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Although the industries they work with may be vastly different, marketers targeting business-to-business customers face similar challenges. With typically smaller budgets than consumer-driven campaigns, they must still catch the eyes of busy executives. To better reach prospects,??they are increasingly stretching their dollars to launch integrated, creative campaigns that are also more targeted and personalized than ever. 数据挖掘实验室
Traditionally, the consumer side of marketing has been the most provocative and interesting, but in recent years, b-to-b has stepped up as well, says Diane Quinlisk, direct of business development at Catalyst Direct, Inc., a direct marketing firm in Rochester, NY with clients such as Kodak.
???There are a lot more creative applications in the b-to-b space in terms of direct marketing pieces,??? she says.
For example, b-to-b campaigns rarely rely on a single direct mail piece anymore. ???It"s all about a multi-touch campaigning,??? Quinsilk explains. ???You allow your customer to interact with you the way they want to.???
Integrating print, e-mail, and Web components have proven to be most effective in reaching customers, agrees Bob Northway, VP of Alexander Marketing in Grand Rapids, MI, which recently worked with Dow Chemical on a trade show campaign. Including a virtual trade show on the company"s Web Site, for example, proved essential in reaching prospects who were interested in its products but who could not physically attend the event. 数据挖掘实验室
Marketers also shouldn"t forget to call. ???It"s essential in really maximizing the impact of the campaign,??? says Mark Egeling,??marketing manager, graphic communications group, Kodak,??because telemarketing??lets the company??call to find out if there are opportunities to sell other products.
Whichever media you choose, targeting the right people is essential when you"re dealing with small budgets ??? so getting quality, targeted lists is extremely important. ???If you can"t select a very tight list, you can price yourself out of doing direct mail,??? Northway points out. 数据挖掘研究院
Segmenting and profiling of potential customers is also??more common,??with increased use of data and analytics. Rather than casting a wide net, b-to-b marketers now go after their best leads. For a recent Kodak campaign, Catalyst Direct whittled an initial contact list of about 18,000 to 20,000 potential customers to 4,000, says Egeling. ???They helped us really narrow down to the highest opportunity prospects,??? he notes.
B-to-b marketers have also become more sophisticated in understanding the need for personalization, since it allows companies to make their marketing pieces more relevant to specific segments. A personalized door hanger, for example, was a key component to a campaign for Convergys, completed by the Atlanta-based Arketi Group. It grabbed people"s attention,??nad when it was hung on an employee"s door, it also caught the eyes of others in the same office. ???It created a lot of buzz,??? says Sami Jajeh, principal of the Arketi Group.
Overall, b-to-b marketing is changing across many dimensions,??Jajeh adds, pointing out that Web 2.0 applications provide more media options and contact points than ever. 数据挖掘研究院
"Buyers have more competitive alternatives and better access to information regarding those alternatives,??? he explains. ???As a result, smart creative is critical to break through with a compelling message that customers will see, care about, and respond to.??????? 数据挖掘研究院
Although the industries they work with may be vastly different, marketers targeting business-to-business customers face similar challenges. With typically smaller budgets than consumer-driven campaigns, they must still catch the eyes of busy executives. To better reach prospects,??they are increasingly stretching their dollars to launch integrated, creative campaigns that are also more targeted and personalized than ever.
Traditionally, the consumer side of marketing has been the most provocative and interesting, but in recent years, b-to-b has stepped up as well, says Diane Quinlisk, direct of business development at Catalyst Direct, Inc., a direct marketing firm in Rochester, NY with clients such as Kodak.
???There are a lot more creative applications in the b-to-b space in terms of direct marketing pieces,??? she says.
For example, b-to-b campaigns rarely rely on a single direct mail piece anymore. ???It"s all about a multi-touch campaigning,??? Quinsilk explains. ???You allow your customer to interact with you the way they want to.??? 数据挖掘研究院
Integrating print, e-mail, and Web components have proven to be most effective in reaching customers, agrees Bob Northway, VP of Alexander Marketing in Grand Rapids, MI, which recently worked with Dow Chemical on a trade show campaign. Including a virtual trade show on the company"s Web Site, for example, proved essential in reaching prospects who were interested in its products but who could not physically attend the event. 数据挖掘研究院
Marketers also shouldn"t forget to call. ???It"s essential in really maximizing the impact of the campaign,??? says Mark Egeling,??marketing manager, graphic communications group, Kodak,??because telemarketing??lets the company??call to find out if there are opportunities to sell other products. 数据挖掘研究院
Whichever media you choose, targeting the right people is essential when you"re dealing with small budgets ??? so getting quality, targeted lists is extremely important. ???If you can"t select a very tight list, you can price yourself out of doing direct mail,??? Northway points out.
Segmenting and profiling of potential customers is also??more common,??with increased use of data and analytics. Rather than casting a wide net, b-to-b marketers now go after their best leads. For a recent Kodak campaign, Catalyst Direct whittled an initial contact list of about 18,000 to 20,000 potential customers to 4,000, says Egeling. ???They helped us really narrow down to the highest opportunity prospects,??? he notes.
B-to-b marketers have also become more sophisticated in understanding the need for personalization, since it allows companies to make their marketing pieces more relevant to specific segments. A personalized door hanger, for example, was a key component to a campaign for Convergys, completed by the Atlanta-based Arketi Group. It grabbed people"s attention,??nad when it was hung on an employee"s door, it also caught the eyes of others in the same office. ???It created a lot of buzz,??? says Sami Jajeh, principal of the Arketi Group.
Overall, b-to-b marketing is changing across many dimensions,??Jajeh adds, pointing out that Web 2.0 applications provide more media options and contact points than ever.
"Buyers have more competitive alternatives and better access to information regarding those alternatives,??? he explains. ???As a result, smart creative is critical to break through with a compelling message that customers will see, care about, and respond to.???????
数据挖掘研究院