NAB is coming. This will be my 31st NAB, the major trade show for the Broadcast industry. Some of that those I have worked as a manufacturer and other years as a systems integrator and a couple as a end user. I've learned a lot in that time, and one of the most important things is to start early. I am already beginning to do work for some of my clients to get ready, writing materials for them, doing photography of showcase facilities for displays, logistics for the show, lining up demo artists. Doing things now make it all go smoother. Waiting too late stresses your marketing staff, and may mean that the free lancers (like me) that you want to use are booked. So it's time to dive in and lock in your help, for your own peace of mind, and the quality work you want.
Speaking of NAB, have you ever wondered whether those little trinkets you give out at the show pay off? If so, you might want to read this article by Highbeam Research that addresses that very subject.
Social media. I am getting more and more people asking me about using social media in their marketing. The question they generally ask is this: "Should I be using social media to market?" The answer is probably yes. The bigger question is how to do it in an effective way. The answer is not easy, and depends a great deal on the span of your products, services and customers. I have developed a one day seminar on using social media. This is not a nuts and bolts step by step seminar that only a geek's geek can understand, but rather an overview of considerations and techniques that will help you make good decisions on how to approach it, what works for what mix of products. I do this one day seminar at your location, with the key people you think should be involved. If you are interested, contact me so we can schedule it for you.
The New Challenge of marketing. When I began marketing in our industry, I used to believe that the purpose of marketing was to just get the information out there. Good clear information, plus putting that information where people got it, plus repetition equaled success. That's the classic formula. But a lifetime working both in marketing and sales has taught me how that is just part of the equation. People buy somewhat on information, but more than we would like to admit (particularly in a technology field, where we think facts and information matter), people buy on emotion, on relationships, on belief. So the real challenge we have is not just to tell our stories, but to find those connection points and tell our stories passionately, in a way that connects. In our industry, we forget that sometimes, but it's at the heart of the social media explosion and even we B2B marketers had best pay attention.
This article about "the Power of You" really got me going on this topic, and got me thinking. How do we do this? How do we take our big industry of Broadcast, AV and Media Centric IT, and turn it into something that is not just classic marketing, but PERSONAL? We have sales reps, and that is one of their strengths, but how do we magnify what we already do in sales, combine it with what we do in marketing, and make it work for us? I have spent much of the past several months talking to companies and individuals who have done this well, and soon, probably next month, I will make some easy to implement suggestions that I am putting to work for a pair of clients already. Stay tuned!
Writing and Writing and More Writing - I have been doing a lot of writing for clients the past month or so. It began as case studies, but I began to look at how people used the time and work I put into case studies and realized we could leverage what I was writing for more impact. Now, when I do a story on a facility, we find we can turn it into a one page case study, (sometimes) a magazine article, a press release, web copy, social media copy, and (sometimes) a white paper. By adding just a little more work in revising the core writing for the different media, we get far more impact. It just takes thinking about it BEFORE you begin, and putting in place a methodology to make it work. If you're interested, give me a call and we can talk.
Web Site updates - If you haven't visited the Quarry House site recently, you might want to. We're constantly updating it to make it easier to find what you want, know what we do. Now that the core site is in place, we'll be adding resources to help you market better in the Broadcast, AV and media centric IT world.
Tom
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