Marketing Craftmanship

MARCH 12, 2020

Both requirements are addressed by unsolicited pitch letters, which is the only genre of content marketing that delivers tailored content through a personalized solicitation process. But over the past 25 years, unsolicited pitch letters have served as my firm’s only method of generating new business, other than referrals.

Work Management 130

Work Management Marketing Management Content Marketing Blast Campaigns 130

Marketing Craftmanship

DECEMBER 22, 2015

In the business world, just about everything you do can influence your success. Personal grooming habits. A few years ago, a former business associate asked if I would set up a “networking interview” for his best friend’s daughter, who was a recent college graduate exploring career opportunities in marketing. The way you dress.

Course 100

Course Network Marketing Personalization Positioning 100

Marketing Craftmanship

SEPTEMBER 18, 2020

There are valid social and physiological reasons most people don’t do the things necessary to maintain their personal health and fitness. There is no real accountability — no connection with the company’s sales function or with business metrics that can have an impact on its balance sheet.

Enterprise Management 147

Enterprise Management Planning Work Management Marketing Management 147

Marketing Craftmanship

JUNE 5, 2016

Surprisingly, a significant number of professional services firms continue to resist building online brand visibility as a business development strategy. The excuses we hear from them most often include: “We’re in a relationship business.”. Our business is driven exclusively by referrals.”.

Validation 100

Validation Ideal Customer Profiles Thought Leadership Network Marketing 100

Marketing Craftmanship

JANUARY 8, 2021

” At small and mid-sized businesses, the heads of marketing rarely receive performance-based compensation related to financial results or related to any quantitative metrics directly associated with company performance. Build trust and partnership in small, meaningful ways.

Work Management 264

Work Management Marketing Management Lead Scoring Lead Ranking 264

Marketing Craftmanship

MAY 22, 2017

Any business founder / owner whose surname serves as their company’s brand name has a unique challenge. If (s)he’s built a successful business that relies on the efforts of its employees, the founder of an eponymous business eventually will need to address brand transition; particularly if it’s a B2B or professional services firm.

Enterprise Management 100

Enterprise Management Work Management Marketing Management B2B Thought Leadership 100

Marketing Craftmanship

JANUARY 16, 2013

If there’s no tangible connection between a current marketing tactic and bona fide business results, throw it out. Be ruthless in your tactical assessment and focus on marketing initiatives that demonstrate a direct correlation between activity and a measurable business outcomes.

Tactics 100

Tactics B2B Marketing CPA Cost per Acquisition 100

Marketing Craftmanship

JANUARY 25, 2016

In manager selection, most investors will look beyond your fund’s track record and give weight to organizational factors that provide them with confidence that the business is well-managed and likely to succeed long-term. Taylor claims leaders who think differently about their business invariably talk about it differently as well.

Work Management 100

Work Management Enterprise Management Marketing & Strategy Marketing Strategy 100

Marketing Craftmanship

FEBRUARY 5, 2013

Many B2B firms – in legal, accounting, financial services and consulting disciplines – employ at least one rainmaker, typically a founding member, who brings in the lion’s share of new business. Business contacts are often included in the firm’s CRM system, and may receive quarterly newsletters or other communications issued by the company.

B2B Sales 100

B2B Sales Cross-Selling Work Management B2B Marketing 100

Marketing Craftmanship

NOVEMBER 27, 2018

Over the past 20 years, most of my firm’s new business has been generated by unsolicited pitch letters sent to targeted prospects. Timing is every in life, including business development. View Selling as a Numbers Game. But simply getting started, and establishing a pitch letter routine are the two most critical steps.

Effectiveness 124

Effectiveness Business RFP Lead Scoring 124

Marketing Craftmanship

SEPTEMBER 15, 2013

Client / Employee Gifts – If it’s deemed appropriate to give an anniversary gift to long-time clients, employees or suppliers, these gifts should be personalized and delivered in a very personal manner; either presented individually and in person, or accompanied by a customized letter from the CEO, managing partner or owners.

B2B Thought Leadership 100

B2B Thought Leadership Allocation Ideal Customer Profiles Thought Leadership 100

Marketing Craftmanship

MARCH 16, 2013

The past decade’s social media debacle is akin to introduction of desktop publishing in the early 1980s, when personal computers arrived in the business world. These are primarily personal and B2C social media platforms, and there are few good reasons why most B2B firms should be investing any time or resources there.

Social Media 100

Social Media Media Merchandising B2B 100

Marketing Craftmanship

MARCH 13, 2021

The headline of the business section read: AMEX OFFICIAL ADMITS CBOE SUPERIORITY. Some Reporters Have Personal Agendas. The CBOE is so much larger than the Amex, and the CBOE only trades options, so why is that a story?” He laughed and we hung up. The next day, I was summoned to the Amex President’s office.

Media 147

Media PR Press Advertising Agencies 147

Marketing Craftmanship

JUNE 28, 2016

Most often, however, the sheer volume of first-class mail processed every morning by office gatekeepers made it more likely that your personalized pitch letter and costly sales brochure would end up, unopened, in the garbage can. Dead on arrival. They open the cover and turn its pages.

B2B Marketing 100

B2B Marketing B2B Paper Work Management 100

Marketing Craftmanship

AUGUST 29, 2017

All of the hours devoted to blogging, at some of the nation’s largest and smartest companies, does not appear to be time well spent…if the goal of a blog and other forms of content marketing is to generate new business. Posting it on Twitter makes sense only if you (or your firm) have a reasonable number of Twitter followers.

Ideal Customer Profiles 100

Ideal Customer Profiles Opinions Linkedin ROI 100

Marketing Craftmanship

FEBRUARY 7, 2017

Their personal welfare – notably, keeping their job – will always be far more important to them than selecting the most qualified firm. They may be unhappy with their current provider and are seeking a change, or their new strategy may involve hiring a smaller that can provide a more personalized level of service.

Paid Search Agency 100

Paid Search Agency Companies B2B Thought Leadership Thought Leadership 100

Marketing Craftmanship

APRIL 19, 2012

LinkedIn has become an important business channel, not only for individuals to showcase their professional credentials, but also for companies seeking to promote their value proposition and to establish or manage brand awareness. These brand implications are less significant on Facebook, which is not generally viewed as a business channel.).

Enterprise Management 100

Enterprise Management Work Management Marketing Management Ideal Customer Profiles 100

Marketing Craftmanship

NOVEMBER 30, 2014

Here are a few tactics to consider for your personal campaign to gain a seat: Clarify PR’s Role – The most pragmatic answer to “What is PR?” Get Quantitative – The nature of PR tactics can make it difficult to demonstrate a direct correlation between that activity and tangible business outcomes.

PR 100

PR Enterprise Management Work Management Marketing Management 100

Marketing Craftmanship

AUGUST 18, 2017

Introduction of this new technology called “Desktop Publishing” rocked the business world. Using the automotive analogy, too many marketers are attempting to drive an 18-wheel tractor trailer through busy, narrow city streets without knowing how to shift the rig’s gears or apply the brakes, and lacking side-view mirrors.

Marketing Automation Services 100

Marketing Automation Services Sales Qualified Leads Marketing Automation High Quality Lead 100

Marketing Craftmanship

APRIL 2, 2015

Instead, it’s based on what you do, both before and after the conference , to reach, influence and engage the 1,000+ or 2,000+ decision-makers who were either too busy or too important to attend the event. Sometimes lightning actually does strike: you’ll make a connection at a conference that eventually leads to new business.

Conference 100

Conference Tactics B2B Marketing Planning 100

Marketing Craftmanship

DECEMBER 19, 2012

In the days of Ink on Paper, marketers reviewed press proofs; they hand-delivered advance copies of newly printed materials to their CEOs, and measured ROI based on Business Reply Card volume. Personality – The range of creative expression using pixels is limited by the fixed dimensions of a flat glass screen.

Paper 100

Paper Press Sample Paid Search Agency 100

Marketing Craftmanship

FEBRUARY 16, 2012

But what impressed us more than the quality of their service, was the no-cost, cornball guerilla (included in photo) marketing tactic that eReleases applied to thank us for our business.

Cost 100

Cost Guerilla Marketing B2B Marketing Paid Search Agency 100

Marketing Craftmanship

SEPTEMBER 2, 2014

Prospective customers now turn to their personal networks and publicly available information — via digital and social media channels—to self-diagnose their problems and to self-prescribe their own solutions.

B2B Thought Leadership 100

B2B Thought Leadership WOM B2B Marketing Thought Leadership 100

Marketing Craftmanship

FEBRUARY 24, 2016

More importantly, of those firms that blog, only 1/3 are able to associate their blogging with new business; the other 2/3rds either can’t, or are unsure of any new business connection. Avoid topics that have been (or are likely to be) covered by other firms, or topics that may be considered old news by the time your post is published.

Ideal Customer Profiles 100

Ideal Customer Profiles Work Management Case Studies Marketing Management 100

Marketing Craftmanship

DECEMBER 28, 2016

At best, awards may address the personal needs of some decision-makers who are more concerned with protecting their job (should your firm fail to deliver), rather than selecting the most qualified service provider. But the easiest tactics, like award recognitions, are not always the most effective or enduring ways to help your business grow.

Enterprise Management 100

Enterprise Management Work Management Marketing Management Aggregators 100

Marketing Craftmanship

FEBRUARY 13, 2015

An upfront articulation of the firm’s value proposition serves as the cornerstone of a written marketing plan that should include: tangible business goals, appropriate marketing strategies and tactics, calendarized activity, budgets and accountabilities. No plan = lots of wheel-spinning + no tangible business outcomes.

Transparency 100

Transparency Thought Leadership Planning Enterprise Management 100

Marketing Craftmanship

SEPTEMBER 12, 2016

The intellectual capital embodied within Thought Leadership is what provides you with credibility, and gives potential buyers the confidence to do business with you. And that requires personal (or enterprise) discipline. Because no leap of faith is required, it’s a more powerful sales methodology.

Thought Leadership 100

Thought Leadership Enterprise Management Work Management Opinions 100

Marketing Craftmanship

JUNE 7, 2011

More importantly, let’s assume this “Snob Effect” on online customer reviews has implications in other businesses, where socio-economics and personal status are factors in the selection of a product or service, and where online customer reviews for those businesses are readily available.

Ethics 100

Ethics Opinions Blogger Marketing Proposals 100

Marketing Craftmanship

JANUARY 10, 2015

In a business where an S.E.C. Many funds prefer to restrict market visibility, and even sacrifice potential asset growth, rather than to put the firm’s reputation and entire business in jeopardy by raising its public profile. She warned them, “It’s always the quiet ones that you need to keep your eye on.”

Practices 100

Practices Planning Enterprise Management Transparency 100

Marketing Craftmanship

FEBRUARY 14, 2013

I made a personal commitment to post regularly. Were there tangible and realistic business metrics to measure your Blog’s ROI…or did you think pre-nuptuals would kill the relationship? WordPress.com was the perfect matchmaker, and my Blog didn’t cost me a penny to build. I had big plans for my Blog. Discussions I would moderate.

Merchandising 100

Merchandising Thought Leadership Promotion Social Media 100

Marketing Craftmanship

MAY 16, 2013

Not surprisingly, Business Leaders and Financial Experts were ranked 11th and 12th, respectively, just ahead of Politicians and Political Pundits. I trust people who treat a waiter in a restaurant, or the person cutting their lawn, with the same level of courtesy and respect they would display with their boss, or a prospective client.

B2B Thought Leadership 100

B2B Thought Leadership Thought Leadership PR Trust Marketing 100

Marketing Craftmanship

MAY 16, 2013

Not surprisingly, Business Leaders and Financial Experts were ranked 11th and 12th, respectively, just ahead of Politicians and Political Pundits. I trust people who treat a waiter in a restaurant, or the person cutting their lawn, with the same level of courtesy and respect they would display with their boss, or a prospective client.

B2B Thought Leadership 100

B2B Thought Leadership Thought Leadership PR Trust Marketing 100

Marketing Craftmanship

APRIL 19, 2011

The Wall Street Journal and other media sources are NOT in business to make SharesPost look good…or even to report its (or your) side of the story. If you’re running an upstanding business, taking an occasional negative shot will not sink your ship. They’re simply competing for eyeballs.

PR 100

PR Ad brokers Opinions Ethics 100

Marketing Craftmanship

AUGUST 7, 2011

Thanks to search engines and social media, anyone with a computer and a personal agenda can now inflict substantial, long-term damage to the reputations of institutions that may or may not be deserving of their viral sabotage. If you can’t maintain your discipline, then don’t use hit and run tactics.

Branding 100

Branding Brand Identity Viral Marketing Opinions 100

Marketing Craftmanship

FEBRUARY 8, 2017

From minor misquote to major hatchet-job, these real and perceived offenses occupy the attention of senior managers and their advisors, whose polite clarifications and outraged denials fill the “Letters to the Editor” section of every business and trade publication. Que Sera, Sera.

Media 100

Media Press Paid Search Agency Mobile Advertising 100

Marketing Craftmanship

JANUARY 13, 2017

Over the past 20 years, most of my firm’s new business has been generated by unsolicited pitch letters sent to targeted prospects. Timing is every in life, including business development. View Selling as a Numbers Game. But simply getting started, and establishing a pitch letter routine are the two most critical steps.

RFP 100

RFP Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Tactics 100

Marketing Craftmanship

JULY 13, 2011

But contrary to The B2B Marketer’s Bible , and regardless of the upfront investment, the intrinsic value and opportunities related to participation in in-person and virtual public forums do not lie within the event itself. That way, their ability to convert a public platform into bona fide business results is significantly enhanced.

Work Management 100

Work Management CPA Cost per Acquisition B2B Marketing 100