10 Marketing Technology Take-Aways from #ims11

1. Use technology to support a market differentiation strategy

Be focused and committed to one ideal and you will stand out. Too many companies are racing towards sameness with an arms race of copy-cat features. It’s difficult to build brand affinity if customers can’t tell you a part.  Examples that come to mind are LBS vendors (though I seem them taking diverging strategies now) and the Google and Facebook social network competition.

2. Become adept at using Google+.

Your presence on Google+ will be rewarded with a higher search ranking. It’s no surprise Google favors it’s own social outposts over others (what happened to “Do no Evil?”).  Be sure to fill in “Current Employment” with the most interesting content because that’s what people see when they roll over your image.

How to find people on Google+

• Findpeopleonplus.com
• Group.as

Lastly, if you’re in a regulated industry your access to Facebook and Twitter is likely blocked or limited. However, corporate IT departments are more likely to keep Google properties open. If you’re selling into regulated markets, Google+ could be the best avenue for reaching your audience.

3. Focus your technology on three segments

Top of the Funnel

1. Content is king (blog posts, videos, etc)
2. Social media
3. Online Marketing (PPC, SEO)
4. Referrals, Partners

Middle of the Funnel

1. Create custom campaigns for hot, warm, and cold leads
2. Personalization is key
3. Make every touch relevant and useful

Bottom of the funnel

1. Automate sales stage communications
2. Provide supporting evidence
3. Welcome customers (make it personal and relevant)
4. Be systematic about every decision

4. QR code scanning has not reached mass adoption, so continue to pilot. [YMMV]

The Celtics noticed recorded that at an outreach event there were two subscription options: digital with QR codes and analog with a paper sign up sheet.  Here were the scores:

QR code scans = 100

Paper sign ups: +1,500

The Celtics found that a simple paper sign up was a simpler choice for events, but that doesn’t mean QR codes are bad – your mileage may vary.

5. Tools + Tactics – Strategy = Chaos

Make sure you have a plan. I recommend Forrester’s POST strategy framework. Infusionsoft provides this template to help map out your tactics.

6  Want to build a twitter following?

• Tweet a lot of links and don’t be overly conversational.
• Click through rates increase with tweet scarcity; don’t crowd out your own content.
• Click through rates are higher on Saturday and Sunday when there is less tweet volume.
• Don’t be afraid to identify yourself as an authority.
• Be positive, people shy away from negativity.
• Ask for a RT, but don’t be annoying.

7. Have a mobile strategy that converts searches to revenue

70% of mobile searches lead to action within one hour, is your mobile strategy capturing that potential?

Kendall Jackson was held out as an example of doing mobile right. They have SMS, QR codes and URLs on bottle tags – let your customer pick the tools. Don’t force them to adapt to you.

8. How much content is enough?

I thought this was a great question for Chris Brogan. His answer was an eye-opener:

1. Post 2-3 times a week to maintain an audience
2. Post 2-3 times a day to grow an audience

9. Updated Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) metric

[important]Social CLV = Word of mouth referrals + new sales idea + customer support savings[/important]

Many wrestle with how to measure social efforts, the above was provided by Clara Shih and I think it provides a good strategy to define metrics from.

10. I’m leaving this one up to you, what was your Marketing Technology take-away from IMS?

Hit me back in the comments.