I am sure we all have stories about seeing crazy things on the highway. Be it people talking on their cell phones, shaving or even reading while driving at break neck speeds. This past weekend, while driving to a cook out, I was forced to pass a woman who was driving 45mph in the left lane because she was busy texting and apparently fixing her hair. Of course I thought two things. First, this woman is an accident waiting to happen but secondly and more importantly it represents a good analogy of what is going on in marketing, communications and branding today.
For one thing marketing is be driven at breakneck speed and is often to expected to arrive at locations in an unreasonable amount of time while not getting a speeding ticket. In words that will ring true to all marketing people, do it fast, do it right, do it under budget and make no mistakes. What is also true for all marketing people is that, much like cars, the universe they operated in is changing. For a long time the automobile was a sanctuary. For better or for worse it was an area where a person could not be reached.
Marketing used to be a relatively easy to understand format. It used to be archaic and very traditional, with a long established means of doing things. It's scope was very limited and it was seen as highly tactical. There was very little change in its scope for a great many years.
Both areas have seen tremendous changes during the pasts several years. For cars there is now cell phones, GPS, satellite radio and so much more which change how we operate in the car. For marketing, the changes are even greater. Marketing people have evolved from being the helmsman who steers the large slow moving vessels to the captain of the craft running viscous white water.
As for the highway itself, we see that some people take to driving it different ways just like a true highway. For example, some people take to the driveway and drive really slow, others drive like lunatics. Others take it slow and steady. This is to be expected because just as drivers are unique and approach the highways different organizations approach marketing different.
What's ironic is that many organizations are like a lot of drivers in the good old days and approach marketing the way they approached driving. That is to say they don't plan and often get lost along the way. In these pre Garmin or Tom Tom days people had to look for gas stations or other locations to find their way. A great deal of organizations drive down that highway with no idea where they are going or how they are going to get there. Sometimes they drive down the highway very fast assuming speed is progress or sometimes they stay in the right lane assuming that slow and steady will win the race, yet fail to notice all the competitors blowing by them.
The moral to the story is that driving on the modern highway is a great analogy for doing marketing, communications and branding in the modern age. You need to have the right tools to get the job done (a well maintained car,good radio, etc.) you need to know where you want to go and how to get there. You need to stay focused on the road and not get distracted by small and inconsequential items. Lastly, you need to be aware of your surroundings and judge your progress by your own goals, not by what is going on around you.
Showing posts with label getting started. Show all posts
Showing posts with label getting started. Show all posts
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Start off right when it comes to marketing
Funny thing about marketing, we are often called upon to deliver results without being given a chance to do the actual ground work to support the demands placed on us. I like to put myself into another profession and wonder, would we say to an architect that it's OK to design half the building because we want the plans done by 4 or to a farmer, hey, we want crops by June even though we only planted in May.
Of course, the big issue is that marketing has become far to compliant when it comes to dealing with the expectations raised by senior executives. All to often we wish to be the ideal of the team player and meet or exceed any demand regardless of how realistic it is. What the situation calls for, but where marketing and communications people fail to come through, is in providing and honest and fair assessment of what we can do and when we can do it. It is far better to be honest and say this will take until next Friday to do right rather than say when do you want it.
By releasing the ability to start off right in the marketing program, we are automatically in the hole. The marketing team has sacrificed the ability to become an effective team and has established that its role within the organization is to supplicate to any demand that is placed upon it. The legitimacy of marketing as a contributor to the success of the organization is virtually negated.
By establishing itself as an independent entity within the organization, capable of standing on its own and providing legitimate input to the success of the organization. By standing up immediately and expecting to be counted along with sales, finance, HR and the other departments within the organization, marketing garners a seat at the table and becomes a value added team to the group and not an expense to be corralled. The latter course, as we all know, leads to disastrous results for the long-term success of the organization.
Of course, the big issue is that marketing has become far to compliant when it comes to dealing with the expectations raised by senior executives. All to often we wish to be the ideal of the team player and meet or exceed any demand regardless of how realistic it is. What the situation calls for, but where marketing and communications people fail to come through, is in providing and honest and fair assessment of what we can do and when we can do it. It is far better to be honest and say this will take until next Friday to do right rather than say when do you want it.
By releasing the ability to start off right in the marketing program, we are automatically in the hole. The marketing team has sacrificed the ability to become an effective team and has established that its role within the organization is to supplicate to any demand that is placed upon it. The legitimacy of marketing as a contributor to the success of the organization is virtually negated.
By establishing itself as an independent entity within the organization, capable of standing on its own and providing legitimate input to the success of the organization. By standing up immediately and expecting to be counted along with sales, finance, HR and the other departments within the organization, marketing garners a seat at the table and becomes a value added team to the group and not an expense to be corralled. The latter course, as we all know, leads to disastrous results for the long-term success of the organization.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Why not to hire a vendor!
Most start up organizations are often in a race to hire someone to do this job or that job because they believe it is a necessary part of the start up process. This often takes the form of hiring either a public relations agency or some type of marketing consultant. What is ironic is that the process behind tends to be mostly knee jerk. If you ask you will most likely hear some MBA textbook, product marketing answer but if you dig you will find they did it out of the belief that they HAD too!
No for most start up organizations that first marketing discussion needs to come within the organization. Every start up will have, or should have, someone whose role is to develop brand or even in a broader sense to be the person responsible for building the sales and marketing role. During this initial phase it is critical that the first focus be on does the organization have a product or service that can be sold. Initially this can be handled by someone whose focus is on selling a product but at some point there needs to be a transition to a professional marketing person.
Still to a small start up organization where money is scarce there will be a need to spread roles just outside of the marketing organization. While marketing people are rightfully opposed to abdicated the marketing decision making process there may be a need in small start ups to cede some territory normally assigned to marketing and to other professionals with specific tasks during the initial launch phase. As the old cliche goes you need to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty.
A first hire within any start up organization should be someone who is focused fully on the product. While that doesn't mean a full fledged employee at first, it should be done with the idea of hiring a freelancer that will be brought on board as a full time employee at some time. The need is for someone who will wrap their brains around the product and become fully invested in its development.
Also, the single greatest reason to avoid hiring a vendor during the start up process is that you run the risk of working with someone who enjoys the cash flow you provide and will in turn provide you with the most junior staff to do the grunt work and will provide you with results in tune with their philosophy and their desire to improve their own standing among future clients they are trying to recruit.
So to anyone building a start up or thinking of starting on. You should not consider hiring an agency until you are well into your start up process, if you hire one at all.
No for most start up organizations that first marketing discussion needs to come within the organization. Every start up will have, or should have, someone whose role is to develop brand or even in a broader sense to be the person responsible for building the sales and marketing role. During this initial phase it is critical that the first focus be on does the organization have a product or service that can be sold. Initially this can be handled by someone whose focus is on selling a product but at some point there needs to be a transition to a professional marketing person.
Still to a small start up organization where money is scarce there will be a need to spread roles just outside of the marketing organization. While marketing people are rightfully opposed to abdicated the marketing decision making process there may be a need in small start ups to cede some territory normally assigned to marketing and to other professionals with specific tasks during the initial launch phase. As the old cliche goes you need to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty.
A first hire within any start up organization should be someone who is focused fully on the product. While that doesn't mean a full fledged employee at first, it should be done with the idea of hiring a freelancer that will be brought on board as a full time employee at some time. The need is for someone who will wrap their brains around the product and become fully invested in its development.
Also, the single greatest reason to avoid hiring a vendor during the start up process is that you run the risk of working with someone who enjoys the cash flow you provide and will in turn provide you with the most junior staff to do the grunt work and will provide you with results in tune with their philosophy and their desire to improve their own standing among future clients they are trying to recruit.
So to anyone building a start up or thinking of starting on. You should not consider hiring an agency until you are well into your start up process, if you hire one at all.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Do you need a PR freelancer or an agency to get going?
As most marketing people know, the first step in selling the product begins with the PR program. It helps you refine your brand and introduce yourself to key influences out there who you are and why your product/service is relevant. Of course, public relations help does not come cheap and, if not properly managed, can be a huge loss leader for your young organization. So then the question becomes who do I hire to help me manage a PR launch for my product? A full fledged agency or a sole practitioner?
One thing to keep in mind is your relative size and how that matters to anyone you are going to hire. If you are dealing with a large PR agency or even a mid to small size one, the smaller you are, the less care you will receive regarding your account. As normally happens with agencies, you are sold a wonderful bill of goods when you are applying for the agency and you see a really strong team of A plus managers who many will insist will be your account team. Once you sign that contract however you will notice that in world record time your account is being by managed by people that you never met and before you know it you are being spoon fed the normal palladium of press releases followed by the by the rote school of one size fits all, non-creative PR.
Generally when you hire smaller freelancers, you are getting motivated and, if you have done your homework intelligent and experienced, professionals who rely on your support to fund their continued success. In addition, you are most likely dealing with one or two people who represent the organization. Your work is not going to be passed onto the new hire since, most likely, there will not be a new hire to pass the work onto. You will also find someone more open to making your vision work and seeing your ideas get a shot at some sunlight.
A freelancer succeeds by taking risks where an agency fails if they do so. The agencies main goal is to have you renew the contract so they will ensure you do that. A freelancer's goal is to ensure that you succeed since that demonstrates that they can help an organization succeed. A freelancer usually does not have to pay for an office and the non-essential staff that is common among PR agencies so with that lower overhead, they can bring you a greater focus on your core PR needs.
It is pretty obvious in my opinion that a PR freelancer is the way to go when you are starting up your organization. From both a fiscal sense as well as a more product driven one a freelancer is a more common sense approach for an organization that is just building its PR program. The level of customer care and ROI is almost certainly going to be higher. The influence you have with a smaller organization can not be over estimated and can/should be leveraged for your organization's benefit.
One thing to keep in mind is your relative size and how that matters to anyone you are going to hire. If you are dealing with a large PR agency or even a mid to small size one, the smaller you are, the less care you will receive regarding your account. As normally happens with agencies, you are sold a wonderful bill of goods when you are applying for the agency and you see a really strong team of A plus managers who many will insist will be your account team. Once you sign that contract however you will notice that in world record time your account is being by managed by people that you never met and before you know it you are being spoon fed the normal palladium of press releases followed by the by the rote school of one size fits all, non-creative PR.
Generally when you hire smaller freelancers, you are getting motivated and, if you have done your homework intelligent and experienced, professionals who rely on your support to fund their continued success. In addition, you are most likely dealing with one or two people who represent the organization. Your work is not going to be passed onto the new hire since, most likely, there will not be a new hire to pass the work onto. You will also find someone more open to making your vision work and seeing your ideas get a shot at some sunlight.
A freelancer succeeds by taking risks where an agency fails if they do so. The agencies main goal is to have you renew the contract so they will ensure you do that. A freelancer's goal is to ensure that you succeed since that demonstrates that they can help an organization succeed. A freelancer usually does not have to pay for an office and the non-essential staff that is common among PR agencies so with that lower overhead, they can bring you a greater focus on your core PR needs.
It is pretty obvious in my opinion that a PR freelancer is the way to go when you are starting up your organization. From both a fiscal sense as well as a more product driven one a freelancer is a more common sense approach for an organization that is just building its PR program. The level of customer care and ROI is almost certainly going to be higher. The influence you have with a smaller organization can not be over estimated and can/should be leveraged for your organization's benefit.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Too Busy to Succeed!
There are a lot of feel good stories about the number of startups that began life during a recession or downturn. Home Depot and Microsoft are two examples that come to mind. So it is not surprising that a lot of the organizations that I deal with now are in fact start ups. It goes without saying that a lot of these organizations need a lot of help with developing and executing a strong branding and marketing program.
But there is one thing that amazes me about a lot of the start up executives. They all complain about not having enough time. I had one executive lament to me that he had too many things on his plate and would not be able to succeed. I have to be honest and say that I find this entire thought process laughable. If you are too busy to succeed I can assure you that you need not worry about success.
The first issue I believe is that we are dealing with people who have an overdeveloped sense of mission. They believe that the product they are selling is so important that its success is a linchpin of the future success of society. What is really required of these people is to step back and achieve proper prospective. They may have a great product, but they are also in a crowded market so it is important that they work smart more so than work hard to succeed.
I have also found that based on my own anecdotal observations it seems people who want to become successful with startups also seem to have a form of attention deficit disorder. Their minds fire off at 100 miles per hour in 100 different directions and as such they lack the focus and discipline to concentrate on any one area for too long. All to often the result of this is mixed messages, missed appointments and a failure to clearly define what they want to accomplish. I have also noticed they have achieved boredom with a project in a relatively short amount of time and are always looking for the next great thing.
Now normally, I would like to tie this up with a nice neat ribbon and say to do this in order to succeed. What I think needs to happen is that the start up staff needs to have people who think and act in the long term. Not only does the marketing person need to be able to provide the necessary brand and messaging guidance required of all reorganizations to succeed, but you need finance to have its eye on the ball regarding long term fiscal planning and designers or engineers committed to the concept of the product and service being offered. A concentrated and long-term plan is the most likely way that an organization will succeed. An organization where the founders and executives are too busy to look beyond their computer screens is unlikely to ever succeed.
But there is one thing that amazes me about a lot of the start up executives. They all complain about not having enough time. I had one executive lament to me that he had too many things on his plate and would not be able to succeed. I have to be honest and say that I find this entire thought process laughable. If you are too busy to succeed I can assure you that you need not worry about success.
The first issue I believe is that we are dealing with people who have an overdeveloped sense of mission. They believe that the product they are selling is so important that its success is a linchpin of the future success of society. What is really required of these people is to step back and achieve proper prospective. They may have a great product, but they are also in a crowded market so it is important that they work smart more so than work hard to succeed.
I have also found that based on my own anecdotal observations it seems people who want to become successful with startups also seem to have a form of attention deficit disorder. Their minds fire off at 100 miles per hour in 100 different directions and as such they lack the focus and discipline to concentrate on any one area for too long. All to often the result of this is mixed messages, missed appointments and a failure to clearly define what they want to accomplish. I have also noticed they have achieved boredom with a project in a relatively short amount of time and are always looking for the next great thing.
Now normally, I would like to tie this up with a nice neat ribbon and say to do this in order to succeed. What I think needs to happen is that the start up staff needs to have people who think and act in the long term. Not only does the marketing person need to be able to provide the necessary brand and messaging guidance required of all reorganizations to succeed, but you need finance to have its eye on the ball regarding long term fiscal planning and designers or engineers committed to the concept of the product and service being offered. A concentrated and long-term plan is the most likely way that an organization will succeed. An organization where the founders and executives are too busy to look beyond their computer screens is unlikely to ever succeed.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Protecting the brand from internal interlopers
The organization's brand is one thing that people cant help but offer input on how to improve. In some regards, managing a brand is similar to managing a sports team. You have every person around you offering you what they consider to be essential input regarding how to run the brand. When something goes wrong, as it is bound to do, these people will see you as the person responsible since you did not follow their advice. Even if there advice was completely ridiculous and silly the arm chair brand managers out there believe that their advice was difference between success and failure.
Another key aspect for brand managers in protecting their brand is to resist the urge to react to events which have already occurred. There is an old expression that goes "you can't drive a car by looking in the rear view mirror." That is ever so true in marketing and communications. But still many non-marketing people will come up and argue that such and such an event has occurred and we need to make adjustments based on it. Now I can not argue in all cases not to make the changes, but there are times when you need to review if the change is being made based on fear or some other type of knee-jerk reaction.
If there is the need to make a change, first off, make sure that the need is solid and dead on. Don't be afraid to say no and to push back on those pushing for change. Remember, you are the guardian of the brand so it is ultimately your responsibility. Review suggestions for change with an open and careful mind. Also, remember that protecting the brand does not mean keeping it away from any changes. If someone were to argue for a particular course of action look at what they are saying and feel free to cherry pick the parts you think might work from those parts you think are not useful.
Lastly, set the ground rules for any changes to the brand. Don't forget that as a marketing and communications person it falls to you to protect the brand. Put the onus onto the person suggestion the change to educate you as to why the change is necessary. Also, keep the participants in any brand change to a bare minimum . There is no need to have a grand meeting involving everyone from the CEO on down to the person who empties the waste baskets. You and the person suggesting change are the parties to the exchange. I would recommend limiting the meeting to just that. From there you can form a solid relationship which allows for two way conversation that will build a strong brand rather than a massive hodgepodge which tries to make everyone happy and leaves no one happy.
Another key aspect for brand managers in protecting their brand is to resist the urge to react to events which have already occurred. There is an old expression that goes "you can't drive a car by looking in the rear view mirror." That is ever so true in marketing and communications. But still many non-marketing people will come up and argue that such and such an event has occurred and we need to make adjustments based on it. Now I can not argue in all cases not to make the changes, but there are times when you need to review if the change is being made based on fear or some other type of knee-jerk reaction.
If there is the need to make a change, first off, make sure that the need is solid and dead on. Don't be afraid to say no and to push back on those pushing for change. Remember, you are the guardian of the brand so it is ultimately your responsibility. Review suggestions for change with an open and careful mind. Also, remember that protecting the brand does not mean keeping it away from any changes. If someone were to argue for a particular course of action look at what they are saying and feel free to cherry pick the parts you think might work from those parts you think are not useful.
Lastly, set the ground rules for any changes to the brand. Don't forget that as a marketing and communications person it falls to you to protect the brand. Put the onus onto the person suggestion the change to educate you as to why the change is necessary. Also, keep the participants in any brand change to a bare minimum . There is no need to have a grand meeting involving everyone from the CEO on down to the person who empties the waste baskets. You and the person suggesting change are the parties to the exchange. I would recommend limiting the meeting to just that. From there you can form a solid relationship which allows for two way conversation that will build a strong brand rather than a massive hodgepodge which tries to make everyone happy and leaves no one happy.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
How do I market my product? Part IV
There is a story that I like to quote a lot to clients and to friends and that is about how in the late 19th century the head of the United States Patent Office recommended that the office be closed as everything that could possibly be invented, had already had. Fortunately cooler heads prevailed. But as we all know, there are hundreds if not thousands of new products coming onto the market on a regular basis. The simple law of numbers tells us that most of these products will fade into obscurity and never become anything.
So how do you avoid having your product become one of the vast majority. Well for one thing, use your messaging to accomplish this. If there is one thing I find amazing, it is how many entrepreneurs believe that the benefits of their product or service is so self evident that no explanation is required. That is not only arrogant but it is stupid. Let me tell you that if think the benefits of your product are so obvious you will not see the bus that hits you and destroys your product.
First and foremost it is essential that you state clearly what they benefits are for your product and what they mean for your target audience. Look at Netflix for example. When they emerged they had a very simple statement of benefit. They mail you movies that you have selected, you can keep them as long as you want and when you send them back, after watching them of course, you get the next movie on your list. No trips to the video store, no late fees, very easy to grasp. What is more important is that Netflix did a fantastic job of telling you why they were better than the competition on the market and why you subscribe to their service. Now they have changed their market and knocked Blockbuster back on their heels.
Secondly, you need to understand what you want your product to say to the target audience. To be honest if you decide to say that you are offering a revolutionary product that will change the world then you had also better get out the no-doze because that is the lame reasoning of every product that can not decide how to brand themselves. You need to offer your target market a declarative statement that clearly evokes what you will do. For example, "we will make better butter because we will refine the manufacturing process and make it sweeter, softer and longer lasting in hot weather." Not, "we are revolutionizing butter."
Third, say something you can believe in. There is nothing more annoying than a startup who this week claims to be this one week and then the next week decides they are something else. When you tell the market you don't know what you are you destroy any faith in your product. Also, you send a clear signal of confusion and a lack of an articulate focus to your customer.
Last, make sure marketing is in the drivers seat when it comes to articulating the product. Other groups, especially senior management will be inclined to offer reams of suggestions which they will naturally want to see followed. However it is essential that you keep control of the marketing process within marketing. Input is always welcome of course, but marketing tends to go astray when dozens of executives stick their noses in. Please pardon the cliche but too many chefs spoil the pot.
There are many ways to differentiate your product and some of it may result in trial and error. Don't be afraid to tinker but make sure that you know what you want to say before you want to say it. Form your ideas and hit the market with a developed and well thought out plan and you will succeed.
So how do you avoid having your product become one of the vast majority. Well for one thing, use your messaging to accomplish this. If there is one thing I find amazing, it is how many entrepreneurs believe that the benefits of their product or service is so self evident that no explanation is required. That is not only arrogant but it is stupid. Let me tell you that if think the benefits of your product are so obvious you will not see the bus that hits you and destroys your product.
First and foremost it is essential that you state clearly what they benefits are for your product and what they mean for your target audience. Look at Netflix for example. When they emerged they had a very simple statement of benefit. They mail you movies that you have selected, you can keep them as long as you want and when you send them back, after watching them of course, you get the next movie on your list. No trips to the video store, no late fees, very easy to grasp. What is more important is that Netflix did a fantastic job of telling you why they were better than the competition on the market and why you subscribe to their service. Now they have changed their market and knocked Blockbuster back on their heels.
Secondly, you need to understand what you want your product to say to the target audience. To be honest if you decide to say that you are offering a revolutionary product that will change the world then you had also better get out the no-doze because that is the lame reasoning of every product that can not decide how to brand themselves. You need to offer your target market a declarative statement that clearly evokes what you will do. For example, "we will make better butter because we will refine the manufacturing process and make it sweeter, softer and longer lasting in hot weather." Not, "we are revolutionizing butter."
Third, say something you can believe in. There is nothing more annoying than a startup who this week claims to be this one week and then the next week decides they are something else. When you tell the market you don't know what you are you destroy any faith in your product. Also, you send a clear signal of confusion and a lack of an articulate focus to your customer.
Last, make sure marketing is in the drivers seat when it comes to articulating the product. Other groups, especially senior management will be inclined to offer reams of suggestions which they will naturally want to see followed. However it is essential that you keep control of the marketing process within marketing. Input is always welcome of course, but marketing tends to go astray when dozens of executives stick their noses in. Please pardon the cliche but too many chefs spoil the pot.
There are many ways to differentiate your product and some of it may result in trial and error. Don't be afraid to tinker but make sure that you know what you want to say before you want to say it. Form your ideas and hit the market with a developed and well thought out plan and you will succeed.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
How do I market my product? Part II
OK, so as we discussed in Part I you have built a web site and that is serving as the kernel for your brand identity. So now you have to decide what to do next? You basically have two choices, the first being to continue working under the radar and develop your product further or begin the public aspect of your organization by ramping up the public relations aspect of your program. At this point, you are not truly ready to go public since you will need to have stronger sense of who you are and be ready for what may come your way so the best course to follow is to continue defining your brand and image by developing marketing materials.
The development of marketing materials is often given short thrift and more often then not suffers from dual and conflicted roles. On the one hand, they are eagerly desired by sales people who seek them because it is something they can leave or send to a customer that clearly spells out the market advantages of their organization's products and services. The other side of that coin is that marketing materials are often prepared by very creative types who see themselves as the sellers of the brand and focus nearly exclusively on the creative aspects of how best to sell the product.
If you are familiar with the AMC television show Mad Men you know what I am talking about. Sales people offer a value proposition and believe that they can sell it to the target audience as a rational, fact based formula. Creative people are nearly the exact opposite. They believe that the sales decision is made based on emotional stimuli and as such we need to appeal to a person's emotional side and need to have a creative approach to sell the product.
It then becomes the difficult task of a marketing manager to not only balance these two, often conflicting viewpoints out, but to find a middle point. As we all know the definition of a compromise is when everyone walks away from the table feeling cheated. But that is exactly what a marketing manager needs to do, balance the competing desires of both groups.
Successful organizations know how to balance the ideals of sales and creative types and work together to develop a strong brand message which clearly sells their product. A perfect example of a company that marries both very well is Coca-Cola. Coke has an exceptionally strong brand and this is done by advertising which most companies can only hope to achieve. But the strong creative is enhanced by a global distribution system that is second to none. Without this strong sales and support system, Coca-Cola would have none of the global command that it does today.
So you are starting your own company, can you learn anything from what Coke or any other brands do. I believe the answer to be yes! First of all, as I said earlier you need to use the step after your web site to continue building your brand identity within the organization. This is also the time when you should bring your nascent sales organization to the table. Ideally this person will have some knowledge of your markets and sure as heckfire should know how to sell. You will also want them to give you some feedback on the tools you plan to give them to sell the product and service.
It is not uncommon for sales people to try and pull back and say they are not comfortable or that is marketing's job etc. But the fact remains at the end of the day it is up to sales to connect with the customer and convince them to buy. They need to be present for at least the first stages of development. The worst thing that can happen is for you to be six months to a year in, wondering why your product isn't moving and have sales shrug their shoulders and blame marketing.
So part II of the marketing development program is the development of marketing tools to further help build your brand. This is also the time to begin to engage sales and bring them into the loop and see what they can contribute. Marketing will help you increase awareness of your product but it is sales who sells it. Therefore their contributions must not be excluded.
The development of marketing materials is often given short thrift and more often then not suffers from dual and conflicted roles. On the one hand, they are eagerly desired by sales people who seek them because it is something they can leave or send to a customer that clearly spells out the market advantages of their organization's products and services. The other side of that coin is that marketing materials are often prepared by very creative types who see themselves as the sellers of the brand and focus nearly exclusively on the creative aspects of how best to sell the product.
If you are familiar with the AMC television show Mad Men you know what I am talking about. Sales people offer a value proposition and believe that they can sell it to the target audience as a rational, fact based formula. Creative people are nearly the exact opposite. They believe that the sales decision is made based on emotional stimuli and as such we need to appeal to a person's emotional side and need to have a creative approach to sell the product.
It then becomes the difficult task of a marketing manager to not only balance these two, often conflicting viewpoints out, but to find a middle point. As we all know the definition of a compromise is when everyone walks away from the table feeling cheated. But that is exactly what a marketing manager needs to do, balance the competing desires of both groups.
Successful organizations know how to balance the ideals of sales and creative types and work together to develop a strong brand message which clearly sells their product. A perfect example of a company that marries both very well is Coca-Cola. Coke has an exceptionally strong brand and this is done by advertising which most companies can only hope to achieve. But the strong creative is enhanced by a global distribution system that is second to none. Without this strong sales and support system, Coca-Cola would have none of the global command that it does today.
So you are starting your own company, can you learn anything from what Coke or any other brands do. I believe the answer to be yes! First of all, as I said earlier you need to use the step after your web site to continue building your brand identity within the organization. This is also the time when you should bring your nascent sales organization to the table. Ideally this person will have some knowledge of your markets and sure as heckfire should know how to sell. You will also want them to give you some feedback on the tools you plan to give them to sell the product and service.
It is not uncommon for sales people to try and pull back and say they are not comfortable or that is marketing's job etc. But the fact remains at the end of the day it is up to sales to connect with the customer and convince them to buy. They need to be present for at least the first stages of development. The worst thing that can happen is for you to be six months to a year in, wondering why your product isn't moving and have sales shrug their shoulders and blame marketing.
So part II of the marketing development program is the development of marketing tools to further help build your brand. This is also the time to begin to engage sales and bring them into the loop and see what they can contribute. Marketing will help you increase awareness of your product but it is sales who sells it. Therefore their contributions must not be excluded.
Monday, August 24, 2009
I have my product all set but how do I market it?
Sadly, great brands do not come with directions on how best to market them. It is impossible to say that this way will work and this way will not in every case. So the issue then becomes, how best to reach my target audience and, in the end, how to sell the product. First of all, rivers of ink have been spilled on how best to market a product, to that end I will refer you to the local library or bookstore to decided how you want to brand and market your product.
But to start off, you need to have some basic idea of how you want to go about the process. Pardon the cliche but you need to crawl before you can walk. First of all, I would sit down with your team or if it just yourself sit down and figure out what you wish to accomplish. Do you want to ramp up brand awareness first or do you want to jump in feet first and create a quick buzz. I tend to lean towards to the slow ramp up because it has longevity and buzz much like the fizz of a soda can fades rather quickly.
I think the best place to start is with your web site. The web site is basically your front door and it gives you a wonderful opportunity to test messages and test the layout of your image. Does your design formats reinforce the brand image of the organization and does it clearly convey what you do, who you or, and/or what you are about? The web site is also a great laboratory where you can test which messages have the greatest resonance with a target audience. This is your best chance to test your concepts and ideas on a limited, but ideally targeted audience.
The development of the web site should only take a few days but can provide your first feedback on the marketing of your idea and can also provide invaluable feedback regarding your marketing message and the value statement you hope to bring to the marketplace. This is your best chance to make the quick fixes needed before you take your product to market or even take it to the next step of the marketing process.
Tomorrow we will talk about the next step to take!
But to start off, you need to have some basic idea of how you want to go about the process. Pardon the cliche but you need to crawl before you can walk. First of all, I would sit down with your team or if it just yourself sit down and figure out what you wish to accomplish. Do you want to ramp up brand awareness first or do you want to jump in feet first and create a quick buzz. I tend to lean towards to the slow ramp up because it has longevity and buzz much like the fizz of a soda can fades rather quickly.
I think the best place to start is with your web site. The web site is basically your front door and it gives you a wonderful opportunity to test messages and test the layout of your image. Does your design formats reinforce the brand image of the organization and does it clearly convey what you do, who you or, and/or what you are about? The web site is also a great laboratory where you can test which messages have the greatest resonance with a target audience. This is your best chance to test your concepts and ideas on a limited, but ideally targeted audience.
The development of the web site should only take a few days but can provide your first feedback on the marketing of your idea and can also provide invaluable feedback regarding your marketing message and the value statement you hope to bring to the marketplace. This is your best chance to make the quick fixes needed before you take your product to market or even take it to the next step of the marketing process.
Tomorrow we will talk about the next step to take!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
What is better for a company, success or failure?
At first blush this may seem like a no brainer, of course success is necessary for a company to survive. What I am addressing is the idea of risk taking and the concept of being too afraid of failure to take a chance on greater success. Think of it as playing a game of blackjack, I remember a saying I once heard and that is that the brave hit on 16 the stupid on 17. I always liked this idea as it shows there is a fine line between being brave and being foolish.
What is ironic is that just about every company was founded on a strong element of risk. The idea that they could do something better or fill some need within the marketplace. Given the high risk of failure associated with starting a business it is safe to say that risk is a part of the game and you can't help but notice how risk adverse companies become as they mature. The larger a company becomes a very interesting contradiction arises, not only do they become risk adverse, but senior management wants to see a continuation of the rapid growth, associated with early years of success.
As a marketing and communications professional, we are often tasked with walking that tight rope between success and risk taking. I have seen two types of individuals in marketing and communications. Ironically, the ones who tend to have the longest tenure in an organization are the ones who take the fewest risks and as a result deliver the smallest possible return. Again ironically they are able to demonstrate to their higher ups activity which they then interpret as success. It is obvious that activity is not success.
The individuals who bring true success to any organizations are the ones who chart the course that will most likely result in real sales growth. This is usually through the result of an aggressive and yes at times risky program. Sometimes even great programs fail and that is the nature of the beast! A good marketing person looks back and tries to find out why they failed and builds off of that lesson for future plans. A bad marketing person, someone who is risk adverse, seeks to avoid any and all blame for the program and thus learns nothing but to avoid risk and avoid blame.
The fact of the matter is that a good dose of failure is like a refreshing breath of air. There is a great deal to be learned from success. But success can breed arrogance and the misconception of invulnerability. What is worse is the fear of failure can make people avoid a chance at success unless they believe the probability of failure is virtually zero which in the real world is not really the case.
I would argue that good marketing and communications people have no great fear of failure. While logically they would want to succeed, they make their decisions after calculating the risks and deciding if they want to move forward based on the risk/reward ratio. A great number of mediocre people take the path of least resistance and only go the route that virtually assures them of success. Even if that success results in tepid results which will only have an incremental meaning and will have no long term impact on the growth or success on the organization. These are the people who thing in the immediate short term and have no long term vision.
The answer to the question in my opinion is that while success is necessary for a company to thrive, the fear of failure can inhibit and organization from achieving true success. Real leaders and successful people are the ones who fought the tide and realized that there was a better way and that it is worth taking a risk to achieve it. They don't reach for the low hanging fruit and they realize they don't know it all. By doing this, they achieve great things and set standards for the rest of us to follow.
What is ironic is that just about every company was founded on a strong element of risk. The idea that they could do something better or fill some need within the marketplace. Given the high risk of failure associated with starting a business it is safe to say that risk is a part of the game and you can't help but notice how risk adverse companies become as they mature. The larger a company becomes a very interesting contradiction arises, not only do they become risk adverse, but senior management wants to see a continuation of the rapid growth, associated with early years of success.
As a marketing and communications professional, we are often tasked with walking that tight rope between success and risk taking. I have seen two types of individuals in marketing and communications. Ironically, the ones who tend to have the longest tenure in an organization are the ones who take the fewest risks and as a result deliver the smallest possible return. Again ironically they are able to demonstrate to their higher ups activity which they then interpret as success. It is obvious that activity is not success.
The individuals who bring true success to any organizations are the ones who chart the course that will most likely result in real sales growth. This is usually through the result of an aggressive and yes at times risky program. Sometimes even great programs fail and that is the nature of the beast! A good marketing person looks back and tries to find out why they failed and builds off of that lesson for future plans. A bad marketing person, someone who is risk adverse, seeks to avoid any and all blame for the program and thus learns nothing but to avoid risk and avoid blame.
The fact of the matter is that a good dose of failure is like a refreshing breath of air. There is a great deal to be learned from success. But success can breed arrogance and the misconception of invulnerability. What is worse is the fear of failure can make people avoid a chance at success unless they believe the probability of failure is virtually zero which in the real world is not really the case.
I would argue that good marketing and communications people have no great fear of failure. While logically they would want to succeed, they make their decisions after calculating the risks and deciding if they want to move forward based on the risk/reward ratio. A great number of mediocre people take the path of least resistance and only go the route that virtually assures them of success. Even if that success results in tepid results which will only have an incremental meaning and will have no long term impact on the growth or success on the organization. These are the people who thing in the immediate short term and have no long term vision.
The answer to the question in my opinion is that while success is necessary for a company to thrive, the fear of failure can inhibit and organization from achieving true success. Real leaders and successful people are the ones who fought the tide and realized that there was a better way and that it is worth taking a risk to achieve it. They don't reach for the low hanging fruit and they realize they don't know it all. By doing this, they achieve great things and set standards for the rest of us to follow.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
More Lessons from the Business Trenches
Well I continue to build the business along with my partner and from a marketing perspective I am becoming more excited by the day. I believe we are onto a unique niche market and can offer a product that has clear benefit to the end users and more importantly, can be ahead of the curve in changing attitudes towards healthcare. Think of it this way, would you rather spend $1 today which has would prevent you from spending $25 a year from now. I think a lot of people would say that they would choose to spend the $1.
Preventative care is one of the better aspects of the British and Canadian healthcare systems and is one we would be wise to copy. Rather than be a country of fast food joints and obese pre-teens we should start walking clubs, smoking cessation programs and make it so people can age in a setting that provides the greatest benefit. It would be a nice thing if joining a health club could be tax deductible and maybe help community service groups like the YMCA.
In more important events here in Boston the Red Sox won again and Tim Wakefield shows what an ageless wonder he is. He pitched a wonderful game last night and Big Papi swung a good stick to help the Red Sox win. Granted it was the Florida Marlins, one of baseball's biggest franchise failures, but still a win is a win and I will not poo poo it. A great job by one and all!
I am a big fan of Facebook now and started a lively discussion, that being the respective achievements of Val Kilmer during his career. I stated, and still believe that his career hit its respective peak with the films Real Genius and Top Secret. I did love the responses I got but I stand by my original statement!
Tonight I will go with a friend to Theology on Tap in Quincy. Besides going to tell those knuckleheads that run it that I want to get their blasted emails, Ray Flynn, former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican will be a speaker. I am not sure of the topic but Ray is an interesting speaker and his love for the media spotlight not withstanding, has a unique view of what America should be doing not only as a country, but as a people.
Well I hope to get out and enjoy this gorgeous weather since it is going to be lousy for the foreseeable future. Oh well, maybe summer will show up sometime before the first snow flake or the leaves turn.
Preventative care is one of the better aspects of the British and Canadian healthcare systems and is one we would be wise to copy. Rather than be a country of fast food joints and obese pre-teens we should start walking clubs, smoking cessation programs and make it so people can age in a setting that provides the greatest benefit. It would be a nice thing if joining a health club could be tax deductible and maybe help community service groups like the YMCA.
In more important events here in Boston the Red Sox won again and Tim Wakefield shows what an ageless wonder he is. He pitched a wonderful game last night and Big Papi swung a good stick to help the Red Sox win. Granted it was the Florida Marlins, one of baseball's biggest franchise failures, but still a win is a win and I will not poo poo it. A great job by one and all!
I am a big fan of Facebook now and started a lively discussion, that being the respective achievements of Val Kilmer during his career. I stated, and still believe that his career hit its respective peak with the films Real Genius and Top Secret. I did love the responses I got but I stand by my original statement!
Tonight I will go with a friend to Theology on Tap in Quincy. Besides going to tell those knuckleheads that run it that I want to get their blasted emails, Ray Flynn, former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican will be a speaker. I am not sure of the topic but Ray is an interesting speaker and his love for the media spotlight not withstanding, has a unique view of what America should be doing not only as a country, but as a people.
Well I hope to get out and enjoy this gorgeous weather since it is going to be lousy for the foreseeable future. Oh well, maybe summer will show up sometime before the first snow flake or the leaves turn.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Welcome to my first ever blog post
Welcome to my first ever blog post. I have a wide and varied number of interests, ideas, thoughts and ideas. Sometimes I think I am the Wikipedia of useless information until I realize that Wikipedia is already the Wikipedia of useless information. Setting up this blog is long overdue and was not easy due to the fact that my blog host/partner who I will not name (Google) made it needlessly difficult.
As for those who don't know me, I am just your regular working fool, trying to survive the current recession, picking up freelance marketing and PR jobs here and all the while looking for something more permanent which in my chose profession may be a bit of an oxymoron. I do love what I am doing but it can often drive me nuts especially when those in the peanut gallery feel obliged to chime in with how my job being done. Those who work in marketing and PR and often faced with a situation that baseball Hall of Famer Leo Durocher described when questioned about his many critics as a manger. To paraphrase Leo, my job is like going to church, many attend, few understand.
So during the coming weeks and months check back for my random thoughts, actions, adventures and the banalities that passes for life.
Cheers!
Rick Sheehy
As for those who don't know me, I am just your regular working fool, trying to survive the current recession, picking up freelance marketing and PR jobs here and all the while looking for something more permanent which in my chose profession may be a bit of an oxymoron. I do love what I am doing but it can often drive me nuts especially when those in the peanut gallery feel obliged to chime in with how my job being done. Those who work in marketing and PR and often faced with a situation that baseball Hall of Famer Leo Durocher described when questioned about his many critics as a manger. To paraphrase Leo, my job is like going to church, many attend, few understand.
So during the coming weeks and months check back for my random thoughts, actions, adventures and the banalities that passes for life.
Cheers!
Rick Sheehy
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