Companies that sell complex technology products and services face different marketing challenges than those selling easy-to-understand commodities. Sometimes the features and benefits of a company's offerings are too complex to be readily apparent at first glance. White papers can be an effective way to educate potential customers on the merits of such products and to explain the complex technologies involved. Although they aren't the most exciting kind of collateral, white papers offer a benefit that more glamorous advertising and marketing materials cannot provide. They lend validity to product claims and help prove that there's "steak" behind the marketing "sizzle."

There's nothing unusual about having a writing project thrown in your lap at the last moment - there's no getting around that fact of life. You can, however, gain a measure of control by looking beyond the deliverable you've been assigned- brochure, white paper, case study, etc. - and focusing, instead, on developing a creative brief that lays out your client's communication goals.

5 Steps to a Live Marketing Plan.
By Stuart Ayling of Marketing Nous

It's true. Failure to plan is planning to fail.

When I'm talking with business owners and marketing people I'm often asked,

'How do I plan my marketing? There are so many details.'

By Stuart Ayling of Marketing Nous

Note: Although this article discusses the HR function it applies equally to other corporate services.

"HR systems only have a systematic impact on the bottom line when they are embedded in a firms management infrastructure and help it solve real business problems."1

'My customers just don't get it,' bemoaned a prospective client of mine. 'We list our features, describe the technology, work with their engineers. Everything. But they just don't understand what we offer.'

Are You Annoying Your Prospects?

When we read magazine articles, we are distracted by advertisements. Commercials interrupt our favorite TV show. Billboards clutter the landscape, bulk mail and email fill our mailboxes, and telemarketers call us at our homes or places of work. All of these things interrupt our day, attempting to turn us into customers.

Most people tune these messages out or find them downright annoying. We hide behind voice mail, answering machines and other kinds of "gatekeepers." We record TV shows to skip the commercials later, complain to our elected representatives about spam, and sort our mail over the trashcan. A hundred million Americans have taken the time to add their telephone numbers to a Federal Do-Not-Call Registry.

The fact is, nobody likes being "sold-to." We find it irritating and interruptive. Contributing to the annoyance is the fact that the overwhelming majority of the sales pitches we are subjected to each day are for things that we have absolutely no interest in at the moment.

On the other hand, when we have the inclination to buy something to satisfy a need or desire, we want to make an informed decision and then be able to act on it without a lot of trouble.

How does the prospecting process work in your business? When you need to find new customers, do you begin the relationship by irritating them? The fact is, buyers - not salespeople - are in control today. People want to buy what they want, when they want to buy it, and they want to be left alone the rest of the time.

Therein lies the dilemma. If your prospects are not exactly beating a path to your door, how do you connect with them?

Divided attention and undivided markets

My client was a NASDQ listed company who had one of the most successful IPOs in history. They contracted me to help accelerate a new product launch. As is my way, I started this engagement by asking a number of questions designed to educate me on the work that had lead to their existing marketing plans.

What type are you, Gene? Quit selling your technology to technologists! They don't matter as much as you think.

One of the most common mistakes technology companies make when devising their go-to-market strategy is to rely on their technology to make the sale. Marketing staffs litter collateral, web sites and salespeople's brains with endless recitations of the features, functions and internal maturations. And aside from satisfying a buyer's final technical sanity check, specifications matter very little - even to technologists.

More often than not, when times get tough marketing gets the bullet. In some cases where there has been an incorrect allocation of resources within a company this may be justified. But in most cases it is a mistake. Sometimes a very costly one!

Marketing, when done properly, will attract customers to your business and convert their interest into paid sales - money in the till.

When the economy is slow many managers think, "Let's reduce expenses" and look for those expense items that seem to be irrelevant to achieving immediate sales. Marketing activities such as advertising, public relations, lead generation, research and sales incentives may be targeted.

In discussions with clients and business associates, and during my work as a tutor with university students, I am often surprised at the lack of understanding of how ubiquitous the marketing function is within an organisation. 

Marketing is pervasive - the often silent influencer of opinions, preferences and buying habits.

What do Your Customers Want you to do?
By Stuart Ayling

It's usually early in the year that you see an abundance of "new year resolution" suggestions, tips, advice and counseling offers. 

But enough of that! Rather than encourage more introspection and navel-gazing, I suggest you take a moment or two to reflect upon what has changed for your customers. What are the influences they will be reacting to over the coming year?

7 Ways to Evaluate Your Marketing Plan
By Stuart Ayling

Business owners often find it difficult to know whether their marketing tactics are working. This can be especially tricky when you use a combination of marketing activities simultaneously, or if using personal-contact tactics such as networking.

No matter what business you're in, your marketing should be accountable. So here's a few ways to evaluate how well you're doing.