Last week we talked about how Corporate Network Services (CNS) realized that it could use its "corporate culture booklet" as a powerful sales and marketing tool (see "How an MSP Made 'Corporate Culture' More than Just a Buzz Term"). You probably have assets lurking on hard drives or your SharePoint portal that could be working just as hard.
Below are seven places you should be looking at to give your marketing a boost. Hopefully, they can shake a few ideas loose so you can find some unidentified marketing content and put it to work. More
Posted by Barb Levisay on August 25, 20110 comments
Corporate culture isn't lip service at Corporate Network Services (CNS), a Poolesville, Md.-based MSP -- it's a way of life. Karen Kalantzis, CEO of CNS, says, "It all started because we wanted to apply for awards, like making the 'Best Places to Work' list. We felt it would help us build our legitimacy as a company as we were growing."
Then, last year, Karen attended a conference where Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh spoke about the benefits of corporate culture to the growth and performance of organizations. Borrowing an idea from the Zappos success story, CNS employees were asked to write down their thoughts about working for CNS. The result was the CNS 2011 Attitude Album, a 26-page booklet that describes CNS core values, community services, awards and lots of photographs of employees with their comments about the company. More
Posted by Barb Levisay on August 18, 20111 comments
When the topic of social media comes up, the thought of having to blog, Tweet and keep multiple social sites up to date is overwhelming. But it's possible to start with small steps that can have a big impact over time. As we've discussed before, focus on one activity and do that consistently for the best payoffs for your time invested. Take the following examples.
Finding a Community with Twitter
Tiffany Ingargiola, director of Partner Alliances for New Horizons Computer Learning Centers in New Orleans, got started with Twitter as part of the 2009 New Orleans Worldwide Partner Conference planning committee. Ingargiola remembers, "That was the year that businesses started to understand that social media could impact the way we communicate." More
Posted by Barb Levisay on August 09, 20110 comments
As with any business activity, strategy comes first and execution second. Social media, including Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and blogs, are tools in your marketing toolbox that can be used to build connections with your audience. If you are going to invest time in social media, those connections need to support your strategic goals and build your business.
The primary strategies that Microsoft partners cite for their social media efforts fall into three categories: More
Posted by Barb Levisay on August 03, 20111 comments
Ask a partner marketing professional why he isn't doing social media marketing and you'll likely get two answers:
- "Where will I get regular, meaningful content?"
- "How will I find the time to manage Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and the blog in addition to my 'day' job?"
But a small, but growing number of partners seem to have found the solution to both issues through a new Microsoft-sponsored program called Nurture Butterfly. More
Posted by Barb Levisay on July 27, 20111 comments
Videos have always been a core feature of the Worldwide Partner Conference keynotes. Hollywood-style videos tell inspiring stories about partner achievements around the world. This year's WPC was no exception, with videos that pulled at heartstrings from Japan to Haiti to the Imagine Cup Finals. But this year, there was a new dimension as well: Mainstream, user-generated video was everywhere. Here are a couple of examples. More
Posted by Barb Levisay on July 20, 20110 comments
Video has become a powerful marketing tool, but most Microsoft partners have been hesitant about jumping in. Creating and displaying video on your Web site is getting easier all the time -- easy enough to do yourself. So why not get in the game? Let's look at a few ways to get started, with some tips to give your videos a professional look.
Get Started with 'Screencasts'
The easiest way for most partners to get started with video content is with a screencast. Basically, a screencast is a demonstration of your solution recorded with audio and video. Just like you would demonstrate in real time for a client, you can record your screen and your voice as you talk through the demonstration. More
Posted by Barb Levisay on July 06, 20111 comments
When it comes to marketing, we all have the habit of thinking about client involvement only in terms of case studies. While case studies are great, there is so much more that you can do collaboratively with your clients that can serve both of your interests.
A local HVAC company in my community recently started a very effective advertising campaign by making other businesses the stars of the show. Owners of these local small businesses are filmed at their own location talking about the value of the HVAC company's services. The community businesses get some free advertising and the HVAC company builds credibility and goodwill in supporting the local economy. Everyone wins. More
Posted by Barb Levisay on June 30, 20110 comments
Last time, we talked about helping the marketing and sales teams get on the same page. But how about your professional services team? On the front lines with clients and prospects every day, your services team should also be in lockstep with the marketing team.
You can help your service delivery team add value to customers and the company using several simple pointers. More
Posted by Barb Levisay on June 22, 20110 comments
Sales says, "If the marketing team would just give us better leads, we could close them."
Marketing says, "If the sales people would call a lead more than one time, they could turn inquiries into opportunities."
Sound familiar? How can you help sales and marketing teams work together for better results? More
Posted by Barb Levisay on June 14, 20110 comments