Lack of Innovation is Hurting Your Career

Posted on August 21, 2013 by Gavin Finn

Everyone knows the old adage: “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results.”, often attributed to Albert Einstein. Yet, many B2B marketers continue to pursue the same tactics and strategies, deluding themselves into believing that they have no choice. It is no wonder that many CEO’s believe that marketers “lack business credibility and are unable to demonstrate ROI.”

The key to ensuring a rewarding and healthy career in marketing is to develop a track-record of quantifiable successes in improving sales effectiveness and increasing marketing efficiency.  Ask yourself: “Am I spending the vast majority of my time creating (or directing the creation of) materials, events, documents, and presentations, or am I making changes in how we do things that will drive effectiveness and efficiency?” Truthfully, are we really being innovative (applying new solutions that meet new requirements, inarticulate needs, or existing market needs?)  More often than not, the honest answer is going to be a sheepish “no.”

Why not?  Because most people in a senior marketing role are not risk takers. This is partly due to corporate culture of conforming to the norm, and partly the Darwinian process within marketing organizations (which have seen budgets and headcounts being reduced) of focusing on scrambling to stay afloat with far fewer resources.

The irony is that it is precisely these conditions that demand innovation!  How can marketers accomplish more with fewer resources without making dramatic changes to the way that things are done, or even more pointedly, to what is being done? In a recent Forbes article, Julia Goldin, CMO of global leader Revlon, recommends that, in order to advance their careers, marketers be more willing to accept and adopt evolution in what they do and how they do things, and that they recognize, confront, and conquer their acquired fear of change.

Take a step back. Take a deep breath. Wipe the whiteboard in the office clean. Focus on sales effectiveness and marketing efficiency, and now start building an action plan and interactive marketing solutions based on new and innovative ways of working.  You will be surprised at how much fun you will have, how much better your results will be, and how much faster your career success accelerates.

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Now You’re Talking My (Marketing) Language

Posted on August 14, 2013 by kaonmarketingguru

Singing the Same Tune

Getting everyone within your organization to use the same vernacular when talking about your products is an ongoing challenge for marketing departments.

Creating a consistent, concise, and compelling marketing message should be more of a good habit than a crash diet.  Make sure that everywhere a prospect encounters your product they are hearing the same choir preaching your product message. After a few choruses the tune should become catchy enough to stick in someone mind.

Why is this important? 

“The ability to articulate marketing messaging with consistency can’t be understated in a compliance-mandated ­field. Our sales team isn’t always in touch with headquarters, as they’re out in the field. Particularly when new products are launched, we want to provide the sales team the tools they need to speak with confidence and conviction about the bene­fits our solutions deliver.”  – Jeff Evans, Radiology™ Operational Marketing Manager, MEDRAD

“Partners are selling multiple products, including our competitor’s products. We want to make sure our products are easier to sell, make the content easier to digest, and easier to access.” – Bob Yee, Director of Channels, Juniper Networks

“Whether a customer is coming out to our executive briefi­ng center or being met by a single sales representative in his or her office, we need to ensure consistent product messaging across the board.” – Bill Rozier, VP of Marketing, Ciena Corporation

The Rule of Seven is an old marketing adage. It says that a prospect needs to see or hear your marketing message at least seven times before they take action and buy from you. Now the number seven isn’t cast in stone. The truth of the Rule of Seven is you can’t just engage in a marketing activity and then be done. Consistent marketing messages must be on-going in order for it to be successful, which is why no matter what medium you’re communicating your message (trade show, sales meeting, channel distributor, website, collateral, sales enablement tools, social media) it needs to be cohesive, constant and clearly articulating your product differentiators.

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3 Reasons Mobile Matters for Trade Shows and Events

Posted on August 1, 2013 by KaonTrendSpotter

Reasons Why Mobile Matters for Trade Show and Event Marketers

Mobility is the name of the game for today’s event marketers, and it must be part of every marketing strategy. Fortunately, armed with new interactive technologies, sales and marketing teams can go beyond texting and social media campaigns to reach customers in meaningful 1-to-1 interactions, on and off the trade show floor, in ways they’ve never been able to before. Experienced trade show marketers know that Internet accessibility on the show floor can not only be costly, but often is intermittent and unreliable. Therefore, mobile Apps that don’t require Internet connections can revolutionize the deployment and usage of interactive content at trade shows and events. Without being tethered to an Internet connection, booth staff can now freely move about the exhibition hall– speaking to prospects anywhere they may encounter them (e.g. cafeterias, general sessions, coffee breaks, receptions, registration.)

Having mobile devices at events simply isn’t enough, though; marketers need to focus on developing RELEVANT content: content that truly engages prospects on the show floor while also going beyond flashy graphics and gimmicks to truly communicate product information essential to the buying cycle.

Rather than bringing physical products to events, savvy marketers are turning to 3D Product Models that look and behave just like the physical product, and using these virtual representations to showcase more of their offerings in their trade show booth. By utilizing these interactive product demonstrations on iPads and other tablets, booth staff and sales representatives can literally take these products ANYWHERE on the show floor–in the aisles, to sessions or at any event meeting, all while holding their products in the palm of their hand. Once installed, interactive product catalogs don’t require any type of Internet connection. This allows booth staff to extend the same consistent experience they may offer on large touch screens in their booth directly into the hands of their prospects on mobile devices.

This blog explains the three key benefits for trade show and event marketers who implement effective mobile marketing technologies. As the trend toward virtualization and interactivity continues, potential customers expect “anytime, anywhere” functionality that conveys clear, concise product messages in real time while enhancing efficiency, collaboration and decision-making. It’s up to marketers to deliver the virtual goods when customer interaction opportunities arise – and they can look forward to reaping the following three benefits when they do:

1.    Reduce trade show costs

Trade show costs are reduced when physical products, such as large or complex products (i.e. network, telecom, medical devices and industrial machinery) are replaced in the booth by virtual 3D product models. These virtual interactive marketing experiences can seamlessly replicate the real product and “show” how to solve a business problem while eliminating shipping, drayage, printing, and other marketing costs associated with bringing physical products to a show. This not only increases product accessibility for events, but also enables companies to utilize a smaller booth or vastly decrease the amount of equipment they choose to bring to events.

2.    Enhance customer engagement

Customer engagement is improved by presenting product stories in a far more engaging and dynamic way on mobile platforms including high-definition touch-screen appliances, laptops, iPads, mobile phones and other devices. The user can control their own experience and have the ability to explore features and options with incredible realism. These sophisticated (yet easy to use) 3D interactive product stories provide cohesive communication of strategic messaging, product features, functionality and solution overviews. The interactivity of 3D product models increases the effectiveness of demonstrations by involving users in the knowledge transfer process, meaning prospects walk away with a better understanding of the equipment and its benefits, while the ability for them to drive their own experience results in a much more relevant demonstration for each individual prospect.

3.    Accelerate sales cycles

Sales cycles are accelerated because the 3D product demonstrations can be delivered in any venue and at any time, on or off the show floor. The virtual product experiences allow prospects to easily “test drive”, and compare the benefits and features of various product models even if the actual product is not available. Product stories can include virtual 3D product demonstrations, interactive flow diagrams, video, PDFs and flexible presentations. With this kind of ubiquitous access on any device, Sales teams can get products in front of more prospects sooner, leading to more informed buying decisions and accelerated sales.

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