Competitive dfferentiation for software marketers

How to sound different in this world abound by the marketing cacophony? In a world that more of "Me-too marketing", it's hard for you to get the voice beyond the rhetoric.

Marketing-Led Software Application Sales

The challenge for every marketers lies in "focus". Follow a narrow "sub-segment" of your market and become a market leader in this niche segment. Do not be tempted to follow multitude of market segments, instead drill your marketing to specific areas.

Apart from focused marketing, follow multi-channel communication channels for higher response from users. The new age users, look for resources that can provide real value and more meaning to users.

Marketing diversity through multiple media

As biz combat the effects of recession, the marketing effects are horned at making it more sharper, more targeting and into foray into specific audiences.

Top five marketing tactics used by majority of biz are:

* Web site

* Email

* PR

* Tradeshows and user conferences

* Search marketing

The emergence of digital tactics are increasingly visible in most of the B2b marketing. Apart for it, biz are gaining more customer interaction through social media channels.

Strategic Disciple for JD Edwards vendors

All these doesn't means the death kneel to traditional tactics like executive events (e.g., executive breakfasts). As a JD Edwards vendor, best chance to tide the current markets is through multi-edged campaigns to acquire strong lead generators.

By P J Moris with No comments

Is Relevance . . . Relevant?

How do you promote biz competency in J.D. Edwards OneWorld Implementation? How can your marketing get more eye balls from JD Edwards professionals in JD Edwards user community?

The core idea of your digital marketing sums up to reach technical people among J.D. Edwards OneWorld customers, OneWorld consultants, business partners, and IBM service representatives. But before that, you need to create message that can resonate to your target audience.

Promote only to those who value your services. Resonate key messages based on the requirement of your audience. In this ever-changing, competitive business worlds demands constant innovation and marketing edge to keep pace with market dynamics.

Here's how you can lead the pack through email promotion:

Communicate something of value/interest

Every communication send to a prospect must offer a piece of information that’s relevant to them. I could be a product update, add-ons or some ERP application information that could help their customers.

Consistent communication

Keep the conversation moving with regularly communication. Demonstrate a consistent pattern for your digital communication.

Now Gain Business Intelligence:

You can leverage our JD Edwards user base to architect and implement innovative communication that can: improve business promotion, increase market visibility.

By P J Moris with No comments

Go Viral with eMail

One of the earlier examples of viral campaign effect is the infamous Ponzi scheme. This fraudulent investment operation lure many investors with abnormally high returns. From one investor the idea is transmitted to another susceptible users. This dubious investment plan started in the early 1900 is one of the earlier examples of campaigns going viral through referrals. 

B2B Viral markting

As a software marketer, b2b email marketing is all meant to develop biz markets and to generate qualified leads that sales won't ignore.Such deliberate marketing strategy requires streamlined email promotion with laser-focused messages that can convert buyer interest to buyer intent.

Spread the email with special charm -

Value from email promotion starts with its content. How appealing and informative is the enewsletter content? Does it appeal to the targeted audience?

If the answer to these two question is yes, then you can think of padding your email with viral elements.

Notable eMail viral  tactics

• Offer a reward/freebie/ incentive
• Personlize the referral email
• communicate compelling information in your email that induces the recepient to accept the idea or offer
• Indentify influencers to spawn viral campaigns

Create special links in your email promotion to enable easy pass-it-on appeal. Publicize it across social media sites, for maximum exposure. Recent reports show that recipients of informative b2b emails use 'forward to a friend' button to share valuable content to colleagues and business partners.

Changes in user habits has promoted marketers to include both forward to a friend” (FTAF) and “share with your network” (SWYN) links. Culmination of multiple media promotion enhances the changes of your message to get more viral.

Spell and strategies for viral email campaign 

Recent market study of 500 ERP marketers show that, 39% of users “forward to a friend” link, and 7% of users "share the link with their "social network"

Viral lesson here

Include links to share the content of your campaign to spread out through social media sites. This can potentially expand the spread and reach of your promotion to extra audience at no extra cost.

Virally yours,

PJ

By P J Moris with No comments

Email data segmentation - Quick know-how

Last week's meeting with top guru's of social marketing media threw upon some insights on the impact of social media marketing on emails

Many companies are still living in the pipe dream that repeated email blasts will one day get them the “big buck” deal. But, I'm afraid that email blasts with one-size-fits-all attitude hardly takes them any closes to their Utopian dream.

I have mentioned in numerous posts about the benefit of email segmentation, still many clients find it hard to match email intelligence gathered from customer transaction to improve one-to-one communication.

Dive deep down the funnel

Now, let's understand how segmentation can bring value to your biz

• Maximizes existing website traffic conversions

• Expands new channels through message testing

• Enables personalized communication
  
  

So, what are the most effective ways of segmenting your customer database?

Frequently used email segmentation, based on Email Metrics:

• New subscribers to the list ( new opt-in to your database)

• No opens,| clicks or conversions ( Deadwoods of your list)

• Opens, clicks and conversion ( Rich Cash cow's)

• Opens and clicks |but no conversion ( so close but far)

• Opens, |but no clicks no conversion( Only a glance )

These parameters give the clue to start your next email-exercise. Change the content and value of promotions, based on the needs of each customer group. Track the responses and modify it for optimum results.

By P J Moris with No comments

How to optimize landing page with analytics

web analytics can give vital clues and help you to drill down the black spots of your landing pages.

Let's examine how visitor tracking tool can help you to get a snap shot of visitor interaction and how it can be used to improve the landing page conversion.

Most visited page/content

Analysis of visitor traffic on your web pages can expose the most valuable pages in your website. Gaining knowledge of popular pages can be used to optimize it further for lead generation. For instance, you can include links and powerful call to action in these high-traffic zones.

Analysis of visitor path

Find the route taken by the visitor to reach a particular page. The trail will give you insights on the common flow of traffic. Proper understanding of the traffic flow can be used to position key conversion pages on the populous route.

Top exit pages

The page from where most of your site visitors bail out is your leaky bucket. With this knowledge, you can examine the fault lines of your web page. It could be due to the lack of proper content, or due to incorrect navigation structure. Make a thorough study of web page and fix the leaks.

Funnel analysis

Trim down the wandering paths with well-defined logical pages so that it facilitates easy prospect conversion. Simplify the overall visitor conversion operation for smooth influx of leads to your coffer.

By P J Moris with 1 comment

7 pre-show promotional tactics

Trade shows is an effective forum for b2b companies to meet and acquire new customers. Recent research from CEIR shows that, 83% of the successful companies which collected maximum leads from Trade shows, were the ones which used pre-show campaigns.

As the trade show calendar closes in, the folks in marketing department goes berserk with activities and ideas, akin to the busy bee hive.

Recession has resulted in thinner marketing dollars, and in response to it, trade show marketers is increasing the use of digital communication to drive booth traffic . The targeted email mailshots is send to create the right market vibes ahead of the trade show and to get a hot trail towards its booth.

Now let's examine how you can fine-tune your pre-show mailers for maximum reach and impact

• Include the map of the exhibit hall, booth location in your email. Make use of your creative team to design the right attention

• Freebies, a coupon, game piece, or quiz, the answer that can be redeemed for a gift at the booth

• Email promotions with hot links to micro site for the trade show can detail the activities of upcoming trade show

• Content for pre-trade show mailers should go with the concerns, needs and interests of your prospects
  
  Send emails only to target audience. For this you have to segment your customer base. It gives the right response

• Include testimonials from visitors and publications that have appeared in newspaper

• Offer incentive for purchase booking made during trade shows

So, what does hold you now from spreading the news of your booth.

Pull up your sleeves and work the way for the next trade show. Mend your database or get new prospect list of software users to increase list conversions.

By P J Moris with No comments

First shot

Economy is showing some feeble signs of change and recovery. Last week's reports show a glimmer of hope. The figures showed that the U.S economy bitten by the recession bug has slowly showed more positive trends. Thought this is not an outright change over, it's a welcome deliverance to all.

The big wigs in the Administration is still tight lipped about the unemployment figures and how the positive signs can bring a turnaround for the business.

For marketers, it's still a long way off to reach the old "glory days". Though the slide has gotten slow, the markets are still not fresh.

As an marketer, your goal should be to strive for all channels to get a grip on the competition and on the elusive customer base. Success is not too far, but comes with grit determination of your goals and arriving at the most unique solution for your business.

When it comes to JD Edwards customer base, it requires even more concerted effort to find niche user communities. Try building your digital customer base slowly and I'm sure it will be a bread winner for your biz.

Keep nurturing and keep updating your customer records is the last say on my first post.

By P J Moris with No comments