Jolt Marketing

It is so critical today for marketers to attract the right prospects, ultimately helping the sales team reduce the time and cost it takes to close deals. Today’s lead generation is not just about creating interest… it represents the nurturing activities necessary to produce a truly qualified prospect. But in order for marketers to efficiently track and drive leads through the customer lifecycle, they must leverage the right tools; enter the Virtual Event!

A virtual event allows every interaction of each attendee to be recorded and evaluated, providing a level of lead qualification that is far superior to most other marketing initiatives. Plus, it allows you to measure the engagement level of participants and immediate attention can be given to “hot” leads.

Here are a some important virtual event stats from a recent On24 survey of business executives that are hard to ignore:
• 63% are more likely to attend conferences online than in person
• 74% are interested in virtual events to save money
• 50% are interested in virtual events to save time
• Almost 72% are equally confident communicating virtually
• 47% are more likely to ask a question at a virtual event
• 30% are more likely to chat with a salesperson in a virtual booth
• 28% are more likely to make connections through social networking at a virtual event than through in-person networking at a physical one

Need one more reason to add a virtual event to your marketing strategy? The average attendee makes 13 connections during a live event. Can you afford not to be one of them?

Connected Planet’s 2010 Virtual Industry Forum is a lead-nurturing solution that will accomplish your business goals. With multiple levels of participation, you can tailor a plan that fits your specific campaign needs. Email Nicole Ozmai for more information.

By Susan Shepherd, Sales Associate

With shrinking advertising budgets and constant pressure to show “results” we’ve seen many advertisers switch from building their brand to focusing solely on lead generation. Marketers need to show value for the money they spend on campaigns and lead generation fits that bill.

All this focus on lead generation and lack of branding may actually be hurting companies in the long run. An interesting article by Greenbook shows that “most service providers today have not achieved distinct brand positioning among IT decision makers.”

Without distinct brand recognition, how can your company compete successfully in today’s market? Don’t forget that although the traditional banner may not bring you an immediate lead, it is working to build your brand in this market, which will ultimately give you that competitive edge.

By Susan Shepherd, Sales Associate

Are you looking for ways to show that your company is a major player in your market, that you’re innovative and on the cutting edge of technology? Then consider the “Microsite” for your marketing program.

The name pretty much says it all. Microsites are basically a mini-site within a traditional media website. Here you can house a plethora of information including, case studies, whitepapers, downloads, webcasts, videos and traditional advertising. This is an excellent tool for educating and engaging your target audience.

According to a survey from Dynamic Logic, Microsites can create “significant increases in all standard brand metrics.” Click here to read more on the attributes of a successful Microsite.

Not sure what a Microsite looks like? Click here to see an example.

By Susan Shepherd, Sales Associate

Today’s decision makers are constantly looking for ways to do their jobs more effectively. While trying to reach your target audience, think about how you can help them, rather than how you can sell them your product.

Webinars are an excellent tool for educating your prospects, building awareness and bringing in quality leads. But in order for them to be successful, you must focus on a topic that actually INTERESTS the audience, not something your company wants to sell.

A great way to do this is to sponsor an Editorial Webcast. Rather than pushing your message or products on the audience, you are simply aligning your brand with a relevant educational topic. This is a great way to show your company as a thought-leader, rather than a “product pusher.” And most importantly, these webcasts are typically priced lower than traditional webcasts.

When planning your next quarter’s budget, keep this idea in mind. Securing a lower priced webinar which will in turn bring in more quality leads, and build solid brand awareness for your company? Sounds like a brilliant marketing idea to me.

We all know that one of the great “free” ways to get your name out in industry is to submit a press release. However, not everyone is familiar with the most effective way to write and distribute one. This helpful article written by PR Web Direct will steer you in right direction: http://www.prwebdirect.com/pressreleasetips.php

Don’t forget that the most successful marketing campaigns reach their target audience through a variety of programs including traditional marketing, lead generating programs, social media and public relations.

If you have “newsworthy” information to submit on our website, we’ve made it very easy for you! Just go to our Briefing Room page and register to submit your press releases. http://blog.connectedplanetonline.com/briefingroom/wp-login.php

We know your budgets are tight and you have to show ROI for every marketing dollar you spend, but a great article from Marketing Profs and Jep Castelein from the Connected Marketer blog suggests you take a deep breath and look at the BIG picture before launching your lead gen campaign. Anyone can spend a little money and generate leads, but following these steps will ensure you get higher quality leads and run a more successful lead gen campaign –

1. Know your ideal prospect. First and foremost, paint a clear picture of who you’re trying to reach, Castelein advises. “Look at your existing customers, and identify the key decision-makers and influencers,” he says. “People like them are likely to be your ideal prospects.”

2. Be where your prospects are. “Do prospects use the Web to learn about new solutions? If yes, focus on inbound marketing,” he suggests. “Are they into magazines or tradeshows? If yes, use outbound techniques.” Self-serving note from Connected Planet – 95% of our visitors take action when visiting ConnectedPlanetonline.com – 56% come to research a technology, 45% visit an online special report and 31% download webcasts and white papers. Contact us today to discuss a “big picture” lead generation idea with Connected Planet.

3. Add value, avoid quick sells. “Start with a soft-sell, offering something that will help them in their jobs,” writes Castelein.

4. Make sure you get the right leads. Set up a lead-scoring profile, he suggests, to measure whether you’re attracting the right type of prospect. Don’t have lead nurturing or scoring capabilities in house? Ask your sales manager about our new lead nurturing options.

5. Test and measure. “I recommend keeping a detailed record of the cost of campaigns, the number of raw leads, and the number.

Source: Connected Marketer via Marketing Profs. Read the full post.

Connected Planet and U.S. Telecom Announce One-Day Event: Building A Better Internet
Learn how you can reach this captive audience of service provider decision-makers who are vital to your business! Find out more…

The Internet has transformed how we organize knowledge, how we communicate with one another, how we buy and sell, how we work and how we play. Its growth and innovative power continue at an unprecedented pace. The information society and global economy now depend on the smooth functioning and continuing evolution of the Internet. Spurred by the FCC’s National Broadband Plan, there is now a global conversation about Internet innovation, universal access, competition policy, investment and network infrastructure.

In response, Connected Planet is bringing together experts from government, the broadband service provider sector, the technology community and the investment world to discuss how to build a better Internet.

Branding, Thought Leadership and Lead Generation Opportunities
For you, this presents a truly unique opportunity to get face-to-face with the decision-makers turning the broadband stimulus money into real solutions. As a sponsor, you become a key part of this important dialogue. Through exclusive branding, thought leadership and lead generation promotions, your company can make the case for your broadband initiatives and get the attention of key stakeholders.

Multi-level sponsorship packages are available, featuring:

Call your sales manager for sponsorship information!
Megan Lynberg, 913.967.1704
Nicole Ozmai, 720.227.1958

With increased goals and dwindling budgets, 2010 has you searching for truly better, simpler and cheaper ways to reach the key decision makers who are vital to your business. However, your prospects are not spending the same time researching services as they once did, now basing decisions on information that is readily available, right in front of them. So what does that mean for you? If you’re not directly in their path during the buying process, you don’t stand a chance.

According to Marketing Sherpa’s B2B Marketing Benchmark Guide, key decision-makers are more likely to start their research from business news and media outlets, sources they know have trustworthy content.* And that’s where we come in… Connected Planet offers trusted expertise with marketing programs that deliver branding, thought leadership and lead generation – proven to put you in front of these potential customers at the right time. Call your sales manager to find out how you can make this year your most successful.

Look for more information on Connected Planet’s marketing services, coming soon…

Budgets are tight, marketers must show ROI and as a result many want to incorporate lead generation programs into their marketing mix. At Connected Planet we offer great options for this, including whitepapers, webcasts, Smart Guides, Pop Quiz, etc. These programs generate hundreds of leads for you to turn over to your sales teams, and they all allow for qualifying questions so leads can be further qualified before they get to your sales reps. But is your idea of a qualified lead the same as your sales team?

A great article from the Annuiatas Group (found via Marketing Profs) suggests there’s a disconnect between sales and marketing in terms of lead qualification. So…have you talked to your sales team lately? If not, now’s a good time to check in and go over a few points regarding lead qualification –

• Identify the phases of your customers’ buying cycle.
• Develop a profile of your ideal customer.
• Determine the criteria used for lead qualification and incorporate this into all of your programs.

For more info, read the Annuitas Group article

All this talk about social media marketing and the high tech future of our business has us thinking about the basics. Remember the good old days when you had the time to create an actual marketing plan and put it on paper? Now that we’re settling into 2010 and your budget is set (although never in stone), it feels appropriate to slow down just a bit, and get back to those fundamental – and crucial – marketing principals. Let’s take a real look at what we marketers should be doing as we plan and implement our new year marketing strategy…

Ask yourself:

What are you trying to accomplish?
Who are you trying to reach?
What is the unique value proposition of your product or service?
What are the best ways to reach and influence your target audience?
What do you need to spend to achieve your goals (total and just for media)?
What are the expected business impacts of your marketing programs and what are their actual performance results?

Once you answer those questions, you can start crafting an effective marketing plan that will help you communicate the business-critical elements of your marketing strategy to the rest of the team. Here are just a few ways your carefully planned marketing strategy will help your business:

-Address changing market or economic conditions
-Make the business case for management to invest in your marketing programs
-Launch a new product or service
-Enter a new market or channel
-Fix an ongoing business problem
-Manage current marketing activities by organizing them in a professional planning document

At Connected Planet, we can help with the above… addressing your specific business issues with targeted marketing solutions that deliver measureable results. Have an idea and want to know if it fits with our service provider audience, or just need to get pointed in the right direction? Give us a call to get started!