Entering New Markets with a New Perspective

In the traditional days of marketing (pre-Internet), businesses would cautiously enter new markets with a focused strategy that often included heavy market research, trial product runs and endless discussions with new customers via phone or in-person. Today, online technologies have changed everything in the way we market and talk to customers. Online technologies have allowed businesses to talk to new customer segments quickly, get in front of global regions and enter a new market with little or no previous research or money being spent to get there.

There are an abundance of FREE online tools out there, making it easier for businesses to attract and retain new market segments. As exciting as this is, a good integrated strategy is still necessary along with some solid tactics.

Join me on February 22nd at Scott’s Seafood in Palo Alto where I will be presenting at the BMA Marketing Strategy Roundtable “*Leveraging Online Strategies to Enter New Markets” – Register Today!

At this roundtable we will discuss:
* Key drivers for attracting a new market segment online regardless of your expertise
* How to develop a solid online marketing message for new market customers
* Online tools and techniques to help you get you noticed by new market audiences today
* Case study success stories of companies that have used online tools to break into market segments

These BMA Roundtable breakfasts feature discussions and presentations from industry peers and executives, as well as experts, such as analysts, academics, and consultants. BMA’s goal is to offer intriguing presentations by compelling speakers on topics relevant to Silicon Valley professionals, while providing the opportunity to network with other senior marketing professionals and a good breakfast, too.

Hope to see you at the Roundtable on February 22nd! Click here to register.

Strengthening Marketing Tactics in a Shaky Economy

The Magic of Number Three: Time to Simplify

It may seem obvious, but when things are shaky out there with the economy, marketing tactics need to be even more effective. What does that mean for us marketers? Well, in a nutshell it means taking a look at tactics that might need to be put on hold and/or consolidated. It also means re-evaluating basic marketing tactics to see what’s working and what’s not. What’s nice to have and what is a need-to-have? What marketing activities are too costly and can be tossed out from a marketing strategy? Do you have marketing campaigns with endless layers of tactics that are draining your budget dry? If you do, maybe it’s time to consolidate and simplify to the number three.

Here’s how to think about it: For basic campaigns and outbound communication strategies, try to think of things in threes. What three things can you do with one simple piece? For example, if you have several points that you want to make about your product or service, try doing a best practices collateral piece.  Pick the top five things that your product or service does for your customers and integrate this into a short bulleted document that’s easy to use for your reader.  Make it a PDF flyer and make sure your logo and branding are at the top.

How can you use this finished PDF document? It’s easy. Think of it in threes. What three ways can you now leverage this piece to get to your customers and help increase your revenues?

One way is to post it on your website for your customers to download and view. Another way is to take that PDF piece and send out an email campaign blast to your customer database. That’s two! You can also take that same piece of information and record a short podcast or Webinar. That’s three! Now record that podcast or Webinar and send it to your potential customers. The list goes on…You can probably think of a few more ideas, but the idea is to leverage one marketing piece and to use it in several different ways to help your customer. I call this simplifying your tactics. You’ve now created a great piece for your product or service and you have also saved a ton of money by doing it yourself!