Marketing Craftmanship

AUGUST 18, 2017

It not only changed how companies produced printed materials; it also changed who was responsible for producing them. The reality, however, is that the Marketing Automation industry has a failure rate of 60%*; not because of its potential, but because of the inability of end-users to harness the technology properly.

Marketing Automation Services 100

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

Marketing Craftmanship

NOVEMBER 12, 2015

In new business development efforts, B2B firms of all types are often challenged by prospective clients with this question: “Do you have any experience working for companies in my industry?”. Because most companies believe their situation and the challenges they face are unique, suggesting otherwise usually will end the sales process.

B2B Thought Leadership 100

B2B Thought Leadership Peer-to-peer Thought Leadership B2B 100

Marketing Craftmanship

OCTOBER 22, 2019

Insurance companies, for example, report that doctors who admit their mistakes and apologize to patients are rarely sued. Although client communication is at least as important as actual performance in most service businesses, companies seldom give that task the attention it deserves.

Ad brokers 127

Ad brokers Opinions Marketing Management Loyalty 127

Marketing Craftmanship

JUNE 28, 2016

Misguided “eco friendly” practices (notably, failure to appreciate the paper industry’s stellar record of sustainable forest management) have fostered a generation of lifeless marketing collateral that’s either viewed onscreen, or downloaded and printed in PDF format on office printers.

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. In most cases, this means working smarter, and not necessarily harder, on your company’s blog.

Ideal Customer Profiles 100

Ideal Customer Profiles Opinions Linkedin ROI 100

Marketing Craftmanship

JULY 5, 2016

For better or worse, there are many companies that hire employees based largely or exclusively on those external credentials, in order to create a consistent (albeit often elitist) institutional persona. But the inherent 3rd party marketing value of these events is directly related to the credibility of the sponsoring organization.

Marketing Management 100

Marketing Management Service Paid Search Agency Advertising Agencies 100

Marketing Craftmanship

SEPTEMBER 2, 2014

Many B2B companies, and professional services firms in particular, do not succeed at marketing for two major reasons: Failure to understand that the vendor selection process has fundamentally changed. At the upper limit, the responses ran as high as 70%. Failure to respond properly to the new vendor selection process.

B2B Thought Leadership 100

B2B Thought Leadership WOM B2B Marketing Thought Leadership 100

Marketing Craftmanship

MARCH 1, 2015

There are two major reasons why marketing is ineffective at B2B firms, regardless of size or industry: Marketing is viewed as triage. The company applies a collection of tactics (often labeled as a “marketing campaign”) only in response to a problem; typically involving the loss of a key client, or decline in revenue.

B2B Marketing 100

B2B Marketing B2B Thought Leadership Planning B2B 100

Marketing Craftmanship

NOVEMBER 18, 2013

At the upper end of the corporate food chain, executives whose function is listed as either Public Relations or Corporate Communications are rarely included in the Schedule 14A proxy filings as a “Named Executive Officer” by FORTUNE 500 companies. PR’s Plan to Earn a Seat at the Table.

Public Relations 100

Public Relations Work Management PR Ethics 100

Marketing Craftmanship

JULY 1, 2014

They argued that unless companies learn to effectively capture, manage and maintain attention – both internally and in the marketplace – they will fail. The good news for B2B marketers is that there are now editorial analytic tools that can provide attention and engagement metrics and insights. Less can be more, when it comes to B2B content.

B2B Marketing 100

B2B Marketing B2B Thought Leadership B2B Marketing Management 100

Marketing Craftmanship

JANUARY 16, 2013

For example, a 25-person CPA firm with an emerging practice among medium-size, privately held businesses sought to add a pharmaceutical company to its client list. On its own, publication of the article was unlikely to generate any viable, near-term new business prospects.

Tactics 100

Tactics B2B Marketing CPA Cost per Acquisition 100

Marketing Craftmanship

MARCH 16, 2012

Companies of all sizes believe that more publicity is always better, as a means to raise brand awareness and drive business results. This effort requires that a company either engage an outside PR agency or employ dedicated staff members who are skilled at pitching stories and nurturing press coverage.

Merchandising 100

Merchandising PR Lead Scoring Lead Ranking 100

Marketing Craftmanship

FEBRUARY 6, 2016

When a client complained to me recently about the difficulty of competing against larger companies, I had a flashback to when my kids were in grade school. Lots of time is devoted to winning industry recognition; far less time is invested in managing the customer experience or supporting the sales force.

Marketing Management 100

Marketing Management Paid Search Agency Marketing & Strategy Paper 100

Marketing Craftmanship

FEBRUARY 6, 2012

For a fee, Germany allows people or companies to sponsor the names of weather fronts. PR industry pundits and critics have been quick to jump on BMW for its decision to associate its brand with what has turned out to be one of Europe’s most deadly winter storms on record. Stormy Weather for BMW?

PR 100

PR Forecasting Paid Search Agency Advertising Agencies 100

Marketing Craftmanship

MARCH 16, 2013

New software programs enabled companies, for the first time, to design and produce their own graphic materials in-house. If your website has not been refreshed and updated in the last 3 years (which means more than simply sticking press releases in the “News” section), then your company is due for an overhaul.

Social Media 100

Social Media Media Merchandising B2B 100

Marketing Craftmanship

AUGUST 14, 2015

But there are some unscientific ways to accomplish that goal within your company: Clarify Marketing’s Role – The most pragmatic answer to “What is marketing?” Be Fearless – You must serve as the marketing function’s ambassador within your company. may be: “Whatever your employer (or client) needs it to be.”

Paid Search Agency 100

Paid Search Agency Enterprise Management Lead Ranking Work Management 100

Marketing Craftmanship

AUGUST 14, 2015

Business owners across all industries and professions start companies because they have a specific expertise or interest – whether it involves trading currency futures or replacing car mufflers – and eventually discover that selling their product or service is neither in their wheelhouse, nor something they enjoy doing.

Paid Search Agency 100

Paid Search Agency Advertising Agencies Planning B2B Thought Leadership 100

Marketing Craftmanship

SEPTEMBER 1, 2015

Insurance companies report that doctors who admit their mistakes and apologize to patients are rarely sued. Although client communication is at least as important as actual performance in most service businesses, companies seldom give that task the attention it deserves.

Ad brokers 100

Ad brokers Business Loyalty Opinions 100

Marketing Craftmanship

NOVEMBER 30, 2014

While waiting for the PR profession-at-large to earn a place at the senior management table, current practitioners should develop their own company-specific strategies that will enable them to rub shoulders on an equal basis with their counterparts in finance, legal, marketing, operations or technology.

PR 100

PR Enterprise Management Work Management Marketing Management 100

Marketing Craftmanship

NOVEMBER 29, 2013

Database companies, notably Cision and Vocus, empower PR people to create enormous lists of journalists in a matter of minutes. In his column, New York Times’ David Segal reports that he has removed his contact information from the 5 leading media database companies. Any other ideas?

Public Relations 100

Public Relations PR Blast Campaigns Press 100

Marketing Craftmanship

JUNE 21, 2011

Although few companies have the resources or courage to produce “old media” advertising on this scale, IBM’s Centennial insert embodies several important lessons for marketers at companies of all sizes and industries. issues of the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and Washington Post.

Advertisements 100

Advertisements Advertising Marketing Budget Paid Search Agency 100

Marketing Craftmanship

FEBRUARY 5, 2013

B2B companies – professional service firms in particular – can benefit by creating a culture similar to the Marine Corps; training all employees with basic marketing & sales skills that can help the firm to grow and succeed. that can be merchandised by the firm to keep the firm in play. Semper Fi.

B2B Sales 100

B2B Sales Cross-Selling Work Management B2B Marketing 100

Marketing Craftmanship

AUGUST 7, 2011

It’s become a dangerous and foreign world for CMOs, PR heads and others charged with protection of their company’s brand; especially for small and mid-sized companies lacking the sophistication or deep pockets to mount a serious defensive strategy. Here’s a list of them.

Brand Identity 100

Brand Identity Branding Viral Marketing Opinions 100

Marketing Craftmanship

JANUARY 10, 2015

In terms of marketing sophistication, the hedge fund industry lags far behind all other financial and professional services, across every sub-category. In that regard, other vertical industries may eventually point to hedge funds as examples of best practices in branding and marketing. Forget advertising for now, and perhaps forever.

Practices 100

Practices Planning Enterprise Management Transparency 100

Marketing Craftmanship

APRIL 2, 2015

Regardless of industry, B2B conferences and seminars can be a significant waste of time, money and opportunity. It’s often the result of poor planning, lack of creativity, laziness or unrealistic expectations by the companies that participate in them.

Conference 100

Conference Tactics B2B Marketing Planning 100

Marketing Craftmanship

MARCH 27, 2013

The original purpose of white papers as a B2B marketing tactic was to produce objective information, packaged as quasi-academic research, that might validate a company’s or product’s value proposition. And there are still many companies that produce legitimate white papers containing helpful, objective information.

Paper 100

Paper Paid Search Agency Advertorials Allocation 100

Marketing Craftmanship

JULY 13, 2011

Companies invest considerable time and effort in securing and preparing for public events, industry seminars, keynote addresses, webinars and roundtable discussions. B2B Marketing Needs Impressive Stuff Like This.

Work Management 100

Work Management CPA Cost per Acquisition B2B Marketing 100

Marketing Craftmanship

APRIL 12, 2011

I often pose this question to prospective B2B clients when they ask me if I can generate exposure for their company in Forbes , Fortune , the Wall Street Journal , CNBC or some other influential media source. The assumption: if Forbes has covered your company, it must be legitimate. …what will you do with that exposure?

Merchandising 100

Merchandising Verticals Press Marketing Prospects 100

Marketing Craftmanship

FEBRUARY 10, 2012

The company Dalio established in his apartment in 1975, Bridgewater Associates, is now the world’s largest and most successful hedge fund manager, with more than $120 billion in assets under management. In his own words, “I started Bridgewater from scratch, and now it’s a uniquely successful company and I am on the Forbes 400 list.

Enterprise Management 100

Enterprise Management Work Management Transparency Marketing Management 100

Marketing Craftmanship

FEBRUARY 16, 2013

Not to be confused with “The Wall Street Transcript” Many companies will invest considerable effort seeking positive publicity in influential media sources, and then fail to benefit from the masthead value of that exposure. The Wall Street Journal , for example, has high masthead value; the Wall Street Transcript… not so much.

Merchandising 100

Merchandising Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Public Relations 100