Recession-Busting MarCom Tip #6: Dare to Be Contrary | DH Communications
Recession-Busting MarCom Tip #6: Dare to Be Contrary | DH Communications
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How I'm DifferentContact MeBlog > B2B Marketing > Recession-Busting MarCom Tip #6: Dare to Be Contrary
« Selling to the C-Suite: Don’t Diss the Executive AssistantAre You Working in a Down Economy or an Up Economy? » January 11th, 2009
Recession-Busting MarCom Tip #6: Dare to Be Contrary
Print This Post
The media spends a lot of time telling us that our country is going to hell. Pick up any newspaper on any day and all you’ll see is gloom and doom.
However, despite the recession, I have never seen so much opportunity for companies creative enough to see it and nimble enough to act on it.
It’s easy enough to stick to what’s worked in the past, especially now when resources are tight.
But now is a great time to set your company apart by daring to be contrary.
Not only will your company stand out, you’ll probably end up being more successful than you imagined — as the three individuals cited below prove.
1. Steve Lightstone – General marketing wisdom states you need to find ways to get around an executive’s “gatekeeper” or assistant.
Some of these tactics include calling at 7:30 AM or 5:30 PM, when the executive is answering his or her own phone, or sending out three-dimensional mailers designed to get the executive’s attention.
Steve Lightstone, President of Corner Office Leads, knew there had to be another way. Instead of trying to get *around* the executive assistant, Steve asked, “How can we use this person to our clients’ advantage?”
The result is a marketing tactic that oooooozes respect for the executive assistant — and garners peer-to-peer appointments with the C-suite.
2. John Chambers – Instead of asking how to raise the company’s stock price or dramatically cut costs, John Chambers, CEO of Cisco Systems, instead asked how decision making could be spread far wider than any company had attempted before.
The reorg, according to a December 2008 Fast Company article, “Cisco Gets Radical,” involved over 500 executives and was massive, radical, and often bumpy.
The result? Decision making for the company is no longer top-down. Instead, leaders of business units now “share responsibility for one another’s success.”
This decision making is made possible by the open use of social networking tools, including blogging, videos, and a Facebook-style internal directory, by Cisco employees.
Instead of being a top-down company mired in “it’s always been done this way” thinking, Cisco is now a “laboratory of connectedness and productivity” where rank-and-file employees are being trained to actually use the stuff they sell. (Imagine that.)
3. David Meerman Scott — In his latest e-book, Lose Control of Your Marketing, Scott writes:
I’m often confronted with the issue of how to measure an online initiative’s results. Executives at companies large and small as well as marketing and PR people tend to push back on the ideas of a World Wide Rave because they want to apply old rules of measurement to the new world of spreading ideas online.
. . .
To create a World Wide Rave, forget about sales leads and ignore mainstream media. Instead, focus on spreading your ideas. Make your information totally free, with no registration required.
As a marketer, David could have written an e-book that included information on how to make most people agree with him — that is, he could have included the new rules about social media while also covering his butt by saying, “Yes, B2B is different and therefore, while social media is great, you still need to collect those sales leads.”
Instead, he stands out by delivering advice that’s contrary to accepted wisdom — and continues to build his reputation and business.
Now, what are you going to do today to be different?
ShareThis
Filed under B2B Marketing, Recession Busting MarCom Tips | 2 Comments »
Posted by Dianna Huff
Related posts
•Don't Cut Marketing In a Recession
•Recession-Busting MarCom Tip #5: Stick to Your Strategy
•Recession-Busting Marketing Tip: Automate Your Business Intelligence
Feedback on “Recession-Busting MarCom Tip #6: Dare to Be Contrary”
Susannah Abbott Says:
January 12th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
Thanks for your both your broad perspective and for the in-depth examples. This is very inspiring — and it’s nice to hear some positive news for a change!
Pages tagged "contrary" Says:
January 13th, 2009 at 5:46 am
[...] bookmarks tagged contrarycoraid aoe Recession-Busting MarCom Tip #6: Dare to Be Contra… saved by 2 others freshprodeuce bookmarked on 01/13/09 | [...]
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Recent Comments
Dianna Huff: @John — Thanks for the case study. I went to your site and used the Microsoft Tag app to scan your code. (I’m on a Macbook using an iPhone). The Microsoft app didn’t...
John Parsons: PS: Paula’s site is clearly B2C, but the B2B implications are obvious. My own site is B2B for example. Smartphone users can access it via the tag on my regular Web site...
John Parsons: Dianna, Great post! You’ve touched on many of the frustrating aspects of 2D code-based integrated media campaigns. Clear instructions for downloading a reader will be essential...
Jason Mikula: I talked about the use & future of QR codes in a recent article I wrote (here- http://jasonmikula.com/2010/10 /qr-barcodes-bridging-the-gap/ ). Have to agree with you — they...
Dianna Huff: Alex – I’d love to see some of the QR codes that look like a painting. The codes used on the Fortune / Time ads looked like little paintings.
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© 1998 - 2010 | All Rights Reserved
DH Communications, Inc. | 23 Atkinson Depot Road, Ste. 101 | Plaistow, NH 03865
e-mail us | (603) 382-8093 | sitemap
Dianna Huff's B2B Marcom Writer BlogDianna Huff delivers news, riffs and commentary
on all things relating to B2B Web MarketingSubscribe to the MarCom Strategist Ezine
and get your FREE Grow Your Newsletter List report
Phone: (603) 382-8093 | Send Email
HomeB2B Marketing Services
Marketing Opportunity Audit B2B Website Development
New WebsitesWebsite OverhaulsWebsite AuditsB2B Content Creation
E-newslettersE-books and ReportsBlog ConsultingSocial Media IntegrationOngoing Marketing and AnalysisSpeakingOnsite TrainingSuccess Stories
Case StudiesTestimonials - Web Work
Testimonials - SpeakingAwardsClient ListPressLearning Center
Newsletter
Archived IssuesMarketing Reports & E-booksMarketing ArticlesMarketing BooksMarketing ResourcesSEO ScorecardFAQs
Working with MeSearch Engine OptimizationWebsite MarketingBlog
Blog SponsorshipAbout Me
How I'm DifferentContact MeBlog > B2B Marketing > Recession-Busting MarCom Tip #6: Dare to Be Contrary
« Selling to the C-Suite: Don’t Diss the Executive AssistantAre You Working in a Down Economy or an Up Economy? » January 11th, 2009
Recession-Busting MarCom Tip #6: Dare to Be Contrary
Print This Post
The media spends a lot of time telling us that our country is going to hell. Pick up any newspaper on any day and all you’ll see is gloom and doom.
However, despite the recession, I have never seen so much opportunity for companies creative enough to see it and nimble enough to act on it.
It’s easy enough to stick to what’s worked in the past, especially now when resources are tight.
But now is a great time to set your company apart by daring to be contrary.
Not only will your company stand out, you’ll probably end up being more successful than you imagined — as the three individuals cited below prove.
1. Steve Lightstone – General marketing wisdom states you need to find ways to get around an executive’s “gatekeeper” or assistant.
Some of these tactics include calling at 7:30 AM or 5:30 PM, when the executive is answering his or her own phone, or sending out three-dimensional mailers designed to get the executive’s attention.
Steve Lightstone, President of Corner Office Leads, knew there had to be another way. Instead of trying to get *around* the executive assistant, Steve asked, “How can we use this person to our clients’ advantage?”
The result is a marketing tactic that oooooozes respect for the executive assistant — and garners peer-to-peer appointments with the C-suite.
2. John Chambers – Instead of asking how to raise the company’s stock price or dramatically cut costs, John Chambers, CEO of Cisco Systems, instead asked how decision making could be spread far wider than any company had attempted before.
The reorg, according to a December 2008 Fast Company article, “Cisco Gets Radical,” involved over 500 executives and was massive, radical, and often bumpy.
The result? Decision making for the company is no longer top-down. Instead, leaders of business units now “share responsibility for one another’s success.”
This decision making is made possible by the open use of social networking tools, including blogging, videos, and a Facebook-style internal directory, by Cisco employees.
Instead of being a top-down company mired in “it’s always been done this way” thinking, Cisco is now a “laboratory of connectedness and productivity” where rank-and-file employees are being trained to actually use the stuff they sell. (Imagine that.)
3. David Meerman Scott — In his latest e-book, Lose Control of Your Marketing, Scott writes:
I’m often confronted with the issue of how to measure an online initiative’s results. Executives at companies large and small as well as marketing and PR people tend to push back on the ideas of a World Wide Rave because they want to apply old rules of measurement to the new world of spreading ideas online.
. . .
To create a World Wide Rave, forget about sales leads and ignore mainstream media. Instead, focus on spreading your ideas. Make your information totally free, with no registration required.
As a marketer, David could have written an e-book that included information on how to make most people agree with him — that is, he could have included the new rules about social media while also covering his butt by saying, “Yes, B2B is different and therefore, while social media is great, you still need to collect those sales leads.”
Instead, he stands out by delivering advice that’s contrary to accepted wisdom — and continues to build his reputation and business.
Now, what are you going to do today to be different?
ShareThis
Filed under B2B Marketing, Recession Busting MarCom Tips | 2 Comments »
Posted by Dianna Huff
Related posts
•Don't Cut Marketing In a Recession
•Recession-Busting MarCom Tip #5: Stick to Your Strategy
•Recession-Busting Marketing Tip: Automate Your Business Intelligence
Feedback on “Recession-Busting MarCom Tip #6: Dare to Be Contrary”
Susannah Abbott Says:
January 12th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
Thanks for your both your broad perspective and for the in-depth examples. This is very inspiring — and it’s nice to hear some positive news for a change!
Pages tagged "contrary" Says:
January 13th, 2009 at 5:46 am
[...] bookmarks tagged contrarycoraid aoe Recession-Busting MarCom Tip #6: Dare to Be Contra… saved by 2 others freshprodeuce bookmarked on 01/13/09 | [...]
Post Your Response
Click here to cancel reply.
Name (required)
Mail (will not be published) (required)
Website
Subscribe by email
Enter your email address:
Follow me
#395
Free: Five B2B MarCom Strategies to Increase Sales Now
Blogroll
37Signals Product Blog
Allen Mireles Blog
BtoB Magazine's Blog Roundup
Content Marketing Institute Blog
Golden Practices
Healthy Body, Healthy Smiles Blog
Joy of Direct Marketing
Kel Kelly
Marketing Interactions
Matt Cutts
Nettie Hartsock's Blog
New Rise Investments
PJA: Bow & Arrow
PR-Squared
Proteus B2B Marketing Blog
Red Three Consulting Blog
Sales Lead Insights
Savvy B2B
Search Engine Land
SEOmoz
The Daily Casserole
Work-Life Sanity Blog
Yield Software
Zen Habits
Categories
B2B Blogs
B2B Copywriting
B2B E-newsletters
B2B Email marketing
B2B Events
B2B Integrated Marketing
B2B Marketing
B2B Print ads
B2B SEO
B2B Social Media
B2B Video
B2B Web Content
B2B Web Marketing
B2B Website Marketing Strategy
Blog Sponsors
Blogging and Social Media
Book Reviews
DH Communications News
E-Book Central
Free B2B E-Books
General copywriting
General Marketing
General Musings
Healthy copywriters
Local Search
MarCom Strategist Podcasts
Recession Busting MarCom Tips
Search Engine Optimization
Uncategorized
Recent Comments
Dianna Huff: @John — Thanks for the case study. I went to your site and used the Microsoft Tag app to scan your code. (I’m on a Macbook using an iPhone). The Microsoft app didn’t...
John Parsons: PS: Paula’s site is clearly B2C, but the B2B implications are obvious. My own site is B2B for example. Smartphone users can access it via the tag on my regular Web site...
John Parsons: Dianna, Great post! You’ve touched on many of the frustrating aspects of 2D code-based integrated media campaigns. Clear instructions for downloading a reader will be essential...
Jason Mikula: I talked about the use & future of QR codes in a recent article I wrote (here- http://jasonmikula.com/2010/10 /qr-barcodes-bridging-the-gap/ ). Have to agree with you — they...
Dianna Huff: Alex – I’d love to see some of the QR codes that look like a painting. The codes used on the Fortune / Time ads looked like little paintings.
Popular Posts
Where's Dianna?
What Should Be Included in a MarCom Manager's Job Description?
25 Very Smart Business Women to Follow on Twitter
How to Use Facebook for B2B
Six Tips and Tricks for Managing Social Media
© 1998 - 2010 | All Rights Reserved
DH Communications, Inc. | 23 Atkinson Depot Road, Ste. 101 | Plaistow, NH 03865
e-mail us | (603) 382-8093 | sitemap
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