SmartMarketers

Video: Using Facebook for Your Business

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:28:28 -0800

Everyone’s heard of Facebook. Perhaps you use to keep in touch with your college pals or keep your family updated on what’s going on with the kiddies.

But did you know you can actually use Facebook for business?

YES, it’s really true. I recently sat down with one of the world’s leading authorities on Facebook for business, Mari Smith.

5 Lead Nurturing Tips to Create Relevant and Engaging Emails

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:50:04 -0800

A recent MarketingSherpa survey of email recipients found that 58% of those who stop reading, disengage, or unsubscribe after cite "lack of relevance" as a key factor. This is hugely important because most marketers rely on email as their main lead nurturing tactic.

As B2B marketers, we should have it drilled into our brains that relevance must be an essential part of our lead nurturing touches.

Crisis Management Essentials for Social Media (Part 1)

Thu, 28 May 2009 14:32:38 -0800

If you ask marketing executives what keeps them up at night in the age of social media, one of the most common responses is fear of a PR debacle lighting a brush fire on the web.

Every marketer knows there are a hundred things that could go wrong on any given day–from product failures to employee indiscretions–and the fear of being caught flat-footed while the news lights up the social universe is a very real fear.

Lead Nurturing is Walking the Buying Path with Your Customers

Thu, 28 May 2009 14:00:59 -0800

Get out your walking shoes. This ain’t no walk in the park.

Lead generation can take you on a long hike. The one thing I can guarantee you about the journey is that more is not better if you don’t know how to nurture.

Video: How to Grow Your Social Media Stature: An Interview With Jason Falls

Tue, 26 May 2009 11:13:36 -0800

Wondering how to grow your popularity in the social media world? Then watch this video…

I recently sat down with social media guru Jason Falls (SocialMediaExplorer.com) to talk about how he grew in popularity using good old fashioned networking.

Telltale Signs of Product Messaging Problems

Tue, 26 May 2009 11:08:28 -0800

Yesterday a high tech VP told me, “I am painfully aware that sales are down this year versus last but I’d really like to pinpoint exactly where the problem lies. Something tells me my product-level messaging is off but I’m not sure if that’s one of the key inhibitors or not.” I told her that we can look for telltale symptoms of a product-level messaging problem. By that I mean, not corporate level branding but rather messaging that is specific to a particular product.

Why VP of Sales Must Be in Strategy Sessions

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:56:46 -0800

Why is it that CEOs rarely invite the VP of Sales to strategic planning sessions? The most common reason is the fear that the session would distract them from their primary job, sales. I think this is very shortsighted. I ran a strategy session this week with a CEO and his whole staff including the VP of Sales. At the end of the day the CEO told me how valuable it was to have the VP of Sales bring his experience to the table. Here are reasons why you might have the sales executive join your next strategy meeting:

Social Media and the Cult of Marketing ROI

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:36:29 -0800

Over the past few years, I’ve had a lot of opportunity to write about marketing finance and metrics. Like many marketers of my generation, my understanding of marketing performance metrics was transformed by the 2000 recession. At the time I was president of a marketing agency in San Francisco, and as the economy plunged, I watched as clients mercilessly slashed marketing teams and budgets. When the economy bottomed out, Marketing ROI became an obligatory mantra recited in every new business meeting.

On Lead Nurturing - Thinking Beyond the Send

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 15:27:10 -0800

The challenge today is not in generating leads, but truly connecting with them. That's why lead nurturing matters. This is why I found this post by my friend Ardath Albee titled, "Strategy Beyond the Send" helpful. Ardath's post gives some useful ideas on how we can better connect by thinking, "like your prospects do when they set out to solve a problem. One step leads to another...and another..." I agree.

New Research Reveals Marketing Role of White Papers

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 15:21:06 -0800

InformationWeek recently released a report titled, “Tech Marketing: Best Practices Research Series: White Papers: How to Maximize the Use of White Papers in Your B2B Marketing and Sales Process.” Yes, that is a mouthful, but so is the report. It full of great facts about the marketing power of white papers.

Seven Tips to Improve Cold Calling for Lead Generation

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 06:48:56 -0800

In spite of the fact that in the past pushy salespeople and poorly trained marketers have tarnished the image of the phone, I still believe that reaching out via phone is a very effective lead generation tool.

Studies by leading marketing research firms like MarketingSherpa show that 92% of B2B buyers are open to cold calls if the sales person is relevant. However, to ensure success, cold-calling needs to be part of a holistic lead generation strategy.

How to Keep Upbeat in Tough Times

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 17:30:31 -0800

I recently interviewed Rajesh Setty, author of the forthcoming book, Upbeat in the below video.

Check out the shoe salesperson story! BTW, this was recorded in high definition. Be sure to select the HD option under the arrow menu on the right.

Handling Conflicts...the Abe Lincoln Way

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:40:46 -0800

We hung up the phone thinking “whew” that call sure got hot. An irate customer? A demanding boss? A frustrated sales rep? Nope. It was an internal planning meeting between sales and marketing for fiscal year 2010. Not all such meetings, of course, are this animated but this one sure was. And that’s not always a bad thing but in this case people left with some hurt feelings and damaged relationships. I’m sure you’ve seen your share of heated conflict in the workplace. Here are some typical hot spots:

New Study Reveals White Paper Role With Techies

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 09:16:16 -0800

There has been a literal smorgasbord of recent studies on the power of white papers in the last few months.

This one is fresh from MarketingSherpa’s 2009 Business Technology Marketing Benchmark Guide.

There is SO much gold in this report that I'll be making multiple posts related to it.

Using Thought Leadership Tactics for Lead Generation

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:20:00 -0800

As marketers look for ways to optimize lead generation, they are recognizing the value of using educational content and thought leadership to help attract more customers.

I've written a number of times on using educational marketing and certain aspects of thought leadership to generate leads, and I thought this post by Dana VanDen Heuvel over at the MarketingProfs Daily Fix blog was useful reminder.