Don’t you just hate it when marketing gets mock professionalized with terms like “acute need state?”
No chance of that pomposity from the people who bring us Needium, a social media lead gen solution for SMBs that is really intriguing. The Needium people call a spade a spade, meaning that they say that the ideal time for small business to contact people is when those people really really want something.
Have you ever posted looking for a dentist recommendation? Or a restaurant suggestion for that business trip to Paramus, NJ? The data record for those searches and queries is right out there in the public domain, and through these messages people have expressed an interest in getting ideas and suggestions from the larger community.
Using Needium, the small business sets up an account, defines the needs that are relevant to its businesses, and periodically reviews a dashboard of the status updates and tweets from people in their areas that are seeking their type of services.
They can then follow up on any needs that make sense for their business. In addition, the service also scoops up specific mentions of individual businesses so they can manage their own reputation.
To respond to a need or a comment about their business they simply click the respond button. They can also join public discussions and offer their expertise and solutions directly to a broader audience.
Cost of the service is $100 a month, and the focus on identifying stated needs and life stage changes makes the information extremely actionable for small businesses.
The Montreal-based start-up is active in a number of Canadian and US cities, and is expanding that list. Service is available in English and en Francais. Something for small businesses to explore — helping SMBs to drive ROI from social media discussions in a simple and easy to manage way.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Changing the Marketing Social Compact With Our Best Customers
In the traditional media model, there was essentially an agreement that in exchange for free or very low cost information and entertainment, the consumer would see and process ads. That arrangement is evolving, of course. One of the most interesting aspects of that evolution is the need to deliver more value for a given amount of consumer attention.
That value can be an overt exchange, like Solve Media’s Captcha replacements that let consumers “pay attention” instead of money for premium content. Or it can be a bit more indirect, as with Red Bull’s TV programming in Austria. In that case, the brand has entered the media business in order to “deserve” the respect and loyalty of its youthful, hip target.
But one of the most interesting changes is in brands recognizing that individual experience and attention are becoming an increasing important part of the equation. We’ve gone from the world of my childhood, where most people would accept service shortcomings as a part of life, to one in which millions of people expect to be able to post a complaint or a kudo on Twitter and get an immediate response.
Promotions and how they are targeted and structured are another interesting area of change. I’m going to make a generalization here – that in the past, most promotional activity was designed to get a new or lapsed user to connect or reconnect with a brand. We hoped, for example, that a trial size or FSI coupon would attract new people or foster an incremental purchase.
There was something about that that always smelled fishy to me – that brands were far less likely to focus efforts on their best customers, choosing instead to concentrate on getting brand switchers to buy today. Think about all the times you’ve heard “Offer for new customers only” and simply accepted it as a standard marketing tactic.
It’s clear that the socialization of media is bringing with it the need to focus on loyalists. Because:
· They are driving so much of the discussion and brand perception out there about our brands.
· They have great transparency into how and where we spend our money.
· They have the power to evangelize (or not) our offerings to potentially HUGE audiences – so much so that the actions of a single individual can ripple into movement of our business needles.
· They EXPECT to be rewarded for loyalty with more than just the basic product experience.
That’s the real importance of social in my view – the shift it requires in our thinking to caring about consumers as individuals, and about ensuring a great product experience every time. And when we don’t provide one, the willingness to admit our mistakes and try to make good on our product pledge.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot because so many of the next generation of digital media and promotional vehicles are focused on being better to users. Like mobile platforms that deliver coupons to consumers in store for brands they were planning to buy anyway. In the old days, we used to call that “subsidizing our users” and it was considered about as bad as things got in marketing. But the reality is that all promotional activities were subsidizing users -- it’s just that the benefits went to the fickle instead of the loyal.
From a media perspective, I think it means focusing a lot more advertising and marketing dollars on loyalists instead of irregular or lapsed users. Not bombarding them with bad 728s, but rather creating marketing experiences that add value to their lives. One interesting example of this is Nearbuy Systems, which helps retailers better please people already in their stores by offering hyperlocal services through their mobile phones. Want to know where the Nutella is? The platform can give you indoor turn by turn instructions to get you to within three feet of the jars of chocolaty goodness. How cool is that. It also lets users get immediate attention from real employees, right where they are standing.
I’ve never spoken to the people at Nearbuy, but I use this as an example because it offers the contrast. Of a retailer creating better brand experiences for people already in the aisles, versus mailing a big splashy offer to fill transferred prescriptions for less money. Or similar trial builder ploy.
I’m not suggesting that we forget trial as a marketing task, but rather that we must place our best consumers at the head of the line for marketing largesse, not at the foot. They expect to be first in our minds. And they deserve to be as well.
That value can be an overt exchange, like Solve Media’s Captcha replacements that let consumers “pay attention” instead of money for premium content. Or it can be a bit more indirect, as with Red Bull’s TV programming in Austria. In that case, the brand has entered the media business in order to “deserve” the respect and loyalty of its youthful, hip target.
But one of the most interesting changes is in brands recognizing that individual experience and attention are becoming an increasing important part of the equation. We’ve gone from the world of my childhood, where most people would accept service shortcomings as a part of life, to one in which millions of people expect to be able to post a complaint or a kudo on Twitter and get an immediate response.
Promotions and how they are targeted and structured are another interesting area of change. I’m going to make a generalization here – that in the past, most promotional activity was designed to get a new or lapsed user to connect or reconnect with a brand. We hoped, for example, that a trial size or FSI coupon would attract new people or foster an incremental purchase.
There was something about that that always smelled fishy to me – that brands were far less likely to focus efforts on their best customers, choosing instead to concentrate on getting brand switchers to buy today. Think about all the times you’ve heard “Offer for new customers only” and simply accepted it as a standard marketing tactic.
It’s clear that the socialization of media is bringing with it the need to focus on loyalists. Because:
· They are driving so much of the discussion and brand perception out there about our brands.
· They have great transparency into how and where we spend our money.
· They have the power to evangelize (or not) our offerings to potentially HUGE audiences – so much so that the actions of a single individual can ripple into movement of our business needles.
· They EXPECT to be rewarded for loyalty with more than just the basic product experience.
That’s the real importance of social in my view – the shift it requires in our thinking to caring about consumers as individuals, and about ensuring a great product experience every time. And when we don’t provide one, the willingness to admit our mistakes and try to make good on our product pledge.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot because so many of the next generation of digital media and promotional vehicles are focused on being better to users. Like mobile platforms that deliver coupons to consumers in store for brands they were planning to buy anyway. In the old days, we used to call that “subsidizing our users” and it was considered about as bad as things got in marketing. But the reality is that all promotional activities were subsidizing users -- it’s just that the benefits went to the fickle instead of the loyal.
From a media perspective, I think it means focusing a lot more advertising and marketing dollars on loyalists instead of irregular or lapsed users. Not bombarding them with bad 728s, but rather creating marketing experiences that add value to their lives. One interesting example of this is Nearbuy Systems, which helps retailers better please people already in their stores by offering hyperlocal services through their mobile phones. Want to know where the Nutella is? The platform can give you indoor turn by turn instructions to get you to within three feet of the jars of chocolaty goodness. How cool is that. It also lets users get immediate attention from real employees, right where they are standing.
I’ve never spoken to the people at Nearbuy, but I use this as an example because it offers the contrast. Of a retailer creating better brand experiences for people already in the aisles, versus mailing a big splashy offer to fill transferred prescriptions for less money. Or similar trial builder ploy.
I’m not suggesting that we forget trial as a marketing task, but rather that we must place our best consumers at the head of the line for marketing largesse, not at the foot. They expect to be first in our minds. And they deserve to be as well.
COD: Tapzilla - quick app distribution with a Groupon style free lunch model
Win win all around. A service called Tapzilla provides a way for developers to get their new apps into lots of hands quickly, and delivers free apps for app fanatics at the same time.
It’s all pretty simple really, and once again I feel the total idiot for not thinking of it myself.
The consumer model bears a striking resemblance to Groupon, except that this works out to be free in the end. You sign up and get a daily email or visit the site for free access to the app of the day. You go to iTunes to buy it. Then once its downloaded, you shake the app, type in the Tapzilla offer code, and you get a refund of the purchase price in the form of an itunes gift card or a Paypal credit.
I know of a number of people who have developed or are in the process of developing new apps; because of the glut and clutter, distribution and marketing are a particular challenge even when there is enough revenue to offer a strong bounty per customer. Tapzilla meets this need and helps app freaks get their fix of something new and valuable daily.
Getting high app sales on those first days of distribution can mean the difference between success and failure. It has been widely reported that making the top apps list on iTunes multiplies your sales rate but good, and gives you the critical momentum to keep going and growing.
Since these members are app superconsumers, I would expect that their propensity to viral is quite high.
Lots of installs for you, free stuff for them. Win win all around.
It’s all pretty simple really, and once again I feel the total idiot for not thinking of it myself.
The consumer model bears a striking resemblance to Groupon, except that this works out to be free in the end. You sign up and get a daily email or visit the site for free access to the app of the day. You go to iTunes to buy it. Then once its downloaded, you shake the app, type in the Tapzilla offer code, and you get a refund of the purchase price in the form of an itunes gift card or a Paypal credit.
I know of a number of people who have developed or are in the process of developing new apps; because of the glut and clutter, distribution and marketing are a particular challenge even when there is enough revenue to offer a strong bounty per customer. Tapzilla meets this need and helps app freaks get their fix of something new and valuable daily.
Getting high app sales on those first days of distribution can mean the difference between success and failure. It has been widely reported that making the top apps list on iTunes multiplies your sales rate but good, and gives you the critical momentum to keep going and growing.
Since these members are app superconsumers, I would expect that their propensity to viral is quite high.
Lots of installs for you, free stuff for them. Win win all around.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
COD: MotiveCast – cool, compelling, location based, mobile AR games
Thanks to ad:tech for publishing this first!
Is there an appealing adjective NOT in that headline? The first time I saw MotiveCast, I knew what it meant to have bladder control issues. It was that exciting.
Here’s the deal. Imagine addicting mobile casual and crossover casual/core games. Lovely animation, telegraphic gameplay that requires no directions, and connected leaderboards. Nice, hunh? Well, now add in some AR. Because MotiveCast uses your phone’s camera and hyperlocal triggers to spawn games and game play based upon where you are. So, as a hypothetical example, imagine you’re standing in line at Piggly Wiggly, and to kill time you point your camera at the candy rack. As one does…
And all of a sudden little packs of gum start flying off the rack and moving toward you mock menacingly. You begin to fire shots at the gum from Hell, and rack up points while the 12 people in front of you check out. But, wait! It’s not 12 people anymore! Because you’ve just spent 6 minutes shooting at the gum packets. It felt like no time at all. And as your reward, you get a coupon for 50 cents off a real Plen-T-Pak. You have a better shopping experience, Wrigley’s sells some DoubleMint. Win win.
Right right, and the conservative marketers among you are saying, “I don’t want people shooting at my product.” Fine, MotiveCast can conceive and execute a game that will make you happy, either in conjunction with an agency or on its own.
One of the examples THEY use is the idea that you could enter a Disney Store and see Tinkerbell flying around. And even interact with her. This experience would ONLY be available in those store locations. So it gives you and the kids another excellent reason to make the trip. And while you are there, purchase $80 worth of plush toys. Natch.
The possibilities are endless, and it’s not all that hard to see that this kind of technology could be relevant in many categories. Even, dare I say, B2B. Though of course it really is B2C primary.
For retailers in particular, however, I think this technology has even greater appeal. Retailers are going to have to be exploring shoppertainment as a way of differentiating themselves in our overstored country. MotiveCast uses an example of being at a Target and having actual targets drop from the ceiling throughout the store.
Now, imagine CPG. Mom gives the kid the phone to entertain them as they navigate Safeway aisles. In dairy, Yoplait flowers grow from the floor. In cereal, gigantic Cheerios pop off the shelf and roll toward the child like the Indiana Jones rock. Can you imagine the giggles?
Moving on to Macy’s. What if you walked into the Polo shop and could see animated runway models sporting the fashions?
MotiveCast makes its own unsponsored games, but a core part of their business is developing interactivities for brands. Go to this page to see a couple of their games, including a sizzle vid of three concept games they made for the Pepsico10 competition.
Or check out this interview conducted by On Digital Media from the floor of ad:tech NY:
Me likey. Actually, me likey likey likey.
Is there an appealing adjective NOT in that headline? The first time I saw MotiveCast, I knew what it meant to have bladder control issues. It was that exciting.
Here’s the deal. Imagine addicting mobile casual and crossover casual/core games. Lovely animation, telegraphic gameplay that requires no directions, and connected leaderboards. Nice, hunh? Well, now add in some AR. Because MotiveCast uses your phone’s camera and hyperlocal triggers to spawn games and game play based upon where you are. So, as a hypothetical example, imagine you’re standing in line at Piggly Wiggly, and to kill time you point your camera at the candy rack. As one does…
And all of a sudden little packs of gum start flying off the rack and moving toward you mock menacingly. You begin to fire shots at the gum from Hell, and rack up points while the 12 people in front of you check out. But, wait! It’s not 12 people anymore! Because you’ve just spent 6 minutes shooting at the gum packets. It felt like no time at all. And as your reward, you get a coupon for 50 cents off a real Plen-T-Pak. You have a better shopping experience, Wrigley’s sells some DoubleMint. Win win.
Right right, and the conservative marketers among you are saying, “I don’t want people shooting at my product.” Fine, MotiveCast can conceive and execute a game that will make you happy, either in conjunction with an agency or on its own.
One of the examples THEY use is the idea that you could enter a Disney Store and see Tinkerbell flying around. And even interact with her. This experience would ONLY be available in those store locations. So it gives you and the kids another excellent reason to make the trip. And while you are there, purchase $80 worth of plush toys. Natch.
The possibilities are endless, and it’s not all that hard to see that this kind of technology could be relevant in many categories. Even, dare I say, B2B. Though of course it really is B2C primary.
For retailers in particular, however, I think this technology has even greater appeal. Retailers are going to have to be exploring shoppertainment as a way of differentiating themselves in our overstored country. MotiveCast uses an example of being at a Target and having actual targets drop from the ceiling throughout the store.
Now, imagine CPG. Mom gives the kid the phone to entertain them as they navigate Safeway aisles. In dairy, Yoplait flowers grow from the floor. In cereal, gigantic Cheerios pop off the shelf and roll toward the child like the Indiana Jones rock. Can you imagine the giggles?
Moving on to Macy’s. What if you walked into the Polo shop and could see animated runway models sporting the fashions?
MotiveCast makes its own unsponsored games, but a core part of their business is developing interactivities for brands. Go to this page to see a couple of their games, including a sizzle vid of three concept games they made for the Pepsico10 competition.
Or check out this interview conducted by On Digital Media from the floor of ad:tech NY:
Me likey. Actually, me likey likey likey.
Wither Email?
From Comscore...Apparently Twitter, texting, and FB are having their effects. Check out the slide in email usage.
Monday, January 31, 2011
COD: Yinzcam delivers sports, squared
Thanks to ad:tech for publishing this first.
Sports is an entertainment category that we as marketers need to pay a lot of attention to,because it is really the only thing left in our culture that consistently draws large audiences. Certainly there is a great deal of innovation in the sector, like ESPN narrowcasting virtually any sport performance out there. And fantasy sports have become such a large business that they are impossible to ignore. Plus video games. Plus plus plus.
One of the most interesting innovations that I’ve seen in the sector is Yinzcam, a project of two Carnegie Mellon Profs and ten of their students. All of whom are Penguins fans, and that bit becomes important in a moment.
See, they had nosebleed seats, and were frustrated when legendarily full figured Pittsburghers blocked their view, or when they wanted to see things up close and personal. In hockey, being in the top deck really is a disadvantage by dint of both the smallness of a puck and the incredible speed by which it moves.
In fact, the NHL has always been challenged by how to make hockey viewing more popular because the speed of the puck means you have to keep the cameras pulled way back, Which means you can’t see what’s going on as well as you can with say, football or even basketball. As a result, hockey isn’t as popular as it might be if TV viewing were more engaging.
The Yinzcam team saw an opportunity to enhance the sports viewing experience by making available vastly more content in real time. So they partnered with the Penguins (hiss!) to create Yinzcam service. Yinzcam content combines additional camera angles, replays and other real time content with evergreen items like schedules and rosters, and makes it available to stadium goers via a special wifi connection. Using it, you can change the viewing feed and explore other content as it is happening on the ice.Want to see that goal at close range? Simply choose that camera angle. Want to watch the penalty box? Click that one. Want to know who player number 81 was in ‘08? Click the roster (it was Miroslav Satan, who clearly has one of the best hockey player names ever, and now plays for the Bruins.)
Check out the screens and how to here.
The platform can also incorporate sponsorship and ecommerce, which are added bonuses. And if you are in a skybox, the stadium provides touchscreen PCs with the same real-time content. It’s a tremendous enrichment to the in-stadium experience. Great for hockey. Great for the Penguins. Great for the sponsors.
I don’t know all of what Yinzcam is planning for the future. But I for one would love to be able to buy this kind of experience at home as well. The company is now expanding to support other teams. Which is great because they can wire the Flyers and be supporting the REAL hockey team in the Keystone State. Let’s go Flyers…da…da…da da da.
In short, I expect you’ll be seeing A LOT more from Yinzcam. Don’t hold being Penguin fans against them. What they lack in taste they clearly make up for in tech.
Sports is an entertainment category that we as marketers need to pay a lot of attention to,because it is really the only thing left in our culture that consistently draws large audiences. Certainly there is a great deal of innovation in the sector, like ESPN narrowcasting virtually any sport performance out there. And fantasy sports have become such a large business that they are impossible to ignore. Plus video games. Plus plus plus.
One of the most interesting innovations that I’ve seen in the sector is Yinzcam, a project of two Carnegie Mellon Profs and ten of their students. All of whom are Penguins fans, and that bit becomes important in a moment.
See, they had nosebleed seats, and were frustrated when legendarily full figured Pittsburghers blocked their view, or when they wanted to see things up close and personal. In hockey, being in the top deck really is a disadvantage by dint of both the smallness of a puck and the incredible speed by which it moves.
In fact, the NHL has always been challenged by how to make hockey viewing more popular because the speed of the puck means you have to keep the cameras pulled way back, Which means you can’t see what’s going on as well as you can with say, football or even basketball. As a result, hockey isn’t as popular as it might be if TV viewing were more engaging.
The Yinzcam team saw an opportunity to enhance the sports viewing experience by making available vastly more content in real time. So they partnered with the Penguins (hiss!) to create Yinzcam service. Yinzcam content combines additional camera angles, replays and other real time content with evergreen items like schedules and rosters, and makes it available to stadium goers via a special wifi connection. Using it, you can change the viewing feed and explore other content as it is happening on the ice.Want to see that goal at close range? Simply choose that camera angle. Want to watch the penalty box? Click that one. Want to know who player number 81 was in ‘08? Click the roster (it was Miroslav Satan, who clearly has one of the best hockey player names ever, and now plays for the Bruins.)
Check out the screens and how to here.
The platform can also incorporate sponsorship and ecommerce, which are added bonuses. And if you are in a skybox, the stadium provides touchscreen PCs with the same real-time content. It’s a tremendous enrichment to the in-stadium experience. Great for hockey. Great for the Penguins. Great for the sponsors.
I don’t know all of what Yinzcam is planning for the future. But I for one would love to be able to buy this kind of experience at home as well. The company is now expanding to support other teams. Which is great because they can wire the Flyers and be supporting the REAL hockey team in the Keystone State. Let’s go Flyers…da…da…da da da.
In short, I expect you’ll be seeing A LOT more from Yinzcam. Don’t hold being Penguin fans against them. What they lack in taste they clearly make up for in tech.
COD: Nearbuy Systems brings microlocation solutions to retail consumers
Thanks to ad:tech for publishing this first.
It’s always interesting to see technology applied to problems that have challenged industry for decades. Nearbuy Systems has just such an offering. Nearbuy for Stores offers retailers a way to provide microlocation services to consumers. There are four high level business use cases here:
Provide in-store maps and “turn by turn” directions to consumers looking for a particular item. The company offers data that indicate that “Where is it?” is the number one consumer question in store.
Providing virtual concierge services that help sales staff address customer needs at the location they express them
Promote and deliver location-triggered promotions – either retailer specific or brand-driven
Creating a differentiated virtual retail experience in store, to enhance the shopping experience and drive consumer loyalty
My first question when I ran across the company was…how can you really help me find Peter Pan Peanut Butter on the shelf? Getting me to a “general vicinity” doesn’t really help me enough. I need to know WHERE in Aisle 10 to be looking.
Oh me of little faith. Pshaw. According to the site, Nearbuy can direct a consumer to within three feet of a given item. That feels at least as accurate as most employees might be able to deliver me.
In addition to the primary benefits outlined above, shopper analytics can help inform retailer decisions about merchandising, shelf set and the like.
Nearbuy says its solution does not require the purchase of added infrastructure, which is a welcome claim for retailers who need to be very conscious of their costs. Further, the on-mobile-screen experience is fully brandable for greater consumer impact.
This company is a bit newer than most I have discussed so far. But they’ve begun to get some favorable press from tech pubs and retailer trades, including this quotation from Network Computing’s Lee H. Badman:
The back-end magic marries a given store’s wireless network and video security system, as well as customers’ smart phones, in a framework that could pay off for both shoppers and merchants alike.
For the customer, in-store maps and “go to” functionality mean never wondering where a given product is located. Need human help? Nearbuy’s Micro-Location gets an employee to you, wherever you are. Location-aware promotions can keep dollars in patrons’ wallets and ensure repeat business for those customers willing to use their smart phones interactively as they cruise the aisles.
The technology side of all this is well beyond me – it calls to my mind the Charlie Brown teacher voice. But the idea of providing these sorts of services in-store seems a fascinating way for retailers to improve consumer experience. I like it when technology makes lives simpler.
Nearbuy Systems also offers a microlocation system for warehouse management.
It’s always interesting to see technology applied to problems that have challenged industry for decades. Nearbuy Systems has just such an offering. Nearbuy for Stores offers retailers a way to provide microlocation services to consumers. There are four high level business use cases here:
Provide in-store maps and “turn by turn” directions to consumers looking for a particular item. The company offers data that indicate that “Where is it?” is the number one consumer question in store.
Providing virtual concierge services that help sales staff address customer needs at the location they express them
Promote and deliver location-triggered promotions – either retailer specific or brand-driven
Creating a differentiated virtual retail experience in store, to enhance the shopping experience and drive consumer loyalty
My first question when I ran across the company was…how can you really help me find Peter Pan Peanut Butter on the shelf? Getting me to a “general vicinity” doesn’t really help me enough. I need to know WHERE in Aisle 10 to be looking.
Oh me of little faith. Pshaw. According to the site, Nearbuy can direct a consumer to within three feet of a given item. That feels at least as accurate as most employees might be able to deliver me.
In addition to the primary benefits outlined above, shopper analytics can help inform retailer decisions about merchandising, shelf set and the like.
Nearbuy says its solution does not require the purchase of added infrastructure, which is a welcome claim for retailers who need to be very conscious of their costs. Further, the on-mobile-screen experience is fully brandable for greater consumer impact.
This company is a bit newer than most I have discussed so far. But they’ve begun to get some favorable press from tech pubs and retailer trades, including this quotation from Network Computing’s Lee H. Badman:
The back-end magic marries a given store’s wireless network and video security system, as well as customers’ smart phones, in a framework that could pay off for both shoppers and merchants alike.
For the customer, in-store maps and “go to” functionality mean never wondering where a given product is located. Need human help? Nearbuy’s Micro-Location gets an employee to you, wherever you are. Location-aware promotions can keep dollars in patrons’ wallets and ensure repeat business for those customers willing to use their smart phones interactively as they cruise the aisles.
The technology side of all this is well beyond me – it calls to my mind the Charlie Brown teacher voice. But the idea of providing these sorts of services in-store seems a fascinating way for retailers to improve consumer experience. I like it when technology makes lives simpler.
Nearbuy Systems also offers a microlocation system for warehouse management.
Romancing the Stones: How Marketing- and Ad-Supported Start-Ups Can Get Noticed
Thanks to ad:tech for publishing this first!
It’s Definitely Easier Said Than Done
It can sound really easy in a business plan. “We’ll have marketers pay for our product and service.” And it’s definitely a tempting thought. But lots of start-ups have a rude awakening when they actually try to get noticed by big brands and agencies.
Buyers can definitely seem like stones, tough to “move.”
And soon lots of entrepreneurs realize that it’s even harder to get those crucial first dollars from marketers to support their products, services, and ideas. After all, there are a lot of people after their attention. And those who take a ham-fisted approach often find themselves out of time, and out of money.
That’s why I wanted to put this document together. I should point out that I am in strategy, not buying, so I put these rules of thumb through observation of what works to reach and connect with people in those functions. I hope these tips give start-up sellers some perspective from the other side of the table. That is, when you get one of us to consent to BE on the other side of the table.
Ten Lessons from the New Media “Winners”
Fortunately, you aren’t the first cowboy/cowgirl in the ring. When you examine the marketing and sales efforts of the companies that really captured buyers’ hearts, a few common characteristics quickly become clear.
1. Know the problem you solve before you contact anyone
2. Identify the “innovator” buyers and start with them
3. Bring humility and the empathy to the conversations
4. Establish your brand with awareness programs, a clear positioning and thought leadership
5. SHOW what you are saying
6. Find a friend that can do an intro
7. Think charter package…
8. …but make sure you charge us something
9. Get the case study
10. Start closing the second sale while you are negotiating the first
Now let’s examine each of these individually.
1. Know the problem you solve
No doubt what your company does is interesting. As marketers, we love that about entrepreneurs. It’s a big reason why we’re doing digital marketing .But understand that we have pressing business challenges to address. Go easy on the “vision” stuff. We think it’s lovely that you are out to change the world. But we need to know how you can help us now.
• Can you get superfans to evangelize for my brand in innovative ways?
• Can you drive online sales more efficiently than other tools at their disposal?
• Does your solution reach and connect with consumers as they are headed to the grocery store to buy?
Start with this rule of thumb. Most brands need one or more of these three things: awareness growth, trial usage, or higher repeat purchase rates. How can your solution help?
2. Identify the buyer/innovators
Some buyers love new platforms and innovations, and go to bat to get their brands involved in such new offerings on the “ground floor.”Similarly, a number of leading brand marketing companies have made a corporate commitment to being among the first to leverage emerging platforms and technologies. It’s important to focus your selling efforts on these first movers because most brands and agencies emphatically do not want to be first. They prefer to be “fast followers,” acting after something new has had demonstrated results for others.
A few Google searches on the names of other new platforms should provide you with a strong short leads of leads on which to focus. You’ll start seeing the same names and companies coming up over and over.
3. Bring humility and the empathy to the conversations
Lots of entrepreneurs come across as arrogant to marketing people. We like it that you are proud of their accomplishments. But we don’t want to spend 20 minutes hearing about your past entrepreneurial successes or how great your VCs are. We just don’t care all that much. Just get to what you have for us. We’ll ask about funding later if things get serious.
Know too that in the marketing and media buying ecosphere, often the most junior people in an organization control the final allocation of dollars. The SVP of Media or Agency President hasn’t bought media or marketing services in years. Her team does that. She influences, but generally doesn’t do the deals. You need to convince that rank and file person who is often the lowest ranking person in the room, but the ultimate decider.
4. Establish your brand with awareness programs, a clear positioning and thought leadership
Our company has helped give dozens of new firms their successful starts, and this experience has driven us to the conclusion that the best route to brand success encompasses three distinct areas:
• Significant brand awareness programs
• Crystal clear , dead simple messaging
• Proactive thought leadership program
Major efforts to make the community aware of your brand are necessary because you are competing with so many companies and ideas for attention. The rule of thumb we use is that we want to expose a prospect population to the brand and concept three times before they are contacted by Sales.
Dead simple messaging is critical because theirs is a world of hyperbole and obfuscation. We love a direct message, with a promise you can keep. This is doubly important because once you’ve sold the rank and file person, they need to sell their bosses and/or clients. You won’t be in the room for those discussions, so arm your advocates with a cogent story.
Finally, thought leadership efforts – white papers, speaking engagements, bylines, op-eds – help to establish you as the leader in your space. It’s critical to ensure that you are perceived as a “must include” in RFPs. Being a thought leader also lowers the perceived risk of trying something new.
5. SHOW what you are saying
Pictures really are worth a thousand words. Having a short, concise, consistent sales deck and sell sheet increases your chances of making the plan considerably.
Having professional looking selling materials is also valuable. While we’re not suggesting you spend a fortune. But ensure that your slides and messages don’t look kluged together.
Professionalism and appearance are also important in your sellers. Many times we’ve seen company founders and sales people come into a meeting having done no research on who they are talking to, and with appearances that suggest that they’ve just gotten out of bed.
Yes it’s a casual business. But before you go to that sales call with the third largest agency in the world, I suggest you put on a dress shirt over the wrinkled t shirt you slept in. Don’t roll your eyes at how obvious this point is. We have seen the “homeless look” during DOZENS of new media presentations.
6. Find a friend that can do an intro
Because of the huge numbers of people trying to reach and connect with marketing and media buyers, most have psychological “walls” up. That’s why it is important for you to work every connection you have to get noticed.
An email introduction from a trusted person goes a long way to getting their attention and interest. A recommendation from someone we respect gives you a credibility boost that is very difficult to achieve in any other way.
Marketing and media are absolutely “who you know” businesses.
7. Think charter package…
To scoop up your first wave of contracts, we strongly recommend that you offer some sort of charter package that lowers the financial risk of participation. Very few brands are going to give you half a mil right out the gate. They’ll want to test first. In our experience, making available packages at $25,000 or less can be highly motivating to first movers. It makes it easy to participate, and gets the critical first brands onto your client list. Cuz there’s nothing like a contract with the number one brand to motivate numbers two and three to sign.
8. …but make sure you charge us SOMETHING
We always strongly recommend against our clients giving away a product that they eventually want to charge for. In our view, the company ends up with a lot of deadbeat “clients” that will abandon it as soon as the talk turns to money. This isn’t arguing against “Freemium” or Basic/Pro models. Rather, I’m saying that once people get something for free, it’s even harder to convert them into paying customers for the same service or product.
Avoid all this mess by charging at least a little something at the get go.
9. Get the case study
Marketers and ad agencies are obsessed with case studies. Try right from the BEGINNING to get major brands to collaborate on case studies with you. Now, there are certain companies that absolutely won’t do them. But many companies will if you make a case study a provision of being part of the charter program.
Another way to coax cases out of companies is to co-present results with your clients at industry events. Many marketing people welcome opportunities to build their personal brands in this manner.
Cases where brands are named are most valuable to us, because they speak to an implied endorsement by the marketer. Second in value are cases where you can name the category, but not the specific brand. These help establish credibility in a specific industry. Make sure you focus on the results of an effort, with specific metrics wherever possible.
10. Start closing the second sale while you are negotiating the first
The most successful new media companies make clear the next steps for a successful initial program throughout the process. It is a way of coaxing greater commitment from buyers, and of ensuring that all your efforts to snag your first clients eventually pay off in sizable contracts.
Getting the initial contract is vital. But let’s say you sign a deal for a $25,000 test – that goes well. You’d think that the client would immediately want to expand efforts, right?
Well, we’ve seen scores of examples where successful tests –VERY successful tests – did not lead to larger commitments. The brands grew distracted by other things, or simply put additional efforts “on the back burner.” When the results come in, go to the meeting with a proposal for the larger commitment. Lead the client rather than letting inertia take hold.
Sometimes the Simplest Things are Hardest
Ten simple ways to romance the stones. Easier said than done, but a great place to start. We’ve all been in situations where our teams have gotten so caught up in what we are doing that we can’t see the forest for the trees.
Sometimes the trees we cannot see are basic marketing and sales strategies. Your long term vision is an essential part of your business. But buying decisions today depend upon what you can offer a marketer or media buyer today.
It’s Definitely Easier Said Than Done
It can sound really easy in a business plan. “We’ll have marketers pay for our product and service.” And it’s definitely a tempting thought. But lots of start-ups have a rude awakening when they actually try to get noticed by big brands and agencies.
Buyers can definitely seem like stones, tough to “move.”
And soon lots of entrepreneurs realize that it’s even harder to get those crucial first dollars from marketers to support their products, services, and ideas. After all, there are a lot of people after their attention. And those who take a ham-fisted approach often find themselves out of time, and out of money.
That’s why I wanted to put this document together. I should point out that I am in strategy, not buying, so I put these rules of thumb through observation of what works to reach and connect with people in those functions. I hope these tips give start-up sellers some perspective from the other side of the table. That is, when you get one of us to consent to BE on the other side of the table.
Ten Lessons from the New Media “Winners”
Fortunately, you aren’t the first cowboy/cowgirl in the ring. When you examine the marketing and sales efforts of the companies that really captured buyers’ hearts, a few common characteristics quickly become clear.
1. Know the problem you solve before you contact anyone
2. Identify the “innovator” buyers and start with them
3. Bring humility and the empathy to the conversations
4. Establish your brand with awareness programs, a clear positioning and thought leadership
5. SHOW what you are saying
6. Find a friend that can do an intro
7. Think charter package…
8. …but make sure you charge us something
9. Get the case study
10. Start closing the second sale while you are negotiating the first
Now let’s examine each of these individually.
1. Know the problem you solve
No doubt what your company does is interesting. As marketers, we love that about entrepreneurs. It’s a big reason why we’re doing digital marketing .But understand that we have pressing business challenges to address. Go easy on the “vision” stuff. We think it’s lovely that you are out to change the world. But we need to know how you can help us now.
• Can you get superfans to evangelize for my brand in innovative ways?
• Can you drive online sales more efficiently than other tools at their disposal?
• Does your solution reach and connect with consumers as they are headed to the grocery store to buy?
Start with this rule of thumb. Most brands need one or more of these three things: awareness growth, trial usage, or higher repeat purchase rates. How can your solution help?
2. Identify the buyer/innovators
Some buyers love new platforms and innovations, and go to bat to get their brands involved in such new offerings on the “ground floor.”Similarly, a number of leading brand marketing companies have made a corporate commitment to being among the first to leverage emerging platforms and technologies. It’s important to focus your selling efforts on these first movers because most brands and agencies emphatically do not want to be first. They prefer to be “fast followers,” acting after something new has had demonstrated results for others.
A few Google searches on the names of other new platforms should provide you with a strong short leads of leads on which to focus. You’ll start seeing the same names and companies coming up over and over.
3. Bring humility and the empathy to the conversations
Lots of entrepreneurs come across as arrogant to marketing people. We like it that you are proud of their accomplishments. But we don’t want to spend 20 minutes hearing about your past entrepreneurial successes or how great your VCs are. We just don’t care all that much. Just get to what you have for us. We’ll ask about funding later if things get serious.
Know too that in the marketing and media buying ecosphere, often the most junior people in an organization control the final allocation of dollars. The SVP of Media or Agency President hasn’t bought media or marketing services in years. Her team does that. She influences, but generally doesn’t do the deals. You need to convince that rank and file person who is often the lowest ranking person in the room, but the ultimate decider.
4. Establish your brand with awareness programs, a clear positioning and thought leadership
Our company has helped give dozens of new firms their successful starts, and this experience has driven us to the conclusion that the best route to brand success encompasses three distinct areas:
• Significant brand awareness programs
• Crystal clear , dead simple messaging
• Proactive thought leadership program
Major efforts to make the community aware of your brand are necessary because you are competing with so many companies and ideas for attention. The rule of thumb we use is that we want to expose a prospect population to the brand and concept three times before they are contacted by Sales.
Dead simple messaging is critical because theirs is a world of hyperbole and obfuscation. We love a direct message, with a promise you can keep. This is doubly important because once you’ve sold the rank and file person, they need to sell their bosses and/or clients. You won’t be in the room for those discussions, so arm your advocates with a cogent story.
Finally, thought leadership efforts – white papers, speaking engagements, bylines, op-eds – help to establish you as the leader in your space. It’s critical to ensure that you are perceived as a “must include” in RFPs. Being a thought leader also lowers the perceived risk of trying something new.
5. SHOW what you are saying
Pictures really are worth a thousand words. Having a short, concise, consistent sales deck and sell sheet increases your chances of making the plan considerably.
Having professional looking selling materials is also valuable. While we’re not suggesting you spend a fortune. But ensure that your slides and messages don’t look kluged together.
Professionalism and appearance are also important in your sellers. Many times we’ve seen company founders and sales people come into a meeting having done no research on who they are talking to, and with appearances that suggest that they’ve just gotten out of bed.
Yes it’s a casual business. But before you go to that sales call with the third largest agency in the world, I suggest you put on a dress shirt over the wrinkled t shirt you slept in. Don’t roll your eyes at how obvious this point is. We have seen the “homeless look” during DOZENS of new media presentations.
6. Find a friend that can do an intro
Because of the huge numbers of people trying to reach and connect with marketing and media buyers, most have psychological “walls” up. That’s why it is important for you to work every connection you have to get noticed.
An email introduction from a trusted person goes a long way to getting their attention and interest. A recommendation from someone we respect gives you a credibility boost that is very difficult to achieve in any other way.
Marketing and media are absolutely “who you know” businesses.
7. Think charter package…
To scoop up your first wave of contracts, we strongly recommend that you offer some sort of charter package that lowers the financial risk of participation. Very few brands are going to give you half a mil right out the gate. They’ll want to test first. In our experience, making available packages at $25,000 or less can be highly motivating to first movers. It makes it easy to participate, and gets the critical first brands onto your client list. Cuz there’s nothing like a contract with the number one brand to motivate numbers two and three to sign.
8. …but make sure you charge us SOMETHING
We always strongly recommend against our clients giving away a product that they eventually want to charge for. In our view, the company ends up with a lot of deadbeat “clients” that will abandon it as soon as the talk turns to money. This isn’t arguing against “Freemium” or Basic/Pro models. Rather, I’m saying that once people get something for free, it’s even harder to convert them into paying customers for the same service or product.
Avoid all this mess by charging at least a little something at the get go.
9. Get the case study
Marketers and ad agencies are obsessed with case studies. Try right from the BEGINNING to get major brands to collaborate on case studies with you. Now, there are certain companies that absolutely won’t do them. But many companies will if you make a case study a provision of being part of the charter program.
Another way to coax cases out of companies is to co-present results with your clients at industry events. Many marketing people welcome opportunities to build their personal brands in this manner.
Cases where brands are named are most valuable to us, because they speak to an implied endorsement by the marketer. Second in value are cases where you can name the category, but not the specific brand. These help establish credibility in a specific industry. Make sure you focus on the results of an effort, with specific metrics wherever possible.
10. Start closing the second sale while you are negotiating the first
The most successful new media companies make clear the next steps for a successful initial program throughout the process. It is a way of coaxing greater commitment from buyers, and of ensuring that all your efforts to snag your first clients eventually pay off in sizable contracts.
Getting the initial contract is vital. But let’s say you sign a deal for a $25,000 test – that goes well. You’d think that the client would immediately want to expand efforts, right?
Well, we’ve seen scores of examples where successful tests –VERY successful tests – did not lead to larger commitments. The brands grew distracted by other things, or simply put additional efforts “on the back burner.” When the results come in, go to the meeting with a proposal for the larger commitment. Lead the client rather than letting inertia take hold.
Sometimes the Simplest Things are Hardest
Ten simple ways to romance the stones. Easier said than done, but a great place to start. We’ve all been in situations where our teams have gotten so caught up in what we are doing that we can’t see the forest for the trees.
Sometimes the trees we cannot see are basic marketing and sales strategies. Your long term vision is an essential part of your business. But buying decisions today depend upon what you can offer a marketer or media buyer today.
Android Now #1
It'll be interesting to see what happens when the Verizon availability of iphone kicks in.
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