Friends, Colleagues and Fellow Marketers - I'm very sad to announce the death of a dear friend, the Lone E-Mail Campaign. We've had a good run, haven't we?
I and many of Nurture's clients, past and present, have depended on our friend for years. E-mail will be missed…let us take a few moments to remember how easy e-mail was. Oh, the joy we felt every time we saw those high open rates. And how could we forget the absolute elation every time our click through rate jumped into double digits. All gone. As with any passing, there are new opportunities to be had and the lone e-mail campaign will be remembered fondly as we prepare for the next generation of marketing, known as Online Marketing Automation (OMA).
The Birth of Online Marketing Automation
OMA combines:
E-mail
Social Media
Search Engine Optimization (SEO- a way to get better organic positioning on Google, Yahoo, Bing, Etc.)
Pay-Per Click (PPC) Advertising
Keyword Search
Webinars
Website Visits
OMA takes the place of a lone e-mail campaign by combining business intelligence from all online sources, including integrated e-mail, giving your inside sales team the opportunity to call or write those people that are exhibiting the type of behavior indicating they are ready to buy, or a qualified Lead. Identified website leads are tracked from your e-mail campaigns, webinar events, or form fills. Unanimous leads can be identified (far from perfect) through a database lookup based upon company name, location and preferred titles. All website visitors are tracked based upon the pages they visit, time spent on the site, on a page, and the total number of visits.
Nurture Marketing uses LeadFormix (www.Leadformix.com) as our Online Marketing Automation solution, but the marketplace contains other products worth consideration such as Eloqua, Hubspot, Infusionsoft, ClickDimensions, and Core Motives. The query, reporting, CRM integration, and auto responder functionality on these products is impressive.
Rest assured that e-mail itself is not dead, and will live on in future generations - just differently.
"If I have seen farther it is by standing on the shoulders of giants"
- Sir Isaac Newton
If you’d like to see a demonstration of LeadFormix, e-mail Eric Rabinowitzor call him at 732-636-1001 x27.
Be sure to ask about Nurture Marketing's exclusive 30-day free trial and our reduced agency pricing!
Last night I was watching TV and, as usual, trying to accomplish other things I felt were way more productive. I didn't even think I was paying attention but then I heard, "The two most important questions you can ask yourself are 'Why?' and 'Why not?'"
Brilliant! I instantly went to my special marketing place. You see, I am a self-proclaimed testing nerd. With every marketing campaign, I am constantly asking these two questions. However, I find that at the end of the day, most people only care about why not and somewhere along the way the why gets totally ignored. I attribute that to human nature.
We want to fix what’s not working instead of nurturing what is working.
With hot summer days around the corner, let me ask you a question you can relate to. Do you have your air conditioner at home serviced twice a year so you know it’s going to be there for you when you really need it? Or, like most, do you put it out of your mind until it breaks down on a 95 degree day and then you are forced to make a frantic call to a local repair place to come FIX IT!
Think of nurture marketing as a maintenance plan for your customers. Don’t think you can neglect them for months, then we you need to fill your sales quota, you can reach out and they will be there ready to buy. You can read more about the philosophy behind Nurture Marketing on our site, but I should get back to the whole why and why not thing. Bear with me, it’s all related.
Say your latest marketing email returned lower numbers than you expected.
• You sent 1,000 emails to your general marketing list
• Of those 1,000 emails, 100 people opened it (10%)
• Of the 100 that opened that email, 2 people clicked on your link (2%)
Oh no! You totally expected click percentages in the double digits! Now you are so disappointed in the 2% you immediately focus on what went wrong. They didn’t like your email. Why not? You must fix this! So you start moving graphics, changing subject lines, anything you can do to grab the attention of the 998 people that didn’t click. Predicting what 998 want to click on? That’s a lot of pressure!
I’m not saying you should ignore what isn’t working. Analytics are important. But, what if you forgot about the number for a moment? What if you started focusing on the person behind the number?
Now you have 2 people that DID click. Why did they engage? What did they like about the report? Was it helpful for a challenge they are facing right now? Pick up the phone and ask them why they clicked! Then, you take those 2 people and immediately put what you learned into your CRM software or your client database, so going forward you know exactly what they need from you.
Over time, with some diligence and patience, those 2 people become 4 people, then 40, and before you know it 400 loyal customers are engaging with your marketing. Your list becomes clean, targeted and effective. And it all started by asking why.
A strong social presence online brings attention to your company and creates an opportunity for growth. Here are twenty tips to attract followers to your social networking sites.
Read our new Social Media Whitepaper for Business to Business (B2B) marketers. It describes that, "Simply put, inbound marketing is marketing that is focused on getting found by customers. Social media is the ultimate Nurture engine -- where communication is about sharing what you know without asking for anything in return -- while keeping your brand top-of-mind."
I've been running a round table discussion group for Microsoft Partners for the last 5-years. Broadcast and Live these sessions are focused on helping companies learn about proven marketing techniques, tactics, and strategies. On February 9th, Anya Ciecierski (pronounced Chair-Chair-ski) from CAL Business Solutions spoke about Group Blogging. So what is Group Blogging? Without a doubt, the ultimate Search Engine Optimizer! It is an effective way to drive more traffic to your website, raise your organic search engine ranking which in turn generates leads. And group blogging settles the biggest issue people have with Blogging- that it takes too much time, commitment and effort to keep the blog fresh and relevant. With Group Blogging everyone contributes links and content so the blog can easily have 1 or 2 new blog entries every day without the full responsibility of effort or money falling on just one person or company individually.
To create a Group Blog you need to attract groups of people that share your interest. Anya has Group Blogs dedicated to several Microsoft software solutions such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), or accounting software on steroids) and SharePoint (the ultimate collaboration tool). Group blogs can also be created for a vertical focus (such as Distribution or Food and Beverage) or area of interest all the way up to large groups of people like Retirement Planning. Simply bring together groups of people that share similar specialties that are non-competitive and you have the foundation for a great Group Blog. Members can be recruited from complementary organizations, for example a Financial Planner, CPA Firm, Law office, and real estate or from regional competitors whose territories that don't overlap.
Together members are required to create content, usually 2-3 entries a month that are posted on the Group Blog's site that list all members with links to their home page or specialized landing pages. It's a good idea to hire a company to coordinate the group blog to do the mundane posting, measurement, and maintenance but mainly to keep on top of all members to contribute to the Group Blog.
I've made a career in planning and executing events over 250 times in the last 20 years, with experience in managing event teams, including seminars, webinars, round tables, facilitated discussions, tradeshows, road trips, and speaking programs. I've observed the best and the worst, and I've actually been part of the worst seminar ever (the speaker froze completely). But the biggest mistake that always gets repeated is the lack of marketing follow-up after the event. Don't get me wrong, marketing usually does an adequate job getting people to the event, and sales does a good job following up on prospective sales, and nearly all events get executed more or less (sans the speechless speaker), but once the event is over, NADA from Marketing.
I know the feeling: a collective sigh of relief when a successful event is over; after all, marketing made this happen and management is usually very happy. But now is the time to really shine. Because if a person has given up part of their day to attend your event, they are serious about something at some level. Segment your attendees into two groups: those "in the sales cycle" and "not now." Let the sales person handle the sales cycle, but be prepared to absorb those prospects that fall out. Create a specific marketing plan for the "not now" group that includes monthly touches; for example, a thank you direct mail with a memento of the event, followed by a telephone call and two emails. Run the "not now" group for an entire year after the event (continuing the track of two emails and a call) and your NADA will turn into a Cornucopia of business attributable to marketing... and that's what everyone wants.
Sports analogies are common in business but one of my all time favorites is comparing business and marketing fundamentals with football fundamentals. All of us that are familiar with American football know that you can have a great quarterback, but if you can't block and tackle it doesn't much matter.
Focus makes everything in marketing easier, messaging (no more mushy general messaging geared to no one in particular), differentiation (how can you be different when you are the same as everyone), credibility (what experiences do you have that qualify you as an expert), unique selling proposition (can you demonstrate your uniqueness in every product you sell?), and online marketing (what is it that you really do?).
If you run into trouble with your business plan, you should ask yourself if you've lost focus, if you don't know the answer to that question ask a client "what is it that we do that helps you sleep at night"? The answer should always relate to your business focus, if not you may need to tweak your marketing.
Focus is the blocking and tackling machine that will drive your business to success (please notice I'm resisting carrying the metaphor too far by not saying over the goal line!).
When we sent our recent press release on our name change we were asked by PPB Magazine (published by the Promotional Products Association) to answer a question from one of their readers. The question was right up our alley having just undergone our own re-branding.
"I've been doing business for seven years under one company name, but now I feel it no longer reflects the services I offer and the niche I've built for myself. How can I go about changing the name without losing my clients and suppliers and having to start all over again?"
Changing your name and your brand is a tremendous opportunity if you follow a three pronged approach: objective, plan, and communicate. Start with your objective. You need a good reason to change your name. When the Nurture Institute became Nurture Marketing it reflected our shift from a marketing education company to a full service marketing agency. This reflected our increased focus on client needs and our adapting of our business to meet those needs. A client focused reason for the name change makes for a positive perception.
Once you have determined your reason for changing, build a plan with timing and budget. Make sure you consider everything such as domain names, stationary, social media accounts, etc. Don't forget your messaging including your value proposition. As noted above, you should have a good reason to change and most likely that reason will need to be reflected in any messaging about who you are and what you do.
Finally -- and most importantly -- communication. As part of your plan, make sure you have a strong communications strategy, what you are going to say, who are you going to say it to and when. Have lists ready and all your mails and notifications pre-written and ready to go. Use the message as way to reconnect with your clients and suppliers and thank them for continuing to support your business. Be prepared too for the most common questions: Is anything changing with your products, services you offer, etc. Make it clear that you are offering the same great service and products with the same people.
By the way, hire an expert to consult on your brand change. There's a science AND art to selecting a new name. You don't want to be stuck with something that doesn't resonate with your clients or creates confusion about who you are or what you do.
No doubt, marketing surrounds us; some resonates while others drift off around us without entering our consciousness. Billions of $$$s are spent trying to get our attention. Why spend your company's money trying to find the next great marketing message and technique when other highly paid teams have done the job for you? You should be taking notice of the messages that others are creating that are achieving results with you. Even better, find those messages that are targeted at your customers. Find companies with "booku" marketing budgets that are trying to influence your clients. They have the resources to know what really works. See what you can use from their messaging and delivery that you can use in your own marketing campaigns.
Remember the famous quote from Sir Isaac Newton, "If I have seen a little further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants."
I love metaphors, probably because they are my life as a Principal of Nurture Marketing our growing Marketing Services Company. I've had the benefit of working with the two OOOBER-metaphor people in the world, Jim Cecil and Anne Miller. Metaphors are used to associate your product/services, the uses, features and benefits in pictures and words positively.
Recently I compiled a list of 9 ways to effectively utilize metaphors in marketing. Thank you Anne and Jim, you are the Apollo of Metaphors!
Metaphors make communications "sticky". They are Visual, Associative, Memorable, Emotional, and Unique leading to the instant "Aha" in your prospects and customers.
Metaphors are frequently used by successful companies in their advertising and marketing. Pay special attention to advertising such as billboards where the advertiser needs to convey their message within 2-5 seconds. Also, look through a magazine and jot down what you think the advertiser is trying to communicate (it's not always about sex). Think of a product or service you currently offer. What are some ideas on how the advertiser's metaphor can help you communicate how your company's product or service can help cure your customer's or prospect's pain?
Metaphors should say with one image, phrase, attachment, or enclosure what it would take you several paragraphs to say in words.
Direct mail metaphors include enclosures that help you get your points across or position your company in the minds of your clients and prospects. For example, a crystal ball evokes seeing into the future for the good of your client, a compass can help a client choose your company as the right direction, and a magnifying glass can add clarity to a situation.
Use a good metaphor to drive home a point, clarify confusion, or differentiate between points. I had a boss who used analogies to help people understand complex issues in a simple, understandable, and relevant manner.
Use search engine images to give you ideas on appropriate and useful metaphors.
Utilize images in your e-Mail communications and link those images to a landing page that expands on the messages contained within the image.
The Nurture Institute's top 5 metaphors direct mail metaphors of all time are:
Last night I was watching TV and, as usual, trying to accomplish other things I felt were way more productive. I didn't even think I was paying attention but then I heard, "The two most important questions you can ask yourself are 'Why?' and 'Why not?'"
