I have always been frustrated when colleagues, whom I had admired previously, state importantly that "don't have time to read novels!" These people are often voracious readers of business books, business biographies, and self-help books of the 7-Habits variety.
If we consider marketing to be the art of making connections with other people, sharing information and persuading them to act as you'd like, it seems to me that you would need to know a bit about human nature.
For my two cents, there is no better way to get a handle on human nature than to pour through a well-written novel! Virtually every novel ever written has something, directly or indirectly, to do with human nature. Dickens, Walker and Irving are the cheapest (and most enjoyable) marketing consultants you can find!
Make sure a classic novel is on your reading list!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
A Brave New World
One of the greatest challenges of any marketing effort is to cut through the clutter of every day life and get the right message to the right prospects so that they have a chance to consider whether they care about a product or service.
In the "good ol' days" marketers could cut through the clutter by making larger media buys than anyone else. These days, with "mass market" outlets reaching less of the masses than they used to, more and more marketers are turning toward "the new media" to promote their products and services. The problem is that most of these marketers, and many of the "new media," haven't quite figured out how to turn the various Web 2.0 (or 3.0 or 4.0) venues into effective and efficient marketing options. At least if you think of them in terms of the traditional mass media.
No website is going to consistently deliver the share of national eyeballs that the major networks were able to serve up in previous decades. BUT...what the new media (and I am now officially dropping the quotes from that phrase) is excellent at, if used properly, is creating word of mouth, excitement (positive and negative) and buzz.
This requires a different kind of message. A different kind of strategy. A different kind of marketing. We are entering a brave new world of marketing. Some companies will understand that and adapt. Some will understand that and rebel. Some will not notice and will go on doing what they have been successful doing in the past. The first two types of companies will survive and have a good chance of thriving. The third type of company, in 20-30 years will be nothing more than a good story.
In the "good ol' days" marketers could cut through the clutter by making larger media buys than anyone else. These days, with "mass market" outlets reaching less of the masses than they used to, more and more marketers are turning toward "the new media" to promote their products and services. The problem is that most of these marketers, and many of the "new media," haven't quite figured out how to turn the various Web 2.0 (or 3.0 or 4.0) venues into effective and efficient marketing options. At least if you think of them in terms of the traditional mass media.
No website is going to consistently deliver the share of national eyeballs that the major networks were able to serve up in previous decades. BUT...what the new media (and I am now officially dropping the quotes from that phrase) is excellent at, if used properly, is creating word of mouth, excitement (positive and negative) and buzz.
This requires a different kind of message. A different kind of strategy. A different kind of marketing. We are entering a brave new world of marketing. Some companies will understand that and adapt. Some will understand that and rebel. Some will not notice and will go on doing what they have been successful doing in the past. The first two types of companies will survive and have a good chance of thriving. The third type of company, in 20-30 years will be nothing more than a good story.
Friday, August 21, 2009
As simple as a smile
It always surprises me the powerful impact that a genuine smile has on me. Smile! It is VERY cost effective marketing!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
no calls is not no problems
A friend of mine described a recent product launch. They geared up for a flood of customer complaints and help calls. The calls did not come and for a short while, my friend equated this with a problem-free product launch. Just because a customer is not calling you, does not mean there are no problems. It could also mean that the customer has another venue for complaints and (hopefully) problem resolution. It could mean that they are just not talking about their problems...with YOU. I can almost guarantee that if there are problems they are talking to someone.
My friend found out that customers were calling distributors, talking to front line people, or just plain not talking about the problems they were having. No calls did not mean no problems, it just meant no coordinated problem resolution!
That is why you have to do everything you can to ask and beg customers to call with problems and complaints. Actually, those customers who do that, are providing you with a great service and competitive advantage, assuming you address the complaints! I know of some companies who actually reward customers who call in with a complaint. At a hospital that I worked for, I implemented a program where we paid patients if they called us with problems while they were still in the hospital. That allowed us to address, and usually resolve the problem. The result was we were out a few bucks but had a happy patient.
In the case of customer service, silence isn't usually golden!
My friend found out that customers were calling distributors, talking to front line people, or just plain not talking about the problems they were having. No calls did not mean no problems, it just meant no coordinated problem resolution!
That is why you have to do everything you can to ask and beg customers to call with problems and complaints. Actually, those customers who do that, are providing you with a great service and competitive advantage, assuming you address the complaints! I know of some companies who actually reward customers who call in with a complaint. At a hospital that I worked for, I implemented a program where we paid patients if they called us with problems while they were still in the hospital. That allowed us to address, and usually resolve the problem. The result was we were out a few bucks but had a happy patient.
In the case of customer service, silence isn't usually golden!
Friday, August 7, 2009
The Power Cord of Marketing
Marketing with out a focus on long-term relationship building is like buying a laptop computer without a power cord. It is all wonderful and great for a little bit, but soon you end up with nothing but a very expensive paperweight!
Market for the long term!
Market for the long term!
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Newspaper survey
I participated in a phone survey last night about local newspapers. It was conducted by a college student, which is one of the reasons I agreed to take the time. They survey was obviously conducted for the local daily paper in my community. While I was pleased they were gathering customer feedback and looking for ways to improve, I was struck by how the survey revealed the shortcomings of the thinking that went into designing it.
I see two mistakes that the designers of this survey made. First, while they were obviously focusing on their online presence, they seemed to be treating their website mostly as a newspaper that they don't need to print. The survey only focused on newspaper features and content that is currently in the printed version and how those features and content would translate to an electronic version. There were no questions about the value of archives, interactive stories, links to other news sources, or other features that would be unique to an Internet-based newspaper.
The second, and in my mind greater, mistake is that I was not given any opportunity to provide additional thoughts and input. What a shame to have me thinking about and focusing on their newspaper for 20 minutes (candidly more time than it takes me to read the paper in the morning) and not gather my thoughts and comments. What a shame to not to gather the unique insights I have as a reader or non-reader. What a shame to spend all that time (and money) to only go 80% of the way. All it takes is a simple question: "Do you have any other comments or thoughts?" Better yet, ask open-ended questions within the survey. The information you get is not quantifiable and can't be converted to a pretty graph, but can shed amazing insights.
Anything else?
I see two mistakes that the designers of this survey made. First, while they were obviously focusing on their online presence, they seemed to be treating their website mostly as a newspaper that they don't need to print. The survey only focused on newspaper features and content that is currently in the printed version and how those features and content would translate to an electronic version. There were no questions about the value of archives, interactive stories, links to other news sources, or other features that would be unique to an Internet-based newspaper.
The second, and in my mind greater, mistake is that I was not given any opportunity to provide additional thoughts and input. What a shame to have me thinking about and focusing on their newspaper for 20 minutes (candidly more time than it takes me to read the paper in the morning) and not gather my thoughts and comments. What a shame to not to gather the unique insights I have as a reader or non-reader. What a shame to spend all that time (and money) to only go 80% of the way. All it takes is a simple question: "Do you have any other comments or thoughts?" Better yet, ask open-ended questions within the survey. The information you get is not quantifiable and can't be converted to a pretty graph, but can shed amazing insights.
Anything else?
What is this thing called marketing?
I guess, since I have titled this blog "Everything is Marketing," I should make an attempt to define Marketing.
I prefer a very broad definition of marketing. That should be obvious from the title of this blog. In my mind, "marketing" is anything and everything that contributes to the acquisition of a product or service. This includes sales. This includes promotional messages, both overt and accidental. This includes actions and product features and company practices and market conditions that contribute to the impressions that customers and prospective customers have of the product or service. So the receptionist, the delivery guy, and the accounts payable clerk are marketers. Marketing is not just the realm of the people who write the ads and close the sales.
Marketing has a lot to do with making connections. The best marketing is long term in its focus and develops lasting relationships more than quick sales. Marketing, in the mind of this humble blogger, is a very interconnected and intertwined with virtually everything an organization does. In other words, Everything is Marketing!
I prefer a very broad definition of marketing. That should be obvious from the title of this blog. In my mind, "marketing" is anything and everything that contributes to the acquisition of a product or service. This includes sales. This includes promotional messages, both overt and accidental. This includes actions and product features and company practices and market conditions that contribute to the impressions that customers and prospective customers have of the product or service. So the receptionist, the delivery guy, and the accounts payable clerk are marketers. Marketing is not just the realm of the people who write the ads and close the sales.
Marketing has a lot to do with making connections. The best marketing is long term in its focus and develops lasting relationships more than quick sales. Marketing, in the mind of this humble blogger, is a very interconnected and intertwined with virtually everything an organization does. In other words, Everything is Marketing!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
...And away we go!
I have been reading and viewing a lot about the value of blogging lately. As far as I can divine, the value is in the discipline of forcing yourself to focus on and write something coherent about a specific subject on a regular (daily!?!) basis vs. the chance that they turn your blog into a book or a major motion picture.
So...I am going to test that theory by starting this blog on marketing. It will be bits of my thoughts and observations about marketing which really rules out nothing because, as I am fond of saying, everything IS marketing!
If I happen to gather a reader or two along the way...great. But my primary purpose is to use this tool to force myself to write for a public audience every day and to think professionally about my chosen profession.
...and away we go!
So...I am going to test that theory by starting this blog on marketing. It will be bits of my thoughts and observations about marketing which really rules out nothing because, as I am fond of saying, everything IS marketing!
If I happen to gather a reader or two along the way...great. But my primary purpose is to use this tool to force myself to write for a public audience every day and to think professionally about my chosen profession.
...and away we go!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)