Measuring Business and Marketing Results

We All Want Revenue 

We seem to be good at tossing around buzz phrases. We can talk to each other about the ROI of digital engagement through the internal customer service of community development. Managing expectations and deliverables are a way of life. And yet we seem to often get stuck while waiting for quick wins.

In the world of marketing and business development (the new catch-all for sales), there is no shortage of chatter about the social web. Of course, it’s the moving target and still the new shiny toy. Anyone with an Internet connection can publish their opinions. That does not mean it’s a sound business opportunity.

Marathon Meet Race

Budgets are tight, jobs are on the line, there is no time to try stuff and hope it will work. And as someone who consults business and has worked in every medium, it remains challenging for me to remind owners and managers that this stuff takes a while and no campaign will sustain them forever. Moreover, you can only measure your return if you are honest about your actual monetary and human investment. Throwing up a Facebook group, buying a bunch of television advertising and stuffing mailboxes are not tactics that will automatically bring results.

The social web is not the only place to spend your effort but reading and tweeting about direct mail or telemarketing just doesn’t seem to be as sexy. But judging from the mound of three-color print designed pieces of cardboard and paper overflowing from my recycle bin, it appears to be alive and well. Television and radio advertising remain viable channels to extend your offer and external or outdoor advertising is still around too. But opening your wallet and demanding results is dangerous sport.

Nothing Is Free

My colleague, Drew McLellan wrote a post recently about the importance of channel selection and more importantly he reminds us that social media are not free or even cheap. It takes a shift in your organization to account for any outbound marketing. In fact, in my humble opinion, marketing is not a department but rather a part of all that you do in business.

No amount of advertising or external collateral will save a bad business. So if you think you can buy your success, save your money and spend it on developing your actual offer. I have lost count the number of prospects who tell me they don’t need marketing, they need more revenue. It’s like saying you want to run a marathon but aren’t prepared to buy shoes and train.

How Do You Measure Your Business Expectations?

Kneale Mann

image creditfantes

Do You Have a Jenny?

Service vs. Servitude

Jenny’s town has a population of about 2500. It’s half an hour from the city. She helps support her family with her job at the full service hardware store chain.

The company sends out direct mail pieces about four times each year and I saw something that caught my eye. I often caution clients on the effectiveness of direct mail.

I'm not against it per se but when a new client is already using direct mail or an existing client is thinking about it, I think it’s imperative that I outline realistic results.

The thin line between a great deal and junk mail

A successful direct mail campaign may bring you 5-10% return. It remains a hugely popular (and potentially expensive) medium but we have to remember realistic results.

As with many companies, this direct mail piece was part of an overall cross media campaign that included television, radio and online components. I had not seen or heard any of those before seeing their 20 page flyer featuring dozens of sale items.

Part of the gig

I skim through all direct mail that comes to my house because there are potential prospects and possible ideas for clients. But I rarely buy anything because direct mail is a passive medium. It attempts to create need where there isn’t any there, or as in my case, there is a serendipity between the recipient and an item featured in the piece.

I was interested to see if they had the item I was looking for on sale. And perhaps for the first time in recent memory, they did. I had an hour window in my schedule the next day so I dropped by the store between meetings. I found the item I wanted and with flyer in one hand and the item in the other I took it to the cash.

Then I met Jenny

She looked at me and as if we had known each other our entire lives said “Sorry dude, that sale starts tomorrow.” I had clearly not read the fine print so I turned around to return the item to the shelf. Jenny stopped me and said “Hang on, come back here.” Both quips may sound flippant but it was all in the way she carried herself and her friendly tone that made it alright.

As I walked up to the cash I then noticed the banner at the bottom that read - 'Sale this Friday only'. I handed it to Jenny. She said “hang on, that’s wrong, the sale is on this weekend and all next week.” She then asked to take my copy and replaced it with hers as she wanted to tell her manager about the error. She could have simply told me the sale wasn’t on yet and went on with her day. No, Jenny took ownership and pride in her store and her customer.

One more try

I returned the next day to a packed store. Customers were holding onto the flyer as they weaved through the crowd to find their deals. I walked up and found the item again and walked up to the cash. As luck would have it, I got Jenny again.

I thanked her for her help the day before and she said “Do you know how many people I meet on daily basis?” then she paused and said “Oh you’re the guy who brought in the wrong flyer! I told my manager and he called head office.”

You can't fake this stuff

During my two minutes at the cash, three employees asked Jenny for the location of an item and she helped an elderly woman put her purchase in her cart. This was just as much Jenny’s store as anyone else’s and she navigated it with poise and passion. She genuinely liked working there and she got herself another return customer.

Take a long hard look at your marketing budget and decipher what activities help grow your business. Then take another look around to see if Jenny has your back. Your people are your biggest marketing asset ...or deficit.

Will your company will pass the test?

knealemann | email


Join me for Movember.
image credits: corbis | getty

Are You Ready?

Don't Hide Behind Their Excuses

I have been in digital media in one form or another for about fifteen years. But only in the last few years I realized the need to define it, excuse it, defend it, explain it or convince someone about it.

I don’t anymore.

I know Hubble is above us and the rest of the iceberg is much bigger than the part I can see from here.

It’s not about the tools or the sites or the tweets or the blog designs or the interfaces or the anything else you want to point to, it’s about you.

Find The Quiet

Forget the noise; forget the blaming and the stalling. Are you ready to get to work? Are you prepared to put in the time it takes to build a human network of evangelists, customers, friends, advocates, colleagues and people you can literally call on when you really need another human being?

This is not going to be easy – in fact, there will be days when you think it’s just a big waste of time. Eliot Burdett who has been training sales teams for years, nails it when he says; “The best results come right about the time you think you are absolutely wasting your time.”

Unfold Their Arms

Most managers or owners who build the wall to stop the social media discussion are often the same people who are sleeping soundly at night because they have placed their media in newspaper, on radio and television and through the direct mail piece. All too often, we fear the unknown.

Some fear that getting involved - not tinkering with friends online - but involved with social media will require hard work and time. Their fears are well founded. But what part of your business is not work? What part is automatic? What part appears on a silver plate for your complete enjoyment void of effort?

Wait and See

In 1986, I asked my boss about getting a fax machine. He thought it was unnecessary. He quipped there was no need for us to get one until everyone else got one.

Can you be the internal champion that will convince the boss to at least open her mind to possibilities?

Will you remind those who like the good ‘ole days that the average age of users on Facebook, MySpace, FourSquare, Twitter and LinkedIn is about 35 and it's not just a bunch of bloggers and cool kids?

If you get his attention, will you remind him that ‘placing media’ and ‘engaging with other human beings’ are two different things and you can do both?

Are you going to stand up to her and agree that this activity takes time, there are no easy instant automatic cemented home runs with any activity and that includes her current media spend?

Are you now ready to fight for it before everyone else gets one?

@knealemann
Helping you integrate all you do with all you do.

photo credit: pmstudent

Awareness Is Not Enough

The noise is deafening.

Content is produced every minute of every day. The pile grows; there is no end in sight and we all try to find customers and make a living.

What do you offer?

Where can you compete?

How will you tell your story?

Assuming your offer has value – to them, not you – it is time to ensure more people hear about it and in turn buy some of it. This is the toughest part of the gig. You could spend millions to get as many eyes and ears and minds to discover your awesome product as possible.

You can buy email lists and cram complete strangers with messages they didn’t ask for and even get a bunch of people in a cube farm to randomly call people and ask for their money. You could produce a bright shiny pamphlet to put in everyone’s mail box.

Wait! There's More!

Then you can start a Twitter page where you bark out your daily specials while disregarding what others may have to offer. Thousands will follow you and there will be no need for you to follow them back. The same is true with your Facebook and LinkedIn groups. Thousands will love the Flickr pics of all your fabulous products while you will become the biggest viral video in the history of YouTube.

Once in a while, a wave can hit or go viral but that’s not our call, it’s theirs and they will leave us as fast and love us. Possessing awareness means nothing on its own.

Before you want others to be aware of you, make sure you know what you want them to do. What's in it for them?

I am aware of you. Now what?

@knealemann
Helping you integrate all you do with all you do.

photo credit: rlv.zcache

Marketing | Metrics and Minutiae

Pre-Sets and Programming

In my former life, I programmed radio stations for a living. I loved my time in radio but one of my biggest grievances remains today: measurement.

Will this work?

I Want It Now!


• To measure ratings in radio, a tiny percentage of the population is asked their opinion to speak on behalf of the masses.

• The newspaper industry claims each paper (!) is read by several people.

• Television polls the same people and calls it consensus.

• Direct Mail response rates higher than 3% point to a resounding success.

• External advertising industries claim the billboard will be seen but you must remember the three second rule.

Yet companies remain sceptical that an online strategy can help them.

It's important to note that if you own a business and you are unsure the best solution for you - be careful of those who will drown you in metrics and doublespeak. That is especially important when delving in to the online world.

I am not bias toward particular media though I do lean to some more than others because of effectiveness. This won't be another article about relationships and two-way conversations. It must be based on strategy, not theory. All media has its place and I have clients who use them all. This is more about paying attention to what is important to you and your business. It's about managing your expectations.

You can’t ask everyone and there is no such thing as the perfect shot. Every industry has its metrics yet often business owners when introduced to digital solutions want documented results at the beginning.

It is valid to want to know the expected results of marketing dollars (after having a great offering and a well focused plan and message) but running a business like an ad campaign is dangerous sport.

Living By Numbers

I’m not anti-research or anti-metrics but if you want a guaranteed solution chiseled in granite every time you may be waiting a while. I don’t condone running your business with wild abandon but balance is good. Numbers can be a deterrent. Numbers can intoxicate you. Numbers can be deceiving.

In Other News...

The Vancouver Olympics start today. Years of planning, training and hoping culminate in a two week event that costs billions and is seen by billions. And the biggest story right now is whether the weather will cooperate.

Something no amount of planning could have affected. Go Canada!

Do you ever leap before you look?

@knealemann
strategy. marketing. social media.

photo credit: i.ehow

You Have Marketing | Sleep Well

Investment Returned?

The chatter about return on investment never subsides.

If you spend money it's your right to measure the wisdom of your purchase and how it may have helped your business.

But Is It That Simple?

Stan buys an outdoor campaign in five cities for twelve weeks and sees a 9% increase in sales on the East Coast. Sounds great. The boss will love it. So is the campaign the cause of the increase? Not even Stan can be sure.

Share Points and Average Quarter Hours

Kayla has always used some of her marketing budget to place advertising on alternative rock radio stations. Since her target is Males 18-34, that makes sense but she has seen a decrease in revenue for the last five quarters. She is concerned that radio isn’t as affective anymore.

Her lean toward increasing her social media activity is justified. But the radio spend is worth a much closer look – not because of the medium – but because it may not be the reason for the decreased revenue.

Blanket and Hope

Keith is convinced that direct mail will work. He has seen the stats. He knows that less than 1% of people who receive the piece will actually spend more than a second to review it. He has decided to simply mail his menu to everyone in his town of 34,000 people. He will do four mailings per year.

Keith’s pizza joint is humming. He and his staff can barely keep up with the demand. The campaign is working like a charm. Or is it?

Social Media Saves The Day?

Lloyd started his Facebook group almost a year ago. He asked every friend to join and asked each of them to ask each of their friends to join. There are now 8,714 members from all over the world. The numbers keep building but Lloyd doesn’t know what to do next.

Marketing is not simply advertising. What you did last year is not a solution. Your company is not a campaign.

Radio, social media, print, outdoor and digital can all be viable options for you. But simply picking one isn't enough to ensure a good night's sleep.

What says you?

@knealemann
Helping you create your best business,
marketing and social media strategy.

image credit: firstpeople.us

Eyes On The Road

A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business.
Henry Ford

While discussing competitive situations, a mentor once said, “When you're driving in a snowstorm, stay in your lane!” His point was that just because a competitor takes a run at you, that is not enough of a reason to flinch. That is safe advice.

But is 'safe' the new 'risk'?

Yesterday I received direct mail pieces from my internet/cable provider and from my land line phone provider. My phone company is now offering satellite cable packages, wireless devices and deals on mini laptops with sign-up. My cable company is now offering wireless devices and home phone line services.

Competition brings out the best in products
and the worst in people. David Sarnoff

So the cable people are now in the phone business and the phone people are now selling computers. And both are trying to sell me the ultimate all-in-one-bundle.

What Do You Do?

This is a story of two companies driving in a snowstorm. The cable company is taking shots at said phone company and chipping away at their land land business as well as going toe-to-toe with them on wireless and internet. This is a war with brightly produced four-color shiny pamphets and dangling carrots.

Who is the winner?

On the surface, it would appear to be the customer. As one who has dealings with both companies, the honeymoon is brief and the next victim is always the target.

You can fool all the people all the time if the advertising is right
and the budget is big enough. Joseph E. Levine

Visibility in this snowstorm is not the issue because everyone seems to want to be in every lane. The question remains whether they can still see customer service in the rear view mirror.

It is an immutable law in business that words are words, explanations are explanations, promises are promises but only performance is reality. Harold Geneen

Special offers, one-time deals, gifts with purchase all pale in comparison to giving cutomers stuff that actually works.

Is it good to stay in your lane?
When is it time overtake someone in theirs?

Connecting the Connections

Keith Burtis gave a great presentation at PodCamp Toronto last weekend. It’s especially engaging when the entire room gets involved and Keith let the discussion run wild. It was fantastic! I love Keith’s story too. Eighteen months ago he was working in a warehouse and now he is helping others around the world embrace social media.

These Are The Days Of Our Lives...

Keith compared traditional business models (the funnel) to social media models (the hour glass).

Traditional business shoves as many through the pipe on the hopes to be left with a handful of paying customers. While in social media, you may start with a larger group of people but each one represents the chance to develop a deeper personal relationship.

The funnel starts with a large group and ends with a small group. But the hourglass starts with a large group, develops into small one-on-one connections with people who have their own network, and can result in a larger group.

Traditional model is transactional
Social media model is relational

It was amazing how much chatter ensued after getting back to the office. There were people who reached out to say they wish we had had a conversation at PodCamp and I did the same. Perhaps you experienced this as well.

I have started applying Keith’s suggestion even more to develop stronger one-on-one connections past the follower/friend relationship. After all, we are all just people. Extend a hand or an email, perhaps a call or even a meeting and break through traditional circles.

One-To-One Across The World

Proximity is the single biggest way to meet people: you work together, you’re in the same industry, you are blood related, or you know someone who knows someone. But with social media you can meet people from all walks of life, all over the world, and expand not only your scope of relationships but your knowledge base.

Hop into the conversation. Dig a little deeper. See if you can learn more about someone.

What do you have to lose except the chance to meet someone you otherwise would never would have met?

@knealemann

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