business-to-business marketing

January 10, 2018 by Marc Hausman

“Big Data” Play for B2B Marketers

Imagine if four months after your start-up unveiled its new service you had more than a million customers, each paying $9.95 a month. Business journalists at USA Today, New York Times and others splashed your name in the headlines. Long-entrenched competitors viewed you as the ultimate industry disruptor

The future would be bright. Or would it?

This scenario is playing out today for movie subscription service provider MoviePass. For a simple, low-cost monthly fee, a person can head to any theatre and see one movie every day. The theater operator gets paid full price by MoviePass for each admission, which is often double the cost of the subscription fee.

The business model of losing money on every customer transaction is certainly flawed. Just ask Independence Air, the low-cost airline that soared its way to bankruptcy in the mid-2000s.

Yet, Mitch Lowe, MoviePass’ CEO and the co-founder of Netflix, believes “the real treasure in this venture is the trove of data about consumer tastes and habits.”

Ah…there it is…the analytics. Big data is core to the business model of global innovators like Uber, Facebook and Google. Intelligence and insight helps organizations make more informed decisions and achieve competitive advantage.

At Strategic Communications Group (Strategic), we deliver a “big data” play for business-to-business and public sector marketers. The analytics gleaned from our online buyer communities helps you:

-Identify prospects who express interest in your company’s solutions

-Direct inside sales and channel resources

-Select offers to include in Email marketing and other lead generation activities

Plus, we have a product initiative in the works that will deliver on-demand access to customer and prospect data via a simple, easy-to-use Web environment.

October 9, 2017 by Marc Hausman

Five Lessons from the Hef

Last month Playboy Magazine founder and Editor Hugh Hefner died at the age of 91. The boisterous, arrogant and pajama wearing philanderer was a controversial figure. In no way do I condone his lifestyle or the objectification published in his pages.

The Hef (Source: ABCNews.com)

Yet, the Hef also represented a creative spirit, desire, drive and willingness to challenge the norm that should be studied and, in certain situations, embraced by business-to-business marketers. Let’s examine what was so sinfully right about Hugh Hefner.

Hef was an entrepreneur who understood the power of brand. At its height in the early 1970s, the magazine’s circulation eclipsed seven million. Playboy expanded into a true global enterprise with interests in television, jazz festivals, book publishing and a chain of nightclubs.
Hef delivered a quality product that extended beyond the centerfold. Playboy commissioned articles from the world’s most celebrated authors. He published excerpts from cherished works such as Alex Haley’s Roots, and Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein’s All the President’s Men. Exclusive interviews with Muhammad Ali, Fidel Castro, Jimmy Carter and Steve Jobs appeared in its pages.
Hef championed and acted on important causes, even when his opinion was unpopular. In 1961, he assumed control of a group of Playboy clubs that refused members because of their race.

“We are outspoken foes of segregation and we are actively involved in the fight to see the end of all racial inequalities in our time,” he said.

Hef recognized the importance of his personal reputation. Esquire magazine recognized him as the most famous magazine editor in the history of the world.
Hef had perspective and a zest for life. Too many of us live to work. It’s misguided. Hef told Time magazine in 1967, “I’m living a grown-up version of a boy’s dream, turning life into a celebration.”

As you plan and budget for the coming year, I encourage you to consider Hef’s lessons. By all means, keep it appropriate. Find a way though to soar above what is simply expected. It is only from an aspiration for greatness that we can truly make a difference – on the job and in life

March 28, 2017 by Marc Hausman

Classic Rock and the Modern Marketer

Stephen Stills (Source: ConcertVault.com)

Let’s set the scene. It is late Sunday evening and I’m hurtling along I83 towards Baltimore returning from a youth basketball tournament in wonderful Spooky Nook, Pennsylvania. My sons are camped out in the back seat lost in the allure of their phones, giving me free reign over the radio.

Stephen Stills sings, “Well there’s a rose in the fisted glove…and the eagle flies with the dove…and if you can’t be with the one you love, honey…love the one you’re with…love the one you’re with.”

Two things strike me as the chorus bounces around my mind: 1) Stephen Still had really cool side burns; and 2) we as business-to-business marketers spend too much time and allocate too many resources to pursue new leads. What about our existing customers — the ones we are with?

Research demonstrates customer retention and upsell programs are smart business. It is 7X more expensive to attract a new customer than it is to keep a current one. Moreover, according to Marketing Metrics: the Definitive Guide to Measuring Marketing Performance, a company has a 14X greater chance of growing revenue from an existing relationship than it does wooing someone new.

Are customers aware of your company’s full portfolio of services and capabilities? Have their needs changed since the relationship between your companies was initiated? Are there new decision-makers or influencers?

I’m uncomfortable when I attempt to answer those questions about my own business. So…here are three things I plan to do about it:

Social media map, connect with and follow every client. In addition to ongoing dialogue, I want to understand what they’re sharing online. It is going to tell me a lot about the direction of their business and its priorities.

Make customer education core to Strategic Communications Group’s (Strategic) content strategy. I still want to appeal to prospects, yet our editorial calendar will now be better aligned with the requirements and needs of our client portfolio.

Profile clients and their innovative approaches on Modern Marketing Today. This is Strategic’s online magazine for business-to-business and public sector marketers and sales professionals. I can contribute to a client’s professional reputation and standing, while demonstrating the value I place on the relationship.

“Big Data” Play for B2B Marketers

Five Lessons from the Hef

Classic Rock and the Modern Marketer

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