Placing a Facebook ad is very easy;   just create a compelling offer, think of a very short tag line (along with an icon or some form of a graphic to go with the text) link the ad to your web site, sit back and let the dollars roll in.

Oh, I forgot, you need to input your customer profile which will provide an estimate of your Facebook audience, assuming that people are not concerned about privacy and have filled in this section accurately (not very good customer segmentation).

Oh, I forgot, you have to pick a price range or limit per day on how much you want to pay for each time someone opens your ad.

Oh, I also forgot to mention, you are competing with thousands of other companies and you have very limited ad space to get your point across, so compose wisely.

Oh, another thing, your product better be the only one in the world, very consumer oriented and have a finely tuned audience.

Oh, and since you are running your ad at the same time that thousands are, be prepared to run it for years before you get an actual hit.

Oh, make sure you email all the 600 million users that you have an ad and that they should sit in front of their computer and sort through the ad section until they see your ad.

Oh, be prepared to tweak your ad when you get no inquiries.

Oh, be prepared to receive a suggestion to increase your spend rate to improve your hit rate (probably increase the rate from zero).

Oh, if the this is your first time  running a Facebook ad, and the results are not good,  have enough dollars to run the ad again because you will think the second time is a sure thing ( this will prove to be wrong but you will do it anyways).

If these are too many Ohs, with less than favorable results, I have a better suggestion, don’t fall into this money sink, either donate your dollars to your favor charity or makes some phone calls (good old sales 101) to potential clients.  Until the next white elephant, happy marketing.

RHL 2/1/11

Below are only some of lead generation programs that you can use:

• Word-of-mouth referrals
• Advertising
  • Print (Magazine, Newspapers)
  • Billboard (Google: Jack Welch Billboards Lexan Detroit)
  • Bingo Cards
  • Collateral material
  • Television
  • Urinal inserts (See Maverick Marketing by Tom Hayes)
  • Blimps
  • Product placement in movies (Look for Bud Light in The Town)
  • Trade Shows
• On-line
  • Webinars
  • Podcasts
• Social Media
  • Blogging
  • User Groups
  • You Tube
  • Microblogging – microsites
  • Facebook, LinkedIn groups
  • Facebook, LinedIn ads
  • twitter
  • Brainshark, SlideShare
  • Getting mentioned by influential bloggers
  • SEO for website
• Email
• Direct mail
• Product reviews

And this is only a partial list.  In talking with B2B clients in the New England area, Dick and I find that the vast majority use only a few programs; usually a mix of direct mail, emails to existing customers and purchased lists, print advertising, collateral material and one-two key trade shows (which don’t generate leads but are “required.”)  Some firms have put their toe into the Social Media environment,  but they really haven’t embraced it.

While the mix of what works for each company is different; based on their product, their industry, their available resources, etc., we find it odd that there seems to be a continuing reliance on past practices and a reluctance to try something new.  This is surprising as in many of our conversations the marketing people comment on the dearth of new leads and/or the unqualified nature of the leads they are getting.  Duh…what I am doing is not working, but I am correcting it by changing the ratio of what I have done in the past.

Today’s economy and the speed of change requires a philosophy of “try it, and if it fails, try something else” rather than “stick with what you know best, and ride out the storm.”  Five years ago only a few people were using the terms viral marketing and buzz marketing.  Today they are being used by creative people to generate leads, drive revenue and gain market share.  On the horizon are newer, untested approaches to get buyers attention and mind share.

Trying something new and/or changing your approach need not be expensive or incur significant added cost.  Failing to change may lead to lost sales.

Is Sales satisfied with the number of qualified leads that you are providing?  What new program are you trying?  If that fails, what are you going to do next?  Unabashed plug; we can help by reviewing your mix and making suggestions.

An interesting blog that talks about continuing with the tried and proven and the consequences, is here:  http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/09/dont_innovate_italian_soccer_s.html

RHM  9/23/2010

1-      Advertising: Advertising’s main feature is increasing awareness.   An example of an ad might be an enterprise promoting that it is number one in providing top quality lawn mowers. Ads also help promote your product or service and branding for your enterprise.   Major advice regarding advertising is to very clear about its objective, who is the audience and how will you measure its effectiveness.

One major mistake that many companies make is that after doing an excellent job of determining the objectives, defining audience and establishing metrics, is that they do not fund the advertising plan so that it will be effective.  All too many times after an ad campaign starts they stop funding it because they do not see any positive results.  Typically ad programs have a “threshold” or how many times it must run to be effective, but many companies stop part of the way through and move on to something else.  Rule number one; do not run any ads unless you are funded for the full program!

2-      Direct mail or email campaigns: The primary purpose of mailings, direct or email, is to generate leads, via some form of an offer or call to action. An example of a direct mail might be a message that addresses the need for additional revenues and implementing a marketing program that will result in additional revenues.  Mailings can also be used for promoting any major communication messages.  Like advertising, first make sure you know your objective and have a targeted audience and how you will measure the campaign.  Word of caution, mailings do not usually replace the sales force (I am addressing business to business markets). But as stated, they provide leads or names of potential customers.  The biggest mistakes most companies make are; the offer does not line up with the targeted audience, the offer is not compelling. and a lack of a call to action. If you do not address these issues you are only “clicks” away from losing your potential customer.

3-      Social Media:  Social Media’s main purpose is providing “information” about your products, services, and enterprise, and other people’s opinions about all three. As Bob has discussed in a number of articles, social media is not only growing at a rapid rate, it is becoming a resource for consumer/buyers to research the potential product or service way before your enterprise is even aware of the buyer’s interest.  Key advice here is to at least monitor these activities, respond to viewer’s comments, especially if there is bad publicity.  Common mistakes are not engaging in one form of these activities, becoming defensive about social remarks and not gathering this information for future products or services.

4-      Trade shows, seminars, webinars: These tools can address many issues, but usually their primary objectives are leads and a product/service introduction or announcement. An example might be “Visit our booth #1234 and see the industry’s fastest switch”.   Two of the biggest mistakes are not getting the leads out to the field in a timely manner and having a very strong message that is easy to understand.

5-      Newsletters, Catalogs: Primary use is for convening information, be it some form of an update or similar to the trade show, an announcement of a new product or service.   Key for success for these is attention getting and true value proposition.

Understand there are numerous marketing tools and even more  when you make different mixes, and I have just highlighted just 5.  Regardless of the tools you use or what combinations, remember that you must have an objective, a well defined audience, an agreed method of measurement and most importantly, adequate funds for each program/campaign.  The key to a successful use of these marketing tools is to coordinate these activities with the sales organization (give them plenty of notice ahead of time) and other distribution channels.

RHL 06/15/10