Some of the things I’ve heard recently…

Shift your strategies for a recession. My response- why? They must not have been very good strategies to begin with if they need to be modified for an economic downturn.

Take a close look at the ROI of each of your marketing tactics. My response- so you weren’t looking at them before? If everything seems to be goingwell- marketers will often breeze past close evaluation of the success of marketing tactics- but that’s exactly the time when they should be paying close attention.

and.. my favorite… Consider changing your creative to appeal to a more cost-conscience buyer. My response- come on! As if changing your creative will suddenly make someone engage with your brand because it’s much more “economic downturn friendly.” Unless your creative was so far off-base to begin with, I think this action leads to spinning wheels.

My advice is simple- stick with what you should have been doing all along. Develop solid marketing strategies not based on specific tactics, continually look at where your success lies, and make tactical adjustments before it’s too late. Sure- these are very high-level suggestions, but if you’re not doing this now, perhaps now is the best time to start- back to the basics.

For a mid-sized company though, starting up a blog can introduce some hurdles- and being aware of what you’re getting into is half the battle.

Today MidMarketer introduced a new Perspective report- Joining the Corporate Blogosphere- Deciding to join… or not.  Take a look- it’s a short report that goes through many of the itmes you need to consider before pulling the trigger on a new blog for your company.

You’re also invited to participate in the study! Click below to take the quick online survey:

http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB227TMJC3BDE

In the next few weeks, we’ll be releasing a report of the findings.

Thanks to everyone who is participating in MidMarketer and using the insight and tactics we’re talking about.  I’d love any and all feedback on how MidMarketer has helped you or your organization.

We’ve got some great new things on the horizon, including live events, webinars, and a new Agency Network.  Stay tuned as we’ll be talking about these new developments- as well as new reports, tools and templates for mid-marketers.

Thanks again!  I look forward to the next six months and beyond at MidMarketer!

The first question people usually ask me on this topic is “Less or more of what?“  The answer is… many things: content, printing quantities, design, various marketing vehicles- everything in your marketing mix and about your integrated marketing efforts.

Let’s take content as an example.  A mid-marketer gets pushed by sales to “talk about this aspect or feature” more.  Executives may push for more content about client successes and white papers.  Across the board, everyone wants “more” because they think (hope) that “more” will produce “more.”

The problem is, with “more” comes “less.”  Less focus. Less clarity ion messages. Less direction in desired action. In this situation, “More is Less” is NOT a good thing.

So, why do we settle for “more?”  Because it’s easier.  It’s easier because today, “more” just means adding another Web page, or another download or PDF.  There seem to be no consequences to “more.”  That wasn’t always the case though.  Think about the days before the Internet.  Messages had to be boiled down and clarified.  If you didn’t, it would mean adding another four pages in a print piece. It would mean higher costs.

Some other examples where “More” is “Less”

• Ever see marketing tactics that are over-designed? They look like 3 or 4 designers all added their concepts together- but nothing was taken away?
• Even have 2-10,000 extra print pieces laying around, wasting space?
• Ever see the look on a confused prospect’s face when they try to sift through 12 different print pieces all on the same subject from the same company?
• Ever recognize 3-4 paragraphs of content that sound exactly like something you’ve read before… somewhere else? You know, that blah, blah copy that is SO tempting to add to anything.

Enough about the negatives of “more” and let’s now focus on the positives of “less.” (Is this getting confusing?)

When you take the time to really hone in your marketing strategies and messages, “less” can become a beautiful and effective thing.  Suddenly, there’s a simple clarity in how and what you say to your audiences. You have the ability to change print material, and not have to wait another 12 months for your excess of printed material to be used up, diagrams and designs cut to the chase and really say something.

But, how do you do it?  How can you, as a mid-marketer practice the trait of “less is More?”  Here’s a few ideas:

• Edit. Edit and edit content.  Take the time and effort to make sure your messages are clear and concise.  This will take more time, but in the end, you’ll have better success all around.
• Print on demand.  Technology gives us the flexibility to print a few hundred or thousand pieces just as cost-effectively as a “large” run.  Print what you can realistically use in 3-4 months.  Then, perform a review and cut a little more, make modifications and make the piece better.
• Pay more attention to design efforts- and try to get great designs that look “less” cluttered, confusing, heavy, complex, etc.  This usually means narrowing color palettes, thinning up design elements, and pushing your design resources.  Keep telling them it needs to look “clean.”
• Review your Web content at least once a quarter.  What content is overlapping?  Can any pages be consolidated to make it easier for a visitor? Can messages and content be edited to be more direct and less “blah?”
• It’s better to do 2 or 3 marketing pieces or initiatives very well, than to do 20-30 poorly.  No, I’m not suggesting that you cut your marketing tactics to only a few elements, but you get the idea.  Perhaps you do a great email newsletter each month, versus a thin, boring email  each week.

There’s a ton of ideas on how to incorporate “less is more” into your everyday marketing life.  I’m sure you have other ideas (and I’d love to hear them) but I’ve found that the ideas are plentiful, but the diligence and discipline to practice “less is more” is much harder to come by.  Hang tough- the rewards are well worth the efforts!

It was a lot of fun reviewing many different campaigns, and seeing how different agencies are trying to leverage technology to better deliver messages. I was also stuck at how far many marketers still have to go- to utilize interactive mediums to enhance their brands, and not just create something cutting-edge that doesn’t create any actions or behaviors.

Congratulations to all of the winners of this year’s awards. There’s a cool site developed to showcase the winners- it can be found at http://www.ad-tech.com/awards/winners/

Trade shows can be that one time of year to powerfully put your brand in front of thousands of important people�??face to face. Yet while billions of dollars are spent on them very year,
many mid-marketers often walk away with much less than they expected for their efforts, even if the booth looked great- I call it the “Beautiful Letdown.”

The Perspective report gives some real-world guidance in how to give your trade show efforts better focus and better results from start to finish- like creating realistic expectations and objectives and really (I mean really) crystalizing your desired attendee response.

Check out the report The Trade Show Turning Point at MidMarketer.com

With the “feel” of spring in the air, immediately my mind races with all of the projects, chores, yardwork and spring cleaning that needs to happen.  The idea of spring cleaning is not new.  There’s even a ton of products out there to spring clean your computer and get it running smoothly.

So, what about a Marketing Spring Cleaning Day.  A day that dedicated not to countless new long-term projects, strategies and tactics, but rather to some cleanup and tweaking of small things.  Small things that can add up to a lot of positive momentum.

So, what would a Marketing Spring Cleanup Day look like in your organization?  Here’s a few ideas that might help get you started.

• Dedicate one day.  They key is, make sure you “dedicate” the day.  In order to really get things accomplished, get everyones complete attention.
• Make sure you have someone who can write, a technical person, and someone who can create or design small elements included.  This way- there will be no bottlenecks, waiting for something to get posted, written, etc.
• Think SMALL!  Brainstorm small things that could make a difference.  These mini projects may include:
  • updating a home page of a site
  • updating a product PDF
  • content changes and tweaks
  • updating copyright dates on sites and PDFs
• Think processes… what can be done to improve and streamline processes.  Perhaps it’s a revised form or a new step that will make things work better.

Try to schedule a Marketing Spring Cleaning Day and have fun! Happy Spring.

The wrong ones will simply waste your time and money.

Today, there’s no shortage of companies, products and services to help you with everyday marketing needs. But, finding the right service provider, agency or resource is proving harder than ever. Blame it on everyone sounding and acting the same as well as the Internet, where perception can easily dwarf reality.

Then, there�??s the �??stuck in the middle�?? dilemma.

Trying to get your business at any cost, a smaller service provider may say it can handle your business when it really can�??t. On the flip side, you may be dismissed by a large provider because your account is too small and insignificant.

To counter, many people seek an objective review of potential solutions by going the Request for Proposal (RFP) route. Personally, I hate RFP’s. I’ve never really met any service provider our outside resource that likes them either. In theory, the RFP tries to spot differences by tendering an exhaustive list of questions and criteria. But in reality, and as you may know, it often ends up creating a mountain of work for both sides. The result usually leaves you more confused than when the whole thing started.

That’s why I say get personal versus get facts when searching for a new outside resource. Often, mid-sized companies fire outside providers for the same reasons:

�??They didn�??t live up to my expectations.�??
�??It wasn�??t a good fit.�??
�??They didn�??t respond to our needs.�??
�??They didn�??t take us to the next level.�??
The problem is, as these issues frequently surface, they are never really discussed at the beginning of the relationship�?� Shifting the selection process into a more personal mode can uncover these less tangible, but critical qualities will lead to a much better idea of how you�??ll work with a resource and how they�??ll work with you.

Here’s some quick ways to get personal in the selection process:

• TALK to them. Actually talk and try to get an idea of personalities and capabilities. Discuss why they think they can HELP you- make them talk about benefits.
• ASK hard questions, like “How can you help us take our efforts to the next level?” (Learn where they excel, and if they truly desire to help you grow. This is especially important for new technologies, or areas where you lack specific expertise.)
• What’s NOT a good fit? Ask them to give you an example of a client that was not a good fit for them, and why.
• Probe deep vs. wide. Many times, going deep into a specific topic can give you more insight about the company and people. Make them talk, not just their standard pitch.
• Who do you like? You’re going to have to work with these people, who will you have fun working with and can challenge to do great work for you?