Sage Partner Advantage Wednesday Webcast Series

Transcription

1 Sage Partner Advantage Wednesday Webcast Series Tom Hume - Channel Marketing Conference Call Dial-in instructions Conference call Conference code #

2 Critical areas of your business March Marketing Madness! 2

3 Wednesday Webcast Series Space is limited! Miss a week catch the recording Sign-up for upcoming webcasts at: Lines will be muted; please send in questions via Webex Q&A 3

4 Next week s webcast (March 18): Marketing in a down economy: Grand Slam Nurture Marketing In this Webcast, you will learn how to make the most of every opportunity you have by tapping into the power of Nurture Marketing. Keep your customers, gain valuable referral business, and make the most of every lead. Wednesday March 18 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific 4

5 Today s webcast: Marketing in a Down Economy Series: Promotional offers that drive the right leads Do you wonder why some marketing campaigns get the phone ringing and others fall flat? In this Webcast, marketing consultant and copywriter, Jennifer Osborne, will show you how to create the best free offers for your prospects and customers, and how to craft messages that grab their attention. Jennifer Osborne, Osborne Communications 5

6 Promotional Offers that Drive the Right Leads Jennifer Osborne Osborne Communications, Inc.

7 Agenda What are offers? How important are they? At what point(s) in the sales cycle do we use offers? Examples of offers, and which offers work best in the business-to-business software industry. Tips for creating good offers for your audience. How can we best communicate our offers to prospects and how often should we make the offer? 7

8 What is an offer? An offer is an incentive designed to move your prospect or customer from inertia to action It answers the prospect s question: What s in it for me what do I get? In marketing campaigns, the offer emulates the interaction of a salesperson. 8

9 How important is the offer? Creative 20% Target Audience 50% Offer 30% Source: MarketingProfs, Crash Course #9: Direct Marketing & B2B Lead Generation, Ruth P. Stevens 9

10 When should we use an offer? New List or Web Visitor White paper, Checklist or Tips Sheet On every marketing communication The natural reaction of the prospect is to do nothing. You must motivate them to take action. Move to Close Inquiry Put offers on your Website! More than 85% of B2B buyers visit your website before speaking to your sales team. Webcast, Demo, or Sales Meeting Qualified Prospect ROI Calculator, Self-assessment quiz, Success stories. Throughout the sales cycle Offers are not just used to get inquiries in the door. They can also be used to nurture prospects, further qualify leads, revive cold leads, and help close sales. 10

11 Matching offers with objectives Offer theory: As response quantity increases, lead quality decreases. Soft, easy-to-request offers generate higher numbers of leads, but more will be unqualified Hard offers produce fewer leads, but more qualified If you want more leads, make your offer more enticing but be pay careful attention to lead quality. Consider including two offers. 11

12 Characteristics of a Good Offer High perceived value to prospects Low cost fulfillment. Unique to your firm Relates to the main benefits of your products or services. Urgency and/or limited quantities Specific benefits 12

13 For even better response Include a guarantee in your offer. Make clear there is no obligation. AND the most powerful word in B2B marketing is: 13

14 What Offers Work Best for Software? Different offers for different stages of the buying cycle: Attracting & educating new prospects: informational offers Moving prospects through the sales pipeline: product offers Up sell or cross sell existing customers: discounts, training, free gifts or prize drawings Here s what IT buyers are utilizing regularly to evaluate solutions: White papers 59% Newsletters 52% Free Trials 46% Webcasts 38% Customer Success Stories 26% Source: TechTarget 2008 Media Consumption Benchmark Report 14

15 25 Proven Offers Information Offers White Paper Tip Sheet Information Kit Case Study Research Report Newsletter Seminar / Webcast Self-Assessment Tool Calculators (ROI, savings) Podcasts Video Tutorials Product Offers Consultation / Sales Call Live Demonstration Recorded Product Tour Free Trial Brochure Exclusive Web Community 15

16 25 Proven Offers con t. Pricing Offers Discount Special Financing / Terms Money-back Guarantee Satisfaction Guarantee Discounted / Free Training Premium Offers Free Gift Card Free Book Tradeshow Pass Prize Drawing Free Lunch 16

17 Free Consultation or Assessment This is the offer we see used most often by Sage partners call us for a free consultation Can it work? Sometimes. How can we make it work better? Avoid vagueness Solve a problem Create a sense of value 17

18 Example Not compelling More compelling To learn more about our services and ERP solutions, call our sales team at xxx-xxxxxxx for a free consultation. Is it time to show your outdated accounting software the door? Find out with our FREE ERP Readiness Audit (a $150 value). This half-hour phone audit, with our ERP specialists, will help you determine if your current solution is too limited to grow with your company. To schedule your audit, call xxxxxx-xxxx today. There s absolutely no cost and no obligation. 18

19 White Papers The top dog of info offers - high perceived value Most used by prospects early in the cycle Tell me don t sell me survey of business & tech professionals: 71% read white papers 57% of white paper readers pass them along to colleagues Almost 82% prefer content that is specific to their industry About 66% prefer content that is specific to their job title Source: KnowledgeStorm with MarketingSherpa 19

20 Offering the White Paper Make it easy to respond Create a catchy title that hooks into a biz challenge Give a taste of what they ll learn FREE! and no obligation If possible, show photo of the paper 20

21 Webcasts / Seminars An informational offer that also allows you to interact directly with the prospect. Keep a clear distinction between educational Webcasts and product demos not the same. Use educational Webcasts as a soft offer to establish leadership and build your database. Use demo-type Webcasts later as a hard offer to move prospects through the sales cycle. Record educational Webcasts they can be included in future kit offers. 21

22 Webcast / Seminar Invitations Same rules as white paper offers. Focus on driving registration but consider a sweetener for actual attendees. Send reminder e- mails 1-2 days before event and same day. 22

23 Success Stories / Case Studies Great as part of a kit, or stand-alone. Easy and low-cost to fulfill. Quotes from customers can be used in other marketing materials, too. High credibility with prospects. Best success story campaigns match the prospects with case studies about their specific industry and business challenges. 23

24 Messaging: Call to Action The call to action tells prospects EXACTLY what they have to do to get the offer. Give choices for response phone, fax, Web, . Urgency Limited quantities Construct registration pages carefully 24

25 Messaging: Rule of 3s Prospects must hear or read something three times to really register that they have heard it. Rule of three also applies to integrated marketing campaigns (a letter, followed by , followed by a postcard will create better response than letter alone). Strongest campaign: 3 integrated communications - each stating the call to action 3 times for a total of 9 exposures to your offer. 25

26 Where to place offer and CTA Repeat your call to action to increase the probability that your prospect will act. Outer envelope subject line Johnson box Sidebar Body copy P.S. Lift note Buckslip or insert Business Reply Card 26

27 Summary Every campaign needs an offer. Offers should be high perceived value, unique, easy to fulfill, low cost (if possible), and specific. FREE will always increase response. Different types of offers work better in different parts of the marketing & sales cycle. Informational, educational offers are very popular in the business software community. Prospects must see your offer at least three times before they will really register it. 27

28 Special Offers Download our FREE white paper for 5 Time-Tested Copywriting Tips! AND get a 10% savings coupon inside the guide! 28

29 Contact Information Jennifer Osborne, Osborne Communications Ph: Fax: Web: Ask me questions during our upcoming office hours for Sage business partners! Date: Friday, April 3, Time: 9:00-Noon, Pacific 29