Chris Koch

SEPTEMBER 9, 2011

Consultant Fred Reichheld didn’t invent the concept of customer loyalty, but by identifying the marker for it, he changed how many companies approach managing customer loyalty. They identify a current trend, say a regulatory change, and offer perspective on what the trend means and how companies should react.

Thought Leadership 100

Thought Leadership Peer-to-peer Loyalty Case Study 100

Chris Koch

MAY 6, 2011

Since social media leave digital footprints, companies create complex algorithms to come up with simple answers to measuring social media influence. I see successful marketers getting their companies to set two reference points to measure influence across all their marketing programs: Who we are. Who we want to be. What do you think?

Social Media 100

Social Media Social Marketing Work Management Media 100

Chris Koch

APRIL 16, 2010

In our survey, we asked, “In your company, is marketing the catalyst for social media being used by others in the company (product development, HR, etc.)?” Marketing as a percentage of revenue for technology services companies is at an all-time low—less than 1%. But one finding sticks out. That’s right. It’s our job.

Social Media 100

Social Media Work Management Marketing Management Social Marketing 100

Chris Koch

MAY 15, 2012

As buyers do more searching, they are stretching the buying process earlier and earlier, to the point where they may not have a specific product or service in mind when they search. Most salespeople are still focused on selling specific products and services. Besides creating idea networks, B2B companies also have to become publishers.

FAQ 100

FAQ Custom Publishing B2B Sales Work Management 100

Chris Koch

APRIL 10, 2009

See what you think of my answers: How did thought leadership initiatives in companies begin? Other companies have adopted pieces of the academic research publishing model for their own thought leadership marketing. This depends on whether the products and services themselves are knowledge intensive.

Thought Leadership 100

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

Chris Koch

MAY 19, 2014

MakerBot , a manufacturer of desktop 3D printers priced at the level of a decent laptop, is the best known of companies producing a product that has already been raised to PC-level stature in terms of its potential impact on business and society. What Caused the F-Bomb. Bringing Playfulness to Schools.

Conference 100

Conference Education Viral Marketing Class 100

Chris Koch

OCTOBER 7, 2011

But they call it “financial services” for a reason: They have all of the same struggles as technology services companies—with the added complication of tons of regulatory requirements. They had to do with other things that companies have to do before they can successfully engage in social media. Marketers can handle all that stuff.

Social Media 100

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

Chris Koch

OCTOBER 7, 2011

But they call it “financial services” for a reason: They have all of the same struggles as technology services companies—with the added complication of tons of regulatory requirements. They had to do with other things that companies have to do before they can successfully engage in social media. Marketers can handle all that stuff.

Social Media 100

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

Chris Koch

JULY 28, 2010

Companies who want to add their voices the blogosphere have a decision to make: Do we allow individual employees to be the dominant force in our efforts, or do we keep the focus on the company by creating group-authored blogs? Some companies have decided to let a thousand flowers bloom—i.e., Image via Wikipedia.

Blogger 100

Blogger Wikipedia Work Management Social Media 100

Chris Koch

SEPTEMBER 24, 2010

Marketers helped salespeople put words to the insanely complex products and services they were trying to sell. These words, mostly in the form of brochures, specification sheets, and boilerplate PowerPoint slides, helped salespeople—especially those new to the company—get a conversation going with prospects.

Peer-to-peer 100

Peer-to-peer Wiki Marketing Management Internet Marketing 100

Chris Koch

JUNE 17, 2009

Apple has violated both of those rules this week, and I’m sure they could care less—Apple long ago concluded that their products are so much better that customers will overlook the arrogance with which they treat customers. Apple creates great products.

Marketing & Strategy 100

Marketing & Strategy Paid Search Agency Tagging Positioning 100

Chris Koch

JANUARY 8, 2010

In the course of hundreds of interviews with companies over my career, the “yes but we’re different” mantra was a familiar refrain. There is only one objective in social media and it is common across all companies—even across the infamous divide between B2B and B2C: Create learning networks. Not in our businesses, though.

Social Media 100

Social Media B2B Thought Leadership Thought Leadership Media 100

Chris Koch

MARCH 18, 2011

Too much of our content just tries to look and sound smart—great focus on ideas, but no real connection to how our companies can solve the problem. At the other end of the spectrum are the brochures that masquerade as idea marketing by making the offering descriptions longer and the production values higher.

Work Management 100

Work Management Thought Leadership Marketing Management Paper 100

Chris Koch

NOVEMBER 13, 2009

Most of the marketers I talk to are trying to reach a few top executives in big organizations who make buying decisions about big, complex products and services. For many companies, this translates into a wait-and-see approach to social media. For these companies, there is little reason to twitter into the wind.

Social Media 100

Social Media Allocation Media Marketing & Strategy 100

Chris Koch

NOVEMBER 13, 2009

Most of the marketers I talk to are trying to reach a few top executives in big organizations who make buying decisions about big, complex products and services. For many companies, this translates into a wait-and-see approach to social media. For these companies, there is little reason to twitter into the wind.

Social Media 100

Social Media Allocation Media Marketing & Strategy 100

Chris Koch

OCTOBER 30, 2009

Most of ITSMA’s clients are B2B marketers from big technology companies that sell big, complex products, services, and solutions. This year, our research showed that most buyers go to colleagues inside their own companies for referrals of people to talk to about a purchase.

Social Media 100

Social Media Peer-to-peer Enterprise Management Media 100

Chris Koch

AUGUST 13, 2010

The information from a social site like this changes how journalists can write about a huge company like HP. Here are a few thoughts: We must monitor what’s being said about our companies online. They may have come on board at a time when your products and services offered more than they do now or worked differently.

Social Media 100

Social Media Media B2B SME 100

Chris Koch

NOVEMBER 5, 2010

Unless the company they work for is a startup or otherwise desperate for attention, these people tend to be ground down by the risk management aspect of their jobs over time. Much like IT people, they don’t hear much from anyone inside their companies unless something goes wrong. These are the internal corporate PR representatives.

PR 100

PR Press Paid Search Agency Lead Ranking 100

Chris Koch

SEPTEMBER 11, 2009

I’m hearing a lot from clients and researchers about how vast swaths of salespeople need to be eliminated as companies transition from selling products to services and solutions. But I think we start slicing the genetic material a little too thinly when we separate the product salespeople from the services salespeople.

Marketing Automation Services 100

Marketing Automation Services Consulting B2B Sales Paid Search Agency 100

Chris Koch

SEPTEMBER 11, 2009

I’m hearing a lot from clients and researchers about how vast swaths of salespeople need to be eliminated as companies transition from selling products to services and solutions. But I think we start slicing the genetic material a little too thinly when we separate the product salespeople from the services salespeople.

Marketing Automation Services 100

Marketing Automation Services B2B Sales Consulting Marketing Automation 100

Chris Koch

DECEMBER 2, 2011

Companies are having success pulling in fans by linking to charitable cases. Non-targets could win Hitachi consumer products and went to a separate database. You’re just warming up to social media campaigns because you work for ITSMA and these are the companies who won your contest. Appeal to their sense of charity.

Social Media 100

Social Media Campaigns B2B Thought Leadership Media 100

Chris Koch

DECEMBER 2, 2011

Companies are having success pulling in fans by linking to charitable cases. Non-targets could win Hitachi consumer products and went to a separate database. You’re just warming up to social media campaigns because you work for ITSMA and these are the companies who won your contest. Appeal to their sense of charity.

Social Media 100

Social Media Campaigns B2B Thought Leadership Media 100

Chris Koch

JULY 16, 2010

I can’t name the specific companies because we’re still in the midst of the judging process, but it doesn’t really matter because the stuff is so innovative. Another company is using automated algorithms to seek out and deliver targeted customer and competitive intelligence to salespeople—on a daily basis!

B2B Thought Leadership 100

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

Chris Koch

SEPTEMBER 17, 2010

Marketers, meanwhile, didn’t have a wall, so they filled their content with self-aggrandizing references to their own products and services that pissed off readers and sent them to other sources for advice. For many B2B companies, idea marketing is a check box on a marketing list. What’s the point? Idea marketing as checklist.

Thought Leadership 100

Thought Leadership B2B Thought Leadership Advertising Agencies Paid Search Agency 100

Chris Koch

MAY 14, 2010

We’re seeing companies use social media to bring customers into the product and service development processes to collaborate on new ideas and improvements. We’re seeing companies use social media for customer support. And even small companies can benefit from having a social media council. Governance.

Organic Leads 100

Organic Leads Social Media Social Marketing Organization 100

Chris Koch

MARCH 4, 2011

Publishers are left with a trickle of revenue and B2B companies discover just how uninterested a generic online audience is in their products and services. Advertisers have abandoned print display advertising that at least had some degree of targeting for online display ads that have no targeting at all.

B2B Thought Leadership 100

B2B Thought Leadership Advertising Agencies B2B Marketing Paid Search Agency 100

Chris Koch

APRIL 2, 2010

Let’s face it, even if it was possible to curl up in front of the fire with a glass of wine and our B2B products and services, no one would do it. This company understands my pain. This may be the ultimate question in B2B, especially as we struggle to integrate social media into the overall marketing mix. These guys are smart.

B2B Thought Leadership 100

B2B Thought Leadership B2B Marketing Marketing Budget Thought Leadership 100

Chris Koch

JULY 10, 2009

He offers a great example from a client: “For example, in our campaign with Level 3, a leading fiber-based communications company, we tracked whether prospects downloaded a vbook. Company (so we’re a client/not a client; what does that have to do with anything at this stage of the buying process?).

Web 2.0 100

Web 2.0 B2B Thought Leadership Ideal Customer Profiles Thought Leadership 100

Chris Koch

AUGUST 21, 2009

Recently, I was asked by a former ITSMA client to help put together a plan for a thought leadership program for a B2B technology company that sells both products and services. The goal of thought leadership is not just to raise awareness of the company; it is to help make a sale. Here are my thoughts on the big pieces.

Thought Leadership 100

Thought Leadership B2B Thought Leadership Network Marketing B2B Sales 100

Chris Koch

AUGUST 21, 2009

Recently, I was asked by a former ITSMA client to help put together a plan for a thought leadership program for a B2B technology company that sells both products and services. The goal of thought leadership is not just to raise awareness of the company; it is to help make a sale. Here are my thoughts on the big pieces.

Thought Leadership 100

Thought Leadership B2B Thought Leadership Network Marketing Paper 100

Chris Koch

JANUARY 15, 2010

But a quick read of our magazine showed that we didn’t write about products. That requires a culture shift in the company and new skills for marketers and employees. Employees, subject matter experts and marketers all need to represent the company, but in a way that is transparent, constructive, and cordial. We’re all PR now.

Social Media 100

Social Media Work Management Marketing Management Marketing Automation Services 100

Chris Koch

JULY 24, 2009

Two of the companies I spoke to for my report use analytics to determine which marketing tactics are working and which ones aren’t. That lets them be more productive in marketing, by focusing effort and budget on the good stuff, and it lets them reduce the time to a sale by giving salespeople better tools to work with.

Top of Funnel 100

Top of Funnel Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Marketing Automation Services 100

Chris Koch

JULY 24, 2009

Two of the companies I spoke to for my report use analytics to determine which marketing tactics are working and which ones aren’t. That lets them be more productive in marketing, by focusing effort and budget on the good stuff, and it lets them reduce the time to a sale by giving salespeople better tools to work with.

Lead Qualification 100

Lead Qualification Marketing Automation Services Lead Scoring Lead Ranking 100

Chris Koch

JANUARY 22, 2010

We need to believe that more engagement between our companies and the people we want to reach is a good thing that ultimately leads to sales—but down a long, narrow, winding path with a few jumps between cliffs thrown in there. And I haven’t encountered anyone else who can either, have you? Lots of variables there. Return on media impact.

Social Media 100

Social Media ROI Lead Ranking RSS 100

Chris Koch

MARCH 12, 2012

Connectedness equals productivity, as we discovered (eventually) with PCs and laptops in earlier times that began just as chaotically as mobile has. Companies have had big data since the first mainframe. Companies need to examine the usage patterns of the people who get mobile devices and apps. Far from it.

Enterprise Management 100

Enterprise Management Lock-In Marketing Management Paper 100

Chris Koch

DECEMBER 28, 2010

Companies have a long and pointless history of resisting new forms of communication. From Facebook to email to putting telephones on employees’ desks (remember, the telephone started as a “consumer” communication technology, too), companies think that every new wave is going to lead to gajillions in lost productivity.

Planning 100

Planning Work Management Paid Search Agency B2B Thought Leadership 100

Chris Koch

FEBRUARY 7, 2014

But research by my colleague Stephanie Overby has found that the real workhorse driving increased customization of manufactured goods on the production line is the Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Machine. CNC machines make it easier for companies to customize products; alterations are just a matter of reprogramming the software.

Startups 100

Startups High Quality Lead Cost Order 100