Where is Spring?

The weekend of April 14th here in Minnesota will be remembered for the 17+ inches of snow. Where is spring?!?!? We had put away the heater for the birdbath, started to look where we needed to clean around the feeders as the snow melted, but then "wham" a ton of snow!!!

We are always dealing with large groups of blackbirds and starlings every spring but with all this snow, everyone was welcome! Even the squirrels are tunneling through the snow to get to their favorite squirrel feeders. The number of Juncos under the feeders was magical as they stood out as tiny black specs against the snow with their beautiful dark grey feathers. 

The Robins had just started to arrive and stake out their territories and I witnessed a few scuffles around the birdbath and the finches were beginning to change from their winter brown to the beautiful yellow plumage they are known for.

Back to cleaning up after this snowfall, refilling the feeders while looking forward to warming temps so we can get back to true spring weather.

A Week to Reflect

Holidays are over and I find that although we are setting goals for the new year, often in business, we are still in the middle of implementing on existing plans. The holidays tend to only be a break in the action when our emails are fewer and phone calls almost non-existent. So, this week I like to review what is working, what is not, research new marketing ideas, and finally embrace social media - well slowly.

I am still weighing the advantages of Facebook and Twitter for B2B marketing. I have learned the importance of first establishing firm policies on what will be said, how to best represent your company, and rules on what will be posted. Also, who in your company will "own" the process and how will you measure the results? Remember, social media should enhance and help communicate your total integrated marketing plan.

I will keep you posted on my own experiences and welcome your ideas and comments.

Keep, Grow, Nuture

My last blog discussed the importance of identifying your top customers to "protect your turf" from potential competitors. Using the 80:20 rule I have listed below a way to start. Consider a marketing campaign that not only helps you identify the top 20% but goes further to develop the other 80%. All businesses need to continue to grow and nurture their customers and one way is to build a marketing campaign that identifies, differentiates, and is customized for each group.

Identify your, as I call, "20 to Keep" - these are the customers you cannot afford to lose. They contribute to your overall revenue in the past 6 months, have the potential to contribute in the next 6 months, are a high-profile or reference account, or were a recent competitive win. The second group I call, "30 to Grow" - these accounts you have done business with in the last 6 months but on a limited basis, or they have made product purchases (usually at lower margins) but have added to no training or service revenue. The third group is "50 to Nurture" - these companies fit your "best customer" profile but for some reason you have never done business with them. They could also be purchasing from a competitor.

So now, you have identified the above 100 accounts, now you need to customize a sales and marketing campaign for each. Each should include an offer, a "call to action" and direct involvement with the sales team. This is not just demand generation or awareness, it is a sales and marketing joint campaign.

Need ideas to implement such a campaign? Just let me know.

Protect Your Turf

So many of us in B2B marketing know the challenges of maintaining good customer relationships especially when a competitor moves into our territory. But, how many of us can truly describe what that relationship is and why our customers are truly loyal? Building a campaign to identify, and nurture that loyal customer requires a well thought out and tactical approach.

First who are your top customers? How do you qualify them? Do you identify them based on past revenue, potential revenue, or are they a high profile or reference account? I am sure your top customers fall into that 80:20 rule but let's look beyond the initial 20% - these are the businesses that most likely have no strong relationships and are worth your attention.

I would be interested in hearing comments about challenges and opportunities of developing and maintaining a customer campaign. And... if you are part of a channel program - I would really like to hear from you!