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All too often I see businesses jump-into the marketing fray with strategies that leave me scratching my head and asking “huh?” It’s not just me; the puzzled looks span a variety of ages and demographics. The point of the marketing message was so unclear it had to be because a.) I am truly out of the loop and clueless, b.) the creative was waaay off-base, or c.) they didn’t really have a well thought out plan that addressed a consumer need and offered a clear path to a solution.

Let me suggest that “a” and “b” are often the stated reasons by the “suits.” It’s nearly unthinkable that a business in today’s environment will embark on something without a plan. And then I read this article in the New York Times: Why Twitter Turned Down Facebook.

Ignore the back-and-forth reasoning why Twitter and Facebook are not yet meant for the altar. What I find astounding are statistics like this (and I quote): “Twitter has raised $20 million from venture capitalists, but has brought in virtually no revenue, choosing growth over everything else. ” Does that sound familiar? Didn’t we go through something like this not even 10 years ago? How can you start something without the end in mind?

Yet, Ev Williams, the chief executive and co-founder of Twitter was quoted as saying: “So far, though, “we haven’t studied the business cases much.” “We literally have no business people in the company, so this isn’t an area we’re really focused on.”

Tell me, am I missing something? Please enlighten me. Unless Mr. Williams has a pile of cash and Twitter is his plaything, this does not make any sense. It reminds me of an old saying I had posted in my office: “Ready - Fire - Aim.”

So what can we learn from this? First and foremost, as I consult with companies looking to revamp their Web initiatives, I observe that they have not given one single thought to a business case. Not once have they articulated a “desired outcome,” a set of goals or even a key performance indicator. They see the Internet, or Web 2.0 as support means to a larger initiative; not as a marketing channel that can be infinitely measured, but also carries direct costs.

Without a plan (a business plan) these projects are usually the first to be cut when the company enters rough economic water. And that’s too bad, because rough times should call for greater marketing activity. But without a plan, a goal and proper measurement there is no way to justify the dollars and effort spent on a Web project.

I share a “needs assessment” process with new clients which forces them to tell me what they want their digitial initiative to do, what their calls-to-action are, what the desired outcomes need to be, and how they will measure it. Rather than thinking of the Web as just another marketing component, it makes them understand that it has to pay its own way and earn its keep. But without a business case, it’s like the old saying, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.”

Agree? Disagree? Have a success story? Have a question? Share it with me at: bob_chernet@viewmark.com

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© 2008 Bob Chernet

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As marketing budgets are increasingly under the microscope, it becomes more important to think that if you cannot measure it, why do it?

There are many ways to examine campaign effectiveness, but a better method involves the component of where a campaign goes awry and where improvement is needed. A sales funnel can be a useful tool to help marketers understand how effectively marketing messages and media are in driving actual (and measurable) results.

Each marketing program that reaches out to new or existing customers creates a sales “funnel.” As a metaphoric example, the funnel can be a graphic representation of all the cars coming from different roads and different cities, different makes & models, and different drivers. As they get closer to the destination, they move from all their different originating points to a highway, then merging into a single lane. How many make it through to their final destination? How many give up and make a U-turn? How many cars run out of gas waiting to get past the line? How many have accidents? You get the idea.

In similar fashion the marketing funnel tracks all users exposed to a marketing message, beginning with the initial contact (ad program, Web site, search result, brochure etc.). The funnel gets narrower as the user traverses a series of additional messages and tasks as they become more interested in what you have to say, culminating in an “engagement” You define what that engagement is, but simply put an engagement is the goal of your specific marketing program’s objective. An engagement might include an “offer to register” for something, share their name or other personal data with you, download a trial version, sign-up, opt-in, or make a purchase. The art and science of helping the customer make that journey from the top of the funnel (the initial contact) to the bottom (the engagement with you) requires a high level of customer insight, allowing you to maximize your efforts at moving them through the process quickly and effortlessly. This information allows a company to make smarter decisions on traffic drivers, site navigation, content effectiveness and conversion techniques.

Deep, relevant and actionable Web metric data can bring your marketing picture into sharp focus. Online measurement and customer analytics is key to identifying and minimizing potential points of engagement decay within a Web site or online marketing program experience. Metric tools and analysis documentation should allow you the ability to make effective and informed decisions from the insight gained.

Sales funnel data should provide deep understanding into every element of Web-centric marketing initiatives by providing relevant, actionable knowledge regarding the media that sent each customer to you, individual Web visitor behavior, their preferences and incentives. This information allows a company to make smarter decisions on traffic drivers, site navigation, content effectiveness and conversion techniques.

By installing processes to monitor users’ activities and paths via the graphic sales funnel, from referring drivers (ads, P4P placement, e-mail blasts and other outbound materials), tracking metrics can identify phases of your user’s engagement and measure progression through those stages of the sales funnel.

Funnel tracking also increases insight into top customer issues, identifying where potential customers skip stages, or by revealing potential points of funnel decay where users become confused, lose interest, or have other reasons to abandon the process. Knowing where these points are can enable you to test different ways to encourage the user to “keep going”, or for you to improve the user interface, if instructions and “next steps” are not clear.
This is good stuff, and where you can earn big kudos by solving the problem(s). Strategies can be developed toward appealing to users’ interests, extending their online engagement time, offering cross-selling opportunities and encouraging repeat visits.

Sometimes the answer is not so obvious, and you need to take further action by conducting a usability study. If you employ a funnel in your measurement process you should have a good idea where the potential choke-point(s) are. Usability testing may reveal additional issues and measures you need to address.

Unfortunately, few companies deeply understand and anticipate customer behavior, often centering their marketing strategies around products rather than their customers’ desires, needs and expectations. Knowing your customer and implementing key strategies to satisfy those expectations can make the journey through the funnel effortless, affect customer behavior and drive business results.

Thanks to the sales funnel this important data cn allow you to fine-tune your creative messaging, as well as media placement. It can also help you craft an online Web site interaction experience that speaks your customer’s language, supports their expectations, and drives a deeper, more fulfilling relationship with them.

Agree? Disagree? Have a success story? Have a question? Share it with me at: bob_chernet@viewmark.com

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© 2008 Bob Chernet
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Almost everywhere you turn today you hear the term “brand” or “branding” being thrown about. This week I’m attending a trade show in Chicago and heard variations of “brand” at breakfast, during meetings, on the shuttle, and at dinner.

“We’ve got an important new branding initiative…” said one. Another talked about “creating a branding campaign that would…” I even heard about how someone’s “brand needed more traction.”

Truth be told, I’ve always been taught that a brand cannot be created overnight, but rather over time. I’m a firm believer that a “branding campaign” is not about branding at all; but rather about advertising. I become perplexed when I see marketing communications, advertising or publicity that talks about their brand, as if nobody knew about it.

Tragically, these companies miss the whole point. To me, a brand is a set of customer expectations. They expect the menu to be priced consistently from location to location., the place to be clean, the personnel to be observant and ready. The quality to be high. If they are not you can run all the ads you want, but it won’t be true and the customer will either know it, or find out quickly.

So, what’s the point?

Besides holding a brand to a customer’s expectations, it runs much deeper than what you say you do. It’s actually what you do, day-in and day-out. Brand is actually a verb first; a noun second. Brand is the company in action. Brand is what the company sees demonstrated. It is not what the company says that it is.

Case-in-point: I have rarely seen a brand so clearly communicated and demonstrated than by the Hilton Garden Inn here at O’Hare Airport. They so clearly get it that even their comment cards (placed everywhere) don’t take the usual approach of “how can we improve?” but instead “Catch us doing something great…”

In the hotel business, service stands-out above the usual “clean beds” and such. But when you and others talk about the level of attention you’re getting from the hotel, while riding on the shuttle, well, that’s plain amazing.

What this hotel has done is teach every employee that the customer is the most important person, and to do everything in one’s power to accommodate them; often before they actually ask for it. The hotel manager’s business cards are plainly visible (and available) at the front desk, where his cell phone number is boldly printed if ever necessary!

As the shuttle picked us up from the airport, the driver cheerily greeted us, handed us each a fresh and cold bottle of water (on a very hot day) as we entered. He called-ahead with our names, so that we would already be checked-in, with keys ready and waiting.

Rooms had both free wired and wireless Internet (no registration, no codes, no fees). Plus, free printing services from the room.

Need to go somewhere? Anywhere? A shuttle would whisk you to your destination virtually any time of day or night; simply call the driver for a pick-up. No charge.

When boxed materials were sent to the hotel instead of the convention center, the hotel clerk cheerily noted that they had already been put on the shuttle to be delivered to the booth! No charge.

I could go on about the surprises that lurked around every corner. But what this hotel in Chicago did was to live its brand through its actions. You didn’t need a branding campaign to tell others about how good they were; the actual customers would do that by talking to others about their great experience. And, after all, isn’t word-of-mouth the best, most trusted, cost-efficient methods of marketing?

So, when you’re embarking on your next marketing initiative make sure you apply the principles of branding-as-a-verb from the very beginning. As you develop your messaging strategy. As you write copy. As you plan the Web site experience. As you implement touchpoints, forms, processes, follow-ups, opt-ins and such.

Think ahead of what your customer / visitor expects from you and your brand. If you execute on these with flawless precision, your brand will show itself automatically.

Now it’s your turn:

Agree? Disagree? Have a success story? Have a question? Share it with me at: bob_chernet@viewmark.com

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© 2008 Bob Chernet
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Not that long ago I wrote an article titled Using Web Addresses to Support the Brand to help marketers understand the importance of making a web site’s URL work hard on not only marketing & communications materials, but on product packaging as well.

I’m happy to report that I received a lot of feedback on that topic; it must be on a lot of people’s minds. However, the comments ranged the gamut, from “We think it’s better to drive our traffic to our home page and expose them to all of our product offerings” (or messaging… or specials, or whatever) to how difficult it was getting buy-in from other stakeholders, such as the brand manager, design director, adding (in their minds) “clutter” to their packaging. There always seemed to be some sort of excuse why they couldn’t accomplish it, in this age of why can’t we?

Well, let’s hear it for Heinz Ketchup! The message I talked about seemed to resonate with the “57 Varieties” folks (although I cannot claim that they actually read my words and acted specifically because of them). If you look on the back of their retail squeeze bottles you’ll see that they reserved a significant portion of packaging real estate to publicizing their web site, and creating enough interest to drive users to it.

As you can see they created a specific “active voice” domain name (HeinzItUp.com) that conveys a sense of interest, action and fun. Notice the three specific reasons to visit the site; all benefit-oriented.

Why would they do this, particularly when site users are already Heinz customers? Simple: they’re solidifying a brand relationship they already have, adding user value and providing the potential to upsell their customers to more uses for the product (”use ketchup in your meatloaf recipe…” etc.) Imagine customers who actually want to learn more about the product! These “make-me-interested loyals” may actually increase their likelihood-of-purchase by investigating additional ways to use the product , or being cross-sold to other Heinz brands. Arm & Hammer Baking Soda accomplished this famously years ago by telling users of a “new use” by putting an open box of Arm & Hammer in the refrigerator to kill odors.

Heinz can find great use in the site statistics in order to segregate visits from their other sites, such as Heinz.com and offer an opt-in mechanism to continue the dialog via invited eMail messages. This simple tactic goes a long way towards justifying to management and budget stakeholders not only the value of the unique domain, but efficiency of the packaging message and the new channel for communication to customers who not only use the product but are open to new ideas and uses.

Take a look at your web site; your product packaging, the way you sell your domain to others. Are you simply saying “visit our website at www.oursite.com” or are you giving them a unique way to connect with you, and a demonstrable value exchange?

Hooray for Heinz! Have you seen other good examples? Let me know!

Agree? Disagree? Have a success story? Have a question? Share it with me at: bob_chernet@viewmark.com

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© 2008 Bob Chernet

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The job of a marketing manager is not relegated solely to developing effective customer-facing interactions. Often, there is a large support requirement necessary for the staff who carries out the marketing tactics, and the sales force who do the pick-and-shovel work of building relationships with customers and closing orders.

In earlier times (dare we say less than 10 years ago?) a large percentage of marketing’s time, effort and budget was committed to creating brochures or support materials, obtaining print bids, maintaining an inventory of physical documents, and distributing them across town or around the world to sales reps or branch offices. The costs were huge, the lead-time unrealistic, and the ability to personalize virtually nonexistent.

Of course these days, when FedEx just can’t get it there fast enough or cheap enough, there is an extremely cost-efficient way of supplying field reps with the marketing communications and materials they need, when they need it, as they need it.

Intranets, or private company web portals accessible worldwide behind a secure log-in, have been helping companies deliver the latest, most relevant and most personalized data for customers and prospective clients. Unfortunately, many businesses either don’t know about them, how they can be used to their benefit, or how their offices can take advantage of them.

Simply stated, an intranet is nothing more than a private version of a company’s web site, offering proprietary information for personnel and marketing/sales departments in real-time, that can be updated and customized as the need requires. For example, calculate the time and budget savings you’ll realize by putting all of your product brochures on an intranet for your sales force to download and customize whenever the need arises. Pulling marcom from an intranet guarantees that it will be the freshest, most up-to-date versions available.

Corporations can provide private back-channel intranet communication to local or remote personnel with company news, audio/video conferences, sales presentations, and updates regarding strategic initiatives that have a global reach throughout the organization, as well as other productivity enhancers such as CRM tools and project management processes.

Microsoft’s SharePoint application has taken intranet productivity to another level, where large numbers of employees can access, review, discuss and change documents, applications and presentations within a collaborative yet secure environment. In these days of diverse office locations and the increasing demand for telecommuting, intranets have become the de facto method for enterprise-level communication and interaction.

If you haven’t thought about implementing a company intranet, you probably should. The benefits are numerous and the cost savings exponential. And, anything that helps an organization work smarter, more accurately and in harmony with strategic objectives can only pay big dividends in productivity and sales.

Agree? Disagree? Have a success story? Have a question? Share it with me at: bob_chernet@viewmark.com

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© 2008 Bob Chernet

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I’ve met numerous marketing managers who have asked if they need to include a podcast in their marketing mix. It seems perfectly natural that this relatively new medium can be considered a marketing channel and should be incorporated into future plans and budgets.

First, it would be helpful to define what a “podcast” actually is. The short answer is that it’s one (or a series) of digital video and/or audio files, distributed via the Web for playback on iPod (or similar) devices, or on computers. Podcasts (programs) are notably different from other media in that they are either downloaded manually, or automatically via syndication. Special software may be required to play a podcast.

When it was first introduced a podcast’s appeal was rather undefined; anyone could create and distribute their own “show.” Over time the unique ability for long (or short) form programming available for personal on-demand viewing found its audience in education, trade conferences and entertainment. Users could watch informative sessions, speakers, or instructors wherever they were; on the bus, the plane or in a park.

Many marketers believe they need to include podcasting as part of their arsenal, although I would wager that they don’t know exactly why. The answer would actually result in the need to ask even more questions: “Who is your audience?” What is your message? What do you want to accomplish? How will you measure a podcast’s success?”

Podcasting is a very personal medium. While many people collectively can watch a single podcast, usually they are viewed on a one-to-one basis; the iPod device and the viewer. You can also consider podcasting as an invited message medium; generally speaking, users ask for the podcast and have a genuine interest in the title or topic. Additionally, a podcast’s content is viewed at a time when the user is optimally ready to see it; after all, they are in control of when they see it; when they are most comfortable and receptive.

So, we get back to the basic question: Is a podcast a marketing tool? Sure, if it’s part of an overall strategy to enhance brand awareness wrapped in a trendy music video. Or, as American Express accomplished so successfully with its Jerry Seinfeld / Superman production, it became a must-see form of entertainment, that was actually a commercial. Unfortunately, these kinds of efforts can be quite expensive to produce (one could argue that production values are not as important anymore).

The greater value of a podcast may be in the form of ongoing communication and education for B2B channels. Companies might find it wise to create and distribute education, information or assistance programs for their distributors or employees. Topics such as “How to better arrange a display in your store” or “Getting a customer past the price-point” may go a long way towards the ultimate marketing goal of increasing sales and order totals.

Communication to employees and shareholders in large / international corporations could also benefit from this personal and on-demand method of presenting information and updates in a very contemporary and visual way.

As early streaming video was searching for a monetized marketing purpose, so go podcasts. If you take the time to examine your marketing goals and carefully reference your audience segments you might be able to discover  many new possibilities where podcasts can play an important part in reaching your goals.

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In the marketing world there’s no greater sin than creating a disconnect with the customer.

The whole point of what we do as marketers is to establish that harmonic resonance between the seller (us) and the customer. It is our mission to create a need, and offer a way for the customer pay you to satisfy it. In business terms that manifests itself in ROI (Return On Investment) which helps keep the doors open and the cash flowing.

However it seems that many marketing programs, big and small alike, don’t connect-the-dots between the message and the engagement (the intended action, whether it be a purchase, a download, a registration or a survey). It seems thatmMarketers may be adept at crafting and placing the message, but it’s often a whole different story when it comes to getting the audience to the point of ringing the cash register. How do you do this? I like to think that you have to master the art (and science) of consistent messaging and obvious calls-to-action.

First, let’s admit that there are some pretty dreadful calls-to-action lurking out there. Have you ever seen a banner ad that left you scratching your head and wondering what the value proposition was, and what they wanted you to do? These advertisers just spent a bundle of money on a clouded message and no solid (or evident) call-to-action. Goodbye. Lost opportunity. No sale.

Here’s an example I found on a site with a straightforward offer:

Who wouldn’t click through to investigate the offer of a Hummer for $299/month? Yet, unfortunately, when you click the ad you’re taken to a cluttered home page that features not one, but two beauty-shots of their showroom property, and not a shred of the $299 offer:

Of course someone interested in a Hummer will probably investigate the site, click on links and pictures, even the ‘Facility” button (whatever that takes you to!), but rather than bring the potential customer directly to the fulfillment of the offer, this site lets them go on an undirected journey through their site. What were they hoping the customer would do? Why did they spend the ad money? Wasn’t it to get someone to sign a deal for a $299 lease?

The mistake is, this company is hoping their ad compels us to click it, and then forces the user find his/her way to something, once on their site.

In today’s media jumble you only have a few seconds to grab attention, focus interest, provide a value proposition and compelling call-to-action. If you’re not doing that, you’re spending your budget on “image” advertising. These days, only a precious few companies have the budget (and time) to devote to that type of approach.

Web marketers can be the worst offenders.

Users (potential customers) can agree that there is nothing more confusing than clicking on a link from a marketing driver that they’re actually interested in, and landing on a company’s home page. Now what? Where’s the tie-in to the ad they just came from, and something, ANYTHING that relates to it on the home page? Are they expected to hunt for it? Scan the page to see if something jumps out at them? Hope that a connection is made? How do you explain your campaign is based on “hope” to your boss?

Here’s an example I found recently that illustrates my point.

First off, do you have any idea what this company does? Not me, but that’s another story for another time. Let’s say you’re compelled to click on the banner to learn more (or visit their URL listed in the banner). Here’s what you get:

Actually, it looks like you’re someplace else. The colors are different, The logo is changed a bit, and there’s nothing that mentions “strenthening your bottom line.” What do I do now? where’s the connection to the banner ad? Where’s the reason to go forward?

Now, let’s look at who’s doing it right:

This skyscraper ad runs with a compelling offer (how much better is FREE than Free?), a simple layout, identifiable image and a large “click here.”

And, when you did so, the message on the landing page was in complete agreement with the ad, and put everything necessary for the user to compete the experience and connect with the company.

Note that in this example the company held the user’s hand all the way, from the ad to the call-to-engagement. They’ve made it very easy to provide a compelling offer (something FREE), a visible call-to-action, and to connect the dots from the customer to the engagement (the landing page has all the information you need, and a form front-and-center to fill out). The result is greater conversions, better sales, more satisfaction all around. Plus, this kind of arrangement is very easy to measure; from eyeballs on the ad to conversions on the landing page.

Are your marketing efforts creating problems for your potential online customers? Or,do you have a clear message, a strong call to action, and a landing page that coordinates with the marketing message? If you know of good (or bad) examples, let me know and we’ll share them!

Agree? Disagree? Have a success story? Have a question? Share it with me at: bob_chernet@viewmark.com

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© 2008 Bob Chernet
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I suppose it doesn’t surprise me that a recent report noted that marketing effectiveness is now at an all-time low. According to the World Advertising Research Center “…The marketers surveyed said that 65% of their marketing spend had no discernible effect on consumers in 2007.” However, it goes on to say, “The report suggests the main cause of the waste can be largely attributed to lack of measurement…”

“Media clutter, sophisticated consumers and intense competition go some way to explain the wastage…(but) tracking every marketing dollar spent would mitigate the effect and feed critical real time analysis back into marketing strategies” it went on to say.

They covered a lot of ground here. Let’s examine how multiple channels, time and measurement play into the situation.

If the statement “no discernible effect on consumers” is true, how would they know if as they say they have not sufficiently been able to measure it? That’s been the core problem for marketers since the Stone Age; understanding what marketing actions cause a direct reaction. (And to further complicate things, there are various intended reactions - not all of them are outright purchases).

It is rare that one message delivered through one media will bring about an immediate consumer action. Short of a Super Bowl ad or a guy handing out flyers for lunch coupons on 6th Avenue in Manhattan at lunchtime, it’s going to be difficult to understand how an ad (or any single marketing driver) specifically affects behavior.

“Traditional” media has wrestled with this conundrum for decades. Magazines and newspapers relied on circulation figures, which were extremely general. They assumed readers saw the ads, but without some sort of tie-back (coupon, 800 number and the like), you really didn’t know if any eyeballs saw your ad. For that matter, they factored-in a “pass-along” percentage which estimated how many other eyeballs saw the magazine after the original reader passed it on. In other words, it was not necessarily a true reflection of who else saw the magazine and, hence, the ad.

Television was (and is) still wrapped up in estimates. The early days “diaries” (written accounts done by the honor system) drew from a representative sample of the viewing universe to jot down what they watched. Researchers made the assumption that whoever watched the show also watched the commercials. Radio measurement? Don’t even go there.

Things took a change for the better when the Internet held out the promise of being able to track the effectiveness of all online marketing efforts; and to a large degree it can. Specific tags and other mechanisms can be placed on virtually all online marketing drivers and followed through the path to online purchase (and in some cases telephone or coupon purchases). However, all the stars have to align just perfectly for that to happen. First, the company’s privacy policy has to allow such tracking if the sale consummates online and customer information is given. Secondly, a marketing message (driver), a purchase decision, and an actual transaction have to occur in a relatively short period of time. There are many and varied reasons for this, such as expired browser “sessions” and/or “cookies,” etc. Additionally, toll-free call centers have to be able to correlate incoming calls directly back to a driver (sometimes it can be a unique offer code), but that relies on the caller forwarding the code, when possible.

But for the moment, let’s assume that the Internet is the most measurable medium we have in terms of cause-and-effect. Many firms have made a solid business of connecting-the-dots between a paid placement campaign on GOOGLE, or a banner ad in a syndication network, and traffic to an online store. However, I submit that most marketing analysts are assuming that one driver equals one sale. That is, you see an ad somewhere, then make a purchase based on that message. Unfortunately that does not occur in real life. Often, marketing is the accumulation of messages that, once a need arises, a purchase decision is made and completed.

With today’s overwhelming collection of media channels, you can imagine how difficult, if not impossible it is to follow each and every marketing driver toward an ROI. Let’s look at an example:

A computer software manufacturer holds a seminar at a conference center that lets prospective customers “test drive” their product. Prospective clients learn about this seminar via a combination of direct mail, banner ads, and eMail blasts that the company has planned for in advance. Once at the seminar, users who like the software are given a coupon for a “seminar discount” to purchase a copy either at a local reseller, via toll-free 800 call center, or on the Web. The coupon is good for 90 days.

Can you spot the measurement dilemma? Which marketing “driver” would you say caused the purchase? The coupon they handed out at the seminar? If that was the case, the coupon would get all the credit and the ROI for the seminar would literally be zero. Same can be said for the banner ad or the eMail blast. How would you calculate and ROI if the user held-off cashing it in for 60 days? What would be optimal is a weighting of the relative importance of each driver (for that specific interaction), in combination with the duration between first exposure and purchase. Remember, time plays an important part here too. How?

Take big ticket purchases. I won’t run out and buy a car solely because I see a banner ad or a television commercial. As a consumer I must have a need (my current vehicle is old, ugly or unreliable), and a motivation (price, sales or rebates). Unless I’m Malcom Forbes I probably won’t buy a car on a whim. So it stands to reason that Honda can run all the banner ads or direct mail it wants to; but I won’t buy until I have a need and motivation. So, does it follow that all the marketing efforts Honda throws at me goes to waste? I think not. If those messages have convinced me that Honda is the brand I should choose, then when I’m ready to buy I’ll buy Honda. Can you track the ROI? I cannot.

In a perfect world you would follow each and every marketing effort and its contribution to the intended goal. But since such measurement is still difficult to track and hard to determine, it is no wonder that marketing executives don’t understand what the real problem is, and believe that some of their efforts have no discernible effect.

Agree? Disagree? Have a success story? Have a question? Share it with me at: bob_chernet@viewmark.com

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© 2008 Bob Chernet
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Just imagine how much time, effort and money goes into strategically, developing and deploying an outbound message to a customer, client or associate. No matter if it’s an eMail campaign, print ad, direct mail piece or television spot the collective brain cells and bank account required to bring the campaign to a successful client engagement is enormous.

Yet, all to often a critical component to the process is left out, forgotten or considered inconsequential. This missing link, the fluid cross-platform process, can mean the difference between success and failure of a marketing program.

Today, there are basically two actions most marketing programs seek to achieve. The first is to have the customer make an immediate purchase. They can do that by either going directly to the store, or by calling a company representative and calling-in an order (the variation on this might be calling the rep and beginning the process of estimation, negotiation and P.O., but you get the point).

The second action is to move the customer to a Web site where they either seek more information, or immediately engage. In most cases, visitors look for more data to support their interest before committing to a purchase decision.

The enormous disconnect comes most frequently in the second instance when the message does not align with the call-to-action. That is, this highly-crafted marketing driver simply lands you on the home page of a company with little or no similarity between the offer and a way to investigate or fulfill it.

You’ve probably seen an ad, a banner or an eBlast that you are really interested in. You click on the ad and are taken to a Web page that 1.) doesn’t immediately repeat the offer somewhere prominent on the page, 2.) has no graphic continuity with the marketing driver, 3.) is cluttered with messaging unrelated to the reason you clicked the banner in the first place. In frustration, most people click away and leave the site, which is unfortunate. All that time and effort has been wasted.

In my opinion, one of the highest priority items in the online marketing transaction process (aside from the message itself) is the seamless transition from driver, to Web site (hence, cross-platform). It’s critically important to preserve the intent, message and environment all along the marketing path. Especially when you’re asking the user to jump from one media source to the other. In a perfect world, make the offer and don’t allow distraction anywhere along the journey until they reach the successful conclusion.

The operative concept here is message and environment continuity.

Think of the landing page for your drivers. Does it clearly map-in to the message, look and feel of the campaign? Often times, it does not. (Frequently, a driver will take a user to a home page, or a product page within the site with not obvious reference to the campaign’s offer, nor any easy way to find it).

I hear the groaning already. “You’re telling me I have to create, in effect, a micro-site that is built around my outbound!” Yes. Precisely. You got the user to click to (or visit) your site; now it’s time to reinforce the journey, preserve the emotional bond you have initiated, assure them of your qualifications, and go for the close. If the process is seamless, your chances of success are much greater.

Consider one of my favorite recent examples, Prudential. Like many other personal wealth management companies, they offer products that specifically target people considering retirement; a very emotional “sell” since it involves money, well-being, happiness, hopes and desires.

In a recent magazine I noticed two huge ads for similar retirement products. One pictured a middle-aged man sitting in a small fishing boat with a headline that blandly talked about retirement and had a link to their corporate web site. The other ad, for Prudential, was surrounded by a sea of red (THAT studk out!) had a banner headline that shouted “The Retirement Red Zone” with short sub-headlines and sidebar stories on “risks,” “impacts” and “concerns.” Wow, got my attention.

To learn more, they encouraged me go to their microsite (it was NOT their Prudential home page!). www.retirementredzone.com not only preserves the message, campaign theme (red) and overall look-and-feel, but has three calls-to-action right at the top (learn more, download, and try…) that came directly from the drivers.

Why does this approach optimize the marketing transaction process? Precisely because Prudential has aligned the message, appeal, graphic design and CTA’s between all their outbound marketing, and the place where business gets done: the Web site.

Their messaging (the Red Zone concept) alone sets them apart from their competitors. Driving them to a separate web site (the micro-site) that continues that messaging while offering a variety of emotional connections between the user’s state of mind and Prudential’s solutions is the master stroke. There is an immediate connection between ALL of Prudential’s retirement-related marcom, and the engagement portal. The message is strong, it resonates, and it’s consistent. The user comes from a driver, is put into a different environment (the Web site) and immediately knows where they are.

Do you provide the same seamless transition? Do you make the journey simple, and the message compelling? Do you keep the user oriented in regards to your message?

While it may require additional time and budget, creating a landing page (or micro-site) that connects and resonates with your marketing program can be well worth the effort, and lead to better conversion rates.

Agree? Disagree? Have a success story? Have a question? Share it with me at: bob_chernet@viewmark.com

View a complete list of Bob’s Marketing Insights articles.

© 2008 Bob Chernet
Reproduction in any manner is unlawful, without the written permission of the author.

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I often find myself examining at all sorts of marketing materials that come my way. Besides the obvious of looking at layout, appeal, message and such, I also look for the way the company’s Web address is positioned, highlighted and used. Such information tells me, as a marketer, whether the company “gets” it; that is, how important they view the Internet as not only a marketing channel, but as a method to retain top-of-mind awareness and solidify their relationship with new and returning customers.

Last year I wrote an article titled Using URLs to Support Marketing Efforts to help marketers understand that putting a Web address on marcom materials, and even packaged goods in the proper way can help drive interest, traffic and brand loyalty.

Some of the response I received from that article was in full support. Others thought I was getting too granular, or figured that most people would not go to a Web site of an underarm deodorant product unless they were sick in bed, bored and had nothing else to do.

My point was that there was no such thing as a bad URL, offer or Web site; only bad (read: lazy) creative writers. If you buy deodorant you either smell, don’t want to smell, or want to save money. If I can find the right way to appeal to one of those feelings, I can craft a message and include my Web address to help solve the issue (or at least try to). Plus, it exposes the customer to the brand again, and helps deliver a message (or an offer) that can drive another engagement.

That same approach goes for business-to-business marcom as well.

How many times have you been given a business card, mailer or other material from someone that buried their Web address? That didn’t give you a reason to visit the site, other than sheer curiosity? For me, the biggest criminals are in packaged goods where URLs are literally an afterthought. (Read my praise for Hewlett-Packard’s creative and engaging use of Web addresses in the article I mention, above).

Usually, if it’s not just a Web address under the company’s logo, it’s placed on a package with the words “visit our web site!” hidden somewhere on the back. To prove the point I went looking in my own medicine cabinet and came across an example of a typical company’s approach to promoting their Web site.

On the rear of the can of shaving gel, in between their marketing hype and the directions, were the words “Visit our web site!” At least they reversed the type over a pink (pink?) solid bar. In this case I agree with my reader; there is no reason to visit the site. There are better things to do with my time. They have offered no value statement, or reason I should make the effort to visit it.

As I’ve said before, when you’re talking about rather mundane products such as personal hygiene products, you’re going to be hard-pressed to offer a reason to visit a site other than to save money.

So, why not offer 50-cents off your next purchase by going to the site, and also delivering some good information why “Edge” is a better product than the competition? Why not use that exposure to reinforce their purchase decision in the first place, while they are getting their coupon? “Edge products are made from organic…” or “won’t harm the environment…” or something.

A slightly better example is Finesse hair spray.

At least they made the effort to tell the consumer why they should visit the web site (for “tips” and “talk”). Tips I can understand, but talk? I visited the site and they, naturally, have a lot of messaging about how great their product is. However, they offer a section on “trends” which might be a better choice of words. People love to stay on top of trends. And, what industry besides fashion is so dependent on trends?

The final example was the “best” I could find around my house. Smuckers jelly jar still doesn’t win my award for the most prominent use of their Web address, but they sure tried.

As you can see, they use bold type right under the nutrition information (these days, who doesn’t read nutrition information?) and provided at least three reasons to click: delicious recipes, hard-to-find flavors, gift ideas.

Once you’re on their site, the overt marketing messaging is acceptable, but many offers abound including RSS delivered recipes, the as-promised hard-to-find flavor finder, and other useful promotions.

Three products, three approaches to marketing their Web sites. Why do we care? Well, there are a few reasons. First, you probably have a Web site that you’ve spent time, money and effort in developing and maintaining. Shouldn’t you be driving traffic to it? Using it to build customer loyalty? Repeat business? Offering new ways and incentives to use your product?

Secondly, your Web site is your storefront (or main office, or chief representative). You have a branch office everywhere in the world that is easy to get to. Not promoting it on each and every piece of marcom or product, in the proper way (READ: not just listing it) is a big marketing sin in my book.

Thirdly, promoting it can be inexpensive (as compared to P4P or other methods). You already have marketing materials, business cards, products, packaging and the like. USE IT to drive traffic to your site. FIND A WAY to make the Web address engaging. PROVIDE A VALUE STATEMENT why visiting your site will be worthwhile. MAKE THE JOURNEY RELEVANT by not dumping them on your home page and hoping they find something they like. GIVE THEM A REWARD for taking time to visit. Maybe it’s a coupon, or a free whitepaper, or a recipe. Get creative. FIND MORE REASONS THEY SHOULD RETURN. Once they’ve come to your site, get them to engage with you repeatedly.

Web addresses can (and should) be another weapon in your marketing arsenal that is easy to deploy, and have valuable impact.

Agree? Disagree? Have a success story? Have a question? Share it with me at: bob_chernet@viewmark.com

View a complete list of Bob’s Marketing Insights articles.

© 2008 Bob Chernet
Reproduction in any manner is unlawful, without the written permission of the author.