this conclusion after hearing a number of experts propose other solutions. This post explains why.
Background
This morning, I had the good fortune to attend Building the Future: Opportunities for Energy Innovation and Efficiency hosted by the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council at Foley Hoag’s Emerging Enterprise Center. The keynote speaker was Dr. Joan Fitzgerald, Northeastern University Professor and author of Emerald Cities: Urban Sustainability and Development. The other panelists were Cambridge, MA urban planner Iram Farooq, Architect and Autodesk Industry Programs Manager Erin Rae Hoffer, and entrepreneur and developer Kenneth H. Smith. Attorney Adam Wade from Foley Hoag moderated the discussion.
This is a preview of
Want to develop smarter, greener cities? Maybe the key is compelling communications
.
Read the full post (1135 words, 6 images, estimated 4:32 mins reading time)
Tags: B2B marketing consultant, effective marketing, Energy, Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council, social media
Posted in Energy, Marketing communications programs, Marketing strategy, Speaker notes, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, September 8th, 2010
How do you stay top of mind when everyone is head’s down trying to get their own jobs done? How do you ensure that prospective customers think of you when problems arise?
The short answer: you need to stay in touch, talk about things that really matter to those you want to remember you, and remind them that your business is a valuable resource they can tap in each of the areas where you’d like to work with them.
Drip campaigns reinforce your brand
This is a preview of
Drip campaigns keep your company top of mind: 5 steps for success + an example
.
Read the full post (899 words, 4 images, estimated 3:36 mins reading time)
Tags: brand, branding, call to action, case example, drip campaign, market disruption
Posted in health care, How to, Marketing communications programs, Marketing strategy | No Comments »
Twitter
How many people read your blog?
Saturday, May 28th, 2011“How many people read your blog anyway?” she asked me this morning. It sounds like such a simple question, but I really don’t know.
What do the statistics say?
I get statistics that show me:
If I were to dig deeper, I could find out more about visitors–where they hail from, what platform they used to find me, and perhaps even who they are.
Tags: blog, comments, content, conversions, engage, read my blog, read your blog, readers, retweet posts, sales, statistics, visitors
Posted in Marketing communications programs, social media | No Comments »