Consumers are segmenting themselves.

Before allocating resources, savvy marketers identify segments of the marketplace where they stand the best chance of making an impression that will lead to a sale. In short, they look for the “low hanging fruit”.

Big companies use sophisticated CRM (customer relationship management) software to track customer activities, compare them with other customers, and target new offers or custom-tailor support services. In theory, CRM sounds good, but it is complicated and costly.

According to an article by Nick Wreden in Strategy+Business…

A better alternative is now available: The rise in social networks and online communities, combined with the new era of the Web-empowered consumer, makes it possible for companies to reap the benefits of segmentation without many of its costs or complications.

Using self-segmentation information for marketing does present challenges. It must be accompanied by organizational changes. These include allowing or expanding customer input into such insular areas as product design, services, policies, and procedures, and may require that departments other than marketing and customer service open their doors to customers.

Marketing must de-emphasize product promotion and think bigger than the company’s brand, tuning into conversations and issues that customers and prospects face. Monitoring and responding to conversations among multiple communities is labor-intensive, and the signal-to-noise ratio can be low.

There are risks as well. The same community that offers an opportunity for a stronger relationship can also generate a backlash that hurts the brand and affects sales.

Read the entire article here.

Radio reaches more adults than the web.

As a former FM DJ — a long, long time ago — I took some pride in reading this Chart of the Day. That said, I was surprised to see that radio and television are still the best ways to reach adults.

Can you sell what you wouldn’t buy?

You are a savvy shopper, right?. You think before you buy and so does your customer. He’s looking for the same things you are… value, features, performance, benefits. Oh, yeah… and style, color, newness, hipness, whatever.

Take a quick look at your marketing strategy. Look at your products, your message, your results. Would you buy your product from your company? If not, why would anybody else?

Ask your key people how they would answer these questions. Get their honest answers and empower them to suggest necessary changes. Be ready to change your marketing plan as often as you have to so savvy shoppers will buy from you.

Questions about advertising in a down economy.

I work with people who run companies. As a coach, I don’t try to convince them of anything. I make sure they have the information and resources they need to make the right decisions for themselves. Mostly, I ask questions…

• If you slash your marketing budget, how will your customers know that you are alive and well and ready to do business?
• Your customers are cutting orders. What is the most cost-effective thing you can do to find new customers?
• Your competitors have slashed their marketing budgets. Is this a good time to take away their share of the market?

“Advertising” or “marketing communications” can include a wide range of tools and techniques. Every company has to choose the right mix for their audience… print ads, snail mail, email, blog posts, webcasts, trade shows, sky writing, whatever.

If your industry is off 20% in this recession, that means somebody is getting the 80% that’s left. The important thing is to stay as active and visible as you can. Maybe the most important question is…

• If you decide to compete aggressively, what else can you cut besides marketing?

A good marketing budget includes come combination of brand building, lead generation, direct sales and customer support. Lead generation and direct sales are the easiest to measure, customer support often delivers the greatest ROI.

I would ask…

• What is your current marketing mix and how should it change in response to current conditions?

Of course, this question should be asked routinely in good times or bad.

Standing out in a crowd. What crowd?

One of the biggest problems for any marketer is getting people’s attention. OK, great products, customer-focused messages, enticing offers and amazing customer service aren’t easy. But once you have all those other things, you have to do is get noticed.

Yesterday, I was reading Seth Godin’s blog. Seth knows how to get noticed, but that’s not my point… at least not entirely. He was describing his alternative MBA program. In his words, “Unaccredited, residential, free and six months long. A new way to learn about a new way of doing business.”

Most of the nine “graduates” left the program ready to start or grow their entrepreneurial companies. One, was determined to land the best job ever. What makes Susan Lewis different is her approach. She isn’t submitting hundreds of résumés (crowd), she’s inviting potential employers to apply to her (what crowd?).

Social media marketing miracle!

Balderdash. If social media marketing works for you, great. Show me the money! Thus far, nobody has. That’s why I chuckled a bit this morning when the Industry Standard Weekly Edition newsletter arrived.

Lately it seems I can’t go anywhere without running into a gaggle of social media consultants bloviating about the wonders of social network marketing. Sure, you’ve seen ‘em, too. Slick shake-and-bake “experts” promising to help you leverage the power of Twitter and Facebook to raise your profile and, inexplicably, boost your profits. But scratch the surface on most of these claims and they instantly crumble. Meanwhile, it seems the only people making any money in social media are the consultants themselves.

Monetize your web app.

Last week, I attended a Think Tank session sponsored by NWEN, the Northwest Entrepreneur Network. The panelists discussed the iPhone ecosystem and marketplace. The three panelists had very different business models and app focus.

This morning, one of my fellow Think Tank committee members sent a link to a blog post by Box UK that analyzes and compares business models for web apps in general. Since “marketing” in its broadest sense includes all aspects of developing and delivering products into the marketplace, I offer the link here.

By far, the most successful business model thus far is based on advertising, where third-parties place clearly defined advertisements within the website/application. Variations include banners, text, inline, pop-over, interstitial, etc. Advertisers are charged by cost per click, cost per action, or cost per thousand impressions.

Gratitude makes great marketing!

My wife likes gardening and she likes to bring her garden into the kitchen. Fresh herbs, root vegetables, fruits and berries. I am grateful for these things, but they are not the point of my story.

A few days ago, she received a greeting card in the mail. I recognized the logo on the card, so I assumed it was a “special offer” for a “special customer.” It was something far more powerful… a thank you card from Gardener’s Supply Company.

The copy thanked my wife for her recent order and welcomed her into Gardener’s Supply community. No special offers. No hype. Just gratitude. It made an immediate, positive impression.

Think about it. When you check out at the grocery store or your favorite retail shop, the clerk thanks you. Restaurant servers do the same. Online retailers often include a thank you message on their packing list or invoice, but it doesn’t make much of an impression. Does it?

Gardener’s Supply — a company willing to make an extra effort to deliver extraordinary customer service. Now that’s powerful marketing.

Storytelling 101

According to the folks at Ethos3…

A presentation without a compelling story is like every other presentation you have seen and heard – BORING. On the other hand, a story without a presentation is a Kumbaya moment while roasting wienies and marshmallows. You need both to be epic.

An epic presentation must be well thought, brewed on, and dreamed on. It takes time. It takes research. It takes patience. You can’t build a memorable presentation in an instant. Therefore, it can’t be prepared in a microwave. A great presentation must be built in a crockpot.

A crockpot… I love that choice of imagery. As someone who has delivered a lot of seminars, workshops and keynote presentations, I like their take on Storytelling 101. I also like SlideShare, because it helps people put presentations online, with or without narration.

Make shrinking dollars work very hard.

Seth Godin tells a great story…

25 years ago, driving cross country to go to my first day of work at Spinnaker Software I was the 30th employee I drove through Chicago. And I passed a Spinnaker billboard. Wow! This company was going somewhere if they had billboards all over the country. When I got to work in Boston two days later, I discovered that this was the one and only billboard they had in the country, strategically erected on the road to the big CES trade show.

When I read it, I thought how important it is for a company with limited resources — almost every company in today’s economy — to pick its battles well. One billboard on the right road at the right time. Brilliant!!