There is nothing more compelling and persuasive than hearing a customer share their perspectives on the advantages of a particular product or technology. Hands-down, customer testimonial videos offer an unparalleled marketing opportunity:

• Prospective customers looking to make a buying decision will watch customer testimonial videos with great interest, and be influenced by what they see and hear. Reading a text quote from a customer can be impactful, but actually watching a customer speak on-camera about a company is even more impressive. Prospects come away with a better understanding of your technology, they feel reassured that your company is reliable, and that your solutions are credible and highly recommended by an industry peer.  
• Customers can sell your products and services better than you can.  Loyal customers are eager to please. They will ask you what products and services you would like them to discuss, and they will espouse your technology’s key selling points on their own, via off-the-cuff commentary that is often more compelling and interesting than anything you would write for yourself about your company. As an example, one of our customers wrote a lengthy recommendation letter on our behalf, and the letter began this way: If this letter were a fortune cookie, it would read:  “Congratulations on finding NIA Creative. Expect great things in your future.” Fortunately, I have more space to elaborate on the greatness of NIA than a fortune cookie will allow, so let me start out by saying that NIA Creative is the only agency that I have maintained a working relationship with over the last six years because they’re consistently great at what they do…And the letter just got better from there. Lucky for us, our customers are marketing folks so they intuitively understand what we’re looking for when providing testimonial commentary:)
• Testimonial videos can be leveraged across a variety of marketing mediums.  You can upload testimonials to your corporate website as well as your company’s YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn pages. Then you can promote the testimonials on Twitter, blogs etc. All of this has the added benefit of improving your SEO. And of course you can showcase testimonial videos in your tradeshow booth as well as in your internal meetings and external customer events, and load the videos into your sales reps’ tablets and mobile phones.   
• Minimal investment produces an outstanding return.  Compared to the cost of traditional advertising and marketing (print ads, brochures, etc), the cost of shooting and editing testimonial videos is relatively inexpensive, and has a much greater potential for return on your investment.  When you run a print ad, you’ll pay for the design of the ad as well as the media buy, and when the ad runs, you’ll hope to have made an impression on your target audience…But a print ad is a long distance from closing a sale. When a prospect watches a testimonial video, he/she is more likely to be nearing a buying decision. Simply put, a strong customer testimonial can literally close the deal.

But how can you be sure that a customer testimonial video will work for you?  A simple web search reveals some interesting statistics:

• According to a Google statistic, by 2011, 85% of all web traffic will be video views.

• YouTube reports over 2 billion videos are viewed every day.  In 2010, there were over 700 billion video playbacks…Yet that number is expected to be more than double in 2011.

• In early 2010, TriMark added a customer testimonial video to retail landing pages. Within a month, they discovered lead conversion increases of 20% from those specific landing pages.

• Even more impressive, EyeView Digital reported conversion rate increases of over 80% when landing pages were optimized with added video.

So perhaps now you’re convinced – customer testimonial videos would be a worthwhile investment.  But how do you actually get the testimonials?  It’s simple. Just approach a handful of your most loyal customers and ask.  There may be some customers who are simply not allowed to provide commentary on camera due to their internal corporate policy, but most of the time you’ll be able to find a few customers who are able to obtain the necessary internal permissions, especially if you confirm that you’ll allow them to preview and approve the video before you launch it. 

Interested in looking at some testimonials we’ve shot and edited on behalf of our customers?  Checkout the NIA Creative YouTube Channel – you’ll find several examples there, along with other types of videos we’ve produced. 

One of several widgets NIA Creative developed for eHealthInsurance.com. Clients often ask us about emerging technologies, and what ideas we might have about creating something unique for their sales reps and/or something that their customers might find exciting. One of the most pressing emerging technologies - Mobile Marketing - has already emerged and many companies are now going all-in to leverage the opportunities presented and ensure they retain their share of the mobile landscape, developing mobile versions of their website, creating mobile or tablet apps, widgets etc.   Forrester Research’s recent report entitled 2011 Mobile Trends - authored by Julie Ask and Thomas Husson - provides insight into 10 trends that will shape the coming year.  Below are a few of the trends that sparked our interest the most:   2011 will be the year of the “dumb” smartphone user. According to the report, as a result of handset subsidies, smartphones will be available to a much broader audience; however, it is expected that new users will be less engaged and active than early adopters. That said, as a result of consumer marketing and education efforts, the overall expectation is that this broader audience will consume a greater amount of media. Mobile marketing spend will grow significantly and surpass $1 billion in the US as consumers spend billions via mobile. This prediction is further underscored by the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), who reports that mobile technology and digital marketing budgets together are now comprising approximately 36% of a typical company’s marketing budget. Conversely, outdoor, print and direct mail budgets are steadily decreasing in comparison. Mobile will increasingly prompt consumers to interact with their physical environment. We see this currently with QR codes and mobile augmented reality technologies. The term “mobile” will mean a lot more than mobile phones. 80% of Fortune 100 companies have tested or deployed the iPad - a significant figure that will only increase with the release of the iPad 2 and other tablets now on the market. Tablets enable sales reps to easily show presentations, videos and interactive demos, and offer a great format for inputting data into a custom pricing proforma, widget etc.   While the mobile marketing landscape continues to evolve, the key to success is integration. Mobile marketing strategies should be seamlessly integrated into your core marketing initiatives - in particular, your social media strategy - so that your tactics build on each other.

If you look online, you’ll find various versions of a 12-Month Tradeshow Planner / Checklist. This can be a very helpful tool; however, if you are like most marketing and tradeshow managers we have worked with, I’m sure your tradeshow is pretty much right around the corner and 12 months out was at least 9 months ago!With that in mind, NIA Creative has developed a more realistic 3-Month Planner, which will do a much better job of helping you to stay organized and on top of your fast-approaching event. Ideally, prior to now you have already formulated your tradeshow strategy, planned your budget, secured your booth space and hired and A/V company. With any luck, you might also have developed objectives for your event in terms of lead generation, press coverage etc. But most likely you are still trying to get your arms around your booth presence as a whole, and determining how best to attract and retain booth traffic, how to communicate your key messaging and most importantly, how to generate qualified leads that will then enable you to demonstrate ROI to your executive team. Here is where our planner can help.

3 Months Before Show:

• Contact your Agency - Contact your agency and/or seek out an agency for the first time, and let them know your situation. Don’t be embarrassed; we hear it all the time, and have the tools, resources and support that can help you make your event more successful than you could imagine.
• Message Development - Meet with your marketing and sales teams as well as your agency to discuss and develop the primary message that needs to be conveyed via your exhibit and supporting materials. Be sure that all team members are on-board, and work together to determine how best to convey that message via your booth, collateral, pre- and post-show promotion, etc. Are you launching new products? Discuss how this might impact your messaging. By getting all hands on deck, you’ll be able to roll-out the plan more quickly and efficiently.
• Design & Production - Work with your agency and print vendor and get started now on what you’ll need for your event. Depending on your goals, budget and the relative value you place on this particular show, you might need some or all of the following:
  • Pre-Show Lead Generation – Begin planning your pre-show marketing. Consider e-blasts, direct mail, social networking etc.  If you haven’t created a Twitter or Facebook Page for your event, do so now and assign staff to be responsible for social networking / blogging etc. Update your corporate website to reflect your participation.
  • Display graphics – If you already have most of your large format graphics ready, consider refreshing specific panels to incorporate your messaging and/or product information; perhaps you will want to leave your primary booth graphics as-is but add a couple of X-Stands or something similar.
  • Collateral – Check your inventory to be sure you have a sufficient quantity of your existing collateral on-hand; if you are running low, order more from your printer. If you need new materials, ask your agency to begin concepting collateral pieces that will meet both your short-term and long-term needs so that you can leverage these materials in your overall marketing plan.
  • Booth Media / Entertainment – Review your existing attract loops / videos / PowerPoint presentations / product demos, and determine how well they meet your objectives for your event. If changes are needed, will a minor update suffice or would it be better to create something fresh? Contact your agency to discuss your options.  If you have a relatively large booth space, consider creating a live interactive presentation, with a spokesperson who can both educate and entertain your audience.  If you decide to move forward with updating and/or creating booth media, the time to start is now.
  • Promotional Items/Giveaways/Leave Behinds – Consider creative and fun options that appeal to show-goers while also supporting your message. In addition to the typical whimsical giveaways, be  sure to consider offering a CD-ROM or Flash Drive to attendees – this will enable you to create and disseminate an informative interactive piece describing your products or technology.
  • Production Planning – Contact your vendors and confirm drop-dead dates for submitting art files for the various pieces you are working on to ensure you will meet the delivery deadlines for the show…If you don’t know what the show’s delivery deadlines are, find out.
  • Event Planning – Contact your event sponsor to go over any questions you might have.

2 Months Before Show:

• Pre-Show Lead Generation - Create and send your first e-blast. Continue social networking activities.
• Design & Production - If you haven’t yet finalized concepts for your booth materials / marketing pieces, now is the time to do that. Where at all possible meet with your agencies / vendors in-person to go over the concepts and be specific as to any changes you would like to see. The more specific you are, the faster your agency will be able to execute your vision.  If possible at this time, get final art files to your print/production vendors.
• Booth Media Development - Your agency / production house should now already be in process of developing any booth media you might need: attract loops, in-booth video presentation and/or live interactive booth entertainment, interactive presentations to be provided on CD-ROM / flash drive leave-behinds, etc. Check-in to confirm the production schedule and plan to be available for reviews/approvals throughout the process.
• Promotional Items/Giveaways – Order all giveaways/promotional items; depending on what you are ordering and in what quantity, it is possible that your vendor might be having your items produced overseas. If that is the case, you will definitely need to order your giveaways at least 2 months out to ensure arrival at your event.
• Booth Staffing – Identify which members of your sales and marketing teams will be on-site at your booth. Create staffing schedules for each day of the show, and also plan training/motivational sessions that will be implemented in advance of the show.
• A/V Planning – Contact your A/V vendor to confirm that their plans match yours. Ask your agency to contact the A/V vendor as well to go over the details and help you to be sure your exhibit will be ready for you and your team.
• Travel Planning – Secure travel arrangements for your staff as well as representatives of your agency / vendor as appropriate.
• Shipping – Make arrangements for shipping your booth and all other items to the event.  Re-confirm all deadlines with your agency / vendors.

1 Month Before Show:

• Pre-Show Lead Generation – Update the messaging and refresh the graphics on your first e-blast and send out another blast.  Continue social networking activities, incorporating hints/teasers about activities in your booth and/or any product announcements. If you have planned a direct mail campaign, send your first piece now.
• Design & Production -  Finalize any remaining art files and send to your print / production vendors.
• Booth Media Development – Meet with your agency / vendor to view your booth media; go over any needed changes and confirm the production schedule. If you added booth media shortly before your show, discuss how to help move the project through the approval process quickly.
• Printing & Production / Giveaways / Leave-Behinds – Confirm delivery dates for all materials, as well as shipping information. If you are receiving materials at your location first, confirm that all materials have arrived and that the quantities are correct. If you have ordered CD-ROMs and/or flash drives, randomly select several from the batch and test them to be sure they work as anticipated.
• Booth Staffing – Confirm staffing plans and schedule training/motivational sessions.
• A/V Planning – Confirm all orders / plans with your A/V Team.
• Event Planning – Contact your event sponsor and confirm your plans, confirm shipping info, etc.
• Sales Meetings – Extend the tradeshow the opportunity by scheduling meetings with key customers, prospects and/or strategic partners during the event. Plan dinners and meetings to deepen and/or secure relationships.
• Leverage On-Site Support - If you will have reps from your agency on-site at your event, consider how you can leverage their expertise for additional opportunities:
  • On-Site Video Production - Consider having your agency shoot customer testimonials while your customers are in town for the event. Or have your agency shoot footage of your booth, and then post the footage to your website and social media sites. If you are hosting a sales meeting or customer event, your agency can shoot and post footage of that event as well.
  • Last-Minute Design/Printing - If you have unexpected needs, ask your agency how they can help.
• Travel Planning – Finalize travel arrangements for staff and agency / vendor reps.
• Badges – Request badges for all booth personnel and vendors.
• Shipping – Make arrangements for shipping your booth and all other items to the event.  Re-confirm all deadlines with your agency / vendors.
• Post-Show Planning – Develop a plan for collecting leads at the show (badge swipes, feedback cards, raffle/business card collection etc.)  Work with your sales team to develop a post-show follow-up process to take advantage of the leads collected.

1 Week Before Show:

• Pre-Show Lead Generation – Send an e-blast that effectively communicates the importance of visiting your booth.  Ramp-up social networking activities.  Write and disseminate press releases to your contact base as well as broadcast and trade media. If in your plan, send a final direct mail piece.
• Design, Production, Giveaway & Booth Assets -  Confirm you now have everything you need and that all has arrived safely at your event. Should you realize you missed something that you feel is urgent, ask your agency to make it happen for you.
• Booth Media Development – Finalize all booth media. Confirm who is responsible for loading media pieces onto laptops, DVD players etc (your agency or A/V vendor?).  Be sure to get several copies of each piece, just in case you misplace a disk and/or you have a corrupt file, etc. If possible, have 2 different people bring copies to the event just to be sure that your media pieces  arrive safely and well in advance of the opening of the exhibit hall.
• Booth Staffing – Contact all booth personnel and email the final booth schedule.  Host a final training / motivational session in the remaining days leading up to your event.
• Event Planning – Make sure you have completed all remaining action items.

1-Week Post-Show:

• Follow-Up - Review and analyze all leads generated from the event, and prioritize your follow-ups accordingly.  Send a post-show e-blast revealing/re-announcing any product launches or other news that was unveiled at the show.
• Determine ROI - Evaluate the success of your event by reviewing your strategy, goals and actual costs as compared to your initial budget. Consider your booth traffic compared to competitors’ booths, and determine whether or not your strategy, tactics and budget resulted in the level of booth traffic and qualified leads that you had hoped for. Then consider whether or not it would be beneficial to attend next year’s event. You may also want to revise your strategy, goals and/or budget for future show participation in the current year in the event that changes and/or enhancements might be appropriate.

According to a Google statistic, by 2011, 85% of all web traffic will be video views.  Many businesses are using video in their marketing in some capacity on their websites, in advertising, for training purposes - but sometimes businesses don’t leverage this technology to its full potential.

Video is an easy, yet often undervalued go-to-market solution, primarily because marketers fear that they lack the necessary budget, but also because they may not understand how best to apply use of this technology to their overall marketing strategy.  But the research is clear: Companies who are not able to harness the power of video in their marketing will get left behind.

Why Video?  And Why Now? 

Consumers have short attention spans.  We have been trained by technology to expect instant gratification. Video engages us on a sensory level, using sight, sound and emotion to connect with us and grab our attention. We are easy marks, soaking in key messaging and product features and benefits while being both educated and entertained with an interesting story, humor or even shock value.  And our experience is then chronicled for our peers as we share links and content on Facebook, Twitter, blogs and more, which then results in our friends and colleagues chiming in with their comments - all of which drives traffic to the video  itself as well as the website of the company or product being promoted.  According to comScore, nearly 150 million U.S. Internet users watched an average of 96 videos during the month of December 2008.  Last year, YouTube counted over 100 million viewers.  If you can grab the attention of your desired audience, you can keep them coming back for more.  Arguably, video is one of the most attention-grabbing marketing options available today.

Video Defined

There sometimes is confusion about what is meant by the term “video.” Today’s technology interprets this term broadly, enabling a video to include one or more of several rich media elements - as such, a corporate video typically incorporates several of the following:

• Script, Storyboard and/or Shot List - these elements are best developed by a team comprised of members of your internal marketing staff as well as members of your external agency/video production company, ensuring that your strategy and communications goals are achieved.
• Live Action Footage - testimonial commentary, b-roll footage demonstrating a technology, product or service, on-camera professional talent narrating a supplied script, purchased stock footage, etc. Depending on what you are shooting, footage might be captured on-location in a practical setting, or it might be shot at a soundstage.
• 2D Animation - title plates/bumpers, text effects, lower-thirds, animated charts/graphs, animated schematics and more.
• 3D Animation - photo-realistic animation that demonstrates a product or technology, medical animation that artistically demonstrates the mechanism of action of a drug or medical device.
• Still Images - animated photo montage comprised of client-supplied product shots, purchased stock photography demonstrating business settings, lifestyle shots, etc.
• Professional Voiceover - hired talent skilled and experienced with narrating corporate video.
• Needledrop Music - music that sets the tone for your video, helping to create a specific desired emotion in your viewer.
• Interactivity - video can be incorporated into an interactive Flash-based menu that enables your viewers to control the playback of your video and/or to click on buttons linking to individual sections of your video. Buttons can also be added that enable viewers to click to view white papers, datasheets and other documents, and a contact form can enable your viewers to reach out to your company to request additional information.

Advantages & ROI

When comparing the cost of a marketing tool with their return on investment (ROI), many businesses find that the benefits far outweigh the costs of video production.

• Video communicates your key messaging in a comprehensive, multi-sensory way that can demonstrate your technology and product features and benefits in ways that a brochure, datasheet and print ad simply can’t. This is especially true for businesses that do not have a large salesforce and/or a salesforce that is able to have a lot of face-time with their customers.
• Online videos are green - that’s a key word in today’s businesses - in that there can be little or no printing and paper involved since you can rely on e-blasts, web-based marketing and social media to drive traffic to your video. As such, the waste factor is zero.
• You can re-purpose your edited video and/or access the original source footage to create new video elements that can be leveraged for multiple purposes across more than one budget, enabling you to pool your resources with your colleagues. For example, a series of customer testimonial shoots or b-roll footage of your facility can be used as a tradeshow attract loop or booth presentation as well as at internal sales meetings and/or at external customer events in addition to being embedded on your website - all of which will drive traffic to your website.
• You can also create a brief registration form on your website that coincides with your embedded video, encouraging viewers to opt-in to receive additional information. The data can then be captured in a database and/or linked to Salesforce.com, enabling your sales team to follow-up on qualified leads.

Taking Video to the Next Level

It is likely that your company is already using video to a certain extent, but in our experience, we find that some of our customers consider video to be an “extra” rather than an integral element of their marketing plan. Given the statistics, it is critical video be given priority status in your marketing efforts.  With this in mind, consider the many ways that video can make an impact on your communications:

• Corporate Overview Video - This video offers a window into your company’s inner workings and culture, helping to develop and build the relationship between your company or brand and your customers. The idea is to generate interest in your employees, your processes, your outlook, your ethics, your quirkiness, etc. The number of formats that you can use are only as limited as your imagination. You can choose for it to be candid, scripted, B-roll footage, animated or a slideshow, and the tone can run the gamut from serious to funny, from gimmicky to musical, from sober to shocking. Some examples: CEO Messages, virtual tours, employees at work or play, company events, participation in charity or community action events, and general humor.
• Product Launch Video - Introduce your new product and demonstrate how it works, highlighting the features and benefits that will most interest your customers. Consider incorporating an animated schematic or 3D animation that showcases your technology.
• Testimonial Video - A customer or user describes in their own words, the benefits of your product or service or explains a problem you helped them solve. Testimonial videos help establish and re-affirm the credibility of your company and its products. There simply isn’t a marketing tool more powerful or compelling than testimonial commentary from your customer.
• Tradeshow Loops & Interactive Presentations - Tradeshow loops and presentations provide an ideal format for showcasing your corporate image, as well as for promoting your products and services. An on-camera spokesperson can be an actor, employee, renowned expert and/or a customer. The goal is to interest your audience, and persuade them to contact you to find out more. Videos can be embedded on your site for purchasers of your product or service to reference, and they can be uploaded to free sites like YouTube and Vimeo, where they could show up in internet searches and drive traffic to your site.
• Event Media - Develop and produce video assets organized around a specific event such as your annual sales meeting, customer user conference, etc. Plan several pieces designed to both educate and entertain, including an event logo animation that can be used as a bumper between presenters, event launch video to pump up the crowd, recognition video that can play as awards are presented, bumpers to announce each presenter and more.
• Training Videos - Employee training videos can be used over and over within your company - either on your website or through email or hard copy DVDs - to lower the cost of training resources. You can create training or safety videos for new employees, sales motivation videos for sales meetings or for a far flung sales force, or to introduce new products, processes or guidelines for current employees. Unlike paper, these resources are not destroyed or wasted and can be used over and over again. Customer training videos can be posted on your website enabling your customers to simply login and view training on your products and/or you can include the training video on a DVD that accompanies each product. This can either replace or supplement manuals and user guides.

Getting Started

Some companies have in-house video services that are fully capable of handling these projects; if so, you’re good-to-go. If however you don’t have a designated in-house team, going with a professional video production company or interactive agency will be your best bet. Here’s what to look for:

• Make sure that the production company you choose has a strong background not only in video, but more specifically in marketing. If you are undecided regarding messaging or format, a company with a background in both can help you to ensure that your communications goals are met.
• Confirm that the agency is skilled in all aspects of video development and production, including scriptwriting and editing, 2D and 3D animation, professional editing and effects, etc.
• Ask for samples of their work to see if their experience aligns with your needs; when viewing the samples, be sure to evaluate the overall quality of their work, and ask about the budget for each project so that you can ascertain how well those dollars were spent.
• Let the agency know your approximate budget and ask how they will work within that target amount to deliver a project that meets your expectations. Know that if your budget is slim, the production company may need to be “creative” in coming up with a solution that works for you.
• Ask the selected firm to prepare a detailed proposal and quotation. Review the proposal and be sure that the information provided offers enough detail that you understand what you will receive. If you feel that the proposal is vague, say so and ask for further clarification before agreeing to move forward.

In the event that you are considering working with a freelance videographer, be sure to follow this same process. While freelancers can be less expensive, the quality of their work often reflects their lower cost, resulting in a video that may fall short of your expectations. By subjecting a freelance videographer to the same rigorous process as you would subject an agency or production studio, you will be able to have a true apples-to-apples comparison. Additionally, you may find that an agency is willing to work hard to get your business, enabling you to achieve your goals while also staying within your planned budget.

Going Viral

Is your goal for the video you make to “go viral”? This is the latest trend in online videos. Sometimes the owners of these videos are not videos but simply people who caught a funny moment on film. Often times, video creators intend for their videos to go viral, and are sure theirs will be the next big internet sensation and then, nothing. While the success of a viral video campaign cannot be guaranteed, there are some tip and tricks you can use to better your chances, which we’ll cover in a future article.

Bottom Line

It is possible that you can run a successful business without ever incorporating video into your marketing strategy, but knowing what we know about video web traffic, the interests and attention spans of consumers, and the ROI that can be achieved with video versus other marketing tools, are you making the most of your marketing strategy without it? And can you remain competitive with other companies who are already embracing this technology?

The Hard Sell (My ad here. And here and here and here.)

If we were to do a poll today of the top reasons people were un-friended on Facebook or lost followers on Twitter, right up there with breakups and too much personal information would be constant self-promotion. This can include (but certainly isn’t limited to):

• Reminding all 800 of your followers that you are still selling advertising space/ renovating bathrooms/ training wild horses…several times a day, every day.
• Re-posting the same information about you, services or products on multiple friends’ walls on multiple occasions.
• Mass-messaging pre-packaged content about you, services or products to all of your friends or followers. Regularly.

Are you the kind of person who would have no problem pitching the latest vitamin juice/pyramid scheme to your mother, or your neighbor, or your kids’ softball coach? Are you the person people dodge at cocktail parties, networking luncheons, and get in the longer line at grocery stores to avoid? You are the person people are not connecting with on social media – or at least not for long.

Being A Bot (Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.)

Are you a representative or a robot? What are you there to do? If you are a representative of a company and your job is to sell something, you probably want to connect with people. This is done on a human level, which is why it is called social media.

There are services that you can use to link all of your social media sites together and update them all with a single click, or automatically from a feed or e-blast. There are services that allow you to prepare updates in advance and post those updates at specified times while you are, say, at lunch with your sister. But would you want to? If you are a fire department or a mobile lunch vendor, these might come in handy; but if you are representing an organization where an up-to-the-minute status is not nearly as important as relevant, quality information, you are simply going to have to update the old-fashioned way.

Over-sharing (Be authentic, but not too authentic.)

The main value of social media is its authenticity, the simple fact that you are connecting with other human beings whose ideas and contributions have worth. A social media site is an ongoing and ever-growing conversation within a changing community, and as in life in the non-virtual world, there are certain boundaries of acceptable sharing within that community.

It is difficult to balance being yourself while also putting your best professional foot forward. It’s hard to remember sometimes, when in the networking mindset, that people like interesting people. Sharing your hobbies, your musical tastes or favorite books, and photos of interesting things you have done (your love of botanical gardens, your last canoeing trip, or the Star Trek convention you attended last week) are a good way to round out any representation of yourself. These are personal, but tell people who you are, and can be fantastic conversation starters.

On the other hand, intimate details of your relationships, photos of you really cutting loose on your last business trip, ten thousand photos of the new baby – these might not be the best material for a social media site that you use to network professionally. Then again, it really depends on your audience, which brings me to…

Random Audience Selection (You know what they say, “You can pick your friends…”)

When you join a social media site, you will probably be bombarded with new friend/follower requests. If you have never used a social media site before, you may be flattered, and tempted to say yes to all of them. If you have a universal goal for your usage of these sites, please do not do this. Accepting these requests from just anyone is pointless for two reasons:

First, there are several types of friends you don’t want to have, some of which we covered in the sections above. The bottom line is that there isn’t any value in connecting with these people just because they ask.

Second, and most important, every friend you make becomes a part of your marketing plan, whether you realize it or not. Whether you are wasting valuable time reading regurgitated posts, learning something buzz-worthy from a leader in your field, or networking with someone who eventually brings you a new client is up to you.

Social Media as a Campaign (Free isn’t usually your best option.)

It’s frustrating to hear the words “social media campaign”, and not because I think social media is ineffective. On the contrary, it can be an effective tactic – it got Betty White on as a co-host on an upcoming SNL, didn’t it? And aren’t retailers piling on the social media bandwagon by the thousand to offer special deals to their friends and followers with great results?

For non-consumer-based businesses, though, the results aren’t as easy to measure. Social media is not the one-stop solution any more than print advertising, TV ad spots or any other one section of your overall marketing plan. It’s important to consider the various social media sites as a step, not the ladder. No amount of tweets will make up for a non-functioning website or bad advertising strategy.

Think about what your ultimate goal is before you settle on which social media sites you want to use. Be careful not to spread yourself too thin - there’s nothing worse than Twitter accounts left untended. Who do you want to connect with? What are their questions, and areas of interest? What’s happening in your field this week? English philosopher Alfred North Whitehead said, “Everything of importance has been said before by somebody who did not discover it.” Maybe you can’t invent the conversation, but surely you have an angle on it?

As marketers, we have been hard-wired to look at every conversation and every contact as a potential opportunity, and to ask ourselves what our ROI will be. In most situations that is beneficial to both our professional development and to our bottom lines, but social media is designed differently than the rest of our professional lives. These are places where you have to consider what your connections’ ROI is; that is, what are you contributing to this community? Social media is a garden, not a supermarket, and you have to plant good seeds now if you want to eat well later.

Over the years, we have found that customers and prospective customers often have similar questions and concerns.  Here we provide detailed responses in an effort to assist you with your marketing needs.  Read on as the information will be both helpful and enlightening.

Q:  Should we work with a boutique marketing agency or a larger, more well-known advertising agency? 

A:  Larger agencies offer clout as well as strong creative and often an impressive legacy of experience. But larger agencies are also a much more expensive investment, and often clients find that their needs are not attended to as well as they might have hoped based on the investment they are making. That said, if your company is looking for an agency with extensive consumer and broadcast advertising experience, a larger agency may be a better option for you. But if you are a B2B company with minimal or no need for broadcast advertising – and in particular if you do not have a large marketing budget, then a boutique agency may well do a better job of meeting your needs. In general, you will have greater access to executive management when working with a smaller agency, and smaller agencies will place a greater value on your account overall.  You’ll find that you have a closer working relationship with the creative team, and also find that a smaller agency is more responsive, more nimble and more dedicated to you and your needs.

Q:  When would a freelance designer be a good option for our company?

A:  Freelance designers can be a great option for smaller budget projects that have clearly-defined goals and design requirements. Many of our clients have one or more freelance designers who work on routine projects, but then they work with us on projects that are more complex and/or that require skills that their freelancer doesn’t possess. It is important to note that projects given to freelancers will need to be well-supervised by your internal marketing team, at least until you and the freelancer have worked on a few projects together. You will likely find that most freelance designers lack experience in creative direction or art direction, meaning that they may be able to execute your vision, but they may not be able to come up with that vision on their own. Like many agencies, NIA does bring in freelance designers where needed, enabling us to flex up and down to accommodate the changing workflow.  Most of our freelancers have been working with us for several years so we know which projects they are best suited for.  But no matter who executes a project, our Creative Director always leads the team, developing the concepts and providing detailed storyboards/shot lists/sketches etc to ensure that our vision is communicated to anyone working on a project, whether they are in-house or freelance designers. 

Q:  I’ve got an event coming up next month and I’m embarrassed to admit that I have really fallen behind in putting it together. I need a lot of help at this point but I think it’s probably too late to come up with anything interesting and frankly I don’t even have the time to work with a vendor on this now. Any ideas?

A:  If this sounds familiar, don’t worry – you’re not alone. So many of our clients have been in this exact position. Often they will re-purpose materials from previous events to at least have “something” to show, and this is an option you may want to consider.  But it may not be your only option, because you might find that it actually ISN’T too late – you just have approach an agency that has the chops and perseverance to work with you under challenging conditions. NIA has developed the dubious reputation of being a firedrill agency. Of course we prefer to have more time to work on projects, but we have taken on some very challenging situations and achieved significantly better results than our customers could have imagined.  For Carl Zeiss Meditec, we created a video wall and 12 flash presentations in just 8 calendar days – and this was the very first time we worked with Carl Zeiss, so we had a large learning curve. For Zhone Technologies, we produced all of the media for their first annual user conference, and did so in just 3 weeks. For DEY, L.P., we produced a motivational video for the sales team in just 5 calendar days from concept to completion…If you have a need, just ask your agency and they will be honest with you as to what they can accomplish within your timeframe and budget. (And if you have asked an agency other than NIA and gotten a disappointing response, please ask us for our thoughts as well because we might be able to help.)

Q:  I’m interested in having you help us with a PowerPoint presentation but I can’t stand PowerPoint…But all of us are required to use PowerPoint for our event.  Do you have any suggestions for me?

A:  In recent years, PowerPoint has become a more versatile application tool that often packs the punch customers are looking for. But to be honest with you, we don’t love PowerPoint either. It is a necessary tool, and one that we are happy to work with, but some of the animations and interactivity are a bit “canned” and from a design perspective, we would rather offer you a presentation that will be more appealing to your audience. But we also recognize that sometimes PowerPoint is the only option. In that situation, we work hard to create unique graphics and attractive design elements that really dress up the presentation so that it feels more compelling and less “like PowerPoint”.  We also integrate builds and custom animation and/or video to help tell your story.  And finally, in the event your company can consider other options, we can offer a Flash-alternative to PowerPoint that will enable us to utilize enhanced animation and interactivity.

Q:  How much is a website?

A:  This is one of our favorite questions. The answer is complicated, because every website project is different. Sometimes a customer has a very outdated website requiring a complete re-vamp, and other times a customer has a decent website that functions well, but it might need a re-freshed look. Some websites are 20 pages while others are 50 pages and still others are over 200 pages. Some sites involve the creation of a content management system (CMS) for dynamically-driven content while others are HTML and CSS only. Some sites have a flash banner and/or other unique interactive elements. Some sites require compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  And some customers are interested in sites that focus on Search Engine Optimization (SEO).  We could go on and on.  So when a customer asks “How much is a website”, the answer is never simple, and requires extensive discussion of your needs and desired features.  We recognize this is frustrating, and we do try our best to clarify what information is needed for us to respond appropriately, as well as what elements drive the cost up vs. bring it down.  To illustrate the difficulty of answering this question, our Creative Director Chris Finetti often will ask “How much is a bag of groceries?”  The answer to both your question and his is the same:  It depends on what’s in it.

Q:  I’m working on my marketing plan for next year, and I have some extra money. I could allocate it for a direct mail piece, or an extended media buy for our print ad campaign, or maybe email blasts or a product demo on our website or a new datasheet…What do you recommend?

A:  To answer this question accurately, we would need to discuss your communications goals and strategy, as well as review the rest of your marketing plan. That said, we do have a general rule of thumb that we can offer:  where possible, lean towards spending your dollars on measurable campaigns and projects, and on campaigns and projects that will provide the best ROI.  Using this a gauge, we typically would recommend going with email blasts or creating a product demo that can be viewed on your website after a user completes a short form, enabling you to track user data. That said, it should be noted that there are methods of measuring the success of print ads or direct mail via creating custom landing pages,  making these options a bit more attractive; also if you are interested in direct mail, you may want to consider variable printing to improve your ROI - though direct mail is usually still not the best choice given the option of email blasts.

Q:  Why do agencies always ask me how much I have budgeted for a project?  I would rather not reveal that information as I don’t want my budget to limit the agency’s creativity in coming up with ideas that will meet our communications objective.

A:  Agencies do always ask about your available budget.  The reason they do so is because:

• If an agency has a sense of your budget and is able to develop a quote that falls within that budget (even if it is lower than they hoped), the agency will be more likely to win the project.  This is because the most-often cited reason why an agency loses a project is due to budgetary constraints - quite simply, their quote was higher than their client anticipated.  This is a simple fact, and of course most agencies want to earn your business.  Asking for your budget enables them to have a better shot at doing so.
• If an agency knows your budget, they will actually be able to be MORE creative in coming up with options that fit with both your message and your resources. There is nothing more disappointing to a customer than reviewing a creative concept that they love but simply can’t have because their budget can’t support it. Agencies only want to offer ideas that you CAN consider – it is in no one’s interest to do otherwise.
• There’s an old adage – “Quality, time, cost…Pick any two.”  Agencies will often tell you that if you have a tight deadline, then you will likely need to have a higher budget to accommodate the rush turnaround - unless you are willing to compromise on quality.  This is particularly true if you are working with a larger agency.  But because you work with NIA, you will find that in most cases we can work within both your time and budget constraints – and as a rule, we never compromise on quality.  We simply don’t offer that “compromise” to our customers.

Q:  When interviewing prospective agencies, what questions should we ask?

A:  Choosing the right agency can make or break a business, especially in a weak economy. Here are questions that should be part of any agency interview:

• Tell us what you already know about our business.
• What makes your agency different?  Why should we hire you?
• Describe your agency’s overall capabilities, but also identify your “sweet spot” so that we can determine how well your greatest strengths meet our current and future needs.
• What area would you describe as your weakest capability as an agency? 
• Who at your agency will be the primary person responsible for our account and what is his/her title? 
• Who in your agency will lead the creative for our account?  Please describe that person’s background in working with customers in our industry.
• To what extent will upper management be involved in our account, and how often will members of the executive management team be attending meetings with us?
• Will we have access to the creative team?
• Sometimes we have urgent needs that come up. If we contact our account person and/or a member of the executive management team after hours via email or cell, how likely is it that we will reach someone quickly?  If needed, will your team work overtime, weekends and/or holidays to meet our needs? 
• Please show us examples of your work, and show us examples that represent a broad spectrum of industries and project types as well as examples in our specific industry.
• Describe a project that was particularly challenging, and tell us how you overcame those challenges.
• How do you measure success?
• Approximately how many active accounts do you have right now, and what does your production schedule look like for the next few months?  Describe how you will make room for our account given your schedule and existing clientbase, and how you will ensure our account receives the attention and focus needed going forward.
• Besides your in-house team, what external resources and partnerships might you leverage when working with us?
• Do you have customer testimonials you can share with us?  Can we contact your customers directly to find out what their experience has been in working with your agency?
• How is your agency customarily compensated?  Via a retainer or on a project basis?  Based on our needs, what do you feel would work best for us and why?
• If we retain your services rather than working with you on a project basis, will you refrain from working with any of our competitors?  We can provide a list of competing companies so that we are all agreed as to which companies are of concern. 
• Will you provide us the source files for our projects without charging us anything additional for those files?

In addition to asking questions such as these, when interviewing agencies, it is also important to “experience and observe” the interaction.  Do the members of the agency team seem engaged and interested in you and your business?  Do they listen well and truly hear you and your concerns, or do they try to drive the conversation in a direction of their choosing?  Do you feel comfortable with the team, and do they appear capable of working with you under deadline and/or budget challenges?  Do they seem trustworthy and forthright?  Do you love their work?

We hope that this article has been helpful - please let us know if you have other questions you would like to see answered in a future issue by contacting Managing Director Jennifer Finetti at jen@niacreative.com and writing “Q&A with NIA” in the subject line of your email, or call us at 925-224-9900 and we’ll provide an answer on the spot.

The Fall Tradeshow Season is upon us. Some marketers look at this as an opportunity to savor, while others dread possible missed opportunities due to the recession. We choose to see the glass half-full rather than half-empty.  Here’s why:

 

Due to the economic downturn, unfortunately the number of exhibitors has been reduced; similarly, some of the larger booths have been scaled down.  Attendee traffic has also decreased.  While these issues raise concerns, they also offer interesting opportunities for exhibitors who choose to leverage them:

• Get a leg up on your competition.  Since “large” competitors likely now have a smaller footprint, your booth will actually appear larger by comparison – both to your competitors and your prospects.  Encourage your booth company and design agency to get creative despite your budget constraints so that you can ensure your booth is attractive, engaging and well-attended.  Consider launching an e-blast campaign prior to the event to build momentum and to create the impression that your company is growing and crowding the competitive landscape.

• Think of the reduced traffic as a helpful pre-screen of attendees:  Support staff are likely back at the office, while decision-makers are roaming the tradeshow floor seeking opportunities to make the right buying decision.  Create an atmosphere of innovation and excitement in your booth, both in what you display as well as in the attitudes of your booth staff.

• Create high-impact graphics and displays that will attract attendees to your booth. With a more open floor, those graphics will really get your booth noticed.

• Utilize video and animation to draw and retain booth traffic.  While you could re-purpose assets you have from prior events to save costs, you may find that the cost-savings pales in comparison to the ROI you COULD achieve by creating something fresh and compelling that attendees have not seen before.  If you think attendees won’t remember what they’ve seen at previous events, think again.  Consider an attract loop that runs on screens along the edge of your booth.  The loop can be silent, or can have music to draw attention.  Inside your booth, consider having a short video discussing your technology and/or a specific product.  The video can be narrated via professional voice over and can include live footage, 2D or 3D animation etc.

• Engage your audience with in-booth presentations facilitated by thought leaders and innovators in your field.  Encourage booth staff to promote the presentation schedule to attendees during the show, but also be sure to announce the schedule in advance via your website, e-blasts, print ads, direct mail etc.

• Reward booth visitors with interesting and fun giveaways, but don’t simply pile them into bowls that can be pilfered while dashing by.  Instead, choose to purchase a smaller number of more valuable / highly-desired items and offer them only to attendees who watch your video or live booth presentation.  Be sure that any attendee who receives a giveaway also swipes his/her badge so that your sales team can follow-up after the show.

 

Perhaps one of the most critical ways to achieve tradeshow success is to ensure that your booth staff are well-informed, motivated and have a positive attitude because getting traffic into your booth is only part of the battle. Achieving attendee engagement and interest in your products will largely depend on the availability and interest of your booth staff.  While this might seem obvious, often times in the rush to meet tradeshow deadlines staff training is relegated to a last-minute pep talk before the convention hall opens.

Participation in tradeshows and events is a critical aspect of a company’s marketing strategy.  Despite these challenging times, it is important to leverage the opportunity and fill your glass as high as you can. We’ve all been thirsty for far too long.

When working with our corporate customers, we plan our strategies and tactics to result in business growth - this includes increasing our clients’ customer base, increasing the amount of business conducted with existing customers and broadening marketshare and brand recognition in their industry as a whole. These same tenets can be applied to workforce investment organizations and their partners; however there is one important difference: Corporate clients charge their customers for their products and services; as such, the “sell” is more challenging. Conversely, workforce investment and business support organizations provide pre-paid services to their job seeker and business customers. What’s more, job seekers and businesses are truly appreciative of the services they receive, making it easier to convert them from a “prospect” to a one-stop customer. But why then do some workforce investment organizations seem to do a better job of reaching out to businesses and the community? The answer is simple: Some one-stops are more actively reaching out.

Developing and implementing a strategic outreach campaign is not difficult, but it does require an organization to place a greater emphasis and focus on outreach and marketing activities. This can be accomplished by establishing a marketing committee comprised of key staff and partners. The committee can then discuss options internally, and/or they can bring an outside agency in to review existing outreach campaigns to determine if other strategies or tactics would be beneficial.

We have worked with several One-Stops to develop strategic marketing plans and targeted outreach tools, and we have also encouraged organizations to leverage relationships with partners and the media to take advantage of “free” marketing and PR opportunities. Here are some suggestions your marketing committee may wish to consider:

• Professionally Designed Outreach Collateral: Develop new full-color brochures, datasheets, flyers etc. Consider designing and printing a presentation folder to house the new materials. Distribute your new collateral at job fairs and community events as well as during rapid response. Be sure local media outlets also receive the materials. Materials can also be disseminated to One-Stop visitors.
• Video Production: Create one or more videos that can play in your lobby as well as stream from your website. Ideas include: customer success story video, one-stop orientation video; video focusing on the one-stop partnership; video discussing in-demand occupations; employer services orientation video
• Interactive Media: Develop and produce an interactive CD with click & read content as well as links to relevant web resources; if you have developed a video, include the video on the CD as well. Distribute the CD to job seekers, businesses and the media.
• Updated Website: Refresh your website with a new look and feel as well as fresh content; be sure your web content is updated frequently so that it is always relevant to job seekers, businesses, partners, internal staff, the media and the community at large.
• Social Networking Tools: Create Facebook and MySpace pages; launch a Twitter account and assign a few staffmembers to post updates - be sure your youth services staff participate in these activities as social networking is a major communications tool for teens and young adults.
• Large Format Printing: Forgo “motivational posters” and stock imagery and instead improve the decor of your One-Stop by designing and printing large images that spotlight your organization’s success. Have a professional photographer shoot custom photos of your clients and staff; seek out “success story quotes” from job seekers and businesses and include them in some of these prints.
• Upgrade your PowerPoint: Design an attractive background template for your PowerPoint presentations, and ensure all staff utilize only this approved template. Standardize font style and size, and prohibit use of “clip art” imagery.
• Leverage Media Contacts: Submit press releases to local media contacts to promote client success stories as well as upcoming events. Reach out to contacts with follow-up calls and emails to encourage them to print the releases, but also to request that a custom story be written. Due to the recession, reporters will likely be more receptive now than they have been previously - take advantage of the opportunity to finally get the press your organization deserves.

Should you decide to engage an agency or marketing consultant to assist your organization, attempt to determine a budget before you begin. Knowing the available budget will help the chosen agency/consultant to make recommendations for how best to allocate the dollars in a way that gives you the “most bang for your buck”. Be sure that the agency or consultant you choose has experience in your industry and that they understand your challenges. This will not only ensure a smooth working relationship, but will also help to limit the expense of a learning curve.

Most technology companies don’t give much thought to branding, either because they think they can’t afford it, or they just don’t know how to go about it. In this paper, we’ll discuss how building brands has a direct effect on the bottom line, and how you can effectively brand your company without spending a fortune.

 

Developing Your Strategy

If you are a marketer or CEO, work in a technology company, and mention branding in a meeting, you’ve probably heard some of the following statements:

 

“We don’t need to brand, we just need to sell.”

“Branding isn”t measurable.”

‘It’s too expensive.”

“We’re great technologists. How hard can branding be?”

“We’ll do it ourselves.”

“Our product is so good it will sell itself.”

 

During the boom of the late 1990s, it was possible for technology companies to stay afloat without paying too much attention to their brand since it seemed to be raining money, but today’s market climate is radically different. The technology companies that will thrive and prosper going forward are the ones able to command customer loyalty, a premium price, and a premium valuation. Central to these successful

companies is a well-defined and focused brand.

 

Create the Offer

Let’s get a few of the preliminary definitions out of the way: a brand is a unique combination of rational and emotional values and qualities associated with a single product, service or organization that leaves an impression in the audience’s mind, and which acts as a credible guarantee of quality. Over time, a brand can become a valuable asset through accumulated customer experiences based on investment made in quality, clarity, and consistency of communication.

 

Brands begin as ideas, making their way into planning and strategy documents, yet ultimately reside as consumer perceptions. For some companies, brands are their most valuable asset. The space a brand occupies inside a customer’s head can create enormous value to the company, as a relationship grows out of the cumulative memory and the experiences customers have of products or services.

 

As such, brand building is about creating value through the provision of a compelling and consistent customer experience that satisfies customers and keeps them coming back.

 

The Layers of a Brand

Brands are made up of four layers: the core product or service, the basic brand, the augmented brand, and the potential brand.

 

Product / Service

At the most basic level, customers buy products to meet certain functional needs. However, most products and services cannot survive on functionality alone since other products will eventually become more competitive over time and lead to commoditization. Therefore, building a strong brand can be an effective barrier to competition.

 

The Basic Brand

The basic brand consists of the “name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors.” Essentially, it should support the offering’s performance and differentiate the brand from those of competitors.

 

The Augmented Brand

Successful companies seek a competitive edge through the enlargement of the core product or service (with supplementary products and services) that enhance the customer’s total purchasing and use experience. These products and services add value and make the offering much more difficult for competitors to emulate.

 

The Potential Brand

A brand achieves its potential when added values are so great that customers will not willingly accept substitutes, even when the alternatives are cheaper or more readily available. Some consumer companies that wield a powerful potential brand are BMW, Starbucks, Coca-Cola and Nike. A few technology companies that have strong potential brands are Hewlett-Packard, Sony, and Nokia.

 

How Brands Create Value

Why has the interest in branding spread beyond the traditional consumer goods area? Customers now have a vast array of choices available to them through traditional channels. The Internet has added to the confusion, providing an even greater selection of goods and services without geographic restraints. Without the familiarity of trusted brands, the consumer can be overwhelmed. Certainly it is difficult for a company without a strong brand to make a market impression in the face of so much competition.

 

Whereas companies once measured their worth by their tangible assets―plants, assets, inventories and cash―they are now realizing that a strong brand has the power to command a premium price among customers and a premium valuation from investors.  Ford Motor Company, ranked number eight in brand equity, had a rough 2001. The Firestone tire episode took a toll on the company, as did a series of quality problems and the departure of Jacques Nasser, the company’s CEO. Although the company’s position rebounded somewhat by the end of the year due to some aggressive (and debatable) financing offers, in August, first half earnings were down 91% from the previous year. The brand took a beating and as a result, the company’s ability to attract customers and command a premium price declined. As a result,

the company’s brand was worth $30.1 billion, down $6.3 billion from 2000.

 

There are several key points to remember about building and maintaining your brand:

• The Brands, The Market Share and The Profits ― In a typical consumer market, a brand leader obtains twice the market share of the number two brand, and the number two twice the share of the number three. The brand leader is the most profitable and all beyond number two tend to be much so.
• The Brand Leverage ― The brand leader benefits from two main effects: higher volume leads to economies of scale in development, production and marketing; and premium pricing increases revenue.
• The Value of Niche Brands ― Dominating a niche market is usually more profitable than being fourth or fifth in a large market.
• The Brand Loyalty and The Beliefs ― Strong brands are more attractive to investors. Brand loyalty also reduces marketing costs and enables firms to override problems.
• The Brand Barrier ― Brand leaders usually have the financial strength to fend off competitors.  Potential competitors are usually reluctant to enter the market if existing brands satisfy customers. In addition, brand leaders can exploit their superiority in the market.

Can Small Brands Compete?

Definitely. Granted, if you think of a strong brand, chances are you’re going to say something like BMW, Nike or Tylenol. In each case, it’s a global brand that’s had millions and millions of advertising and promotional money put behind it. Even so, there’s room for a small brand to be successful in its own market space, and you don’t have to break the bank to do it. Whatever the merits of the Nike “swoosh,” we’ve all seen it so many times that the brand image is pretty well burned into our heads. Large corporations like Nike must spend huge amounts of money to be present everywhere, and to maintain their brand. That’s a weakness that can be taken advantage of by a small company. (Not to mention that large companies can have a very difficult time managing their brand through the long and complex delivery chain that might involve subcontractors or franchises.)

 

A company’s brand, in addition to all the things we mentioned earlier, is a collection of experiences that satisfy the consumer’s needs, whether an intellectual, emotional or ego appeal. Consider things like service, packaging, public relations, sales interactions and office culture all part of the brand, and this is where small companies can win at branding. The key is using existing communications channels to reach your target market with your brand message.

 

Branding Services Companies

Many technology companies are service oriented. There are stiff barriers to effective services branding, since these companies don’t have a boxed, tangible product. Trying to put a brand around a methodology can also be difficult, because business consumers can have problems creating a brand image around an abstract process. Systems integration methodology is just not very sexy. That said, services companies must build and maintain their brand by focusing on other areas.

 

Services companies can build their brand by creating and promoting a corporate personality. This might involve promoting certain executives at market events, training consultants to convey the corporate personality in their client interactions and in their project delivery.  Branding is not accomplished so much through advertising and marketing as through focusing on instilling the corporate brand into the consultants who are interacting with clients.

 

People who have worked for Electronic Data Systems (EDS), the large systems integration firm founded by H. Ross Perot, intimately understand services branding.  The first two weeks of every new consultant’s career is spent at a high intensity two-week “boot camp” that sets the tone for his or her initial assignments. During this time, consultants learn the EDS dress code, EDS philosophy and ethics, the EDS coding style and approach, and even the EDS style of making presentations. What may seem like an unnecessary waste of two weeks to these new consultants is in fact EDS’ significant expenditure in protecting its brand.  What EDS is selling is a serious, rigorous, competent approach to solving problems, and the consultants are the delivery vehicles. By investing time and money in this process, EDS ensures with a high degree of certainty that its clients receive a consistent product regardless of the specific consultant assigned to the project.

 

Marketers can increase their profitability by as much as 85% by decreasing customer defections by a mere 5%.

 

A more recent example of a services firm that took a more aggressive approach to traditional branding is Scient. A systems integrator whose methodology might or might not have been any better than their competitors such as Viant, Sapient and CTP, Scient rose above the fiercely competitive Web integration marketplace by bursting out of the gate with a focused, repetitive message: We hired the “dream team.” For competitors in the market, the news of the hire of Bob Howe, founder of IBM’s consulting practice, was greeted with jitters and dread.

 

This messaging ran a few months while the company’s executives aggressively courted big name clients.  As win announcements began to hit the wires, the company shifted tack to promote themselves as thought leaders, playing off the term “systems integrators” with the slogan “systems innovators.”  The slogan has since changed to “eBusiness innovators,” but the idea’s the same. Every press and analyst contact with their executive team strengthened this message as they created a lexicon of Scient terminology, which in turn led clients to believe that the company was onto something in solving the technical problems of the “new economy.”  Scient suffered from the Web integration market collapse like everyone else, but while the space was especially hot, the value of its brand was huge. In fact, their branding efforts contributed to a big upside in the company’s bottom line, from launch to IPO and beyond.

 

“Adaptability is not all you need to succeed; it is inherently reactive and relies on luck. Strategy is what you need—and if you don’t have one, you will become part of someone else’s.”

Tom Johnson, Toffler Associates and Alan White, MIT

 

What Business are you In?

Every branding paper is compelled to mention Disney at some point, so here goes. What business is Disney in? They have amusement parks, films, Broadway shows and other entertainment vehicles, so it could be entertainment. But how does the Disney-planned town of Celebration, Florida fit in? What about mall stores? Neither of those is really entertainment, per se. Disney’s business can be thought of as keeping alive the magic of childhood.  In this context, all the different businesses Disney operates begin to make sense.

 

What if Arm & Hammer thought baking soda was only good for baking at home? When that use became less common, they adapted, suggesting other uses for baking soda. Now they sell an entire line of fresheners and cleaners that contain baking soda. They defined a business strategy and adapted their brand accordingly. According to Stan Richards of The Richards Group in Dallas, a good business definition gives you the latitude to exploit new opportunities and adapt to changing market conditions while providing the parameters to know when not to expand into businesses that don’t fall within your definition.  A clear definition will:

• Be specific enough to influence the strategic and resource allocation decisions within your company
• Focus on satisfying customer needs rather than on the current physical characteristics of the product being sold
• Reflect the essential skills of your organization and signal when those need to be expanded
• Enable the organization to recognize future threats beyond your normal set of “blinders”
• Be attainable, but with difficulty
• Be brief and memorable so that everyone in the company can be inspired by it.

On the Other Hand…

A wise venture capitalist said that all the dot com funding over the past few years was like playing a baseball game with the outfield fences moved in about a hundred yards. All of a sudden, business plans that were doubles were getting knocked out of the park.  Pets.com was a small brand that competed vigorously, but was doomed by an untenable business plan. It was a case of a company that ended up with a brand that was ultimately worth more than the company’s core business.  Not that they understood this from the beginning.  Early in the company’s existence, a technology partner called up the public relations person who he had been working with to see if he could get a sock puppet. It wasn’t the first time she had been asked, and she had her answer ready. “Oh no,” she said. “We aren’t selling the sock puppet. He’s too valuable.” That attitude changed a few months later when it became clear that sock puppets were cheaper to ship than 50-pound bags of dog food.

 

Pets.com faced a crowded B-to-C pet care market with fairly low barriers to entry and a business plan that focused on getting customer share at the expense of profits. Against competitors who might or might not have run a tighter business, Pets.com definitely had the mind of the consumer. That the brand had overtaken the core business was especially evident on Good Morning America in which the sock puppet had an entire segment with Diane Sawyer. A few months after it was over the sock puppet was still being advertised in a closeout catalog.

 

All in all, Pets.com was a case of a brand that was strong, memorable and contributed to a definite increase in customer business, loyalty and mind share. It was just tied to a company with a business plan that was a double.

 

About NIA Creative

NIA was founded in 1996 and has grown to become one of the most trusted go-to partners for technology, medical/biotech, public/non-profit, financial service and consumer firms around Silicon Valley and the U.S. More than 225 major clients have turned to NIA for their branding needs, including Adobe, Apple, Baxter BioScience, Biogen Idec, Carl Zeiss Meditec, City of San Jose, Genentech, Hitachi Data Systems, Honeywell, Kaiser Permanente, Nikon Precision, NuGEN Technologies, Philips, Samsung, SellPoint, Sun Microsystems, Themis, Workday and Zhone Technologies. NIA has also worked with venture bankers to create more than 75 IPO road show presentations.

 

NIA is unique in that both traditional agency and full-scale production services are available in-house. This enables our team to have greater creative control, while simultaneously reducing costs. And because we are a boutique agency, our clients experience highly personalized services that are conceived, driven and led by key members of the executive and creative teams - not by junior account people. NIA’s services include advertising and branding, web development, video production, animation, interactive media development and tradeshow/ event marketing.  For more information, visit www.niacreative.com.

 

Creating and supporting your brand is more important than ever in rising above a noisy market and differentiating yourself from your competitors. If you’d like more information on how we can analyze and revitalize your

brand, please contact:

 

Jennifer Finetti

Managing Director

 

NIA Creative, Inc.

5165 Johnson Drive, Suite 100

Pleasanton, CA  94588

Cell: 408-838-7704

Main: 925.224.9900 x111

Fax: 925.224.9990

jen@niacreative.com

 

©2006. NIA Creative, Inc. NIA is a trademark of NIA Creative, Inc.  All other product and company names are trademarks of their respective companies.

In recent years, there has been a great deal of interest in building business via social networking. MySpace initiated the trend, but it wasn’t the best vehicle for business development. Then came LinkedIn, a powerful career-building tool for professionals. But it was really the growing blogosphere and Facebook that made the greatest impact on marketers, followed more recently by Twitter.

 

Some marketers have made attempts with social networking, but felt that the effort wasn’t worth the return – they didn’t see the expected increases in traffic to their corporate site, nor did they see an increase in revenue that could be attributed to the time spent creating profiles, writing creative blog posts, digging, mixing and tweeting…On the other hand, some businesses have found amazing success with social networking. The difference? Like so many other activities, it takes practice and persistence to develop and refine the skills needed to effectively market your business and products with social network tools.

 

Here are some strategies that will help you improve the results of your social networking efforts:

 

 

 

Overall:

• Choose just a few social networking sites and stick with them – don’t try to be active on all of them or you will find yourself overwhelmed with posts and updates spread too thin across a lot of sites.
• Be sure that if you sign-up, that you will take the time to participate to a certain degree – the more active you are, the more people will get to know you and your business.

Facebook:

• Create a unique profile to grab the attention of customers, prospective customers and strategic partners. Be sure to complete the profile form in detail, emphasizing the strengths of your company and its products and services.
• Post relevant content on your wall: Industry news, tips on using your products/services, testimonial commentary and/or case studies about how your producst/services have helped people, special offers, links to reviews of your product, etc.

Blogs:

• Write intelligent and interesting blog posts, focusing on relevant topics. Don’t be afraid to express an opinion – blogs should not just be informative; they should create an emotional response from your readers. By creating an emotional response, you will encourage readers to comment on your blog as well as to share the post with others.
• Share content via social news and bookmarking sites like Digg, Delicious, Stumble Upon, Technorati and more. Sharing your content will result in better search engine indexing as well as increased traffic to your site.
• Visit related blogs on other sites and post comments with links back to related articles on your own blog.

Twitter:

• Tweet about business news and events, and share links to blog posts & white papers, keeping your updates fresh, relevant and professional.
• Tweet often enough to keep things fresh and relevant, but not so much that your followers will be annoyed.
• Avoid trying to sell your services on Twitter as you will quickly turn-off your followers.
• When someone chooses to follow you, consider returning the favor. And spend some time looking for like-minded people and businesses that you would like to follow and reply to.
• Spend some time looking at tweets from competing companies so that you can better target your customers.

While there are many advantages to social networking, it is important to understand that it is just one of several tools in the marketing arsenal. Social networking enables you to cast a wide net for a very low cost, but you’ll find that, in general, more direct marketing efforts will be more effective in generating qualified leads and closing sales.

At NIA, last year we launched a blog and just recently we established a Facebook Page and also can now be followed on Twitter. We’re still refining our presence on these sites and hoping that over the next few months, our efforts will result in some “critical mass” leading to increased site traffic on our corporate site as well as new opportunities to introduce our services to potential customers. The greatest challenge is the amount of time and energy it takes to be effective with social networking – but we are committed to the effort and in a future newsletter will report back on how things are going.