THIS ISSUE INCLUDES: •  What's New? •  Going, Going Gone! •  Resource Referral •  Lessons Learned •  Tips & Tricks •  Community Leaders •  Member Spotlight •  Community Stats •  Your Account Summary •  Success Story •  Special Thanks •  Last Laugh

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WHAT'S NEW?

Dear Askers & Answerers,

In this last newsletter of 2004, I am happy to announce an important step in KHE's evolution. Today we officially launch a new service: the Hire an Expert board. This is private area of KHE where companies can solicit bids for marketing projects from consultants who are active members of KHE. Here's how it works.

Clients pay nothing to post a project. Approved Consultants pay nothing to bid. Winning Consultants pay MarketingProfs a 10% referral fee. These fees will help fund future development in KHE, so we can add the enhancements many of you have requested.

So far, only our top 38 forum contributors qualify as Approved Consultants - out of 12,800 subscribers to this newsletter. We are proud to refer this select group of talented marketers. If you're interested in joining their ranks, please read the Tips & Tricks article below, for more information.

We have designed the Hire an Expert service in collaboration with 25 KHErs in our advisory group. All of us are thrilled to see this concept become a reality, and we eagerly anticipate the first projects. In fact, the next time you find you could use some marketing support, please consider posting your project in KHE. We expect this service will be a powerful tool for helping you quickly source the talent you're looking for!

And with that, I wave goodbye to 2004. There are exciting things ahead in 2005. My very best wishes to you and your families for a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!

Happy exchanging,

Val Frazee
Moderator, Know-How Exchange
MarketingProfs.com

GOING, GOING, GONE!

Here are KHE's 10 oldest questions. They're likely to close soon. Have an idea to offer? Better do it now!

1. Product personality
2. How do I build up brand awareness?
3. sales team engagement models
4. How would you sell ice to eskimos?
5. view marketing plan - diabetic home delivery company
6. decision making process
7. Reach / Frequency Curve Formula
8. ways to compete & build revenue - airline industry
9. how to create a high-end sub-brand
10. How to build a Value Proposition statement?

RESOURCE REFERRAL: POST A RESOURCE (FOR PRIZES!)

The Resource Library Contest ends tomorrow - December 31st. We will be giving a free seminar recording to each of the 25 KHErs who have contributed the most listings by the end of the year.

Here's the good news for those of you reading this in time: So far, there are only 19 non-staff members who have posted 2 or more listings. If you post 2 or 3 resources, you have EXCELLENT odds of winning a seminar!

I'm adding a stipulation that you must have posted at least 2 listings to be eligible, because otherwise it will be too difficult to choose the winners from all those who have posted 1.

Here are some sample seminar titles (sold for $99 each):

• Blogs: What Every Marketer Needs to Know


• Killer Web Content: Make the Sale and Build the Brand


• Search Engine Optimization: Maximize Your Natural Search


• Web Analytics: Best Practices in the Real World


• Get Google to Love Your Website

And here are the 19 front-runners, so far: AJ, AndrewS, cetty, Colleen Sharen, D4Demand, Deremiah, Google, jillc, K, Michele, ozdesign, Pepper Blue, Peter (henna gaijin), Ricky, SRyan, SteveB, Suze, thinkmor, WaynePo

You have 24 hours. And it's so easy to add your name to that list! Please reply to this email if you have any questions.

LESSONS LEARNED: VERTICAL MARKETS

Last week Maria (aka ggg) asked a question I often receive from members in my email, so I thought it would be a good one to share with all of you. Her question: What exactly is a vertical market? Read on to learn more.

• davidr: Take software as an example. Horizontal software would be useful in any type of business (think word processing, spreadsheets, etc.) Vertical software would address the unique requirements of a certain type of business (think of software in a hospital that checks people in, tracks medication, etc.). Beware overusing the term vertical when you really mean "target market". I hear people refer to "vertical markets" of Mac users, Citrix MetaFrame users, etc. Those are target markets, not verticals.
• Peter (henna gaijin): The terms can also be used in terms of expansion. Horizontal expansion is [increasing] sales through new products. For example, if a company sells carbonated soft drinks, a horizontal expansion would be to start selling fruit juices. Vertical expansion is when you add to your capabilities related to current products. If the carbonated soft drinks company originally just sold their products through stores, but now has started making machines which would sell their product, this would be a vertical expansion.
• Wiglaf: I second DavidR's answer. Verticals are focused on single industries, or along a whole supply chain focused on producing a single product. Horizontals are focused on solving a like problem within several industries. In some cases, if a horizontal market is identified, the attack strategy will consist of creating sales teams that are focused on separate verticals to make up the overall horizontal market.
• mcherif: I would add that each of these strategies has its own strengths and weaknesses - and that both of them imply losing focus, which is not ideal if you want to be a leader in your market. Horizontal expansion: If the current market is saturated or if your company is already the leader, it is a way to grow sales by competing in another category. If your company can’t compete head on with the leader, it’s a way to attack another sub-market where the potential for gaining leadership is higher. ... Vertical expansion: Benefits include taking back the margins your suppliers or distributors were making, ensuring availability of top quality components instead of depending on suppliers, ensuring high distribution levels. ...
• AndrewS: These are your vertical markets as defined by SIC92 (Standard Industry Classification 1992) and their sub headings. I hope this helps clarify vertical markets for you, and their 'official' segmentation.

The Discussion: What Is a Vertical Market?

Do you have something to add? Please do! Even though the question is closed (and you can't earn points), the Asker will be notified of your response - and your answer will be helpful to those who search the archives later.

TIPS & TRICKS: APPROVED CONSULTANTS

Are you interested in bidding for paid marketing projects? Here's how to become an Approved Consultant in KHE's brand-new service: Hire an Expert. Consultants are approved in a simple manner, using statistics from KHE. Here are the criteria:

• Active member for at least 60 days


• 2000 or more Expert Points


• 25 or more Accepted Responses


• Name and bio are published on KHE Profile Page
  (500 character minimum)


• You agree to pay the 10% referral fee

It'll take some work to join this elite circle. That's because we think it's important that you establish a reputation in the forum before we "recommend" you to member companies.

Hot Tip: There are probably a few of you who would qualify right now if you added a paragraph to your bio on your Profile Page. The minimum requirement is 500 characters (including spaces). So be sure to check that if you meet all the other qualifications.

You can view the current list of Approved Consultants here:
https://www.marketingprofs.com/ea/pfh_aclist.asp

Currently, there are only 38 KHErs who qualify. But with some dedication and hard work, you can join the group! Please let me know if you have any questions.

Have a question? Ask the experts.

Post a brief synopsis below, and invite other members to offer their feedback.

My Question Title

COMMUNITY LEADERS

As of this week, these are our superstars! The Most Resourceful are those who have contributed the most entries to the Resource Library. The Most Expert are those with the highest number of Expert Points (earned by answering questions).

NOTE: These are our top members as of midday December 30, 2004

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: MEET NIGHT_BUTTERFLZ

This week, meet Jennifer Herring - the bearer of one of our most unique Community Names: night_butterflz. Read on to learn how this recent college graduate uses KHE to continue her learning.

Where are you based?
Wingate, NC, USA

What do you do in real-life?
I'm an administrative assistant for career and cultural development. The university hired a professional website builder to redesign the main pages of our site. I had the opportunity to design our department's. I also worked on a logo, to help students recognize the department more readily. Those are the two things I am most proud of.

Tell us about your university.
Wingate is a small, private four-year university located near Charlotte, NC. The university is unique because it is a Baptist university that provides worship services on campus, Bible studies, and community service opportunities.

Explain why you selected your Community Name.
My community name is night_butterflz. I chose it because butterfly is often used excessively in chat rooms and forums. I asked myself, "What else could a butterfly be called?" and thought: moth. However, I didn't like the word "moth" so I added the word "night" to butterfly (and butterfly with a z to be even more unique).

What kinds of KHE questions do you enjoy most?
I really enjoy website critique and PR-related questions because those are the topics I am most familiar with. I am still young in my career and do not claim to be an expert on those topics. But I think those questions are the most fun to answer.

Describe a specific discussion you learned something from.
I usually learn a little something from each question I answer - usually from what other members post. In one case, I answered a PR question and described a media kit and what should be put inside. What I didn't realize is that the suggestions I made would cost as much as a TV ad (laughing).

What is your favorite marketing book? Why?
A New Brand World: Eight Principles for Achieving Brand Leadership by Scott Bedbury. Bedbury discusses some of the influential and successful brands. I read his book in my senior seminar class. We had to remember the 8 principles and apply them to our class project. The book is insightful and doesn't try to use fluff language. Reading it was like having a conversation with the author.

Did you study marketing in college?
I have a BS in integrated marketing communication which became a major at Winthrop University in 1997. The major is a combo of communication classes and business. I was able to take everything from accounting to TV production.

Do you have a mentor? What has he/she has taught you?
I would have to say that my mentor is Dr. Marilyn Sarow, associate professor of mass communication. She has taught me everything I know about creating a strategy that uses an integration of tactics to form one message. She always pushed our class to do more and to want more out of our classes.

What is your next career objective?
I am happy as an administrative assistant and have learned a lot. I think every position should be a learning experience and when you have outgrown that position it's time to leave. Currently I am in a phase of self-study. I read marketing materials including info contained in the forum. My ultimate objective is to be in a branding position. I love marketing and it's exactly what I want to do.

Do you have a favorite gadget/tool?
Desk calendar. I schedule student to work cultural events (lyceum events) on campus. I have to see my schedule flat out in front of me - not in an electronic device.

Describe one of your non-marketing hobbies or interests.
I ac tually play a lot of online games and I'm on a quest to beat a Zelda game I bought a year or two ago.

What is the value KHE provides to you personally?
Personally, KHE provides a place for me to go to keep informed and educated about different situations that can come about in a marketing-related profession. It also allows me to be close to something I care about.

Do you have any advice for new members of KHE?
Read past questions to see if your question has been asked before. Then post your question so that is is asked uniquely.

Do you have a favorite quote you want to share?
"Marketing is a fundamental plan of action in which consumers respond" ~ Jennifer Herring

Is there anything else you would like to say?
I like coming to this forum because it allows me to understand how professionals handle their everyday situations. In case somewhere in my career I come across the same situation, I will be better able to assess the situation or come up with a solution.

COMMUNITY STATS

Active Unique Participants (to date): 3,894
Closed Questions (to date): 4,291
Currently Open Questions: 274
Total Responses (to date): 32,820
Subscribers to this newsletter: 12,812

YOUR ACCOUNT SUMMARY

These numbers come directly from YOUR profile. Question Points tells you how many points you have available for asking questions in the forum. Expert Points indicates your standing in the community based on answers you have posted. Visit this FAQ, if you want to know more.

Question Points: %%PointsBalance%%
Expert Points: %%PointsCum%%

Click here to buy more Question Points

SUCCESS STORY

This week's Success Story comes to us from ggg, Web marketing director for Elido Media. Maria shares:

"It is great to have such an amazing place as MarketingProfs.com! All my questions - about branding, positioning, concept development - receive answers by professionals. Whenever I need benevolent advice, I visit the forum. It is a source of ideas and knowledge. Thanks to my marketing collegues' advice, I sort out in my head the huge and endless knowledge about branding, brand essence, brand personality. All of them, I believe, are fundamental concepts. I have only 2 years of marketing experience (out-of-the-university) and thanks to the members of this community, I find plenty of ideas and expertise. And I'm growing as a marketer. I have already recommended the site to a few friends who work in marketing and direct sales, and they love it!"

SPECIAL THANKS

Thank you, night_butterflz and ggg for providing content for this newsletter. And thanks to all the following community members who have emailed or posted suggestions, technical reports or questions in the last week. Your energy drives this community's development. We couldn't do it without you!

ASVP/ChrisB, Vevolution, mbarber, Jim Deveau/Catalyst, JBtron, jose04, Michele, Peter (henna gaijin), W.M.M.A., SteveB, Google, tjh, Pepper Blue, Greg, michaldover, rabernar, bholschen, Jett, sanjeev, sdsondhi, dawn, Forecast, Tate, hassan, xbartholome, v-man, Deremiah, *CPE and SRyan ;].

Finally, thanks to my MP colleagues for making my job easy: Aaron, Sharon, Megan, Ann, Roy and Allen.

LAST LAUGH

I like to end with a smile. So this space is dedicated to something amusing I find posted in KHE. This thread - started by Suze - illustrates the reason I love our forum. It shows we truly are a virtual community. This discussion is both heart-warming and funny. Be sure to click over to see SRyan's Houston snow gauge.

Open Question: Happy Holidays Everyone

Forum Feedback: The Know-How Exchange is still young. So we're constantly refining how things work. We have a gigantic list of action items, and your feedback helps us prioritize it. So please feel free to reply to this email with any suggestions. Thanks, in advance, for your time!

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