The CXO forum sponsored by the Silicon Valley Association of Start-up Entrepreneurs was held recently in San Francisco. In today’s post I quote some excerpts of the presentation given by Srihari Kumar, CEO, LeadForce1. While his presentation was more focussed on the need for Marketing Automation and how companies can gain from this growing phenomenon, what caught my attention was his slide on ‘The 5Ms of Online Marketing‘. These are 5 techniques, that are core to the success of any online B2B marketing campaign.
- 5Ms of B2B Marketing
1. Map
Before starting any online marketing campaign it is important to map the channels you plan to use for your promotions. All sites and blogs are not equal. Click-throughs and conversion can be dramatically improved by using mediums which offer high value, are influential in your space and have a proven track record. Be it any aspect of marketing – advertising, PR or Buzz generation- this activity is a must to ensure, you derive more value out of your campaign and your investment.
2. Micro- Segment
One size does not fit all and the same applies to the marketing channels you choose. Campaigns which are tailor made with a specific channels (website, blog, Social network) in mind are more successful. Here tailor made means taking into account the specific attributes of a site you plan to use – like its traffic, site demographics, site popularity, campaign sentiment, campaign focus, catch phrases used etc. Such defined campaigns record higher conversions because they appeal to their target audience – employing a medium and a tone they can identify with.
3. Motivate Social Magnets
As in the offline world, the online world also has its set of influencers who over a period of time have garnered a huge following of people who believe in their expertise, their word. These include, a number of bloggers, tweeters, journalists, social activists etc. in every business or industry space you can probably think of. These are people whose personal opinion makes a lot of difference to the decision taken by their huge list of fans. It pays companies to develop a relationship with these influencers over a period of time just like they would with the media offline. If these inluencers believe in your product or service and write about it using their creative channels, it can make a huge difference to your Brand’s online equity.
4. Moderate
All online marketing campaigns need constant monitoring. You need to get involved, stay involved and show that you care. Respond to any queries and responses on a regular basis. Resolve issues. Also constant monitoring helps you keep track of your campaigns, change its feel and tone as per the reader responses – ensuring you keep the momentum and show your readers that you are paying attention to what they think. Keep updating your readers on the developments – keep them engaged through the life of the campaign – only then can you expect to succeed.
5. Mechanize
Set alerts, notifications etc. to ensure you are in tune and upto date with the status of your marketing campaigns. Automate the process if possible but avoid surprises and action immediately where ever your intervention is required. Ongoing analysis of the data at hand is essential to derive definite action steps for future implementation. Such data should also be used to gain insight into the reaction of your readers and to decide the fate of the campaign.
The 5Ms precisely put down the wireframe of building a successful B2B online marketing campaign. Reaffirming the need for campaigns which focus on customization and reaching out to that niche audience than going mass with their offerings.
