When the word "marketing" comes up, most people immediately
think of fancy ad campaigns and big budgets. They may make you
feel good, but in today's economy, most companies can only
afford to spend money on marketing programs that actually drive
sales leads in the door.
A tightly focused "guerrilla" marketing program, when done
right, can help a company accelerate its sales at a fraction of
the cost of traditional programs and campaigns.
As the economy starts to rebound, now is a great time to
re-energize your marketing programs and focus on Marketing that
Sells. Start by asking and answering the following questions:
Are my marketing programs maximizing awareness and lead
generation at minimum cost?
Do my website, collateral and PR messages clearly communicate my
company's Unique Selling Proposition (USP), and why customers
should pick us over the competition?
Is there effective hand-off of sales leads from Marketing to
Sales, and am I sure that my Sales team is following up on every
lead?
Do I really know what my Return On Investment is from my
marketing spending?
Once you've answered the above questions, do what top companies
are doing today, to maximize marketing ROI through guerilla
marketing programs:
Continuously update/refresh your website and collateral to make
sure you are clearly communicating your company's USP.
Build low cost e-marketing campaigns using newsletters, search
engine optimization and internet ad placement (such as Google
AdWords).
Focus your PR efforts on feature article and case study
placement in trade press that targets your customers.
Deploy an inside sales/lead development function to qualify
leads generated by Marketing programs and ensure effective
hand-off to Sales.
Customize your CRM system to track the source of all incoming
leads, measure Marketing ROI, and ensure that every lead is
actively managed by your Sales team. These are just a few ideas
to help get you started on the path toward "Marketing That
Sells."
About Author :
#resource_html#
