thinking strategically aboutonline marketing

david scanlon | internet marketing unit

agenda

website as a sales rep strategic online marketing online engagement case study: Juniper Networks

website as a sales rep

selling overseas is:– expensive: office space, accommodation, travel costs– risky: highly-dependant on personality/capability of staff– difficult to measure effectiveness– physical distance can dilute control (gone native)

website as a sales rep

web as panacea!– cures all known business development ailments!!– speaks every language in the world – 24/7, 365– doesn’t need business class flights for a vital industry

conference in Las Vegas– web is ultimate sales-person

website as a sales rep

sales reps have needs:– up to date market info;– up to date customer details;– up to date competitor info;– up to date product/service info.

need to set targets– more importantly, need to review!

reality?

we leave the development/running of our

ultimate sales & marketing machine to…

strategic online marketing

online marketing: – more cost effective; – builds awareness quickly; – fosters relationships; – measurable in a way 'traditional' media isn’t

overwhelmed with choice – what do we say? – who do we say it to? – how do we know they’re listening?

online marketing 101

what is the purpose of your site?– generate qualified leads– sell your products or services online– gather market research

set SMART objectives– increase qualified leads by 10% by Q2…– reduce customer service costs by 25% by Q4…– increase online revenue share by 2% by tomorrow…

entirl social media framework

on the internet…

…no one believes what you scream

what you say on your corporate site is of little relevance– and is almost exactly what your competitor is saying…

– "world-class "– “truly unique and unparalled”– “innovative”– complete, seamless, holistic and end-to-end…

– lies, damned lies, and key-words!

make it easier for others to talk about you OFF your site- managing your total web presence

build an online "culture of authority"

talk to your customers (shock horror!)– if they are talking about you– if they want you to

talk about your industry– watch what your competitors talk about

use “word-of-mouth” platforms– consumers trust referrals more than advertising

rules of engagement

listen– rule of thumb: 4 times as much as you write

learn– good context: allows you to make mistakes!

care– be honest, and earnest: passion is addictive

serve– this is your core, you are in business to serve customers

via @pistachio

rules of engagement

case study: JUNOS (Juniper Networks)

IP network hardware, software & services

goal: increase JUNOS certified technicians

leveraged loyal user base

mailshot to 4,500 architects/engineers seeking ideas– 40% response (+ 450 extra via social graph – 25% bump!)

case study: JUNOS (Juniper Networks)action

– built community microsite/portal– video, wikis, blogs, live chat events with Juniper staff– majority of community are Cisco users!

results

– contact base tripled to 15,000– doubled number of certified technicians– established thought-leadership

advice– give prospects and customers what they want, not what you want them to have.– provide a platform that allows dialogue to happen.– encourage your messages to go viral by making them easy to share.– resist selling hard to your brand advocates or you'll quickly alienate them.

top online marketing mistakes

– no clear value proposition/mission statement– no clear understanding of customers/market– no goal-setting– presuming audience will think the way you do– underestimation of costs– belief that website delivery is the finish line– hiring a designer to do a strategists job

how Enterprise Ireland can help

internet marketing unit– vibrant discussion forum– fortnightly newsletter– review & signposting– funding

thank you

david.scanlon@enterprise-ireland.com

http://www.linkedin.com/in/davescanlon

http://twitter.com/ei_dscanlon

shameless plugs– new corporate site (http://www.enterprise-ireland.com)– software blog (http://bestconnected.enterprise-ireland.com)

questions?