Quote of the day.

What Can I Learn By Using Marketing Automation Software?

Ideally, marketing automation software allows companies to track, analyze, and nurture prospects with highly personalized, useful content that helps convert prospects to customers and turn customers into brand advocates. Marketing automation software introduces precision and process to both lead generation and lead nurturing campaigns through its ability to track, score, and assign leads efficiently.

To further illustrate these concepts, I’ve taken the liberty of breaking down the knowledge that can be gained from marketing automation software into three major areas of emphasis.

1. Lead Quality

Most prospects visiting your company’s website and consuming your content have not yet entered a purchase-ready mentality. As such, sending and assigning leads near the top of the sales funnel to the sales team annoys prospects and wastes sales representatives’ valuable time. Instead, marketers should offer educational content to advance the prospect down the sales funnel before assigning them to a sales rep. Marketing automation software makes this process easy by utilizing lead scoring.

Lead scoring is a practice of attributing point values to certain attributes or actions taken by leads to measure their fit for your products/services and readiness to make a purchase. Examples include:

• The company they work for
• The industry they work in
• Demographic information
• Volume of website visits
• Specific forms submitted (downloads and/or requests)
• Specific pages visited

When leads reach a certain score, they are automatically shared with a sales rep, and the rep can immediately see the contact’s history of interactions with your brand. In essence, the higher the score, the higher the priority for a sales touchpoint. This allows sales reps to use their time wisely, concentrating their efforts on highly qualified sales leads rather than wasting time on low-quality leads unlikely to convert. Oh, and it’s worth mentioning again this entire process is completely automated.

2. Buyer Journey

Another area of emphasis is the buyer journey. Marketing automation software also gives marketers the ability to understand a buyer’s journey from the very first encounter with the brand to the purchase (and beyond). This knowledge is critical to decreasing the sales cycle by presenting prospects with relevant content that will hasten the path to the purchase.

For example, ABC Company notices, through marketing automation, that 90% of their customers visit the company website at least three times, visit the pricing page, and request a consultation before making a purchase. Wouldn’t it be wise, then, for ABC Company to make it a goal to have every lead go through this journey? I know I would if I were them. Specifically, I would use lead nurturing emails to make sure they make it back to my website at least three times, obviously using the pricing page and consultation landing page as my featured email links. I may even redesign my website with this information in mind; if not my entire website, at least the homepage.

Tip: I would also encourage ABC Company to assign a significant point value to each of the proven high-conversion actions—i.e. three web visits, a visit to the pricing page, and a consultation request—when setting up their lead scoring.

The goal here is to use marketing automation software and tactics to discover trends that will shorten the sales cycle and convert more customers by using information relevant to the purchasing process identified through analytics. Say that five times fast…

3. ROI

Return. On. Investment. Every marketer and business executive seeks a clearer understanding of ROI, and it is not difficult to understand why. In its simplest form, the ROI metric is asking the question “Is it working?” With marketing automation software, that question is easy to answer. You can analyze a particular campaign as a whole and/or by each sub-element (ebook, blog post, social post, ad, etc.) to understand how many leads generated or nurtured by the campaign became customers. You can also determine whether the aggregate customer purchases stemming from the campaign outweighed the price of the campaign’s execution. Easy as pie.

There you have it! I hope this gives you a clearer understanding of the various things you can learn by using marketing automation software.

Source : http://bit.ly/1IcQdQA

Keep your eyes open, sign up now.

6 Ideas to Expand Your Lead Scoring Model Beyond the Basics

Lead scoring is the backbone of many B2B marketing organizations, as they focus on better quality leads instead of just generating more leads. But like many things in marketing, even lead scoring is not a set it and forget activity. Once your lead scoring model is established by combining prospect identity and prospect engagement, look at some of the ideas below to increase its efficiency at identifying better quality leads. The more you understand about your prospects and which ones are likely to become customers, the more efficient both marketing and sales become.

1. Expanding Awareness Of Prospect Influences

As prospects receive more and more messages, information, and education through social media during the buying process, these peer channels will continue to grow in relevance. In fact, awareness of how an individual discovered a message, along with where and from whom, can feature prominently in lead scoring and nurturing routines.

2. Content-Based Scoring

Companies that regularly refine their scoring models begin to notice patterns in lead quality that can be directly tied to the content accessed during the buying process. Advanced organizations creates scoring models that include content type—ilike white papers, product information, and customer testimonials— instead of just the download activity itself.

3. Account-Level Scoring

Because companies market to individuals but sell to companies, marketers must identify micro-trends within a larger set of interests. Consider these trends to pinpoint when a certain role is appearing in the buying cycle.

4. Customer Scoring

To increase customer lifetime value, you need to seize opportunities for up selling and cross-selling. That means you must understand when someone is in the cycle for a new product, and determine when a prospect or existing customer has switched mid-stream and is interested in a different product. Smart marketers can analyze all customer touch points to identify opportunities and risk throughout the lifecycle.

5. Opportunity Scoring

Top marketers analyze behavior of a lead all the way through the middle of the pipeline to predict the likelihood of an opportunity closing.

6. Predicting Changes

Your lead scoring model needs to remain closely aligned to your sales and marketing processes, even as they evolve. With predictive modeling tools, you’ll be able to constantly monitor prospect behavior to understand how your model may have to change.

Source : http://bit.ly/1NxNmlq

THE 5 QUESTIONS SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE ROUTINELY ASK THEMSELVES

BEN FRANKLIN BEGAN AND ENDED HIS DAY BY ASKING HIMSELF QUESTIONS ABOUT THE GOOD HE WOULD DO THAT DAY. HERE ARE FIVE QUESTIONS THAT WILL HELP YOU TAKE STOCK OF YOUR GOALS, FEARS, AND FAILURES TO BECOME A BETTER VERSION OF YOURSELF.

While everyone has a different definition of professional success, the one thing all successful people share in common is a drive to be better than the day before.

Whether you’re looking for a new job, looking to make your company a success, or just reaching for the next rung on the career ladder, forward momentum is key.

In the hustle and bustle, we can often skip asking ourselves the big questions. These questions are necessary to ensure we’re keeping our goals in sight and moving in the right direction.

Once upon a time, another entrepreneur, leader, and inventor asked himself the tough questions. His name was Benjamin Franklin.

In the book, Daily Rituals: How Artists Work, author Mason Currey took a look at the daily rituals of some of the most successful and artistic people throughout history. Franklin, for instance, started and ended his day by asking two self-improvement questions: In the morning he asked himself, "What good shall I do this day?" In the evening, he wrapped up by asking, "What good have I done today?"

Bookending his day with these simple questions helped Franklin focus on his goals and point his efforts in the right direction. Similarly, the most successful people never stop questioning and never stop seeking answers.

Here are five questions successful people ask themselves in order to reach their goals:

1. AM I IN THE RIGHT NICHE?

Sometimes the career trajectory we chose years ago just doesn’t fit as well today. Often times we lose the passion we once felt for our business, job, or career path in general. It’s possible you haven’t even considered in quite some time whether you’re in the correct niche or following the right path.

Knowing your niche can help you set successful goals in your professional life. It can help you determine what niche job boards might hold your next big opportunity, what networking events you should attend, and even whom you should retweet on Twitter. Diving deep into your niche means you have sincere passion for your industry, and this passion will shine through everything you do.

2. AM I FAILING BETTER?

"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better," said writer Samuel Beckett. When it comes to accomplishing your goals and getting where you need to be in your career, this is good advice to follow.

You cannot be so afraid to make mistakes that you never truly take risks in your career. However, you should also be learning from the mistakes you do make and the times you’ve failed. Look critically at your mistakes and see if you’re failing better, or just failing.

Write down three of your biggest career mistakes, and then come up with a plan to address these errors and turn your negatives into positives. Take a class, do some reading, or ask advice from a mentor. Mistakes are teachable moments in disguise; so don’t let these learning opportunities pass you by.

3. AM I DOING SOMETHING THAT SCARES ME EVERY DAY?

Without risk, there’s no reward. Only by facing your fears can you overcome them. In your professional life, you should be constantly challenging yourself and pushing beyond the limits of what you thought was possible.

Otherwise, you’re likely to become complacent in your job and disengaged with your career. If you’ve fallen into the 70% of the American workforce disengaged on the job, it’s time to tune back into your professional life, and this means facing your fears. Asking for a professional challenge is rarely a mistake, and can give you a new goal to strive for.

4. DO I HAVE A GAME PLAN TO REACH MY GOALS?

You wouldn’t try to climb Mount Everest without a map, right? So why do so many of us rush into battle with our career without devising a strategy to ensure victory? Before starting a job search, a business, or even a negotiation for a new deal, you need to sit with yourself and ask the tough questions.

What do you really want? Why do you deserve it? And, most importantly, what steps do you need to take to achieve your goal? Your goals might initially seem too big to conquer, so your game plan should be all about breaking it down into manageable pieces. 

Starting your own business might seem like a big goal, and you might feel overwhelmed before you even start. Instead, break it into more manageable pieces focusing on developing a vision for your company, putting together a business plan, and finding investors and sources of funding.

Now instead of one hugely insurmountable goal, you have plenty of smaller goals you know you can achieve. No one ever climbed Everest in a single bound, so carefully plan out the steps you’ll need to get to the top of your professional mountain.

5. DO I STILL BELIEVE IN MYSELF?

Before you can achieve your goals, you need to believe in your own abilities. You’ll never reach the finish line if you don’t believe you can run the distance. If you’ve lost the belief in your own talents and abilities, it might be time to take a look in the mirror.

Why don’t you like what you see? Have your skills gotten rusty? Have you become complacent in your job? Or are you just not having fun in your industry anymore? You have to be your own cheerleader if you want to get ahead in your career, which means you need to believe in your ability to get things done.

To reach our goals and succeed, sometimes we have to take a hard look at ourselves. The most successful people aren’t happy with the status quo and understand asking tough questions is a life-long process helping them to achieve more.

What questions do you ask yourself in order to reach your goals? Share in the comments!

Source : http://bit.ly/1Q4G2hU

5 Secrets to Monetizing Your LinkedIn Experience

Follow five simple rules using this reliable platform to share your expertise in the marketplace. Here they are:

1. Know Your Brand

No one is going to buy from you if you don't have a brand. You've got to ask yourself, "What do I want to be known for?" If you do 10 different things, no one is going to know what you do best. You have to let people know what you're really good at if you want them to buy from you. 

Here's what I do: I write, speak, and coach. That's all I do. If someone wants something else from me, I just recommend them to someone else who can use the business. This is what makes my brand reliable. That is why I get one thousand profile views every week. This is why I get leads every day. 

2. Develop Your Story

If you have a story, why not share it on your LinkedIn profile? Most people don't enjoy running through bullet points as you enumerate your experience in a resume-like format. You've got to keep it interesting. Look at my profile. Does it tell you who I am? It should.

Your story must be captivating. People should be asking, "I wonder what this guy/gal is all about?" If people aren't wondering about who you are and what you do, your profile needs a story. You also need a great headline and professional head shot. I have several recommendations for profile makeovers if you need one. Just reach out to me. 

3. Use the Phone

If you're a salesperson, you better be using your phone. Iregularly use the phone to call  LinkedIn connections. 

Your phone can help you earn millions. If you're sending messages back and forth, you're wasting your time. You won't get that many opportunities that way. You've got to reach out and transact business. If people say that they're just "trying to get to know you" or "want to have coffee," don't even bother with them.

4. Write Articles

For every 100 views that you get, you must making a sale. That means that if  articles are reaching 1,000 people per week, you have 10 sales. Readers reach out to you regularly and you're able to have meaningful conversations with them. Because people love your articles, they find value in paying for your services. 

If you don't know how to write, go ahead and share other peoples' articles. Comment and like as many good articles as possible. When people view your profiles, follow up with them. If you aren't doing this, you aren't serious about conducting business and creating opportunities for yourself and others.

5. Contribute Daily

You have to connect with people by making a contribution. Send out endorsements and recommendations. Get serious about following up with people. Be as resourceful as possible. Add value like you never did before. Join groups and share information.

You should be investing one hour per day on LinkedIn. People want to deal with people. When you meet people in person, tell them to add you on LinkedIn. Reach out as much as possible and ask for help. Don't just view other's profiles, say something nice and do something. People need you. Get activated!

Bonus Tip: Use Email Marketing: If you're familiar with email marketing, you can import your contacts from LinkedIn and send out newsletters to reach potential clients.

The people who you are looking for you are the same people who are looking for you. LinkedIn gives us the ability to leverage ourselves by meeting new people every day from all over the world. If you want to monetize your LinkedIn experience, find a way to give people value in the most reliable way and you'll gain more influence than ever before.

Source : http://entm.ag/1Hcw4K3

4 Ways To Boost Your Social Media

You’ve taken the time to set up social media accounts for your business on all the major sites. You’re posting regularly, taking the time to interact with your customers, and using your social media platforms as an opportunity to share information about your products or services. Social media marketing, however, isn’t just about regular posts. It’s also about providing your customers with opportunities to interact with your business. Through that interaction, you’ll be able to build relationships with your customers and increase their opinion of your business substantially.

1-Look for Opportunities for Discussion

What’s the latest hot topic in your field? Are there questions that are truly important to your customer base? If you’re marketing chocolate bars, the question might be simple: do customers prefer an entirely sweet bar with cookie pieces inside, or a slightly salty bar with nuts or sea salt? How do customers select that perfect chocolate bar? For situations like this, a simple poll might be enough to tell you what the majority of your customers prefer, but it’s not always about simply answering the question. Instead, offer your customers the opportunity to engage in discussion or debate. “Sweet or salty? Tell us why!” “What’s your favorite chocolate add-in? Tell us in the comments.” “If you could design the perfect chocolate bar, what would it look like?” Open-ended questions create far better opportunities for discussion and debate than multiple choice questions.

For more complicated marketing campaigns, you have an equally complex array of topics that will give you the opportunity to keep your followers up and debating long past their bedtime. As an added advantage, every time someone comments on your posts, it increases the odds that they’ll see the next one and that others will see it, too. You don’t want your question to be too complex, however! Ideally, you want to ask a question that your customers understand well enough to debate while still leaving plenty of room for differing opinions.

2-Set Up Chat Times

The larger your business, the more trouble you’ll have connecting with any of your customers on a personal level. For many small businesses, however, personal interaction can be the best way to increase customer satisfaction. Choose a social media platform, create an event or a hashtag, and take the opportunity to really chat with your customers. Offer troubleshooting tips about how to use a product that might be causing customers problems. Offer suggestions about how to make their experience with your company or product better. Ask for their questions and give serious, thoughtful answers. Chat times are a wonderful customer interaction tool because they are specific times when your customers know that they’ll be able to reach you.

When you plan chat times, go in with a list of topics ahead of time. Don’t, however, feel as though you have to be trapped by those topics. Let your customers take the lead and guide you through the topics that are of greatest interest to them. When conversation starts to lag, you have your list of topics to help re-engage them in the discussion. Often, it’s helpful to have several members of your marketing team available to help deal with the traffic and answer questions. It may take some trial and error to discover the mix that’s right for your business, but once you do, you’ll discover just how advantageous it can be.

3-Look at the Content that Drives Interaction

Your goal on social media is to engage your customers, so let your customers determine the type of interaction that you use. First, look at which social media platforms are getting the most engagement. Are your customers primarily interacting with you on Facebook, or do they prefer Twitter? How many views do you get on your products when you put them on Pinterest? What about pictures on Instagram: which ones do your customers really care about?

Look over that content regularly. Pay particular attention any time you see that a particular post has received far more or far less interaction than usual, but keep an eye on your median interaction, too. What are the surefire topics that are going to draw out your customers and have them returning to the post to chat with one another over a period of hours or even days? If you’re a clothing company, it might be the season’s newest designs or colors. Produce collectibles? A new announcement is sure to generate attention, but preparing for the big reveal ahead of time can help increase customer excitement and generate more interaction

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4-Tie in Blog Posts

Most social media posts are intended to be relatively short. There’s a minimal amount that can be said before your platform cuts you off and tells you that you’re out of space; and even if you have unlimited characters to work with, you don’t want to write more than you know that your customers will read. That doesn’t mean, however, that you can’t share longer content on social media platforms. Use your social media platforms to drive greater traffic to your blog and your website. Offer a teaser, a graphic from the post that’s sure to catch your customers’ attention, or a question that will require your customers to read the entire post. Not only will this draw more in-depth interaction to your social media platforms, it will increase traffic to your blog.

Building an effective social media marketing campaign involves some trial and error. You won’t instantly know exactly what to post or how to engage the greatest number of people. With time, however, you’ll learn how to take full advantage of all of your social media accounts.

Source : http://bit.ly/1Q94IHi

Simple, Tried and Tested Ways to Be More Creative

Keep an Ideas Bank

The most successful creatives keep an Ideas Bank. Maybe you’re on the train and an advert triggers your thoughts. Or a menu you’ve stumbled upon features an unexpected slogan. Collect them all. I’m constantly updating a private Pinterest board with links and photographs from here, there and everywhere. Sometimes inspiration isn’t going to strike, and I want to be prepared regardless.

Gather your raw material

In the beginning, have a conversation with yourself and outline the basics. Gather your raw material — articles, photographs, conversations, interviews, anything that fuels your imagination for the task in hand — and your initial ideas will follow. Awareness of your industry paired with brilliant research is the fuel that drives great ideas.

Read some poetry, look at a design blog, listen to rap music on blast. Whatever your vice, embrace it. Procrastinate, productively.

Procrastinate, productively

Pencil is a proven way of generating faster, more creative thinking. Swap the MacBook for a Moleskine and get scribbling. Alternatively, engage with the other half of your brain by doing something completely different. Read some poetry, look at a design blog, listen to rap music on blast. Whatever your vice, embrace it. Procrastinate, productively.

Cultivate your inner muse

Even the experts will attest that sometimes it just isn’t happening. So, go for a walk. Clear your mind and make way for new ideas. Charles Darwin had a pathway constructed in his house in Kent for exactly this purpose. One of my favourite techniques is to go into a bookshop or library and browse the shelves related to your industry. You never know what inspiration you may find hidden in a table of contents.

Relocate to create

Can’t leave the office? Move to a meeting room or kitchen table instead of your desk. Try ‘automatic writing’, a technique where you keep scribbling about your subject non-stop, without repetition for a few minutes. Talk to an impartial colleague — speaking about it out loud is often the first step. And then, forget about it. Do something else. Distract yourself. Let all of your thoughts cement in your sub-conscious.

Ultimately, generating great ideas is less about light-bulb moments, and more about the process. Structure can breed creativity. As Jean-Luc Godard said, “it’s not where you take things from — it’s where you take them to.”

Source : http://bit.ly/1JOoNNW

Simple, Tried and Tested Ways to Be More Creative