1. Jennifer Culbertson The Partner Marketing Group jennifer@thepartnermarketinggroup.com

2. Todays Discussion Why make marketing a priority? Historical perspective Whats happening today Strategies for maximizing your efforts & stretching budget

3. Your Feedback What are you experiencing in your market? – Your company – Your competitors – Overall channel Cutbacks? Shift in budgets? Other tactics?

4. What Typically Happens in Tough Times? People spend, but do it less than they did before. Scrutinize purchases, rely on value and longevity messages People think "maintenance" rather than "expansion. Make the best out of what they have vs. purchasing new Financial people tend to drive most decisions. Financial roles (CFOs) will weigh in the decision-making process more heavily Budgets tend to get cut, especially marketing. Many times management doesnt understand the impact of marketing and figures they can resume when economy gets better

5. Why Make Marketing A Priority? Gain market share - When competitors are cutting back, they surrender market share Cheaper to market now – With less competition, may be able to gain market share without spending a lot of money Solidify relationships – Easier to market to people you already know and have relationship with (customers and hot prospects) Proactively marketing now will show confidence, strength and stability during chaotic times

6. Historical Perspective History does repeat itself – – 9 major recessions in U.S. since 1907 – Each lasted on average 14 months – Each followed by a lengthy recovery – 7 years since that last recovery – some say we are due! – Some say recessions keep the free market honest – Remember…Merger mania in 80s, Internet bubbles in 90s, and hot housing streaks in 00s – they dont last forever!

7. Brand Market Share & Campaign Success Brand switching: – Sears stole the market from Wards during WW2 – Kellogg beat Post during the depression – Revlon and Phillip Morris gained share in 70s recession while Avon and Hershey lost share – Taco Bell and Pizza Hut stole share from McDonalds during 90-91 recession Campaign roll-out success: – Wal-Mart rolled out "Every Day Low Prices" during the 2000-01 recession – "Intel Inside" program was launched during the 1990-91 downturn

8. Flex Your Marketing Muscle Marketing is an investment towards growth, not an expense Marketing is muscle, not fat – think twice about making cuts

9. Whats Happening Today

10. MarketingSherpa Report – Marketing During a Downturn – Insights into How Marketers are Handling the Slump – March 2008 – 407 marketers surveyed – 50%+ employed at B-to-B and professional services companies – 64% work for companies < 50 employees

11. Whats Happening Today Large companies are cutting budgets the most Small and mid-size companies are not making any changes to marketing budgets

12. Whats Happening Today Focus is on direct marketing vs. brand awareness – easier to track and measure B-to-C sector experiencing sharper decline in number of total customers per month vs. B-to-B

13. Whats Happening Today Mid-size companies are seeing largest increase in lengthening sales cycles

14. Whats Happening Today Marketers are investing more in online tactics (14% increase) than traditional methods (3% increase) – Less expensive – Easier to measure ROI Where are marketers spending budgets?

15. Whats Happening Today Online Tactics – Budget Impact Largest budget increases – – Emailing to house lists (25%) – Social Marketing/Web 2.0 (15%) Largest budget reductions – – Online display advertising (13%) – Emailing to rented lists (9%)

16. Whats Happening Today Traditional Tactics – Budget Impact Largest budget increases – – Event marketing (7%) – Telemarketing (6%) Largest budget reductions – – Radio/TV advertising (33%) – Print advertising (23% )

17. Effective Marketing Strategies

18. Marketing Strategies/Tips 1.Focused messaging and prospecting 2.Traditional tactics – Trade Shows, telemarketing, direct mail 3.Online tactics – SEO, PPC, Webinars, Social Marketing 4.Customer-focused marketing 5.PR 6.Microsoft marketing resources 7.Marketing offers 8.Measurement and ROI

19. #1 – Messaging & Prospecting

20. Focused Messaging & Prospecting Messaging – Refine your message to market Show value - How products/services provide or add value Create confidence and credibility - Your company longevity and experience, Microsoft product stability and product roadmap Prospecting – Focus on prospects who will produce the greatest ROI – Chasing un-closable deals is the most common strategic error in a tough market, Geoffrey Moore, author of Crossing the Chasm. – Refine your prospect list – Gain intelligence about your prospects – Find similarities and target your messages

21. #2 - Traditional Tactics

22. Traditional Tactics – Trade Shows Trade Shows: – Choose events wisely - calculate investment vs. ROI – Attend event instead of exhibiting – attend with customers, seek speaking opportunities – Host an off-site event vs. booth – breakfast or reception – Consider virtual exhibits – via Internet – Ways to reduce trade show costs: Collateral – use flash drives or email follow-up instead Booth – design with efficiency and adaptability. Use a Microsoft booth Labor – order materials early and deliver on-time Promotional items – be selective in items and recipient

23. Traditional Tactics - Telemarketing Use telemarketing wisely to help shorten sales cycles – Real-time market feedback: Profiling a list to gather better intelligence Better understand pain points, critical business issues and issues with existing software systems – Nurturing Marketing: Research shows that longer-term leads (future opportunities), often ignored by salespeople, represent 77% of potential sales Develop a touch strategy focused on providing relevant information that is tied to your prospects pain points Offer useful and relevant information to solve their problem

24. Traditional Tactics - Direct Mail Studies have shown that over the past 50 years direct mail is one of the few that has not suffered shrinkage in tough economic times It remains one of the most reliable and predictable forms of advertising and promotion

25. Traditional Tactics – Direct Mail Be smarter in your direct mail efforts: Target, target, target – Focus on prospects that will drive the highest potential Smaller mailings – Send smaller mailings to qualified prospects vs. sending one large mailing to unqualified prospects Sharpen your copy – Distill your message into essential copy points - stress value and benefits, not features Re-assess printing and design – Do you really need a 4-color piece? Two-colors can still produce a professional look Save on mail house services – Handle mailing internally (admin or intern) – Simplifying your mail piece can reduce production time and labor costs in the mail house Investigate possible postage savings – Consult mail house or post office on how to achieve better rates A Combination of Size, Thickness, and Weight Is Now The Standard – Weight is no longer the measurement

26. #3 - Online Tactics

27. Online Tactics - Webinars Webinars – – Cost-effective – Greater reach to larger audience – Less risk – Repeatable, recordable, re-purpose Tips – – Package the webinar to make promoting it more successful. Develop a series of webinars to be held every couple of weeks to keep people interested – Drive home the WIIFM (Whats In It for Me) message – Dont wait to reach out to registered attendees. Contact those who registered early to offer more information and continue the conversation – Dont forget to promote your webinar via sales team and all of the programs you are normally producing (trade shows, PPC ads, web pages, blog, and customer support pages)

28. Online Tactics – Search Engine Marketing The Internet and C-Level executives… According to a Gartner and Forbes study: – 67% of C-level executives say the Internet is their most important source of business information – 86% use search engines to find information on products and services – 72% prefer Google as search engine of choice Insiders Guide to Search Engine Marketing – Self-guided course – Learn how to achieve better search-engine rankings, how to set up and manage a pay-per-click advertising program, and more. Take this self-paced course by SEMPO Institute, a US$399 value offered exclusively to Microsoft partners for US$25. Use coupon code MSWWP08. https://partner.microsoft.com/global/40073322 https://partner.microsoft.com/global/40073322

29. Online Tactics - Search Engine Marketing Search Engine Marketing falls into two main categories - free (SEO) and paid (PPC) Search Engine Optimization (SE0) – Positives Inexpensive, effective, and targeted – Negatives – Time intensive - Process of researching and experimenting to identify your best keywords Takes time to integrate keywords into website and be thoroughly effective Need to test, measure, and monitor how well those keywords are working Pay-per-click (PPC) – Positives – Start quickly with little effort Low cost Targeted Pay only when someone clicks on ad – PPC Negatives – Need to have landing pages set-up to convert leads Time intensive to monitor Writing ads can be tricky

30. Online Tactics – Web 2.0 and Social Marketing What is Web 2.0? – Referred to as the next phase of the WWW or the "New Internet – Web 2.0 = Communities of participants with common interests sharing information and collaborating among one another Types: – Blogs - Online journal that is frequently updated and intended for general public consumption – Wikis - A collection of web pages that allow anyone to add or edit content – RSS Feeds – (Really Simple Syndication) Content distribution from web sites, blogs and social networking sites – Social/Professional networking (YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, Linkedin) IDC surveyed 512 IT professionals and found that 27.5% valued information from their peers more so than from any other information source

31. Online Tactics – Web 2.0 and Social Marketing How will this impact marketing? – Flexible and affordable – ability to connect with customers and prospects in new ways – Test new messages, discuss product ideas, build a community – High potential for building awareness and some spinoff lead generation Needs constant monitoring, updating and fresh content Requires skill in implementing and integrating new Web tools Start off slow, experiment to determine what works for you, and be patient!

32. Online Marketing Resources Get Started: Core Practices of Online Marketing: https://partner.microsoft.com/global/40073322 Website Optimization While your website may be performing well, chances are it could do even better. Learn more about best practices for layout, content, buttons, and more to boost conversions on your site. Website Optimization Search Engine Optimization Your websites success is directly related to the number of qualified users including customers and prospects who visit it. Taking the time to optimize your website pays off by delivering results in the form of increases site traffic. Learn how to improve your ranking on search engines to attract your target audience. Search Engine Optimization Search Engine Marketing Paid search is an easy way to draw more users to your site, but you will need to find the right combination of keywords. And determine how much you should spend on each. Optimize your paid-search investments and learn the dos and donts. Search Engine Marketing Web Analytics Data is the single most powerful marketing tool. It can help you capture and qualify incoming leads. Understand how visitors are using your site. And show you how well one offer performs against another. Learn how you can put Web analytics to work for you. Web Analytics Email Marketing With all the spam these days, email marketing has gotten a bad rap. But permissions-based email marketing is another story. Its targeted to people who have agreed to receive your communications and are looking for the answers you can provide. Learn how you can make email marketing a viable, successful marketing technique that can be used in almost any scenario. Email Marketing Social Networks Its not just hype. Social networking is here to stay. See if it is relevant to your marketing efforts. Learn if you should be leveraging social network sites, and if so, how to make the most of them. Social Networks

33. #4 - Customer-Focused Marketing

34. Customer-Focused Marketing Focus on your customers – 80/20 rule – 80% of business comes from 20% of your customers Communicate regularly and consistently – email newsletter, quarterly meetings, cross-sell products Expand your customer contact list – further penetrate organization Offer value-added content - existing products and services (user groups, training, customer support) Customer Advisory Board with top customers – create connections for customers, show your value and expertise, test your messages, discuss new products or services Customer testimonials and case studies – build credibility and use in sales cycle Renew relationships with lapsed customers – open dialogue and renew communications

35. #5 - Public Relations

36. Public Relations Why PR? PR is one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies available Greater impact vs. paid placement PR often appears more truthful as it is usually written by a neutral third party Media outlets to promote – print, online, TV, radio Areas you can focus on to promote your company: – Industry/trade publications and websites – feature your expertise – Announcements – new business, certifications, staff, awards, project completions, strategic partnerships, speaking engagements, community involvement – Customer successes – case studies focusing on customer ROI Develop press releases and distribute via news distribution service such as PR Newswire Post press releases and media placements on website Press releases increase your SEO visibility

37. #6 - Microsoft Marketing Resources

38. Microsoft Marketing Resources Microsoft Partner Events – tap into live events and or develop your own through events-in-the-box – https://www.microsoftpartnerevents.com https://www.microsoftpartnerevents.com Click-to-attend - event search and registration system powered by Microsoft – https://www.clicktoattend.com https://www.clicktoattend.com Momentum webcasts – https://mbs.microsoft.com/downloads/partner/marketing/EventsTraining/Dyna mics_GP_JumpStart_CS.PDF https://mbs.microsoft.com/downloads/partner/marketing/EventsTraining/Dyna mics_GP_JumpStart_CS.PDF Ready-to-go campaigns – ERP and CRM turnkey programs – http://www.mspartnerdirect.com/action/microsoft/site/Home;jsessionid=FEFCB 7EC4F3AF9493F66954A636009E1.www1?GageSessionID=x http://www.mspartnerdirect.com/action/microsoft/site/Home;jsessionid=FEFCB 7EC4F3AF9493F66954A636009E1.www1?GageSessionID=x Vertical marketing materials – https://partner.microsoft.com/40020485?msp_id=vertical https://partner.microsoft.com/40020485?msp_id=vertical Marketing offers – next section

39. #7 - Marketing Offers

40. Marketing Offers According to the DMA, offers contribute 30% to the success of a campaign Focus on offers that are educational, add value and show ROI

41. Offers – Where Can You Find them? How Smart Marketers Craft Compelling Offers webcast – https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/details.aspx?publisher=12 &delivery=239365&site=US&lang=EN https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/details.aspx?publisher=12 &delivery=239365&site=US&lang=EN Partner Vertical Resource Center (PVRC) – https://partner.microsoft.com/40020485?msp_id=vertical https://partner.microsoft.com/40020485?msp_id=vertical Partner Marketing Center – https://partner.microsoft.com/global/salesmarketingsection/smcampa igns https://partner.microsoft.com/global/salesmarketingsection/smcampa igns Offer Summary Sheet – by Dynamics product – https://mbs.microsoft.com/partnersource/sales/promotions/northam ericanoffercouncilsummarysheet.htm?printpage=false https://mbs.microsoft.com/partnersource/sales/promotions/northam ericanoffercouncilsummarysheet.htm?printpage=false Microsoft Incentives – other Microsoft products – https://www.microsoftincentives.com https://www.microsoftincentives.com

42. #8 - Measurement and ROI

43. Tracking, Measurement and ROI Make sure you track and measure campaign results – know that your budget is working the hardest it can – Each campaign/program should have a goal or objective (est. # new leads to result in $XXX) – Track: Campaign costs, # of touches, # of responses, # of leads generated, # of sales generated, $ revenue generated, campaign ROI Use CRM system to implement campaigns and track results Spreadsheet in Marketing Guide for Partners Monitor results and make adjustments quickly!

44. Final Thoughts Keep marketing! Refine marketing messages Target, target, target – focus on prospects drive ROI Traditional marketing – keep doing what works Online marketing – make greater investment and try new tactics Customer marketing – make it a focus Integrate Microsoft marketing resources into your mix Track and measure – make sure your marketing $$ are working for you

45. Webcast – Marketing in Tough Times http://experts.pbnworkspace.com/Producer.aspx?sid=140&sky=8F4Z2YAS&pgi=562&pg k=BDBEI4WZ&rid=4466&rky=1T7SGPCP&tky=128655499933547500 Thursday, September 18 - 10:30 a.m. PT

46. If You Need More Help… The Partner Marketing Group – Marketing consulting resource for Microsoft partner organizations – Virtual Marketing Director Program at www.thepartnermarketinggroup.com www.thepartnermarketinggroup.com – Other Services On-demand Marketing Resource Desk Marketing Collateral Audit Outsourced Project Management Newsletter Content Subscription Service (coming soon!)

47. Free Offer! First 10 attendees from TPE that sign-up on website get a complimentary Marketing Audit – Review your existing marketing materials and provide feedback – Review and evaluate up to 5 marketing pieces: company brochures sales collateral event invitations direct mail pieces newsletters – Sign-up: http://www.thepartnermarketinggroup.com/contact.phphttp://www.thepartnermarketinggroup.com/contact.php $750 Value!

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