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M/A
on Communications
Since
1992, Mullin/Ashley has published M/A On Communications.
Our bimonthly newsletter is designed to be an educational "quick read." It focuses on topics of interest to
business professionals who are facing today's tough sales, marketing
and communications challenges.
Click here if you are interested in receiving future issues of M/A on Communications via e-mail.
Here
are highlights from some of our recent issues:
B-to-B marketing initiatives: Stay the course.
 It happens more often than marketing managers care to admit. A great new market opportunity is uncovered, with an audience that's easy to quantify. A fresh, original integrated marketing strategy is formulated, and the first steps are executed flawlessly. Early results are encouraging.
Then the program seems to evaporate. Excitement and momentum die a slow death, and six months later, people wonder what all the fuss was about.
The challenge with most B-to-B campaigns is that they also require the involvement of the sales force to succeed. Since many marketing and sales departments are separate entities, it takes extra effort to ensure that the proper steps are being taken in concert with one another. Otherwise, marketing can get too far out in front of the sales effort, and results suffer.
As you plan your next campaign, remember that coordination of the sales and marketing activities are at least as important as the creative approach and the message platform. Pay too little attention to this, and you'll find that even the most impressive marketing campaign that starts with a bang will end with a fizzle.
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Too
many cooks ...
 Marketing
and advertising are two of the most interesting aspects
of business. Consequently, many managers like to be “involved” in these functions. This is especially true since advertising
is a direct link to the market ... and a key element of
the business identity in which they have a vested interest.
But,
problems tend to arise when people dabble outside their
areas of expertise. Everyone has an opinion and wants to
add their two cents’ worth. Despite every good intention,
the actual effect can be distortion or dilution of the message.
Not only is the end result compromised, but the production
process can become unduly lengthy and costly as well.
The
solution is to have strong contact points on both the agency
and company side. Place qualified personnel in these positions — and trust them to make proper decisions and recommendations.
That’s what will bring the strongest message to the
market in a timely and cost-effective manner.
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Web sites: Send 'em where they want to go.
 You've got a great new promotional offer you're publicizing in the media and through e-mail direct marketing. In your advertising, you've decided to focus on the main message and direct interested readers to the web for the details.
The problem is, your link takes prospects to your company home page, where the only reference to the promotional offer is a button that few people notice. Response rates are disappointing at best.
People are by nature impatient. If the offer doesn't pop up right in front of them, many won't take the time to navigate to the specific content, no matter how good the offer sounds. The solution is to create a special address link or mini-site. This will send your audience right to the heart of the matter ... and you can always link them back to your main site if you wish.
Oh, and while you're at it, make sure your web pages load quickly - even for those who rely on 56k dial-up connection.
Now,
about that third word on the fourth line ...
 Most
companies have at least one or two of them on staff ...
the perfectionist in the corner office who has to review
every ad, spec sheet or news release before it's cut loose.
The problem is, there's always "one last little change." Five change cycles and four weeks later, everyone's wondering
whatever happened to the great new marketing materials that
were promised a month ago.
Perfectionists
don't like to make mistakes that the world will see. So
they fret over every little detail. Unfortunately, while
they're having more meetings to pore over the minutiae,
their more aggressive competitors are creating entire campaigns,
doing things that get attention, and moving on to the next
initiative.
With
today's rapid pace of business, there isn't time to create "perfect" ads or promotional pieces. Just ones
that "work" ... that pique audience interest,
generate inquiries, and contribute to increased sales. When
you find the same few people continually standing in the
way of progress, it pays to gently remind them of this fact.
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Corporate
logos: Familiarity breeds similarity?
 It's
happening again. A new breed of corporate logos is out there.
This time they feature the intergalactic "swoosh"
and the spontaneous "splat." It seems that every
10 or 15 years, there's a new "hot trend" in logo
development.
It's become popular now for companies to adopt logos that
convey a sense of flexibility and fluidity — ostensibly
presenting themselves as more nimble and responsive in today's
fast-changing business world. The trouble is, these logos
are beginning to look as indistinguishable as yesterday's
geometric cubes.
When
it comes to a new logo, it pays to avoid the herd mentality
and go back to basics. Connect your logo to what your company
is and does. Consider a logo style that incorporates
your name. Strive for an appearance that will retain its
appeal over many years, and that avoids looking faddish
or derivative.
And,
always remember that the most effective logo is a powerful "shorthand reference" that successfully reinforces
a company's market position.
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A fresh look at webcasts.
 Webcasts are growing in popularity and usage. And when you think about it, it's not hard to see why.
But first impressions can be deceiving. When webcasts were introduced a few years ago, their purpose was to lower travel and related costs by reducing the need for in-person meetings. That's still an objective, but it's been eclipsed by another, more powerful one. Your most important audience is often not the one who sees your webcast live. Instead, it's all the people who will see it at a later time. In some cases, this audience could be five or ten times larger than your original viewers.
Of course, it would be foolish to use the same webcast for both. Turn your post-production webcast into a stronger, more potent marketing tool by doing some judicious editing. Remove obvious items such as instructions for posting questions or taking instant polls. Also, condense the material so that it's as concise and compelling as possible. Finally, develop a format that allows visitors to get in and out of the webcast in as quickly as possible.
With these adjustments, your webcast can continue to work for you for weeks or months longer.
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