Marketing Strategy

B2B marketing fundamentals don't change. The tools change. The technologies change. The business climate changes. But marketing your business has always been about being visible, being remarkable, communicating what you do to the people who care and building those relationships. That's pretty much what it's about today, too.

When we write something, we want people to read it.

When my clients pay me to write something, they want people to read it. Usually, a very specifically targeted group of people.

But really, we want more. We want them to think about something, to know something they didn't know before, to change their behavior. We want them to DO something with that information. Often, we also want them to buy something we're selling.

Sometimes we spell this out for them in a call to action. Sometimes we don't. But we always have a motive.

Have you ever languished in one of those endless strategic planning meetings designed to hash out your organization's core values statement? Or the marketing pow-wows aimed at defining your key messages? You know the ones. Those meetings where you can just feel the life being sucked out of you.

Maybe it's just me? My experience is that many of these well-meaning marketing-focused efforts end up being a waste of valuable time, energy and brainpower.

Before you stop reading and click away, hear me out.

In the past week, the topic of writing case studies has come up in conversations with three different businesses. Must be something in the air.

As often happens, my own case study focus was reinforced almost immediately. What you focus on really does expand, no? I wasn't actually looking for this info, but I noticed that Casey Hibbard has written a great little piece on using case studies on the Marketing Profs web site. (Read it!) She begins:

My clients and I have been up to our eyeballs in planning lately. Marketing planning. Copywriting plans. PR strategy. In fact, just this morning, I talked with a client about the strategy and planning for an exciting new marketing effort they're launching. At the time, I was deep into planning out a copywriting project.

This month, I have the opportunity to hone my white paper writing skills with some of the best white paper writers in the country. These are the guys who wrote the books (literally) on crafting solid white papers and informational marketing pieces. Learning from their wealth of experience is priceless.

Are you missing the mark? Are you spending a lot of time wondering how your marketing needs to change in this new environment?

Are you holding on by your fingertips to the idea that you need to "control the message"? 

Relax. You don't need to do that. In fact, thinking that you can is wasting valuable time. 

Recently, I spent some time researching how firms in the AEC industry (that's shorthand for architecture, engineering and construction for folks outside the industry) have been positioning themselves. As some readers know, I spent several years working in that industry and continue to work with clients in that realm. 

As I get organized for the new year, take a look at this post I wrote for the blog Social Marketing 2.0 this week.

Is your business ready for the world of social media marketing?

Many of the clients I write for— small to mid-size businesses, professional service firms, non-profit organizations— are still asking this question. More important, they’re asking why they need to think about this now. What’s in it for them? For their clients? Their customers? Their bottom lines?

A few have jumped in with both feet—from Flickr to blogging to Facebook pages.