Marketing Craftmanship

MARCH 12, 2020

Notably it: • Allows us to be selective about the types of companies we would like to have as clients. Incentivizes prospects to respond to our solicitation because the content applies only to them. The essential ingredient in an effective pitch letter is the time you invest in researching a prospective client.

Work Management 130

Work Management Marketing Management Content Marketing Blast Campaigns 130

Marketing Craftmanship

SEPTEMBER 18, 2020

There are practical reasons diet companies and national gym chains spend most of their advertising budgets within two seasonal windows: in advance of the new year, when people make their annual resolutions, and in springtime, when beachgoers face the prospect of wearing a bathing suit in public. Setting Unrealistic Expectations.

Enterprise Management 147

Enterprise Management Planning Work Management Marketing Management 147

Marketing Craftmanship

AUGUST 31, 2018

For most B2B companies, there’s no reliable way to predict when a prospective client will purchase their product or engage their services, regardless of what their “marketing automation” expert promises. Making a Prospective Client’s Short List. Or ideally, as the only firm under consideration.)

Work Management 100

Work Management Marketing Management Marketing Automation Services CRM 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. For every pitch letter we send out, my firm invests at least an hour or two researching the target company. But the only thing that’s of interest to prospects is what you can do for them.

Effectiveness 124

Effectiveness Business RFP Lead Scoring 124

Marketing Craftmanship

MARCH 11, 2019

Nearly 5 years ago, I wrote a LinkedIn blog post ( The PR Industry’s Dirty Little Secret ) that called out PR practitioners who use their “close relationships” with journalists – along with the implication that those relationships will generate media coverage – to sell their services to prospective clients. Prospect: What do you mean?

PR 100

PR Linkedin Media Contacts 100

Marketing Craftmanship

MARCH 13, 2021

While representing a major chain of food stores as outside PR counsel, I brought in a Forbes reporter in hopes of having her write a company profile. The food chain had been doing very well, had an interesting story, and there was no negative news associated with the company. The reporter’s 2-hour interview with the CEO went very well.

Media 147

Media PR Press Advertising Agencies 147

Marketing Craftmanship

AUGUST 18, 2017

It not only changed how companies produced printed materials; it also changed who was responsible for producing them. The error of many companies using Marketing Automation? Here’s a highly improbable solution: Require that prospective customers are pre-qualified to purchase your product. And that created a different problem.

Marketing Automation Services 100

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

Marketing Craftmanship

OCTOBER 9, 2016

The first question we ask prospective clients is, “Do you have a Marketing Plan?”. Most prospects sheepishly acknowledge that they don’t have a formal Marketing Plan. There are several good and bad reasons why companies (of all sizes) don’t create a Marketing Plan. This group earns big points with us for honesty.

Planning 100

Planning Marketing Plans Work Management Marketing Management 100

Marketing Craftmanship

MAY 13, 2020

Many companies have abused email to such a great extent — bombarding clients, prospects and referral sources with email blasts, self-serving newsletters and other useless information — that it’s now extremely difficult to get noticed or gain meaningful traction. Direct Communication. Less is more, if it’s well written.

Blast Campaigns 130

Blast Campaigns Webinar Metrics Lead Scoring Lead Ranking 130

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. For every pitch letter we send out, my firm invests at least an hour or two researching the target company. But the only thing that’s of interest to prospects is what you can do for them.

RFP 100

RFP Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Tactics 100

Marketing Craftmanship

DECEMBER 28, 2016

But for most industries – lacking any quantitative basis or objective means on which to base relative performance of its individual companies – there are several reasons why participation in industry award competitions intended to recognize superiority or “excellence” can be a waste of resources, as well as a brand liability.

Enterprise Management 100

Enterprise Management Work Management Marketing Management Aggregators 100

Marketing Craftmanship

OCTOBER 14, 2014

Extrinsic selling occurs, according to Wittreich, when a B2B seller relies on successful work that’s been performed for other customers, as a means to validate the seller’s capabilities and potential ability to perform for a prospective customer. Create Tools to Engage Prospects. No leap of faith required.

Case Study 100

Case Study Case Studies Studies B2B Thought Leadership 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?”. And although this may be true, that response typically fails to convince the prospect, and can even backfire.

B2B Thought Leadership 100

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

Marketing Craftmanship

JULY 8, 2019

Your company uses 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. Direct and easy access to your company’s clients, prospects, referral sources and opinion leaders is essential. Build and Nurture your Database.

Advertising Mediums 100

Advertising Mediums B2B Marketing B2B Thought Leadership Planning 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. Reduce decision-making risk for prospective clients. Conduct a pedigree “sniff-test” before you knock on doors.

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

NOVEMBER 17, 2011

For most companies, there is no way to predict when a prospect will purchase their product or engage their services. Top-of-mind awareness, driven by these four disciplines, is not an esoteric marketing achievement, or a tactic that yields tangible benefits only when a prospective client assigns your firm a place on the short list.

Sales Cycle 100

Sales Cycle Marketing Management Lead Nurturing Sales Qualified Leads 100

Marketing Craftmanship

JANUARY 25, 2016

According to Fast Company magazine co-founder, William C. Taylor , leaders at high performing companies are “able to explain, in language that is unique to their field, and compelling to their colleagues and customers, why what they do matters and how they expect to win.”

Work Management 100

Work Management Enterprise Management Marketing & Strategy Marketing Strategy 100

Marketing Craftmanship

MARCH 24, 2011

Extrinsic selling occurs, according to Wittreich, when a B2B seller relies on successful work that’s been performed for other customers, as a means to validate the seller’s capabilities and potential ability to perform for a prospective customer. Create Simple Tools to Engage Prospects.

Work Management 100

Work Management Validation B2B Sales Marketing Management 100

Marketing Craftmanship

AUGUST 19, 2011

A big problem for many companies, from a brand marketing perspective, is that: Their well-intentioned graphic design firm has provided them with a website with functions requiring new and refreshed content. Based on these impressions, website visitors will likely conclude one or all of the following: This company is out of business.

Thought Leadership 100

Thought Leadership Paper Press Case Study 100

Marketing Craftmanship

MAY 11, 2016

Your 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. Direct and easy access to your company’s clients, prospects, referral sources and opinion leaders is essential. M arketing.

B2B Marketing 100

B2B Marketing Planning B2B Thought Leadership B2B 100

Marketing Craftmanship

MAY 22, 2017

Over time, this means moving brand perceptions away from “Smith & Company: Jack Smith’s business,” and arriving at “Smith & Company: The business that Jack Smith built.” Or better yet, eventually “Smith & Company: Who was Jack Smith, anyway?”.

Enterprise Management 100

Enterprise Management Work Management Marketing Management B2B Thought Leadership 100

Marketing Craftmanship

JUNE 28, 2016

As a result, today’s B2B marketers are failing to capture opportunities to connect with prospects through physical materials, in a business environment where the arrival of personalized, first-class mail is often a unique event; prompting most gatekeepers to ensure that it’s delivered to the intended target.

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. A blog’s marketing function is to drive top-of-mind awareness with your clients, prospects and referral sources.

Ideal Customer Profiles 100

Ideal Customer Profiles Opinions Linkedin ROI 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. Cry-Baby: This marketer believes clients and prospects have a genuine interest in her company’s ideas, experience, success, etc. The “It’s All About ME.” It’s All about ME.”

Marketing Management 100

Marketing Management Paid Search Agency Marketing & Strategy Paper 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 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

MARCH 1, 2015

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. Direct and easy access to your company’s clients, prospects, referral sources and opinion leaders is essential. Less is usually more.

B2B Marketing 100

B2B Marketing B2B Thought Leadership Planning B2B 100

Marketing Craftmanship

DECEMBER 22, 2015

When pressed to explain why their company has a blog, many CEOs will admit they were either pushed by marketing counsel to create one, or believed they needed a blog because their competitors have them. Unfortunately, a blog is much like a marriage, but without dating in advance of a commitment.

Allocation 100

Allocation Terms and Conditions Paid Search Agency Enterprise Management 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 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

FEBRUARY 5, 2015

As the limitations of a virtual marketplace continue to reduce most B2B firms to commodities, it’s become increasingly important to communicate not just what your company does, but to generate interest in what your enterprise stands for. Acid Test: Do credible media sources cover the company? never succeeds.

B2B Thought Leadership 100

B2B Thought Leadership Enterprise Management Brand Identity Branding 100

Marketing Craftmanship

JANUARY 16, 2013

Unless your firm has accomplished something truly noteworthy—like discovering your profession’s equivalent of cold fusion—then the likelihood of your clients, prospects and referral sources actually noticing the media exposure and doing something about it, such as visiting your firm’s website or requesting an introductory meeting, is probably low.

Tactics 100

Tactics B2B Marketing CPA Cost per Acquisition 100

Marketing Craftmanship

FEBRUARY 14, 2013

A company Blog had everything I was looking for in social media. Engage clients and prospects. Blog visitors wonder if my company has a pulse. I can’t look at the company’s website anymore, because my Blog is always there, reminding me of our failed relationship. My sad story: It was love at first sight.

Merchandising 100

Merchandising Thought Leadership Promotion Social Media 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

JUNE 5, 2016

Those generations are now starting their own companies, are moving into managerial positions, are raising families of their own…and are making personal, business and investment decisions that affect the fortunes of individual enterprises and the entire economy.

Validation 100

Validation Ideal Customer Profiles Thought Leadership Marketing & Strategy 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