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MarketingExperiments: 2008 Internet Marketing Strategy

I attended a webinar yesterday presented by MarketingExperiments  called "2008 Internet Marketing Strategy: Are you prepared". I've really been impressed by the quality of information given at MarketingExperiments webinars, and also with the enthusiasm and energy that they are presented with.

MarketingExperiments is an online laboratory with the purpose to discover what really works. They provide research reports and education (free and paid). They are part of MECLABS, which also owns MarketingSherpa and MECLABS also recently purchased InTouch. I am very happy for Brian Carroll who started InTouch (and who authors B2B Lead Generation Blog and the book - Lead Generation for a Complex Sales) because it is nice to know that his thought leadership, passion, enthusiasm has been fully valued and recognized.  Brian mentions on his blog that he will be continuing his blog, so make sure you visit his blog -  it is hands down one of the best B2B blogs.

Anyhow, back to MarketingExperiments, from what I understand...they invest millions of dollars into research so I suggest that you take advantage of some of their free content such as webinars, their journal, and other information on their website . It is exciting to know that there are folks out there doing solid academic-style research and experimentation in online marketing using live data.

In this particular webinar they outlined what they thought were the 6 most important steps you need to take in your 2008 marketing plan.  They consisted of:

1. Implement truly reliable metrics
2. Improve your capacity to test
3. Reorder your marketing priorities
4. Conduct a thorough competitive analysis
5. Explore and test new media
6. Revolutionize the way you communicate

Some of these may sound like the usual rehash of ideas/advice, but the key points presented under each section were dead-on, presented with a fresh perspective (not to mention backed by research findings). The research that was presented at this webinar will also be included in a briefing, so sign-up for the MarketingExperiments Journal and look out for their next briefing.

Here is a litte bit of information on those 6 steps (until you can get your hands on the briefing):

1. Implement truly reliable metrics - put tools in place to evaluate your current condition, track response to your campaigns, and measure progress towards your goals.  Schedule time to keep score, watch for patterns, learn from mistakes and improve on your successes.

2. Improve your capacity to test - ensure that you have the right tools, talent, and resources to perform useful tests.

3. Reorder your marketing priorities - focus first on optimizing your product and value proposition, then focus on communication of your value proposition.  You need to have a good value proposition, but you also need to present it effectively (in landing pages, email copy, sales path). Finally drive as much traffic as you can to your website.

4. Conduct a thorough competitive analysis - this of course is understanding your competitors, and doing a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats). This information is critical to your value proposition. If you search for competitive analysis on their website you will find related briefings in this area

5. Explore and test new media - mentioned here was that we can't ignore some of the trends and changes happening in this area.. and  social media, mobile marketing, impact of blogs,  changes in PPC, and PPC engines. It is important to engage, to explore the relevance, and test.

6. Revolutionize the way you communicate - the points presented here really drove things home for me...and it relates to how we interact with our prospects...this section was so well articulated and will solidify what I think smart marketers already know, or at least have good intuition about. Instead of summarizing here, I would rather direct you to to the actual notes called: The Prospect’s Protest (A Problem) and The MarketingExperiments Creed (A Response) or see the video below:

Life as an IT B2B Marketer

I remember hearing a few years back , how IT B2B Marketers ranked poorly against other types or Marketers (I think it was in a MarketingSherpa webcast). I remember vaguely that it was due to experience and education, and I'm sure it was due to other factors as well. It seems that IT B2B marketers have varied backgrounds and education. I've often thought about what it takes to succeed, and what makes it so challenging. One of the challenging aspects is keeping up with different subject areas. On a high level it could be Technology (as it relates to your product and industry), Business Issues (and how your technical products align to it), and Marketing Strategy (as it relates to your company, and your industry).

Marketing Strategy alone could break into so many other branches, such as online and offline, or brand, lead generation and nuturing, and supporting the sales cycle.  I've only brushed upon the different aspects of being a successful IT B2B marketer, and the truth is that I'm still learning - everyday and every month on the areas that need work and improvement.

One area that I've been trying to improve, is in setting goals, objectives, and metrics for every campaign or project that I work on. That means knowing what success looks like, figuring out how to reach it and how to measure it. As marketers, it seems like an innate perspective, but many of us don't have the background or experience in it.

Looking at campaigns from the perspective of  a Direct Marketer has helped me. Any IT B2B Marketer with a Direct Marketing background has an advantage, but for those of us that don't, there are plenty of resources around to help. One magazine that I find extremely useful is Target Marketing Magazine. I'd like to draw your attention to a B2B article in the last issue about the challenges of a B2B Marketer:  B-to-B Insights: What are We Doing Here?. If you ever need a moment to pull it all back together, and gain some perspective on your day-to-day work, this article by Russell Kern is a great place to start.

The article reminded me that being successful in whatever you do, whether it is IT B2B marketing or anything else is appreciating the challenge of what you do, embracing it,  having fun, and being passionate about it.