Three Marketing "Must Dos" for 2014

If you do nothing else this year to boost sales and generate leads, do the following three things:

1.    Implement Search Engine Optimization so prospects will find you.
2.    Revise your website copy for keywords and phrases so your web copy is relevant to your prospect’s information needs.
3.    Implement a monthly email program to create Top of Mind Awareness for your company.

If you need help with any of these, NM Marketing Communications (NMMC), LLC can help. We are a leading business-to-business marketing firm serving clients nationally and internationally from our headquarters in suburban Chicago. We are an ideal choice to be your marketing firm because:

•    Google currently rates us No. 1 for B2B marketing planning and auditing services.
•    We are experienced in industrial and event marketing.
•    We know how to get results for our clients

But it isn’t enough to take your marketing to next level if you don’t take your business up a notch. As you move forward into 2014, consider how you will make your company more attractive to prospects.
1.    What three things will you do to improve quality?
2.    What three things will you do to improve service?
3.    What three things will you do to justify a price increase?

May I suggest that you throw these challenges at your management team for discussion… more importantly… for action.

For more ideas on how to build your business in 2014, call or email NMMC at 847.657.6011 or info@nmmarketingbiz.com

Holiday Messages Make an Impact

Christmas is a magical time for children. A recent promotion I received reminded me about the innocent wonder of children as they wait for the big day. The e-mail promotion offered an official, personalized letter from Santa for a mere $19.99. Santa’s letter would also include a list of who was on Santa’s “nice” list, reassuring the youngsters that there would be presents under the tree.  I’m sure that even though the letter was unexpected, the message made an impact.

Thinking about Santa’s letter made me wonder how may B2B customers look forward to your messages during the holidays.  B2B marketers often reduce their efforts during the holidays because they believe executives and purchasing decision makers will be distracted by family celebrations, end-of-the year planning and similar events.  Some recent research by Eloqua casts a new light on that thinking, at least as far as e-mail marketing is concerned.

As you would expect, B2C e-mail marketing jumped during November and December, while the number of messages declined for B2B.  What’s surprising, though, is that the B2B messages are more effective during the holidays. The number of page views for those messages takes a 13% jump in November and December when compared to the rest of the year.  It’s a good reminder that a properly focused message can have a great deal of impact when you’d least expect it.

Raising Expectations For Cubs and B2B Marketers

Now that Theo Epstein has finally been named Cubs’ president of baseball operations, I was struck by the similarity between expectations for the new Cubs’ leader and business-to-business marketers.
As a lifelong Cubs’ fan, like many others in Chicago I’m hoping that Epstein will finally lift the curse that‘s followed the team and produce a World Series champion. Expectations are high because the Cubs paid a high price to bring him into the fold, and the team already has a big payroll.
A Forrester Research study, “Bigger B2B Marketing Budgets Come With Great Expectations” raises similar issues for marketers. The report noted that after several years of making cuts, B2B marketing leaders have larger budgets in 2011. However, with these increases in spending comes more scrutiny and greater expectations for results.

Another parallel between the Cubs and B2B marketers is that the raised expectations are coming during a time when the landscape for both baseball and marketing is dramatically changing. Baseball is now making greater use of computer analytics.
Likewise, marketers are facing new challenges to effectively understand how to track, manage and apply many of the new social media tools, online marketing channels and changing customer expectations.

The bottom line, though, is that both Epstein and marketers must effectively use their budgets to achieve results. For many marketers, that means integrating conventional techniques with new online tactics. Marketers need to better understand the impact marketing and technology integration can have in making customer experiences more gratifying and satisfying, thereby improving loyalty, retention and repeat purchases.