The internet has now changed the game of fishing for customers from deep sea fishing to fly fishing in a mountain stream for willey cutthroat trout.

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“About the only thing that comes to us without effort is old age.”
- noted cookbook author Gloria Pitzer

The best marketers may make their programs look effortless, but don’t be fooled. There is no such beast. Well planned, well executed strategic marketing is a lot of work. But then again, so is filing for bankruptcy, selling off your assets and shuttering your business - which is the alternative to putting in effort. Which makes me wonder why companies bother to invest in marketing activities and then put nearly zero effort into executing them. This is just throwing good money after bad.

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What’s does a qualified B2B lead cost you? $100? $500? $1000? More? Yet B2B companies often quickly lose track of their leads. Sales wants HOT leads. HOT leads represent the low-hanging fruit…companies that want to buy NOW.

However, lead tracking research shows that only 20 percent of your leads are HOT leads. What about the other 80 percent? Half of this group will be buyers in three to nine months. At most companies they get filed away in the prospect database – which is really a mausoleum where not-so-hot prospects get buried alive.

A nurturing campaign can help keep these leads alive until they become HOT, usually at a much lower cost than finding new leads. Result: Treated right, a prospect database is an incubator for buyers, not a mausoleum.

In terms of sly, yet effective, PR/Marketing tactics - podcasts are one of the best, giving a voice to your company. I’d like to let this PR Ninja (not on Schubert’s Staff, unfortunately)break it down for those readers that aren’t quite willing to jump on the podcasting bandwagon. In fact, this is a good example of both video podcasting and viral marketing. (See the video after the jump.) (more…)

Today, I called the Pentagon.

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Maybe it’s because spring is officially here (according to the calendar anyway), or perhaps it’s because I’m in the middle of a busier than usual work week and subconsciously want a massage. Either way, something about “Spring is a time of renewal” made me open the e-mail and read about this week’s special spa packages.

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Some agencies suggest you spend your ad dollars getting laughs or otherwise entertaining the audience; that will sell your product. They have many convincing arguments, too. “You have too many competitors to develop a USP” or “Your products are too generic.” My favorite: “You don’t want to turn away sales from outside your niche.” And they’re all backed up by the old standby: “The most important thing is to get your name out there.”

But is this true or is it just lazy marketing? B2B advertising with no USP is advertising with no pulling power. That fact will be obvious with the next direct mail offer that hits your desk. You will give it 3 seconds to find the USP. Otherwise it’s “hasta la vista, baby.” Advertising gets the same 3 seconds. If the hook isn’t set, the fish swim away.

Moral: get a strong USP or get a new agency.

I read with interest a column in the March 10 issue of BtoB Magazine titled “Should your next hire be a theater major? Maybe.” The article asserts that the key ingredient often missing from B2B online creative is a strong point of view. It continues to say successful point of view requires showmanship, “that extra and sometimes daring ingredient” that makes B2B buyers — not unlike theater patrons — want to come back for more.

As it turns out, good old-fashioned theatrical skills, or at least the ability to think like an actor or director, are just as important online as they are on the boards.

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