Reconsider Your Marketing Mindset

© 2016 MultiView. All Rights Reserved.

B2B Connected.

As an executive sales manager, Joe Macaluso spends all day, every day hearing about the most common marketing challenges that many of our customers face,and he consults with them to find the right solutions. On the following pages he'll dothe same for you by explaining how just a few small changes in your perspective canlead to big changes in how your marketing performs.

Reconsider Your Marketing Mindset

3 Do's and Don'ts for a Dynamite Strategy

Written By:

Joe Macaluso Executive Sales Manager

© 2016 MultiView. All Rights Reserved. 7© 2016 MultiView. All Rights Reserved. 2

B2B Connected. Reconsider Your Marketing Mindset

Yes, I know it’s simple, and I get that it’s a movie about a redneck guy with a mullet. I still believe marketers in today’s landscape are forgetting thatadvertising isn’t just about them or their company, it’s about how their solution solves their buyers’ problems. An effective marketing campaign starts with understanding the target audience (demographics, firmographics, buying behavior, buying calendars, etc.) and then implementing a strategy that uses the necessary tools that lead to accomplishing marketing goals. I underlined the word “necessary” because it goes back to Joe Dirt’s philosophy: This isn’t about what marketing tools you like, it’s about what tools are best designed to engage with your buyer. Thanks for another lesson, Joe Dirt!

There’s a great scene in the movie Joe Dirt where Joe explains a very simple marketing strategy that I believe many of today’s marketers miss. Joe meets a firework vendor named Kicking Wing and quickly learns that his business is in shambles becausehe can’t figure out how to gain customers. After naming off all of the best fireworks in the industry,Joe learns that Kicking Wing only has “snakes andsparklers.” Kicking Wing argues that snakes and sparklers are the only fireworks that he likes. Then,Joe drops a bomb on Kicking Wing and changeshis outlook on the firework business forever by saying,“Well that might be your problem. It’s not what you like, it’s the consumer!”

FYI: Kicking Wing went on to own dozens of firework stands using Joe’s advice!

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To see the most success, you must change your approach and way of thinking.

Over my 5 years at MultiView, I’ve worked with hundreds of companies of all sizes, across all areas of the globe, in nearly every vertical you can think of. Based on my experience, I’m going to give you three “Do’s” and “Don’ts” that will help you improve your marketing strategy.

During my career at MultiView, I’ve been very keen to the idea of consultative selling. As a matter of fact, I hardly consider myself a salesmen; I relate to the “consultant” label much more because I have a problem solver mentality. And I spend many hours a day talking to clients about one problem in particular: how to efficiently target their B2B audience without wasting visibility and money on non-buyers.

The fact is that the B2B marketing landscape is highly complex and unique compared to B2C. And there are only a few companies out there who specialize in understanding how people buy solutions and the best ways to reach those buyers.

I speak with marketers every day who tell me “they know” how their buyers look for their types of products or solutions.

Sound familiar? Sound like an old way of thinking? I’d say 80% of the people I talk to have this mentality. It’s 2016 guys! Live in the now! Where do you think “word of mouth” takes place today? ONLINE!


Assume your customers’ buying habits haven’t changed.

Try to understand what they actually do when they need your types of products or solutions.

The key word is “need.” Start there. If you can understand the “need,” you’ll understand the “who, what, when, and why.” Once you have those, you can determine the “where and how.”

To understand your customer and their buying journey, take steps to learn about them directly through methods like conducting interviews, listening to sales calls, and collecting surveys. Additionally, working with a partner who can make sense of all the data that comes from your customers’ online activity will give you a more complete understanding of them and how they buy. Don’t assume; trust the data!

DO Put yourself in your buyers’ shoes.

DON’T

“Everyone knows my business and when they need something, they call me.”

So answer these questions: Who typically would need your solution? Why would a buyer need your solution and when would they realize they have that need? Once there’s a need, what research would they do? What terms would they search? Where would they look for relevant content? How would they find YOUR business?


“My business is all

word of mouth.” “My buyers find

me at the

trade show.”

Let's look at this "DO" through the general stages of a typical buying journey with a few examples of what you could try at every step. Are your buyers unaware of your brand or solution? Then some branding at a tradeshow or on an association website might do the trick, or maybe an email blast to a targeted subscription list would boost your awareness. (Heck, let’s serve ads across the internet to potential customers with ideal buyer characteristics!)

When your buyers are researching businesses like yours or solutions for their needs, are they flipping through a magazine? No. They are searching keywords, reading reviews, visiting company websites, ordering samples off your website, and completing every other buying behavior online. So use marketing strategies that reach them where they are. How about behavioral advertising based on their content consumed, competitors researched and keywords searched? Search engine advertising and industry buyers guide placements would be good to have here, too.

Need to keep in touch with existing customers or educate some potential clients who are close to pulling the trigger? Can’t do that with search engine advertising. Instead, you need to implement a content marketing program and engage with clients using social media!

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Many marketers I speak with are stuck in the mud. They tell me that search engine advertising, tradeshows, and magazine ads are the best ways to reach their buyers. Maybe they are, maybe they aren’t. Again, don’t assume. Just because you’re comfortable with a certain form of advertising doesn’t mean you are spending your marketing dollars efficiently. Remember: go where your buyers are.

Assume that you know which marketing tools work best.

If you complete the first "DO" by putting yourself in your buyers’ shoes, the best toolsfor targeting them throughout their journey will fall into place much more naturally.

Use the marketing tools that best align with your buyers’ buying journey.DO

DON’T




Oh man. This is a big one. Year after year, I listen to clients’ frustrations about campaign results. The first thing I look at is their creative and messaging. Is the advertisement built for success? Eight times out of ten, it’s not, and most of the time it’s for common reasons: the ad wasn’t designed to achieve the goal of the campaign, there’s too much content, not enough content, or the creative and messaging are outdated. This is such a big problem in the B2B space that MultiView includes creative services as a part of every campaign to help our clients build effective messaging.

You can’t just build an ad with your logo and product on it and expect people to engage. Your messaging needs to be tailored to the audience. It needs to have a purpose. Don’t build something generic and expect brilliant results.

Align your creative and messaging with your customers’ buying journey.

Create generic messaging and expect it to work.

If someone hasn’t ever heard of your business, you probably don’t want to advertise a specific product. They aren’t ready for that yet. Instead, use a brand awareness ad that draws the person in and entices them to learn more.

DO

DON’T

IN A BOTTLE

CREATIVITY &MESSAGING

And vice versa, if they are specifically looking for a certain product or solution, what good does a general branding ad do for that person? In each case, serve them an ad that’s relevant by showing them how you are going to solve their problem with your awesome solution! Make your specific offering the answer your potential buyer is looking for with a targeted message and exciting artwork.

Are they already your client? Don’t blast them with sales ads or emails. Provide them with resources that build loyalty and trust with your business. A company newsletter, whitepapers, video tutorials, and social media are great examples of this.




All in all, to survive in today’s fast paced marketing world,you need to refresh your marketing mindset (especially in B2B marketing). Understanding your audience’s buyingjourney is probably the most important element to a successful marketing campaign. Remember the wisdom of Joe Dirt when you are building your advertising plan - it’snot about you, it’s about the consumer. A good marketing strategy will always provide a solution to a specific need.

In short, solve problems and design with a purpose.

Visit us at multiview.comLearn more about customer strategy today

972.402.7070 [email protected]

Joe is an Executive Sales Manager at MultiView. In this role, he is responsible for working with some of our largest accounts to help them define their strategies and achieve their marketing goals.

During his MultiView career, he’s developed deep expertise in B2B digital strategy, behavioral marketing, consultative selling, premium account management, content marketing and programmatic advertising through helping hundreds of companies in a wide variety ofverticals make their marketing the best it can be. Joe is also known for having the best beard at MultiView and earning recognition as MultiView's top sales manager in 2015.

Okay, I’ll stop with the Joe Dirt lines. Good luck and happy marketing! - Joe Macaluso

www.multiview.com

Reconsider Your Marketing Mindset

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