Archive for October 8th, 2009

Constructing the optimal mix is part art and part science.  The art lies in understanding the nuances between the different marketing vehicles, how to craft copy tailored to the marketing vehicle, and how to combine copy with creative for the optimal impact. The science lies in the measurement and tracking of the effectiveness of various vehicles at delivering your message to the target audience in the context of the stated communications objectives.

There are two pieces of information that directly inform how we create the marketing mix.

1. How does our target customer gather information? : Who do they go to for recommendations?  Do they search online or do they ask for suggestions from colleagues, friends or family?  Who influences the purchasing process?  Answers to these questions help us to target the influencers as well as the target customers.
2. How does our target customer want to receive information? : Do they want a lot of detail but not very often?  Do they prefer to get more frequent information with less detail?  Do they like phone, email or old-fashioned paper and envelopes?  Again, this information will directly impact the types of marketing vehicles we invest in.

Marketing vehicles have a defined purpose and should be used according to the stated communication objectives.  The following is a summary of the primary marketing vehicles, definitions, purpose described in terms of awareness, demand generation or lead conversion, and examples of each.  This is not an exhaustive list, but is a great start.

Awareness:  Ensure that customers know you exist – eyes and ears

Demand Generation:  Attracting customers to your products/services – call, click or visit

Lead Conversion:  Converting prospects to revenue – customers

Marketing Vehicle	Definition	Purpose	Examples
Advertising	Mass communications that broaden perceptions.	Awareness Lead Generation	Broadcast (TV, radio), Print  (newspaper, magazine), Online (banner ads, site ads)
Collateral &  Sales Tools	Material describing a product, service, or solution used to support sales and marketing efforts.	Demand Generation	Brochure, card/flyer, catalog, cover letter, envelope, datasheet, folder, binder, video, presentation, promotional item, poster, banner, magazine, newsletter, competitive brief, instant reference guide, order and configuration guide.
Customer Testimonials	Customer endorsements illustrating the impact of the company product, service or solution.	Demand Generation Lead Conversion	Quotes, case studies, success stories, references, speaking engagements.
Direct Marketing	A method of contacting individual customers directly and obtaining their responses.	Lead Conversion	Direct mail, telemarketing, addressable media.
Event	An in-person or online occurrence designed to increase awareness, accelerate sales, and build relationships.	Awareness	Tradeshow, road show, seminar, conference, hospitality, executive briefing, webinar, online seminar.
Incentives	Providing equipment, discount or rebates to entice customers to try and/or purchase products, services or solutions.	Lead Conversion	Demo equipment, evaluation and trade-in, free sample or trial, mail-in or instant rebate or gift with purchase.
Internal Communications	Use of any marketing vehicle to keep employees informed.	Awareness	Broadcast/webcast, leadership meetings, internal websites, newsletters, webinars, etc.
Internet Marketing	The use of the internet to promote, advertise and sell goods and services.	Awareness Demand Generation Lead Conversion	Websites, pay-per-click advertising, banners, e-mail marketing, search engine marketing, search engine optimization, blogs, webcasts, podcasts.
Co-Marketing	Funds and tools provided to partners to enable them to execute specific marketing strategies and tactics on behalf of the company.	Awareness Demand Generation	Affinity marketing, affiliate marketing, lead generation, co-op marketing, channel incentives, partner compensation (SPIF)
Market Research	Research undertaken with the purpose on increasing understanding of markets, customers, competition, design and positioning of products, services, or solutions.	Demand Generation	Primary, secondary, syndicated, campaign testing, ad testing, competitive benchmarking.
Merchandising	Materials created and displayed in retail locations for the purpose of affecting product selection and purchase.	Lead Conversion	Brochure, demo, samples, lugon, highlighter, posters, banners, rebate, selection guides, tear pads.
Packaging	The physical material used to contain product including materials on-box or in-box designed to improve the customer experience.	Lead Conversion	Physical packages, inserts, literature, software, stickers, illustrations, installation guides, user manuals.
Public Relations	Activities that focus on industry influencers to establish the public image of the company and its products, services or solutions.	Awareness Demand Generation	Press releases, endorsements, article placement, interviews, news conference, press tour, press kits, media briefings, product reviews, 3rd party releases, speaker’s bureau, white paper placement.
Viral Marketing	Activities that use pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness, through self-replicating viral processes, analogous to the spread of pathological and computer viruses.	Awareness Demand Generation	Word-of-mouth with online enhancements, blogs, audio and/or video clips, flash, games, advergames, etc.

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This article is contributed by Laura Lowell, Author of the Amazon bestseller ’42 Rules of Marketing’ and the upcoming ‘42 Rules to Build Your Brand and Your Business’. You can follow her on twitter at @42_rules.

Tagged as: 42 Rules, active garage, advertising, awareness, Branding, co-marketing, communications, customer testimonials, definition, demand, demand generation, direct marketing, event, examples, incentives, internet marketing, laura lowell, lead conversion, market research, marketing, marketing vehicle, merchandising, mix, packaging, public relations, purpose, sales, sales tools, viral marketing

Have you noticed how people come out of meetings and they question if someone that they were meeting with understood them or was telling the truth? I hear this often after meetings around negotiation when trying to find common ground or negotiating the way forward on projects. Our “bullshit” senses are triggered when we notice an inconsistency between what is spoken and what is done.

In business today people seem to be busier than ever before. With technology so many more interactions take place on a daily basis than at a lifetime ago. People find themselves in many situations daily where people are making requests and offers to them. Due thought is not always given to each request and the committed response is often based on a mood or a perceived ‘right’ answer just to move on to the next interaction. What people are not doing is thinking about the consequences of these spoken answers. How much time, effort and trust it costs each time the requester and recipient leave with different interpretations and then perform inconsistently with each others’ expectations.

Michel de Montaigne wrote over 400 years ago -

‘The true mirror of our discourse is the course of our lives.’

What we really believe and think at the time is truly expressed in the actions we perform afterward. The good news from this is that humans have been consistent at this for well over 400 years so we can count on it continuing into the future and it will be worth our efforts to improve our skills in this regard, as it will greatly increase the efficiency with which we can execute projects and negotiate agreements aligned with both parties concerns.

Recently I was in a conversation where a client was very dissatisfied about a particular product delivery and they wanted to quit the development project. The supplier also liked the idea of quitting as the fixed price scope had crept out of sight and costs were at three times anticipated with an open punch list still to be contended with. As both parties were about to close and agree to walk away the supplier mentioned that they could have the components uninstalled in an hour, to which the client suddenly gasped out “why do you want to do that?”. While this startled the supplier it quickly became apparent that the spoken commitment by the client was very different from the actions that would have taken place had the conversation ended before the suppliers declaration of action.

This conversation ended well because the supplier declared the consequential action of the request, which avoided what would have been a very tense, and likely costly situation had the supplier just acted as he thought he had agreed.

Here are 5 tips to try in future engagements to build trust, coordination and efficiency:

• Listen more – the more people speak the more consistent they will speak in terms of their true concerns
• Repeat the request – when making a request ask the person you have made the request to, to tell you what they heard and/or what actions they plan to take.
• Ask more questions – about the importance, value, action to be taken from the counterparts perspective
• Always make an assessment of the moods – lookout for moods of resigned, despair, indifference, overwhelmed
• Check-in informally – truths are often revealed in different settings and surroundings

There is a lot of posturing and politics in the marketplace, but one thing you can be certain of is that people act for what they truly care about. You don’t see people doing anything they do not care for. So always listen for the action.

This article was contributed by Guy Ralfe, co-founder of Active Garage and co-author of the upcoming book ProjectManagementTweets. You can follow Guy on Twitter at gralfe.

Tagged as: Action, actions, active garage, Commitments, Communication, effective coordination, listening, meetings, negotiation, possibilities, Project Management, watching, webinars