Earlier this year, popular food delivery site Eat24 wrote the ultimate “Dear John” letter to Facebook, outlining all the reasons why their relationship could not stand the test of ROI. The deal-breaker: Facebook’s new and improved algorithm.
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Professional headlines sell: improve your LinkedIn search ranking
Your odds of getting introduced to a CEO on Linkedin increase dramatically when you use the platform correctly. So, in the professional network of more than 150 million, how do you get noticed? Here’s a tip that will improve your LinkedIn profile and make you more visible.
Make the most of your professional headline.
The professional headline is the area that most users just fill in with the title from their business cards. For example, “Vanilla Sales Associate,” or “Lukewarm Account Executive.” What should they really state there? The headline should reflect a person’s full business scope or capabilities; the savvy user goes beyond their title and shows their skill set. This is crucial because the professional headline is often the gatekeeper for someone clicking to find out more about you.
Why ‘Sales Team’ is not an Oxymoron!
I got into it with a ‘sales expert’ yesterday. He told me that “sales is a warrior’s job and the warrior works alone.” I thought, don’t bet your moccasins on that.
It’s true that the best salespeople seem to be ‘hunters’ and not ‘gatherers’. But it’s also true that the most valuable hunters are the ones who hunt for the good of their tribe—not just for themselves. In sales, these hunters remain true to their mission. The needs of their tribe take precedence over their personal interests.
CMOs Must Adapt or be Left Behind
On September 20, 2011, Constellation Research analyst, Jeff Ashcroft published “The Four Hats of the Social CMO”—a best practice guide that identifies four roles of CMOs that have emerged as a result new technologies. Jeff utilized survey data from 126 CMO respondents to compile this report. I sat down with him to discuss his findings.
In what ways has technology disrupted the CMO space such that you felt it was necessary to author this report?
JA: It became clear from the results of The Social CMO Survey that a significant shift has begun within the marketing function in response to the rapid and continuing emergence of social networking. From these results we were able to crystallize the findings to determine four specific roles “The Four Hats” CMOs will need to wear to succeed in these times of change.
Can you explain some of the issues and realities facing CMOs today that are driving the need for CMOs to change?
JA: Many CMOs today are stuck in an isolation loop with many only surviving in the role an average of 24 months. Many are no longer members of the senior management teams as a key member with the same respect as other officers. And some marketing functions are now embedded in other departments that frequently manage a hodge-podge of marketing functions (e.g. pricing and customer care).
‘Maturity Curve’ Shows Strong Revenue Gains for Companies Deploying Revenue Performance Management
Earlier this year, Marketo conducted a global study of customers that reported some pretty astonishing findings. The study calculated that by using Revenue Performance Management (RPM), our customers had the potential of generating more than $2.53 trillion in incremental revenues over the next five years.
That huge number reflected a 40 percent increase in revenues that Marketo’s customers could deliver as a consequence of deploying RPM. Talk about a data-point that focuses one’s mind (and hopefully actions)!
The study assessed how over 250 Marketo customers (nearly 19 percent of our current customer base) are faring by using the company’s full range of revenue-building solutions. According to the survey, Marketo’s customers are registering tangible business results across the revenue cycle, including:
- 22 percent increase in qualified leads generated by marketing
- 21 percent increase in qualified leads converting to sales-accepted opportunities
- 17 percent increase in sales win-rate
- 12 percent increase in average contract value
- 7 percent improvement in length of sales cycle
The study also found a sharp increase in marketing productivity as a result of deploying our RPM-related solutions. On average, Marketo customers ran over 46 percent more programs and campaigns after a year of using Marketo. The top 20 percent of customers had doubled their programs, and 49 percent of customers had increased programs by 75 percent.
CMO Council to Publish Peer-Powered Journal for Print and Digital Media
The Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council, a global executive affinity group controlling more than $200 billion in annual marketing spend worldwide, has announced a multi-channel, multi-format publishing initiative that will deliver an in-depth and engaging peer-driven quarterly print journal and digital formats for web, mobile, tablets, like the iPad, and mail delivery to members and subscribers worldwide. The first edition of PeerSphere, the official journal of the CMO Council, will be launched in the fourth quarter of 2011.
The Fifth Model “Crowdsourcing” Hits Madison Avenue
The Rise of Crowdsourcing
In the era of seismic change now occurring on Madison Avenue, ad agencies are starting to strap on an extra seat belt. There is a lot of talk about revamping traditional ad agency models, e.g., digital, hybrid, tradigital or simply, creation of the “new agency”. Traditional agencies are pushed to their limits by the explosion of digital and social media marketing projects as clients demand greater expertise. Agency compensation models fortified with high overhead are under pressure since it isn’t easy for a large agency to monetize the creation of a Twitter background page or Facebook fan page. This leads us to the need for a compensation model that reflects activity-based pricing delivered more efficiently. For new ad agency start-ups, the answer may be what we call the “Fifth Model”. This is another step in the long evolution of ad agencies adapting to changing market conditions for well over 100 years.
The “Fifth Model” Recognizes the Value of Social Media Marketing
Marketers can connect with customers using social media more efficiently vs. outbound marketing tactics. For example, downloading a digital coupon for a free taco may not only cure one’s short term hunger but, for the marketer, it is a viable reward for loyal customers and drives traffic at a price far less than traditional ads. Even when the value of the free taco fades, a smart marketer now understands the importance of engaging customers. Armed with a social media strategy, many brands now understand the drill: listen, engage, feedback, analysis = win.
Salesforce.com Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Radian6, the Industry’s Leading Social Media Monitoring Platform
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Design Thinking 101 Revisited
If you’ve visited a bookstore recently, you probably noticed there’s been a lot written lately on the subject of design thinking. Whether or not you think it’s just another trendy buzzword, the topic has been gaining momentum in the last 5 years and is beginning to spark genuine interest from both designers and business executives alike. Big brand names like GE, Proctor & Gamble and Harley Davidson have elevated design thinking to their management ranks and Stanford University has even created an Institute of Design lead by IDEO cofounder David Kelley that believes “great innovators and leaders need to be great design thinkers.”
Could design thinking really be a management paradigm shift or is it just a bunch of hype? Could it have an impact on businesses and help to solve the world’s most wicked problems? The following is a roundup on design thinking’s tools, methodology and why you should care.
Thrive in 2011 By Making Social Sell
Blogging, engaging, listening to customers on Facebook or Twitter are all a necessary component of being online. But doing these things won’t help you actually make sales using social media. The idea of following customers into social spaces is smart. But incomplete without a means to capture attention and ultimately convert it into demand – leads and sales. Could the answer to selling more with social media be found in starting conversations that are worth having? And could conversing in ways that generate questions that you have the answers to be a better way to generate customer inquiries? Here’s my advice on making each social media marketing budget dollar go further in 2011.