How to Improve Your Business Reach Resolutions for 2014: Your Marketing Communications Checklist & Toolkit

It’s that time again—the start of a new year.  Time to think about what you can do better than last year.  The point when business people make plans to improve their outlook, financial and otherwise.  And time to ask, what can you do to enhance your marketing and promotion efforts in 2014?

As with any resolution for self-improvement, a reality check can help guide your progress.  Some timely questions to ask include:

• Has our marketing been effective in the past?  If not, why not?
• How can we generate new sales and attract customers?
• How can we communicate and interact with clients so they will return?
• Is our marketing content up-to-date, consistent, and relevant to our audience?

A successful B2B and B2c marketing plan is built with multiple components.  NM Marketing Communications, LLC (NMMC) recommends the following are part of your 2014 marketing toolkit.

A search engine optimized/navigation friendly website
Is your company website inviting and informative?  Does your content establish your expertise, superior product, credibility, and reliability?  Content should be clear, direct, and informative.  Rather than only pitching your products or services, the successful website enables a buyer to become a better-informed and more loyal customer and raving fan.

Print collateral, direct mail & social media
Print material remains an important and practical marketing tool in the digital age.  When designed to be consistent with an online presence and your company branding, print collateral, direct mail and social media, it provides a positive introduction to your company for a targeted audience.

Ongoing networking activities
The well-known adage “Eighty percent of success is showing up,” attributed to comic Woody Allen, could be a networking mantra.  Seek out the groups associated with your business or industry segments.  Attend industry events and meetings.  Be visible: Showcase your company.  Showcase your capabilities/products/services.

Trade shows budgeting/planning
The best trade show exhibits are carefully planned.  Elements of a successful exhibit include informative content, preparation of materials, coordination, and logistics, and the means to carry on an interactive and ongoing communications program with buyers and customers once the tabletop exhibition or trade show has ended.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
The aim of CRM is to improve customer satisfaction; because of a satisfied customer is a repeat customer.  CRM involves a multifaceted approach to winning customers.  NMMC helps companies better understand CRM, including tips for learning how to increase customer loyalty, training employees to ensure exceptional customer service, making customer service consistent, and using marketing and online search tools to target and track customer satisfaction.

The Risks and Rewards of Social Media for B2B

Using social media for B2B marketing is a hot topic these days. It seems that everyone is talking about creating a strategy to use Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn for their business. Meanwhile, just as many business leaders question the value of these new communications tools.

Last week’s Business Marketing Association Chicago chapter luncheon on social media provided some interesting perspectives on this topic. More importantly, I was struck by how certain basic marketing principles are critical, no matter how new or hot the communications method.

First, marketers need to evaluate social media in terms of what business problem they’re trying to solve. According to one of the speakers, Paul Gillin, a columnist for BtoB magazine, too many marketers are skipping this step in their eagerness to make sure they’re on the cutting edge. Second, marketers should remember that regardless of the product or service, or the specifications and benefits, they are not selling to a “business.” Ultimately, they’re still selling to people; individuals who want solutions to their problems.

Reconciling these two ideas can help harness the power of social media as an effective marketing tool.

To help decide if social media are pertinent, find out if customers are using them. You can also track competitors or similar products and look for results, such as viewing numbers on YouTube. If content similar to yours is being ignored, then social media may not be the best strategy. But if customers are engaging in social media, then it’s time for you to join the conversation.

Because social media helps people connect, it fulfills the marketing element of people selling to people. Social media are extremely effective in creating a persona for your organization that builds confidence among your customers in your product or service.

Once you decide to engage in social media, you need to be aware that traditional media still play a role in making content visible to your key audiences. YouTube claims that 20 hours of video are uploaded on the site every minute. So for every waterskiing squirrel that “goes viral” there are thousands of seldom-watched clips languishing on the site.

That’s why many companies promote their social media through ads in key social media outlets, links from corporate websites or PR efforts to create news and blogging buzz about their initiatives. Companies that are serious about using social media are even creating their own channels on YouTube, which simplifies finding their content. Siemens is a good example of a B2B company using this tactic, with their channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/siemens.

Sure, there’s some risk in engaging in social media, but many companies are finding the rewards are far more compelling. If you’d like to explore both sides of the social media question, call us at 847-657-6011 or e-mail us.

AFS White Papers Create Hundreds of Leads

Do you need to reach a tough audience?
The American Foundry Society (AFS) faced the challenge of communicating with engineers, product designers and purchasing influencers who typically ignore promotional hype.
The solution? A series of white papers NM Marketing Communications developed for AFS, which has led to hundreds of leads.
White papers originally started as government policy documents, defining a specific position or policy. Today, they have become powerful marketing tools used to show customers or other decision-makers how to find solutions to their problems.
White papers are most often used by technology or industrial companies, but the concept is applicable to almost any market segment. The key to success with a white paper is identifying a problem or concern faced by your audience, then showing them in a factual way how your product or service provides the solution.
For example, the AFS white papers have concentrated on some of the unique technical aspects of using various metal casting methods to solve industrial design problems or improve manufacturing efficiency. In addition to generating inquiries from engineers about casting technologies provided by AFS members, the white papers have reinforced AFS’ position as the leader in metal casting information.
To learn more about how to develop and use white papers as part of your marketing mix, call us at 847.657.6011 or send us an email: info@nmmarketingbiz.com.