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Constant New Ideas
Posted By: Debs99 on 7/31/2006 9:10 AM (CST) 200 Points
Hi All,

Hope you can help me. I'm working for a software company as a marketing manager (just 1 people department so there is nothing to manage actually...) The main product is an online website builder and my goal is to find new ways to promote it. The company CEO is living in another country and he's working with a PR agency there. I don't know what they're doing, he just doesn't communicate their strategy to me.

The product is targeted to small and medium business owners. There is a free version and a paid one with more advanced features.

So, I've tried different marketing activities:
* suggested to add an affiliate program
* contacting bloggers with a request to mention about the product in their blogs
* held a sweepstake
* posting classifieds
* participating in web design marketplaces
* posting in forums on web design topics
* got listed in several sites that list web 2.0 products
* tried to increase popularity of the product in related articles added to digg.com, del.icio.us, etc.
* wrote articles and submitted them to articles directories
* got listed in relevant portals
* added tell-a-friend feature to the site
* began tracking where the new users are coming from
* started a blog at our company site
* listed the product for sale on ebay

Now he's saying he doesn't find the current results satisfactory and that marketing is a creative process, where you constantly have to come up with new ideas. He thinks it's reasonable to expect 2-3 new ideas per week (keeping in mind that this will be your primary goal), or ~10 new ideas per month or ~40 for 4 months. Is this normal? I'm just not that creative...

I'm really trying to do my best, but obviously that's not enough. Can you suggest any ideas except for the ones listed above? I'm limited to online promotion only.

Thanks,
Debora

Posted by: SageHill Member Response
7/31/2006 9:25 AM (CST)
With a client who doesn't understand marketing - such as yours - the first attempt at adding sanity is to gain a clear focus upon the target market. Then gain access through one or perhaps two media. Determine a reasonable budget. Then, follow through (always seeking response). Look at Inc. article, TV for the Rest of Us http://www.inc.com/magazine/20060601/handson-advertising.html
If there's no focus or budget, kiss the client off to someone else! Less headaches!
 
Posted by: wnelson Accepted Answer
7/31/2006 9:37 AM (CST)
Hi, Debora. You have a rough situation! Is it reasonable to come up with ten new ideas a month? Well, if we had unlimited budgets, we could probably come up with a hundred or a thousand. Is it practical? No. Marketing is an investment like engineering. I would guess the CEO isn't asking the software team to come up with two to three new prgrams a month. If you asked him why, he'd tell you that it's because they don't have that many engineers to take advantage of the ideas and even then, they simply couldn't implement them that fast and be effective. The same is true for marketing. It takes time for marketing efforts to take hold. For instance, a one-off ad in a trade magazine will do very little. By chance, someone could see it and need exactly what you are advertising and buy...but that's a coincidence. Look at Intel ads. They just don't run one ad on TV and then sit by the phone. They run the an ad for a period of time - a month, two months....They run it at different times. Eventually, people see it enough to recognize Intel and when you think of computers, you think "Intel Inside."

And without understanding the marketing strategy, you are particularly hampered. Your marketing efforts have to be integrated to be effective. "The campaign of the week" won't get you far.

What results can you show? Are you tracking metrics? You say you are tracking where new users come from. Are there activities that are particularly effective? What is your marketing ROI? Have you set goals for each activity so that you can measure yourself and take corrective action steps if they aren't yielding?

I hope this helps.

Wayed
 
Posted by: Peter Hobday Member Response
7/31/2006 10:18 AM (CST)
Debora - it sounds like you work for your boss and he's not a client, is that right?

Let's first talk about 'creativity'.

Creativity is a skill, and can be learned. It should not be left to a single 'blue sky' thinker. Creativity is the responsibility of all people in the company. At every meeting, the last ten minutes should be put aside to ideas, and what people are doing to test and implement them. If they don't have any, they are not doing their job.

That is a strong view, but most successful businesses only launched and developed through good ideas, so it's fundamental. You should be ready to use that argument to spread responsibility and get your job defined more clearly.

The next thing is to cost the ideas that come up. If you are being asked to create free or low cost ideas, then you have your arms tied -- you cannot market effectively without a reasonable budget.

For example, cost this, which is pretty basic stuff: doing SEO work on your company website; getting a top copwriter to create promotional emails to those who register for a free tips; copywriter to create a powerful sales letter for your landing page. The sales letters will be selling free trials to your website builder.

That's three big jobs right there that will put your website in front of lots of visitors and get them to sign up. That's how the best on-line website builders get market share - I know because I have researched and used them myself for various projects.

Other ideas will come from brainstorming, but I would say the SEO and copywriting work are the bare minimum.

Let me know if you don't follow or agree with any of that and I will come back and explan further.

Well done for coming to the forum - that was a great idea for a start!

Best wishes

Peter
 
Posted by: Frank Hurtte Member Response
7/31/2006 10:24 AM (CST)
Many people got their marketing education from watching Bewitched reruns...

Do you have a long range marketing plan? Do you have goals? If you do not, then your bosses unrealistic ideas are your only direction. I personally believe you could come up with then number of ideas.. but as wayed has so succinctly said... I don't believe you have a chance in hell of getting them accomplished...
 
Posted by: fred.ramstedt* Accepted Answer
7/31/2006 10:55 AM (CST)
sounds like your boss is an uneducated consumer

do your best to enlighten him

track what you're doing

track the results

send weekly status reports

when he shakes you down you'll have stuff to refer to, etc.
 
Posted by: NuCoPro Accepted Answer
7/31/2006 11:13 AM (CST)
Deborah,

Time to run away (screaming is optional) from this job and find a job in the real world.

In addition to your boss being an idiot, you are trying to sell ice to eskimos. Every web hosting company of any size gives away all manner of free tools to build web sites with. Unfortunately, your boss "missed the boat" on web site building tools. The market for that is all but dead for these tools, especially in the SMB area.
 
Posted by: Tatyiana Accepted Answer
7/31/2006 2:20 PM (CST)
Good rant - frustrating problem.


What CEO's, CFO' & CTO's do not understand about marketing is that it is not about having a one hit wonder. Marketing is farming... laying down the foundation and through consistency, creativity and timing, it will make a business flourish.

So you have to decide if you have the desire and ability to educate this man. If no, then move on because the days will get longer, creativity will wither and you will stop growing.

If you love the place, believe in the product and can see a light at the end of the tunnel.... then stick with it and figure out how to educate him about marketing. This man does not sound like he has a lot of focus which is an ailment that many small high tech chiefs have.


Goooood Luck!

T.
 
Posted by: mbarber Accepted Answer
7/31/2006 5:39 PM (CST)
Gidday Debora. There's a great book called 'A whack on the side of the head' which is a wonderful tome for boosting creative approaches to generating ideas. Highly recommended though as its getting a little old now, you'll have to search for it.

That aside, if this is the understanding of your boss with regard to marketing and if it is true that they aren't keeping you in the loop regarding strategy then there are MUCH bigger problems here.

Although a potential leap, I would make the suggestion that you consider looking for employment elsewhere.

Now that may not be a position that sits comfortable with you so there are things you might need to do in the meantime.

First, get clarity about why the boss feels 2 or 3 ideas are required.
Second, check to see if they only want ideas, or if they want to in fact ACT on those ideas. If the boss says that want lots of ideas and also wants to act on them, then ask about the budget - will there be a budget that will be sufficient enough to commit to everyone of those ideas fully? (The response is likely to be 'you let me worry about the budget')

If yes there will be a budget, fine, start looking for other staff to employ to help you. If not, ask how the ideas will be decided upon - will it be the bosses job or the job of marketing?
(it will be the boss).

Ask about the criteria for evaluation of ideas - tell the boss you need to know to ensure that the ideas you put forward are worthwhile. If the boss doesn't share the evaluation criteria (and I suspect they will not share it because they won't actually have a criteria other than 'gut instinct' (which really means 'I like that one')) then start collecting EVERY idea you can like:

Make your own coin to mail out to people,
print the business name on erasers to mail out to people, print the name on balloons to give away in shopping centres, - absolutely EVERYTHING you see or have seen to promote ANY product in the world.

And send them through one by one.

Now sooner or later the boss is likely to say 'these ideas are crap!' to which you again ask for evaluation criteria so that you can ensure that you put through good ones.

Once you have the evaluation criteria you can start generating more suitable ideas or come back to this forum and we'll help. In the meantime, consider my suggestion VERY carefully.

Best of luck
 
Posted by: Deremiah *CPE Accepted Answer
7/31/2006 8:56 PM (CST)
Hi Debora,

hope you're having a great day!

It appears you've got some great advice and some wonderful rants. Read them and think long and hard about them then move on.

YOU NEED IDEA INSTIGATORS...
Mbarber gave you a great idea instigator. Besides "A whack on the side of the head" There's another great idea generator in book form you're going to need and you might as well give your boss a copy too...it's called "A Kick in the seat of the pants". When you're having trouble getting your idea generation going use one or the other.

TATIYANA GIVES GREAT ADVICE...She hits it right on the head. Great marketing is a combination of scientific principals balanced with creative architecture. It is a consistently well thought out strategic plan in motion. Trying to pop it off as a fly by night fix it plan is not going to work. I wish there was more I could tell you but I think you can produce a stronger concept. Thanks for an excellent question & Remember our only real problem in life is our failure to be "MORE Creative" than we’ve ever been. If you “Invent” your opportunity YOU WILL most definitely create your future. Just know that I'm here for you if you need my help. Is there anything else I can do for you?

Your Servant, Deremiah, *CPE (Customer Passion Evangelist)
 
Posted by: Tatyiana Member Response
8/1/2006 11:24 AM (CST)
Hi Debora:

Another point to try and get across to you group is that marketing is also not about working in the present. Just as sales works 3 months ahead of the present, marketing is working 6 months to get them those leads 3 months ahead.

I would such that in each program you clearly define what the expected results are and what the measurement of success is. You have to get buy-in for this. And, CEO's always love to know what your Corporate Objectives are for the quarter coupled with the tactical elements. When you are a 1 person marketing team, a blend of strategic and tactical marketing is so important.

Get the buy in to your focus and live up to the deliverable, show the ROI and maybe that will satisfy his need for speed when it comes to new ideas. The best way to present it is in a time lined presentation. All those graphs make them giddy. heehee

And in the face adversaity keep smiling.... it will make him wonder what your up to :0)

T.
 
Posted by: Debs99 Author Response
8/2/2006 12:52 AM (CST)
Thanks so much for all your great comments and suggestions :)

Wayed - Yes, I'm tracking the new users, without me most probably there wouldn't be such information at all. I'm looking into the system logs weekly (like we're in 1999), there is no program to automate this (having in mind 80% of the people in the company are developers)... Three of my daily activities are giving good results (according to me) and I'm tracking them weekly, making slight changes and tracking the difference in order to optimize them. These are the only activities that are bringing real users - people who are actually building a site with the product and not just creating accounts and abandon them.

Peter - that's right - he is my boss, not a client.

Frank - you're right - the lack of a long range marketing plan and the isolation I'm in are the real problem - without a clear strategy and goals he wants me to constantly come up with new ideas, try each of them for a couple of weeks and then decide is it worth it to continue with it, does it need adjustment, or we just have to drop it. So, I'm doing the last part of the (missing) marketing plan without having a clear idea of the strategy and goals (I'm the last person to know about a planned price promotion for example... sadly, but true :-). I've never received a task to develop the strategy and don't have enough time at the office or in my spare time to do it on my own...

Just as mbarber suggested the process of suggesting and approving new ideas by him doesn't work well. He's relying on his 'gut instinct' and repeats he needs something better... I'm not aware of his evaluation criteria if any...

Vevolution & Tatyiana - I've already sent my resignation letter. Just decided I need to work in a real marketing department with experienced people no matter the position.

mbarber & Deremiah - thanks for the recommendations, I've ordered the books from amazon.

Again, thanks to everyone for taking your time to reply :) I'll be closing the question shortly.

Cheers,
Debora
 


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