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Joel Cere
From Mayhem to Marketing: Why Word-of-Mouth Should Be Back on Your Agenda Consumer–to-consumer recommendations carry a higher trust factor than virtually all other forms of advertising, including TV, radio and print. This isn't exactly news to many long-established businesses. In fact, one of them always understood the value of consumer recommendations; its entire sales strategy relies on turning customers into brand ambassadors and capitalizing on their social networks to influence others to purchase. That company is Tupperware, and it made a fortune by understanding word-of-mouth's power 50 years ago. Since then, word-of-mouth (or WOM) has been reengineered as "Consumer Generated Marketing." And thanks to blogging, its persuasion power is making business media headlines again through a series of high-profile customer relations disasters. Here are the forces at work behind WOM as well as a seven-step checklist of how marketers can reclaim it to engage into productive conversations with consumers. Get the full story. Please note: This article is available to paid subscribers only. Get more information or sign up here. |
Rok Hrastnik
Your Seven-Step RSS Marketing Plan As an alternative to email, RSS is becoming an increasingly important content delivery channel that allows marketers to deliver all of their content, fully upgrade all of their marketing initiatives and establish lasting client relationships. From direct marketing, PR, e-commerce, internal communications and online publishing to SEO, traffic generation and customer relationship management, RSS brings the power of delivery back to the hands of marketers. But most marketers still do not know how to actually get started with RSS, especially when trying to take its power beyond basic blogging. Here's a seven-step plan to help get you started. Get the full story. |
Jonathan Kranz
Eight Killer Alternatives to Crummy Collateral Is there a better way to support sales? Is there something you can leave with prospects that's just a bit more memorable—and more effective—than the standard brochure with its forced march through company "visions," product descriptions, and corporate bios? Yes, indeed. Here are eight suggestions, not as comprehensive answers to every sales-communications situation, but as inspiration and provocation for creating material less likely to gather dust—and more likely to draw your company closer to a sale. Get the full story. |
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A Note to Readers So You Think You Are a Marketer? (Redux) Greetings, discerning readers! How do you know when you are really a marketer? A few weeks ago, I solicited your ideas on the issue, and as a result my mailbag was stuffed to the brim. Last week, I ran a handful of your very funny and insightful ideas. Here are a few more: From Bill Stiles, Stiles Healthcare Strategy:
"During annual physicals your doctor encourages you to smoke and drink a little more."
"You divide your hours worked into your pay and realize you are making 4 bucks an hour."
"You lecture Girl Scouts at your door on how to segment the cookie market by the types of vehicles parked in neighborhood driveways."
"You don't have family reunions—you have a Boomer, Buster and Gen-X focus group." From Chris Blackman:
"Your kids don't have weekly chores, they have KPIs."
"You have developed a candy-based loyalty scheme for kids who call by the house on Halloween." From Mark S. Zajaros, MSZ Holdings:
"You question everything from the parking lot to the table placement at a restaurant for optimum traffic flow and exposure to the decor."
"You make a point of sending the webmaster of a site suggestions about how to make the site more user friendly and more appealing."
"You were the only one in your college statistics class that found the subject interesting." From Dan Emmons, World Wide Technology, Inc.:
"You help your children with their school project by including advice on a good word-of-mouth campaign." From Athol Foden, BrighterNames:
Because, according to the engineering department, "You want everything now." From Rod Griffith:
"Your favorite thing to tell engineering is 'Just design something, and I'll tell you if I like it.'" From Robin Weidner, marketing copywriter:
"Anytime a friend mentions a business pursuit [you spend] the rest of the day spinning marketing campaigns." From Roberta Silverstein:
"You query your friends at Super Bowl parties regarding their unaided recall of product/company ads."
"At the local diner you start rewriting menu descriptions for better purchase appeal."
"At home you rearrange your cat's food dishes into a POP display." Thanks to all who participated! Until next week, Ann Handley
ann@marketingprofs.com
Chief Content Officer
MarketingProfs
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Barbara Bix and Melissa Josephson Edwards
Is It Time to Revamp Your Communications Plan? If your sales cycles seem to be dragging, it may be time to revamp your communications plan. Done well, your communications programs can generate demand for your solutions, create a sense of urgency, attract prospective buyers' attention, and keep you high on their radar—all without sales intervention. Your communications program can even encourage prospective buyers to "raise their hands" when they are finally ready to purchase by offering the right enticement. The key is getting the right message to the right person at the right time. Get the full story. |
Garry Upton
What You Should Know Before Calling a Researcher Although companies have for years relied on marketing research to better serve customers and identify new markets, the way they are seeking research today has changed. For those of you who (for better or worse) are becoming involved in research requests concerning customer, employee and/or general marketing issues, consider the following primer as a way for you to move through the process more confidently and efficiently. Get the full story. |
Ted Mininni
Design: The New Corporate Marketing Strategy While business executives quite correctly view that innovation built into new products and services is important, few have understood that the cornerstone of groundbreaking innovation is design. And even more importantly, design encompasses far more than the development of innovative features to products. Get the full story. |
Meryl K. Evans and Hank Stroll
Marketing Challenge: Turning Browsers Into Buyers Turning online lookers into buyers takes work. You have to ensure the site is intuitive, in that visitors can find what they want and there's a clear path of for them to follow. Get the full story. |
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