August 2nd, 2010 - Posted in Social Media Marketing, Solution Provider Services by tim
It’s the marketing mix that leads to better demand generation — not a focus on one particular approach. To fill your sales pipeline, it’s best to use a combination of new and traditional marketing techniques. Don’t ignore social media, but at the same time, be sure to build in some direct mail and telemarketing. The key is to pull it all together into an integrated go-to-market strategy.
Instead of thinking about marketing tactics, start with your objectives. What do you want to accomplish? This can include revenue goals, new account wins and existing client penetration. Once you’ve figured out what you want to reach, it’s time to figure out how you’re going to get there.
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June 1st, 2010 - Posted in Solution Provider Services by tim
The potential for social media to build your brand and drive sales is salient, but there’s more to marketing than electrons. Direct mail remains a powerful way to engage IT decision-makers and lure them into your sales cycle.
Direct mail is both effective and increasingly unexpected. E-mail inboxes fill up quickly with newsletters, pitches and white papers, making it easy for yours to get lost in the shuffle. But, a well-designed mailer with a powerfully conveyed message can pop – and it has to be touched, put on a desk and opened.
Paper isn’t easily deleted!
As you put together and execute your marketing plan, be sure to include a significant direct mail component in your mix of marketing tools. It’s another way to reach your market, and one that will make you stand out.
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January 28th, 2010 - Posted in Solution Provider Services, Strategy by tim
There is no shortage of IT marketing agencies on the market that would be thrilled to have you as a client. You get calls regularly, have listened to countless pitches and reviewed what feels like a never-ending stack of presentations on demand generation. So, how do you choose? If you have a partner in place, how do you evaluate its effectiveness?
The most important aspect of your relationship, of course, is the result generated. You are looking for a return on your marketing investment, and sluggish demand generation is probably an indicator that you need to take a closer look at your IT marketing agency. And, strong results may be effective now, but you need to think toward the future — is your agency equipped to help you grow and mature?
To help you answer these questions, you’ll find below five characteristics of an
optimal IT marketing partner. Take a look to get a sense of what you are receiving
from your current relationship.
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Tags:
content,
demand management,
direct mail,
internet marketing,
investment,
IT marketing,
IT sales,
lead cultivation,
marketing partner,
online marketing,
partner,
ROI,
sales,
social media,
telemarketing,
web analytics
December 28th, 2009 - Posted in Manufacturer Services, Solution Provider Services by tim
All the buzz has been focused on online and social media marketing, but it would be unwise to forget about direct mail. According to the Direct Marketing Association, direct mail marketing is set to increase by more than $1 billion in 2010. In 2009, $44.4 billion was spend on direct mail, with the 2010 total expected to reach $45.5 billion.
The DMA has also found that non-catalog direct mail is still delivering a solid ROI. For every dollar spent on non-catalog direct, the DMA found that it returned $15.22 this year. E-mail, on the other hand, isn’t as effective as the marketing community once believed. Commercial e-mail led to $26 billion in sales in 2009 — compared to $445.8 billion for non-catalog direct mail.
[Via deliver magazine]
