Outsourcing versus in-house
Ok, take this with a grain of salt, because I want everyone in the world to outsource their marketing services requirements to me…
Marketing services should always be outsourced (or, as I like to say it, “Aut-sourced.”) Not marketing. Marketing Services - things like webmastering & development, email creation/distribution, brochure design & production, and so forth.
Reasons …
1. With apologies to all my marketing friends, marketing services is an expense, not a profit center. Expenses are best controlled if their rollup in sunk costs (overhead) is minimized.
2. When you start to think that you can “do these things” with in-house talent, you have committed yourself to an expense that you can’t control (i.e., head count).
3. Marketing Services have busy times (around product intros, trade conferences, special meetings) and slow periods in-between. If you commit to an in-house head, that person (or persons) will be overworked during the busy times (and likely need to farm stuff out anyway), and underutilized during the slow periods.
4. Outsourcers commit to deadlines; in-house providers offer excuses for missing them. Look around you. When in-house folks get busy with high priority urgencies, other deadlines slip. Understandable, but factual. Outsourcers miss deadlines too, but not as often.
If run by in-house resources, your monthly email program will slip to 9x per year, because things happen … reports need to be written, a production emergency occurs, back-to-back trade shows consume the schedule, or something. If an outsourcer lets this happen, s/he gets paid for 9x instead of 12x.
5. Outsourcing saves you money. You pay only for work that is done. You pay no benefits. No snow days. No downtime during safety training or the 401k seminar. Outsourcing is elastic. Pay more when it’s busy; pay less when it’s slow.
6. Parkinson’s Law: Work expands into the time allotted. If you give a marketing person the role of services executor (for example, putting a product manager in charge of your email campaigns) you risk losing that person in the detail of the provision of the services (list maintenance, html crafting, results analysis). What you really need your product manager to do is to manage products. Outsource the other stuff.
Keep your marketing people. You need them for the essential functions of marketing.
But project execution belongs on the outside.
Changing My Stripes
The nature of this blog is going to change. Instead of an occasional repository of my email tomes (*shudder*), I plan to add some shorter, more digestible tidbits.
Let’s see if it’s an improvement!
Happy (Business) New Year!
A friend of mine calls Labor Day “New Years Day for Business.” It’s the day that everyone comes out of their summer simmers, and realizes that they’ve got just four more months to make their years. A good time to Aut-source.
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(Extremely) Basic SEO
Not long ago, search engines functioned as managed directories. We would SUBMIT our websites, and GET LISTED. Easy.
Today, several million dollars worth of research later, the search engines are controlled by spiders, bots, and algorithms. Getting listed near the top? Not so easy.
But search engine optimization (SEO) is not about out-smarting the algorithms. Today, the key is to feed the bots the relevance they seek. If all this patented search technology is seeking contextual relevance – give it what it wants!
Seven easy rules
Here are seven easy – and admittedly abbreviated – rules that form the basis of SEO.
Rule 1. Determine how you want to be found.
Think about the specific phrases core customers might type into a search engine box. Next, weave those “keywords” into your web content. Use your keywords repeatedly.
Rule 2. Think “Page,” not “Site.”
Search engines deliver results in terms of web pages, not websites. Therefore, perform the SEO on a page-by-page basis.
It is not necessary or even useful to burden each page with every possible keyword phrase. Quite the contrary!
Rule 3. Don’t neglect Meta Tags.
Meta Tags are still used, so continue to place keyword phrases in them. However, don’t heap every possible phrase into every Meta Tag ― just use the ones that match your keywords in use on that specific page and that are relevant to the content.
Rule 4. Insert complete keywords in the code.
Place complete keywords into the “alt” and “title” tags. For example, on a page for brass valves, tag a photo of brass valve Model 3106 with a description such as “Model 3106 brass valve, precision valve,” rather than simply the model number. Also, be sure to put complete keywords into the title of the page.
Rule 5. Present your website to search engines.
Although most search engines will eventually find you, it can’t hurt to present your website directly to them to flag their attention. Here are some key addresses to call on:
- Google: google.com/addurl
- Yahoo!: siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com/submit
- Bing: www.bing.com/docs/submit.aspx.
Rule 6. Stick with the “big three.”
Unless you can name at least ten search engines off the top of your head, don’t buy SEO from anyone offering to submit your firm’s website to “over 200 search engines.”
Yeah, yeah, we know that Yahoo Search is going to be be replaced by Bing. But not for a while. In the meantime, do not ignore Yahoo!
Most marketing research confirms that “the big three” score 90-95% of the search traffic, so paying out hard cash to reach the remainder simply does not make sense.
Rule 7. Use free tools to pick keywords.
Google offers two excellent tools to help choose keyword phrases:
- The Search-based Keyword Tool at: http://www.google.com/sktool/#, and
- The Google AdWords Keyword Tool at:
https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal.
Bonus Rule #8. Big Fish, Small Pond.
Remember that you may not benefit from trying to optimize on the most popular search term (i.e., trying to be the biggest fish in the biggest pond). You might have far more success by shooting for a Page 1 hit list on a less popular keyword, versus engaging in a battle for more frequently searched phrases (and ending up on page 4 anyway).
Putting these rules to work.
To borrow a metaphor, SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. There is always something you can do to improve your firm’s search results. And you can be sure that the Search Engines are continuously tweaking their technology.
These rules form the basis for SEO – but not the complete story. Get the basics under control before moving to the tricky stuff.
Benchmark your progress.
Conduct searches using your keywords. Right now. Record your results on a monthly basis using the same set of keywords and monitor the progress. However, don’t expect immediate results ― look for trends over months, not weeks.
BTW … you can:
Find me on Facebook: kevin.scully.means.business
Follow me on Twitter: MarcomToScience
Twitter and Facebook meet Scrooge.
If you’re like me, your head is spinning watching the tsunami of bona fide business articles about Facebook, Twitter, and social media in general. You’ve probably also received numerous invitations to webcasts and twebinars (sheesh, there is even a word for it!). Couple that with the recent news events involving Twitter.
You might be thinking to yourself, “OMG, what am I missing?”
My mother would call me a “stick in the mud” for saying this. Others might say that I need to join the 21st century. But I am convinced. If your business involves B2B with the science/research market, Facebook and Twitter are not going to help you very much.
Reason #1: Context.
Anyone who’s used it knows that Facebook is more about voting on your favorite beer, Mafia Wars, or joining a list of people who hate the Jonas Brothers … there is not a lot of chatter about the best deuterium lamps or coping with problems involving cored septa.
So, focusing too much energy on Facebook is like placing an ad for your GC in People Magazine. You’ll reach part of your audience, but at the wrong time, and in the wrong context.
Reason #2: Social Media require customer initiative.
Your customers won’t see you latest tweet unless they have Twitter ON, and choose to look at it. Even if they do, your message must pass the usual muster when the customer asks, “What’s in it for me?” If you don’t bring substance, you won’t get readership.
And if your followers or friends have not been on-line for a while, your tweets and posts will be replaced by more current posts, and your important words will fall to page two or beyond (a.k.a., oblivion).
In other words, unless they are looking for you, your customers may lose you in the noise of all the other stuff.
Let’s face it … if you are a customer looking for advice on sample prep or compliance with the latest EPA protocol guidance, your first instinct is NOT going to be Facebook. You could launch a Tweet for help … but you’d need followers. Or, you could SEARCH Twitter for updates containing “EPA Protocol” and get one hit (like I just did a minute ago).
Reason #3: Social Media are for fun.
If you are following more than a handful of Twitterers, or if you have more than a handful of Facebook friends, you are logging on for FUN, not for business.
I have seen lots of Facebook photos of Little Johnny’s first t-ball game, but not too many posts comparing baseline separation of parabens or Mercury carryover problems.
If not for “fun” … at least for “crowdsourcing” … vis: the Blackberry Fan Page on Facebook or Dell Computer’s Twitter Followers. The only thing that keeps them alive is critical mass. And I suspect that RIM and Dell both get better Traffic and ROI from their websites.
Period. Exclamation point.
It saddens me deeply to say these things. I want to be a believer!
It seems like every headline I read is about Twitter (even before the uprising in Iran). If you’re reading the same headlines I am, then you already know that Twitter and Facebook can single-handedly (or I guess, tandem-handedly) rocket your business to unprecedented success. I must be missing something.
But here’s a stat for you … Twitter’s growth rate has been pegged at over 1000% per month. Counterpoint stat: After three months, 60% of Twitter accounts go dormant.
Social Media are not for the birds (pun intended).
There is a place for Social Media in this business … briefly, two thoughts:
ONE – Traditional Social Media (Twitter, Facebook) can be used to personalize you and your company … to the extent that you can PERSONALLY connect to customers and partners. Don’t dump your latest brochures into Twitter posts. Unless you have a lot of followers (hint: you don’t), you need to post something that has a prayer of “going viral.” Even if only semi-viral … you should try to generate a following.
TWO – Create your OWN social medium (think: Amazon, or user forum). Research repeatedly shows that Word of Mouth is the best decision helper … and that is what SM is all about. But if you can’t use Facebook (hint: you can’t), then create your own Forum on your own website, or a two-way Blog and connect to it from your website. Censor the dialog as little as possible.
The reality is … if customers are looking for information about your stuff or stuff LIKE yours, they are more likely to hit your website, blog, or forum than any social medium … and if they can find the PEER COMMENTARY that they are looking for, you have won the SM battle.
Don’t give up on Twitter or Facebook. It’s about “the conversation.” It’s not about coupons or specials or new product announcements. It’s also very personal. So listen. Respond. Participate. But don’t commercialize. Eventually, you may actually build a following. And you won’t need an article in the Wall Street Journal to tell you what to do with it.
BTW … you can:
Find me on Facebook: kevin.scully.means.business
Follow me on Twitter: MarcomToScience
Find me on the Web: www.authouse.com
Why hourly rates don’t matter.
Maybe I charge $25/hour and I work slowly.
Or maybe I charge $100/hour and I work quickly.
Or maybe I went to law school and I charge $300/hour. But wait! That’s a different blog altogether!
Let’s do some math on a hypothetical salary. If we use the example of a $100,000 annual salary – a nice salary, though perhaps not “Bear Stearns nice” – and assume a 40 hour work week … the hourly wage for the person earning a $100,000 salary is $50.
To tell you the truth, if I tell somebody making $100k per year that I charge $90/hour for my work, I get nervous that the person I am telling is going to think I my rate is high.
I am worried that my prospective customer is going to start thinking, “… doggone … I can find somebody to do this project for $35 per hour!”
And, I am gone. Done. Cooked. As anyone who has been in business for more than five minutes will tell you: There is always going to be someone who will do it cheaper. How reassuring!
First of all, buyers need to remember that hourly consultants have to pay their own overhead (starting with 7.2% for the employer’s share of social security and medicare, and moving on to include health insurance, and other business expenses).
And second of all, buyers need to remember that most consultants are not “billing out” 40 hours per week (this rule does not apply to lawyers!). Believe me, it’s difficult to be that busy all the time.
But that is not even the point … the hourly rate is IRRELEVANT! The only thing that is relevant is the total cost of the job.
An experienced carpenter can build a house in 2 weeks. He charges $100/hour.
A novice carpenter can build a house in 5 weeks. He charges $50/hour.
Which carpenter has the lower price?
And more importantly, who is going to build a better house!
Think about it the next time you work with a consultant.
Finally – change of subject … Measuring Your Marketing.
“Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted,” department store pioneer John Wanamaker said. “The problem is, I don’t know which half.”
Decades later, in this age of clickthroughs, Neilsen Ratings, and WebTrends, Wanamaker’s wisdom is as true as ever. Much to the chagrin of business managers around the world.
We can re-think a business process, and measure its impact. We can measure – and change – manufacturing costs. We can deploy salespeople into territories, and measure the results.
Can’t we measure the effectiveness of marketing?
As a whole, yes. As individual elements, no.
Not that millions, perhaps billions, of dollars are spent annually trying. There are plenty of “lead tracking” systems in use today that claim to be able to trace a sale back to a single marketing event. “This sale is a result of our ad in American Lab in February!”
Nonsense.
Marketing is a matrix of activities that reaches the customer base in different ways. Not all activities reach all constituents of the customer base; and no single customer is impacted by only a single activity.
To some extent, marketing is a “shotgun” business. A “calculated” shotgun. We fire a gun in the general vicinity of the target audience, and we hope for good results consistent with our calculation. We then fire a gun from a different direction, and hope for orthogonally complementary results.
Marketing, by necessity, has nothing to do with rifle shooting. A direct shot at a specific and qualified prospect would be called “Selling.”
This is not to say that there is no science in marketing. We can measure audiences. Perform research. We can test messages. Calculate. We can monitor results. We can draw sensible conclusions. And we do.
But because of the matrix nature of the process, it is difficult to declare any single element as having the lowest value, or any single element as having the MOST value.
Of course, that reality doesn’t stop self-anointed experts from dogmatically declaring that they know the answers with absolute confidence and certainty. As my British friends would say, that’s a load of rubbish.
If you want to comprehend the reality of the marketing matrix, observe your own behavior.
Permit this oversimplification:
You may see an ad for the “Blackberry Bold” in a newspaper while you are on the road. When you get home, you may go to the ATT Wireless website and read about the product. You then phone ATT Wireless and order the product. Would your system attribute that sale to the newspaper, the web, or buy-by-phone?
Importantly, my oversimplified example is flawed. In fact, the matrix of marketing is much more complex than the example above. There are the ads on the TV; the banner ads on the web; the impact of the product itself (perhaps you have seen a Bold, and think it’s cool); there are banners in the windows at the ATT store at the mall you visited last week; PR in the business press (perhaps you read that RIM had a good quarter); and so on. Not to mention the value of the Blackberry brand name – and to what do you attribute THAT?
A lot of those activities are less impactful than originally calculated. Perhaps half of them truly underperform. But which half?
Don’t dare think that there is much difference between the buying process used for a Blackberry and that used for a chromatograph.
So what’s the answer? Nobody has the budget resources to spend everywhere. Well, the answer isn’t simple. And the answer is not the same for every situation. The answer lies in a mix of calculation, experience, and good sense … and very much depends upon the tactical and strategic goals that are in play.
In Sales, you know you’ve succeeded when you get the order. Success in Sales is, in that sense, digital: win or lose. Marketing, on the other hand, is quite analog.
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By the way, it should not escape comment that John Wanamaker’s store in Philadelphia (across the street from City Hall) is a National Landmark. It is also now a Macy’s.
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Find me at www.authouse.com
or on LinkedIn
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Pittcon (and other trade shows) part 4 (final) – Having Fun at Showtime!
To borrow the line from the movie Beetlejuice, “It’s Showtime!”
All the prep and planning are done … now it’s time to step into the booth and get it done.
Do the math … in four days, if you pull 6 hours each day, you will probably talk with less than 100 people. You need to be efficient and effective – 110 is better than 100; 120 is better still.
And so on.
Your core challenge at a show is Finite Time versus Virtually Infinite Visitor possibilities. Maximize your impact with each visitor, but in the world of trade shows, the most important visitor is the next visitor.
Not taking ourselves too seriously, here are some worthy thoughts for your on-floor activities:
1. No Place to Relax.
Have a few stool-height chairs (not low chairs) in the booth. But don’t ever sit in them – they are for customers only.
Customers will appreciate the back relief, and the stool height chair will keep them at eye level, and the banter business-like.
Let them get too comfortable, and you will end up missing traffic while you baby-sit.
Remember: Finite Time.
2. Not Allowed in the Booth:
Hangovers and old friends. Keep BOTH in the aisle or outside of show hours.
Finite time.
3. The Greeting Mistake.
Don’t ever say “Can I help you?” Customers instinctively recoil at this phrase (imagine yourself in a mall or a car dealership).
Similarly intimidating is the greeting: “Do you have any questions?”
Instead, say “Good Morning!” Except, of course, in the afternoon.
Better yet, come up with a cleverly descriptive greeting, such as, “We make high pressure valves, would you like a low pressure demo?”
Ok, that’s not so clever, but a descriptive greeting is very useful if your company is not already famous. You will bore yourself using it over and over, but your visitors will hear it only once. Fight boredom: come up with two greetings.
Just don’t say “Can I help you?” In fact, anyone caught saying it should be fined $5!
4. The Standing Mistake.
Don’t stand in front of your expensive signage – stand aside, give folks a clear view, and be certain to look approachable when you say “Good Morning.”
5. The Ridiculous Mistake.
Take the Bluetooth headset out of your ear when you’re in the booth. I should have taken a picture of the guy last year (and sent it to his boss).
6. The Inexcusable Mistake.
Don’t be nice to your colleagues. If your associate is back-slapping an old friend in the booth or doing demos with half his lunch stuck in his teeth, don’t be too embarrassed to speak up.
And if s/he says “Can I help you?” to a visitor, collect your $5.
Finally…
Some of these thoughts may seem obvious to seasoned show-goers. Hah! As soon as everyone stops making these mistakes, we can stop talking about them.
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Find me at www.authouse.com
or on LinkedIn
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Pittcon Part 3: Get it Right On-Site
Six Things Every Exhibitor Can Do Better, and
With Very Little Preparation
1 – Know What You Want to Say. And to Whom.
Plan what you want to say to your booth visitors – not to the point of canning a script – and make sure that the entire staff is on-board.
No rule is inflexible, but the goal is to execute the plan, not to “wing it.” Feel free to say the same things over and over.
You will be the only one bored by the repetition.
Pre-set in your mind how you will handle:
- The visitor who walks in and says, “What’s new?”
- Happy customers coming to chat.
- Happy customers coming to buy more stuff.
- Unhappy customers who are there to complain.
- Future customers who are there to learn.
- Friends, old and new.
- Any of the above who simply won’t leave.
- Me (if you have a booth, I will be there – count on it).
Most customers will forget 70% of what you say and will attribute 50% of what they remember to another exhibitor. It’s called Trade Show Amnesia.
Make sure that your points are branded and memorable.
Remember why you’re there. Your goal is not to tell every visitor everything you know.
2 – Make a Memorable Impression. Demo.
I challenge you to do this:
Make your demo/walk-thru more about RESULTS and less about features.
Don’t show everything! Less is more – keep it focused on your best selling proposition and the greatest customer need.
Don’t alter your spiel (unless the spiel isn’t working): you may be bored with the demo by lunchtime on Monday, but your customers will only see it once.
3 – Make a Memorable Impression. Take-Away.
This one does require preparation. Sorry.
Give every customer a printed piece as a take-away.
Importantly, a brochure or your capabilities piece is exactly what NOT to use as the take-away. Leave all your product brochures back at the shop (bring a small supply for those visitors who insist).
Your printed piece should include an echo of your demo/walk-thru … make it about Results, not features!
You need to do everything possible to brand yourself … creating continuity in your messaging – from pre-event to at-event to take-away to follow up – will help enormously. It does not need to be elaborate – a simple postcard size piece will do. In fact, postcard size is exactly right.
Creating the take-away piece might seem expendable. It’s not. It’s a piece of continuity – and repeat exposure – that keeps your message alive after the customer leaves your booth. And helps overcome Trade Show Amnesia.
4 – The Press.
Members of the technical press are not going to buy anything. But they can help you reach your customers.
In fact, that chosen team member should seek out the press by visiting their booths and extending a personal invitation to your booth.
Courting the Press is a good idea for “post-show coverage” – but more importantly, establishing a working relationship with the editorial team will have lasting benefit.
5 – Press Kit.
Prepare (oops, this item requires preparation too) a press kit with descriptions of your product news, a company backgrounder, and pertinent photos – supply it on a professional-looking CD with a cover letter (and/or an invitation to the booth) … pack it all in a folder or envelope, and label it: “Press Kit.” Be sure to include your contact information!
Resist the urge to put everything you have into the Press Kit. Keep it simple. Include only those things you would like to see in post-show coverage, plus necessary background information.
Specifically point to what you want covered. The Press is overwhelmed at events like Pittcon, and the folks appreciate being “led to the water” (drinking it is at their discretion).
Bring the press kit to the exhibits of publications you want to reach; and bring a stack of kits (you’ll need about 30 for a large show like Pittcon) to the press room (check back at the press room periodically, and replenish if needed).
Today’s Conclusion.
Some of these things you can do all by yourself, and for others, a helping hand is, well, helpful. Let me know.
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So … did you notice that the headline said “Six Things” and the text included only Five?
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Find me at www.authouse.com
or on LinkedIn
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Pittcon, Part 2 – Connect to the Traffic You Pay So Dearly to Generate
Mathematically speaking, the probability of someone visiting a booth at Pittcon is about 1 in 50. If you think that sounds pretty good, look at it this way: what about the other 98%?
If the conferee registration is 10,000, probability suggests that 200 people will visit your booth. For some, that may be great; for others, only so-so. But those are just numbers – what you want at Pittcon (or any show) is a clean shot at your Target Audience, not the unfiltered masses.
So, ever vigilant, you take action, and you promote your Company. Perhaps you took some good ideas from the Part 1 post. Or you may have other ideas.
Let’s look at some tips for “Getting it Right, On Site” – things you can/should do at any show to maximize your success.
Today, we’ll look at basic booth guidelines, and in a few weeks, we’ll look at thoughts on handling visitor traffic.
You already know that these suggestions are good practice … my job is to remind you about them!
Booth Design.
Your challenge on the show floor is to catch the eye of people who planned to visit you anyway (as a result of your superb promotion); and also to attract Casual Traffic (the part of your Target Audience that did not receive your promotion).
1 – Product Names Are Meaningful Only to You.
Resist the urge to use product names as headlines, such as “New Elutoraptor 500″ – unless you’re absolutely sure that your audience is thoroughly familiar with the current Elutoraptor product line.
Customers don’t care what you call it – they care about what’s in it for them.
2 – What’s Your Line? You Know, But Do the Attendees?
Be painfully clear when you project the nature of your business in your booth. Resist the urge to lead with your swanky tag line “Ajax Company … tomorrow’s flow technology today” – unless your audience is intimately familiar with the fact that at Ajax “flow technology” refers to liquid micro-valves and not corrosion-resistant industrial gas valves.
Unless you are famous, convey the nature of your business with clarity.
3 – Specs. Who Cares?
Save your specs such as “<0.005microjoules” for your detail spiel … and keep them off your booth. Specs require extra time for the reader to process, and you lose an opportunity to grab the attention of the customer. Offer the customer a specific user advantage and keep it simple.
Unless, of course, the spec itself is a killer advantage.
4 – Product Photos Can Be Story Tellers or Meaningless Props.
A picture is worth 1000 words … and a picture of your product IN USE is worth even more, especially if that picture tells a story. Sometimes it’s easy – and sometimes not – but EVERY picture should tell a story (with apologies to Rod Stewart).
Accordingly, avoid “product portraits” if you can (especially if the product is on display in your booth!).
If the concept of product in use does not work for your product, use a picture of an internal component, or something else you may not be otherwise able to show in the booth.
5 – Long Messages Don’t Get Read, so Don’t Bother.
Resist the urge to elaborate. When it comes to booth messaging, less is more.
6 – Marketing Continuity – Branded and Recognizable.
Echo any of your pre-show (and web-based) promotion … because your booth is simply another instance of repeat exposure. In marketing, repeat exposure is crucial to customer retention. In marketing, repeat exposure is crucial to customer retention.
Think about the dynamics of the exhibit floor and specifically what you are trying to accomplish. You need to separate yourself from the noise. If you mix your message, you are simply creating more noise. If you echo your other messaging, then you will be recognized.
Here is a homework assignment for you at Pittcon: Walk the show and observe how many companies invent a completely different personality for Pittcon, versus how many companies play out an existing look/feel/personality (exclude the major players from your homework). Except for the companies that really play it to the max, forgoing continuity is bad marketing.
7 – Customer Empathy.
No one customer has a singular interest in your product. On the contrary, every customer has competing interests, and your booth is surrounded by a variety of messages, many of which appeal to those other interests.
You have – quite literally – mere seconds (probably about 4s) to engage the casual visitor’s attention and enable a decision to stop at your booth, or not. Don’t squander these few seconds on a complicated message that won’t get read. Don’t for a minute think that you’ll win that person’s attention by squeezing every sales argument you have onto a 30 x 40 poster on your booth’s back wall.
Your messaging should be the simplest answer to the customer question: What’s in it for me?
Today’s Conclusion.
Some of these ideas are basic. But they are often ignored.
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Find me at www.authouse.com
or on LinkedIn
