Marketing Virgin

Check out this new video by Hubspot. It’s a pretty funny way to promote inbound marketing.

Click here to view the video.

My company is an Alliance Partner with Cisco Systems. Over the past few years, I have come to respect the marketing machine that Cisco has developed. They must have hundreds, if not thousands of marketing team members whose diligence and creativity has lead to an innovative re-branding effort.
Welcome to the Human Network.
A few years ago, Cisco decided to go against the norm of “this is what we do” advertising and focus on how their products change everyday lives. Their message is not targeted to the traditional “IT types” - it now encompasses a global audience from every walk of life.
This new messaging project cost Cisco $100 million and was initiated two years ago. Revenues have increased 41% from 2006 to 2008.
Cisco shows us that you can teach an old dog new tricks.  

 To see a sample ad, click here.

I’m not going to lie, I need some help. I’m working on a charity fashion show that will take place next April at a swanky Austin location. Are there any “out of the box” marketing tips that you can give me to drive support within the community? So far all we have are a few logitics details (date, time, location, theme, donor levels) and it would be nice to differentiate this show from all the others.

Thanks!

Social networking is the hottest thing in job hunting today. LinkedIn.com, a site that “links” working professionals, has recently raised $53 million from investors, bumping its value to an estimated $1 billion. The site currently has 23 million members and is adding 1.2 million every month.

LinkedIn is a free way to put your resume before thousands of potential employers. Although I am not looking for a new career, I have been contacted by five companies so far this year.

The company has recently added new modules that allow you to see who has looked at your profile, join groups, ask questions to a large audience, and view job postings.

Join today!

For marketers, a persona represents a group of people that have certain pre-selected characteristics.

When developing a persona, a marketer will determine which habits, traits, demographic, psychographic (etc) characteristics their best clients possess. These qualities will help them target their messaging to them.

For example, say you own a boutique that sells high-end baby furniture, clothing, toys, etc. Who is going to be your best customer?

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My recommended article for the day:

I picked up the February edition of Inc magazine, a publication dedicated to entrepreneurs, and they have a great beginner’s guide to marketing in the digital age. They also wrote an interesting article on how Ford Model Agency used viral video to boost revenue 140%. Grab your copy today, or stop by my office to get mine.

I checked my mailbox yesterday and what did I have? A handful of what we call “junk mail.”

You know what I’m talking about - “0% interest until 2012,” “Get two 20 ounce bottles of cleaner for only $9.99!” “Want to refinance your mortgage?” As usual, I immediately threw away this mail while wondering how many trees were sacrificed for its meaningless purpose and pondering its ramifications on our ecosystem. (Okay, I’m from Austin, it’s my inner hippy speaking).

As a person in marketing, I have to wonder to myself, “who the heck came up with this marketing strategy? Isn’t direct mail in this form dead?”

This is why opt-in marketing is so important. In my opinion, it’s the sign of a truly successful marketer. I think this is what social/next gen marketing/web 2.0 is all about. Get your audience to listen to you - voluntarily. Read blogs, subscribe to an RSS feed, join a group, sign up for e-mail communication - these are all things that you want your target market to do.

So here’s to you, Mr. Direct Mail Spammer. I know that the days at your job are numbered.

Keep your trash to yourself…

Best time to follow up with a sales prospect:

• Follow up within 24 hours of a form submission, site visit, etc
• Schedule calls for 3-6PM
• After 5PM is a good time to schedule a followup call with a contact or leave a message
• Fridays have the best contact rates (they slowly improve from Monday through Friday)

Courtesy of MarketingSherpa

I once had a professor who would pose this question every time I went to class. His answer: “A relationship.” Nothing more, nothing less. We all gave him the, “huh?” look the first few times, but then we quickly learned how to give him the response he desired. In time, before he could even get the question out, someone would yell, “a relationship!” That sentence was the only thing I learned in that class – and by the way, I got an “A”.
Misconceptions about marketing:
1. Marketing = Advertising Advertising is a function of marketing. Marketing uses advertising to gain interest in a product, service, or the company as a whole. 2. Marketing = Sales Sales follows marketing. It is the job of marketing to gain the interest of prospects, nurture and build a relationship, and turn over the qualified prospects to the sales staff to “seal the deal”. 
 

Marketing is the process of generating interest in you. Your goal is to build awareness about your brand, solution, or service among the people you think are most likely to benefit. This group of people is also known as your target market. You want this group to give you information about themselves – their general interests, contact information, timeframe for purchase, etc. This will help your company close a deal.  
What is marketing to you?