Nov.17

Let’s Talk About…Brand Personas

One positive outcome of the current marketing revolution is the recognition of how important and useful Customer Personas can be in creating targeted, strategic and ultimately satisfying customer experiences that lead to enhanced business results.

 

When combined with the customer engagement strategy of the inbound marketing / sales funnel and real-time social media conversations, Customer Personas give marketers a tool to influence the step-by-step evolution from an anonymous-yet-interested-party into a known and engaged relationship and ultimately to a sale.

Marketing

Nov.06

B-Smarketing

There are so many interesting conversations going on right now about marketing, and if you are listening in as I have been lately, the messages are important, accurate and very consistent.

“Attract your target audience into the sales funnel.”

“Transition visitors to your site from anonymous explorers to marketing qualified leads by providing content that answers a question or a need.”

“Nurture by providing valuable and engaging information (that by its nature builds trust and confidence). “

“Move them deeper into the funnel by demonstrating how what you have to offer meets their needs and convert them to sales qualified leads and then customers.”

Like water following a riverbed down to sea level. Wow. It almost seems to good to be true.

For the most part it is true.  Although to put it in more traditional terms, a lead who takes the next step, whether it’s downloading a white paper or an e-book, registering for a webinar, or signing up for a newsletter is giving a “buying signal.” And woe to the sales and marketing organization of today (or any day) that doesn’t have its ear to the ground on that one.

Marketing

Nov.02

Welcome!

Everyone has a story. Here’s mine…

In 1995 I was in TV advertising sales and our IT guy showed me how to “surf the world-wide-web.” It was so amazing, I stayed up all night doing just that. At the next sales meeting I suggested we sell web pages to our advertisers since it was better than the yellow pages or the newspaper! Yes, I was laughed out of the room.

Marketing