Story Telling with Curriculum

How can we improve the marketing of education programs?

Seems to me that there is an opportunity to use a course catalog to tell a story to prospective students about what they'll cover and accomplish in a given program.    Too often the really interesting material a college or university has to offer is locked up in a document not really fit for marketing purposes.  A couple of examples:

• For a large online university, the descriptions for a particular program start on page 261 of a 400+ page document.
• For a local school, what I'd learn in a web design course are spread across departments.  And this is after all the admissions, policy and graduation bumpf. 
• For a school with both online and ground-based programs the descriptions for a history degree were at least in their own document; but that was several clicks away.

In all cases the writing style looks like it came out of a committee, not a strong copy writer. The best teachers and professors regale us with stories, anecdotes and facts and figures.  We should take a page from their success and repurpose course descriptions as telling a story.   

When it comes to building rapport with prospective students, which is the most critical factor in the admissions process, sometimes the answer to the question "What will I learn?" will tip the balance in favor of one institution over another.

Continuous Content Consumption

What do we do with our remarkable content?

The success of content marketing programs rests as much on contact strategies as it does on the content itself. In high consideration categories, where the research process is intense and occurs over a period of time, distributing high-value content to high-value contacts requires more than an eblast or a download.

In looking around for a framework on content marketing, I stumbled upon this one from the folks at Merkle.

I like it because it starts with the business objective: What are we trying to achieve? and goes through a structured approach to creating and measuring the impact of how content works.     However, the big boxes along the top seem to be missing a critical component:  Content Distribution or Consumption.

In B2B technology, education, and numerous other categories content consumption is a continuous process as options are considered, needs are crystallized and benefits weighed.  To nurture interest the where, when and with whom of content consumption must be mapped out as much as the other areas of the strategy. The role of content, be it stories or facts and figures, is to help the recipient feel more comfortable about one option over another.  In categories where personal sales ultimately close the deal, content should focus on getting you in the consideration set. 

In the end, the role of a content contact plan is not to help people decide, but rather to help them choose. 

Content Marketing and Lead Generation

Are lead generation and content marketing compatible?

Often when discussing 'lead generation' we fall into the trap of thinking that it is about driving traffic to a form.   That is certainly one aspect, but in the grander scheme of things there are other aspects of lead generation.   The following illustrates one way to break down lead generation into various segments based on the business goal and focus. 

There are two possible goals: lead origination or lead conversion.  For each there are two possible ways to view the marketing focus.  We can strive for quantity or quality of new leads. We can strive for leads that require nurturing or those that close fast. 

And yes clients will want it all - "lots of well qualified leads that close fast because they have a connection with the company."  

The reality is that any company will have prospects in all four segments because of the different stages of demand that they are in.   Content plays different roles in each of the possible group.

• Quantity:  broadcast enticing offers with a sense of excitement
• Quality:  target exclusive offers with an opportunity to further qualify, e.g. survey
• Nurture: respond to each touch with relevant content based on previous stream
• Close Fast: convey a sense of missing out if action not taken

Direct response was built on the Quantity - Close Fast combination: "If you order now, we'll double the order."

However, in many categories where prospects need to consider their next step in the choice process the Quality - Nurture combination may be a better approach.   High value contacts deserve and respond to high value content.  Content marketing of a different form is required for this type of lead generation. 

As content marketing matures we will be segmenting the lead generation pool according to their needs and developing content accordingly.

Education and B2B

How do these industries relate to one another?

On one hand we have admissions directors working to help a number of applicants through the process.   On the other we have enterprise technology sales folks trying to help a number of prospects through the process.  While not usually put together in the same sentence, there are some striking common elements from a marketing point of view.

1. Both decisions are complex and require a significant amount of work to reduce risk
2. Both situations result in the need to provide substantive amounts of content
3. Both types of organizations want to establish thought leadership and a quality reputation
4. Both sets of buyers exist in a built-in social network where recommendations and influence abound

It seems that each industry can learn from the other; particularly from content marketing.  

In the end, both segments require the distribution high-value content to high-value contacts.  

Diagnosing Demand

Note: this is a reprint from an old blog, but a recent conversation brought it back.


Two recent projects have allowed us to rethink the notion of ‘demand generation’.   In the usual sense the phrase refers to getting people to take a step toward becoming a customer - become a lead, ask for information or make a purchase.   And in this world people follow the traditional path of awareness, consideration, and purchase with time spent between each stage.

There are scenarios when the desire to satisfy a need is much more intense than in other cases.  A refrigerator dies, a job is lost, or a project is finally approved represent scenarios where people behave and think differently than the normal sales funnel.  A useful analogy might be to think of pain in terms of medical conditions.

• Acute Demand: Characterized by the need for immediate relief. The decision to buy has already been made, now it is a matter of which option.  Marketing tactics must cover all the places where a person would look for treatment - search, directories, factual comparisons, product reviews, and direct response.  Those things that make it easy to make a decision in an extremely short period of time.

• Chronic Demand: Characterized by an on-going need that a person has, but has yet to satisfy. The decision to buy has not been made, but the individual knows they should.  Marketing tactics must portray both empathy and information to allow the person to make a commitment.  Given the long-term nature of chronic situations, campaigns should run in parallel with and through the events that trigger decision with attention paid to those with veto power.

• Latent Demand: Often an invisible need that hasn’t (and may not) surface.  No decision to buy has been made at all and its unclear whether one will ever be made because a need has yet to be articulated.  Marketing tactics should work on stimulating or confirming a need through the benefits of the solution.  Since common interests are the new demographics, campaigns should focus on where people congregate, both literally and figuratively.

As an example, consider the potential strategies for Pest Control:

1. Acute: be everywhere a person would turn to if termites or fire ants are found.  Who would they ask? Where would they turn? to get the problem solved that day.  Yellow pages, Google/MSN/Yahoo!, and Angies’/classifieds should be at the foundation of the plan. Since resolving acute pains often relies on personal recommendations, this is a highly localized decision - even for national brands.
2. Chronic: provide information around treatment options, health and safety concerns about the consumers house and family.   Provide content and advisories on where outbreaks do/might occur through the media the audience uses.  Become the content aggregator for a specific problem.
3. Latent: be visible.  Often termed ‘air cover’ in media plans there is a need to create some form of name recognition when a person moves to either chronic of acute demand.    Sponsor community or elementary school programs; be a member of the community by actively participating.  Broadcast advertising might be appropriate here to efficiently extend reach in lieu of any targeting information.

To provide a fresh view on a marketing plan, ask yourself:

1. When people buy my product, what percent come from each type of demand?
2. Are my campaigns aligned well with each need state?
3. Are my tactics delivering the right information to each type of person?

Woefully Behind, Tangentially Ahead

How does it feel to be a marketer these days?

Last week I had the opportunity to attend two events - Push Button Summit and #launchup - that showcased some latest things in digital media.   My conclusion - it is impossible to stay abreast of changes and that at my age I'm woefully behind the curve, yet surprisingly tangentially ahead of it in some ways.  

The six start-ups that presented at the two events covered everything from fingerprinting music (ripple wake) to moving achievements from games to mainstream applications (iActionable).   I left feeling that there is simply no way to keep track of all these developments; and certainly not at a technical level.    Now that nearly a week has passed there is a sense that on the business and marketing side of these companies there are lots of things we old folks still have to offer.  My list:

1. Experience of turning ideas into solutions; just what pain does a technology solve?
2. Thinking through the business model; how will the technology be financially successful?
3. Simplifying the problem to a value proposition; why will the technology be successful?

So before the gray-beards of our generation get pushed aside for the next generation of technical wunderkids remember that experience is what created the gray in the first place. 

Wall of Pictures

What's new in chalk art?

Here are the results from Flickr for the search 'chalk art'.  This is part of an experiment for showcasing clients' imagery.




And using a MediaRSS feed for the photos used on this blog.

VC Paradox

What does it take to get your cake and eat it too?

The other day on Seth's Blog a post on "Hunters vs. Farmers" hinted at the dilemma venture capitalists have with companies.  In short:

Only hunters can bag the deal + raise money; only farmers can nurture it into a cash crop.

For start-ups it isn't hunting and it isn't farming; its both.   Hunting is a short-term, transactional process - I don't care what the next deal is, as long as I get it.  Farming on the other hand is a planned, sustained activity over a number of seasons.  The grounds suitable for hunting are rarely the same as those good for farming.   It is very difficult for a company to both, but that is exactly what a successful start-up has to do. 

There must be some mix that reflects the rapid evolution or mutation of a company from concept to sustainable business.  Call it hurming or fanting or something else entirely (I skipped the temptation to use farting).  This is why start-ups require a team, not just an individual, that is both harmonious and distinct. 

Social Media, Strategy and Moon Shots

How do these ideas relate?

In a recent tweet I made the statement: 

The question isn't "What is our social media strategy?" but "How does social media help implement our strategy?"

It seems to have touched a nerve with an "amen" and a couple of RTs; so now I have to explain myself.  

The above questions apply to any media since the word social is simply a qualifier for a type of media.   Do we get worked up about 'what's our billboard strategy?' just because everybody is out driving around?   Nope.  And, since social media are tools for facilitating sharing (more on my thoughts defining social media here) having a strategy for a tool is viewing everything from the hammer or drill's point of view.   

As a business we need to achieve an objective defined in clear, measurable terms.   The best objective I can think of is: 

"I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth."  President Kennedy - May, 1961

Clear. Unambiguous. Measurable.

Strategy is not how we will achieve an objective; it is why will achieve one.  

Business strategy is often framed in two questions:  Where will we play? and Why will we win? Neither of which focus on the how; that comes later.   Positioning, differentiation, and alignment all help to frame the answers to those questions into a cohesive reason why the objective will be met.   In fact, strategy could often be replaced with the phrase 'reason for success.'   The moon shot was successful because people, industries, the military, and the government all came together for this mission.   That was the strategy: cooperation and collaboration on a humongous scale. 

In a more down-to-earth and contemporary problem, consider the marketing of Master's degrees - a very competitive market (have clients in this world.)   If the objective is to be a ranked program then there needs to be a reason for the outcome.  "Quality", "reputation", and "scores" are assessments or metrics that back up the reason.   An example of strategy for a well-funded research university might be 'commercialize our research into a series of successful start-ups.'  Now that's a differentiated strategy. 

Just how you pull off a strategy is all about tactics.  

Only when we know why we may be successful should we look at the portfolio of tools and figure out which ones to use.   Given expansive goals and strategies sometimes we have to make up the tools to do the job.  In 1961 we didn't have the rockets (or even the knowledge) to achieve the objective.  We created the tools.   It was not 'what is our Redstone strategy' it was 'how will the Redstone rocket help implement the strategy?'      The Redstone rocket provided a platform for man's entry into space - it was a first step. 

Like all media, social media has its strengths and weaknesses; it is appropriate for some objectives and strategies but not others.   If the strategy will benefit from collaboration and sharing then social media would be appropriate.   If the strategy requires stealth and big bang then it would not be appropriate.   Since these elements were so much a part of the success of the moon race it probably would have been considered by the program director.

So, if social media where around in 1961 - how would it help create a sense of community and purpose in order to put a man on the moon? 

Venture Capitalists and the CMO

Who's the most important member of the team?

There has been a lot written about the success or failure of a start-up resting on the shoulders of the CEO.  While the buck stops there, where does it start?

For technology companies the marketing function represents the conduit for moving from start-up to business.  As commented on "Cool is not a Strategy"  it is a long way from cool to cash.  Since venture funding goes to firms that have proven that there already 'is something' the real challenge becomes translating early adoption into a sustainable growth model.   Since marketers are paid to change history (new products, markets and segments) they are responsible for the road map of getting from here to there.    This means crafting a vision of the customers' world, even if they themselves can't, and leading the development of a series of incremental steps to get there.    

In a recent WSJ article on strategic planning the point was made that plans needed to be much more flexible and adaptable because we can "no longer count on a 'reasonable set of assumptions'".   Who better than the CMO of a young company to take on the responsibility of understanding the shifting sands?  She is out there every day; she can sense opportunity and respond.  

So when the venture capitalist asks about your team start first with the CMO.  Don't have one? Get one even if you have to rent one for a while.   This is too important to leave to the intern.  

Cool is Not a Strategy

Why should cool be banned?

Last week I sat through several presentations by start-ups; technical companies working in very different areas.   One phrase in the pitches stuck out like a sore thumb:  'this is cool'.   While cool relates to passion and can sustain a lot of late hours of development, it does not necessarily relate to a sustainable business.  Ok, Apple may have proven that wrong at the perceptual level -  but they are the exception and certainly didn't start that way. 

Customers rarely buy because something is cool, they buy because they suffer a pain.  It is this transition from garage geek to a business that requires a heavy dose of marketing.   It is our job as marketers to align the solution to the need and make the pain go away.   

There are numerous ways to present a start-up, often rooted in financials, market sizing, and barriers to entry.  What I really want to hear in that first minute from entrepreneurs and innovators is:  "Here is the pain that really pissed me off."   Now if enough people suffer the same thing and they can solve it in a cool way, so much the better.  

Presenting Social Media as a Bike

How do I explain social media?

A while ago I wrote a post trying to explain social media using an analogy of bicycles.   Since this concept has found its way into meetings I summarized it in presentation form and posted it on slideshare.   Here it is for those interested in another take:

Social Media is a Red Bike

View more presentations from Anthony Power.

Job Descriptions for Products

What role does a product fulfill?

It's an old saying that customers don't need drills, they need holes.

 

Simply put, we buy products to increase our personal satisfaction - by either improving the positive or eliminating the negative.   So, we know what we want, but may have difficulty expressing it to companies.

 

A good job description consists of three key elements:

1. An overall description of the role. 

2. A defined set of responsibilities

3. A clear set of experiences or qualifications. 

 

Sounds like what we should publish for products. 

 

For a good description this topic see "Finding the Right Job for Your Product" in MIT Sloan Management Review, Spring 2007. 

Technology Branding and Positioning

What are the biggest challenges for new products?

Positioning products, particularly technical ones, requires addressing three key tradeoffs.

 

1. Omnipotence vs. Versatility:  you can't be all things to all people.

2. Marketing vs. Engineering: you offer features, but people need solutions.

3. Early adopters vs. Mainstream:  the original problem solved is rarely the same as what the overall market needs.

 

Giving up perceived size of market in order to gain traction is often a difficult concept to swallow.  However, it is sually worth it in the long run. 

New B2B Tools: White Room and Paper Chunks

What should we do next with white papers?

The following is excerpted from a position paper I've been nurturing for some time; thought it was about time I shared it. This renewed interest was prompted by a webinar I recently heard on B2B marketing and social media from Tippit.

Originating in British Parliament, white papers present an authoritative overview of a particular issue and layout specific actions. Businesses adopted the term in the ‘90s as a moniker for sales and marketing documents that aim to educate the audience.

In B2B marketing, white papers are an integral part of the buying process and serve a variety of purposes. From the vendor point of view white papers accomplish the following:

• Establish thought leadership and a presence.
• Keep a vendor ‘in consideration’ and ‘top of mind’ during a long sales cycle.
• Provide the tools to generate a cost benefit analysis.
• Generate interest and leads.
• Breed a sense of trust in order to reduce risk in making a decision.

They are part of risk management and lessen the fear associated with B2B buying decisions. A post from Marketo outlined four ways of managing risk:

1. Get on the approved vendor list before a decision is needed.
2. Facilitate peer recommendations to reduce risk; peers are often the first resource people turn to when researching.
3. Leverage sales for referrals in addition to closing sales.
4. Establish credibility and thought leadership to garner the ‘wisdom of the crowd.’

From a buyer’s point of view white papers help get a project funded.

While white papers are read and used by a large number buyers (and committees) the form factor remains the old document-based ‘paper’ in this day of tweets, Diggs, sharing and comments.

Borrowing from the success of ‘social media news rooms’ this [post] describes a new delivery model for this valuable content. Rather than just producing a PDF, the social media white paper consists of a variety of elements that facilitate content distribution and sharing of information. From quotes to slides to a printable version, reports are presented in a variety of forms that make it most useful to the audience.

White Room

Rather than a listing of PDF files behind a registration page, the concept creates a diverse set of objects that readers can use to meet their needs. To accomplish this; a new section [should] be added to a firm’s website tentatively called the ‘white room’ – a combination of the white paper and news room. To provide control of the functionality, content, and track distribution the white room is a separate part of a web site that contains a variety of sections. Using the standard sections of NewsCactus or PitchEngine as a guide it could take the form of:

• Home: an introductory page for the section. Similar to many blogs, it contains a synopsis and listing of recent contents.
• Overview: Provides a place to discuss what the section is about (optional)
• White Papers: Listing of white papers with links to the actual page. Each page is designed to be found as part of inbound marketing strategies.
• Highlights: Links to other events related to white papers, e.g. presentations, or speeches.
• In the News: Listing of mentions of the firm as thought leader.
• Multimedia: useful objects to associate with the white paper.
• Company Kits: Fact sheets for company, leaders, and products.

Paper Chunks

The Internet has changed how we read and consume content [see the "Twitter Paradox"]. To facilitate consumption and spreading of information the following should be supplied.

1. Content written in form that can be scanned. Use of bullets and short sentences, paragraphs required in this day and age of Internet-reading.
2. Sub-heads written in the form of tweets that can then be used with url-shorteners to deep link and drive traffic.
   
3. Plain text (not Word) and PDF versions of full white paper and key paragraphs.
4. Audio version of paper (mp3 format).
5. Three to four specific recommendations or points that can be forwarded quickly. Written for retweeting.
6. Links to outside, relevant resources within the copy. No more than one link per 150-200 words.
7. A description, synopsis of the piece in 30-50 word that can be emailed to others like the reader's boss.
8. A list of key words associated with the piece; used to develop content to facilitate search traffic.
9. Two or more multi-media objects – pictures, video, or audio interviews.
10. Charts in clear template form for both PowerPoint and Keynote as well as on slide share – with speaker’s notes.
11. Spreadsheets if providing calculation tools.
12. Full contact information for key resources: all relevant channels.
13. Links to social bookmark and network sites.
    
14. Simple registration – accept LinkedIn, Facebook and twitter profiles.

Business Model

I have some ideas here too....

Designer Degrees

Where is education headed?

State-funded education continues to get hammered as budgets are cut. Colleges and universities will be "eating their seed corn" or dipping into the "rainy day" funds. And it's a vicious circle - laying off adjunct professors, which were the solution to the last budget crunch, means limiting enrollment caps, which means people can't get in, they can't take what they need, and they can't get out on time. High unemployment means both more students and less tax revenue. Education is being squeezed like a week-old lime; there's nothing left to give.

Kaplan (client), with its reverse articulation agreements with community colleges, is on the right track for some of the structural problems of education.

From a product perspective it might be time for a new marketing strategy: Designer Degrees

The only higher education degrees that are in demand, have students paying rack rates, don't have huge infrastructure costs and be created quickly based on contemporary needs are the "Master's". The once and former mark of failure or esoteric job requirements, i.e. flunked out of a PhD program or were in Social Work, these are now becoming products in their own right. In the past we’ve worked on general Master’s degrees like MBAs. Today we’re seeing the rise of specialist degrees. Recent articles in both the Wall Street Journal and NYT give credence to this trend and often stress the technical or specialist skills that they provide.

All categories fragment. The time appears to be ripe based on economics and market needs for this pattern to accelerate in the post-graduate world. The marketing challenge is learning how to develop and market tightly-focused programs.

From the beat of the wings of a butterfly comes the Master's in Jurisprudence in HealthCare (another client) targeted to hospital compliance professionals.

Dear CEO: How to use social media

What would I tell a CEO?

We often talk about social media at the tactical level rather than strategic. So for a recent viewpoint in Utah CEO magazine I tried to relate social media to the business processes where communication was vital: Reputation, Customer Service and Establishing a Brand.

But first I had to come up with a definition that was grounded in business rather than technology. And that actually meant I needed to define marketing as well.

Here's what I came up with:

• Marketing is the alignment of your company’s solutions with a defined set of needs to everyone’s mutual benefit. While it may incorporate advertising and promotion, those are not the primary functions of the marketing team — it is making sure that your product is in demand.
• Social media are the vehicles that leverage human interaction to convey a message. Of particular interest to marketers are recommendations and complaints.

The Catch-22 of Education Marketing

How do we raise the value of a degree?

The successful marketing of education relies on understanding the interplay of three different elements.

1. Prospect - the quality(ies) of the applicant pool entering the school
   
2. Program - the curriculum, both classroom and the intangibles
3. Placement - the odds of getting that dream job

The sweet spot occurs at the intersection of these three Ps. Yet a Catch-22 exists in the development of an educational institution: The best employers won't target a school unless it has the best job applicants and the best college candidates won't consider a school if the best employers don't target graduates.

The glue is the "Program" - the skills, knowledge and experiences gained along the way to a degree. Balancing what students want and what employers need (as well as what researchers pursue) is the ultimate, long-term job of a marketer.

The 7 Minute Gift

What can we provide each other this season?

Yesterday I had the opportunity to participate in a unique event sponsored by the Community Foundation of Utah - a speed mentoring session.

For two hours a variety on non-profits met with entrepreneurs to discuss their needs in a specific area - networking, strategy, fund raising, etc. I was at the marketing table and talked to groups ranging from community gardens to art centers to national volunteer organizations about how better to position themselves in the minds of constituents.

The idea for the event grew out of the notions that a) entrepreneurs and non-profits have a lot in common, i.e. they're always bootstrapping something, b) non-profits need the experiences, connections and insights that entrepreneurs have and c) entrepreneurs as a group are extremely philanthropic by nature. So adapting the structure of speed dating and speed pitching 50+ non-profits met with 50+ entrepreneurs in a series of 7 minute sessions. This was followed by a panel discussion on corporate social responsibility.

In order to make this successful, and by all accounts both groups were more than pleased - they were satisfied and happy, the non-profits were individually coached ahead of time on preparing their pitch. They knew what to say and ask their questions. As mentors we were given a brief abstract on what each organization did and what their need was. It was amazing how much 'work' could be accomplished in those 7 minutes.

As professionals we're usually busy looking for new clients or serving our existing ones. As an employee of an ad agency most of these groups would have never crossed my path because our market is different than where they sit today (euphemism "for they couldn't afford our services.")

The chance to share some thoughts, ask some questions, and hopefully provide some guidance with those who need it most was personally very satisfying. Certainly a better professional gift than the office 'white elephant.' And all it cost me was a morning.

To Fraser Nelson and all the rest that put on this wonderful event - I thank you.

Strategy vs. Tactics

What's the difference?

strategy: answering why an objective will be met

tactic: answering how an objective will met met