Focus Your Message & Offer It’s important to focus your acquisition campaigns around a key message and a call-‐to-‐action. If you deliver every detail about your product and company in the prospect’s lap at one time, you can overwhelm your prospect. As a result, the prospect may not move forward out of confusion or because s/he’s found another company that’s selling with more focus. Deliver one or two key messages and your call-‐to-‐action If you include every detail about your product and company, it’s easy for prospects to become overwhelmed. Just move a prospect one step at a time. Be creative -‐-‐ your market is bombarded with messages daily, so grab their attention and engage them. Focus your campaign on moving a prospect forward one step at a time. Understand what the prospect needs and deliver it at the right time; keep building value toward a close, guiding the prospect toward that end goal. Target your audience With more specific targeting, you can speak more directly to the prospect and raise your response rates in the process.
Summary EXERCISE SUMMARY
When to Address
Who Should Participate
Where to Use the Results
After you’ve outlined your campaign goals and campaign strategy ideas Marketing and sales leaders Marketing coordinators Creative Throughout your campaign
Marketing Campaigns Focus Your Message & Offer
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Why it’s Important
Focusing your message and offer to the right people at the right time can drastically improve your campaign results.
What Builds Upon it
Your campaign creative
Timeframe to Completion Potential Business Impact Deliverable
Next Steps
30 to 60 minutes
Medium. It can make the difference between a break-‐even and a very successful campaign You’ll determine the stage of your prospect’s buying process to target and the type of message to deliver. It’s time to move directly to the subject that covers your chosen media: Telemarketing Direct Mail Email Marketing Online Advertising Search Marketing Publicity Trade Shows & Events Traditional Media
Target Completion Date
PARTICIPANTS Marketing Campaigns Focus Your Message & Offer
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PARTICIPANTS PERSON RESPONSIBLE
TASKS
DUE DATE
Notes
Marketing Campaigns Focus Your Message & Offer
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Focus Your Message & Offer
What to Complete
1. IDENTIFY TARGET STEP IN BUYING PROCESS 2. SELECT MESSAGES AND ACTIVITIES
Where it Fits in Marketing Campaigns Estimate Response Rate Project Sales Process Set Customer Goals Calculate Goal Metrics Determine Business Goals Select Campaign Media Identify Target Step in Buying Process Select Messages and Activities [Jump to Campaign Subject to Plan Details] Determine # of Impressions, Leads and Customers Create Revenue and Profit Projections Create Budget and ROI Analysis Outline Media Plan Metrics Determine How Prospects Will Respond to Your Offer Create Fulfillment Plan Steps Measure Campaign Results Create an Improvement Plan
1. IDENTIFY TARGET STEP IN BUYING PROCESS Here are some general guidelines and ideas for marketing to companies in various stages of the buying process. [Sales Process can help] BUYING PROCESS WHAT’S HAPPENING HERE NOTES STEP/WHAT HAPPENS Marketing Campaigns Focus Your Message & Offer
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BUYING PROCESS STEP/WHAT HAPPENS No problems Identify problem
Validate problem/gain support Research solutions Vendor/supplier discussions Identify leading vendors Formalize bidding process Review bids Negotiate with finalists Choose solution Negotiate contract
WHAT’S HAPPENING HERE
NOTES
Business as usual – the company has no pain
Someone identifies a problem. It may come at annual planning time when a goal is established and the company realizes that it needs help. The person who identifies the problem begins the process of gaining support to find a solution. May identify other areas that are affected by the problem. The person begins to research potential solutions to the problem The company begins to talk with vendors/suppliers The company has selected one or more leading vendors/ suppliers and will use that company as its benchmark The company sets its formal objectives, budget, and parameters for the project, then seeks bids/proposals The company reviews the bids /proposals The company narrows down two to three finalists and negotiates terms The company identifies its solution and notifies the winner If the companies must negotiate a contract, it is done here
Marketing Campaigns Focus Your Message & Offer
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BUYING PROCESS STEP/WHAT HAPPENS Execute contract / purchase
WHAT’S HAPPENING HERE
NOTES
When the contract is executed, the initial sales process has concluded
Buying process step to pursue
Comments/ideas:
2. SELECT MESSAGES AND ACTIVITIES Now, find the buying process step you selected in the left-‐hand column and review the appropriate messages and activities for that step. BUYING PROCESS WHAT’S HAPPENING APPROPRIATE MESSAGES AND ACTIVITIES STEP/WHAT USE? HERE FOR THIS STEP HAPPENS No problems Business as usual – If you can reach certain segments of the company has no the market that have a high probability pain for pain, then you can try to help them identify the pain. Otherwise, it may be too expensive to actively reach out to the market when no pain is felt. Instead, focus on companies that already know about their problem and are looking for solutions. Identify problem Someone identifies a Know or gather information about your Marketing Campaigns Focus Your Message & Offer
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BUYING PROCESS STEP/WHAT HAPPENS
WHAT’S HAPPENING HERE
problem. It may come at annual planning time when a goal is established and the company realizes that it needs help. Validate The person who problem/gain identifies the problem support begins the process of gaining support to find a solution. May identify other areas that are affected by the problem. Research solutions The person begins to research potential solutions to the problem
APPROPRIATE MESSAGES AND ACTIVITIES FOR THIS STEP
USE?
prospects’ typical planning cycles, contract expiration dates, trends, etc. Build partnerships and alliances with companies who can refer you to these prospects at the earliest possible stage
Understand the needs of various departments within your prospect organizations and prepare sales tools to gain their support and buy in at the appropriate time. Some companies market to these “influencers” at high-‐value prospects
Now that the person is beginning to research, you need to be “found.” Identify all of the places where this person will research solutions and build your presence. For example: Advertise on industry websites and print publications Create very targeted website landing pages and optimize for search so that these people will find you organically Use paid search to drive search traffic to your site Reach out to bloggers; create your own blog to educate and build traffic to your site Offer a white paper, seminar or other resource to help educate the person as they are researching solutions Make sure you have a simple contact process so that prospects can request valuable information from you by phone, email or website form – and put a great fulfillment process in place to deliver the information quickly and then follow up with the prospect.
Marketing Campaigns Focus Your Message & Offer
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BUYING PROCESS STEP/WHAT HAPPENS Vendor/supplier discussions
Identify leading vendors
Formalize bidding process
Review bids
WHAT’S HAPPENING HERE
APPROPRIATE MESSAGES AND ACTIVITIES FOR THIS STEP
The company begins to talk with vendors/suppliers
Continue touching the market as outlined in the previous step – make sure you’re easily found in the obvious places. Exhibit and potentially sponsor relevant trade shows and seminars – it’s a good place for buyers to start discussions. Make sure the first touch your market has with your company is a positive and informative one Build a tracking system to assign/track leads and ensures that nothing falls through the cracks. Educate them on how you compare to the competition (as long as you can deliver the best solution to their needs). Do the evaluation work for them, but be honest about it. Make sure your sales literature and tools are consistent with your branding and deliver the information they’ll need. Make sure you have a good proposal template that focuses on benefits, answers all questions clearly and delivers the information in the format requested by the prospect Create additional tools to deliver with your bid Relationship-‐building is crucial through the next few steps. Create opportunities to reinforce your company’s relationship with prospects at this stage – for example, small but special events (golf outings) for current and prospective customers, or a salesperson wining-‐and-‐dining Continue relationship-‐building Make sure your organization can respond quickly to requests and
The company has selected one or more leading vendors/ suppliers and will use that company as its benchmark
The company sets its formal objectives, budget, and parameters for the project, then seeks bids/proposals
The company reviews the bids /proposals
USE?
Marketing Campaigns Focus Your Message & Offer
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BUYING PROCESS STEP/WHAT HAPPENS
WHAT’S HAPPENING HERE
APPROPRIATE MESSAGES AND ACTIVITIES FOR THIS STEP
objections. Create messaging/responses for anticipated questions and objections, and make sure your team delivers those messages consistently Communicate relevant news and findings (for example, new case studies) to prospects at this stage Negotiate with The company narrows Continue activities from previous step finalists down two to three finalists and negotiates terms Choose solution The company Thank the prospect identifies its solution Reinforce the good choice and notifies the Immediately begin a successful winner transition to the next phase – don’t lose the momentum just because you’ve won the deal Negotiate contract If the companies must Be flexible and fair – one-‐sided terms negotiate a contract, create unbalanced partnerships it is done here. Never stop selling! Keep a businessperson involved in contract discussions as much as possible. Don’t let the discussions get heated. Be sure to outline remedies for resolving problems at this stage Execute contract / When the contract is Make sure you have a solid purchase executed, the initial management plan in place. sales process has Start thinking about customer retention concluded.
USE?
Now think about your campaign concepts from [Exercise 531 or 538 can help] and match them to the step in the sales process you go through with a typical prospect.
Marketing Campaigns Focus Your Message & Offer
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CAMPAIGN CONCEPT: Media to use and any ideas for the campaign
BUYING PROCESS STEP
APPROPRIATE MESSAGES AND ACTIVITIES FOR THIS STEP
Now, decide on your final campaign concept and the appropriate messages to deliver: Campaign concept Messages to deliver Marketing Campaigns Focus Your Message & Offer
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Comments/ideas: Next, move to the individual campaign sections to help you implement each campaign: SECTION CAMPAIGN TYPE EXERCISES NUMBER 17 Telemarketing 410-‐421 23 Direct Mail 490-‐501 19 Email Marketing 450-‐463 21 Online Advertising 600-‐608 20 Search Marketing 470-‐481 22 Publicity 510-‐524 18 Trade Shows & Events 430-‐440 24 Traditional Media 550-‐569 You will use these subjects along with the rest of the Marketing Campaigns exercises.
Marketing Campaigns Focus Your Message & Offer
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Focus Your Message & Offer
Report
1. IDENTIFY TARGET STEP IN BUYING PROCESS 2. SELECT MESSAGES AND ACTIVITIES This report summarizes our results from completing Exercise 532 – Marketing Campaigns: Focus Your Message and Offer. Campaign Name
Media type
Run Dates
1. IDENTIFY TARGET STEP IN BUYING PROCESS Buying process step to pursue
Comments/ideas: Marketing Campaigns Focus Your Message & Offer
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2. SELECT MESSAGES AND ACTIVITIES Our final campaign concept and the appropriate messages to deliver are as follows: Campaign concept Messages to deliver Comments/ideas:
Marketing Campaigns Focus Your Message & Offer
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