boomdemand, Author at Boom Demand

Experiential Marketing: Treating Your Clients

What if you could get your prospective customers to have fun and think about your company at the same time? That‘s the basic premise behind experiential marketing. Any time you can get people to associate your brand with a good time is a major marketing win!

The Sales Funnel of Fun

This sort of marketing revolves around activities, events, and meetings with customers. It’s more than showing up to a trade show or an exposition, though. It calls for creativity and imagination that project your brand statement in a captivating way. The message delivered by such an event should be strong, simple, and appealing. Experiential marketing is fundamentally about getting out of the office. It means helping clients see the more personal, more real side of you by inviting them to participate in the kinds of activities that make you feel most alive. Whether that’s a hiking trip, a visit to an entertaining and great restaurant, or great seats at a ballgame, it should help your client see a new you and your company from a different angle. It should encourage them to relax and open up to you, as well. These events could engage your customers and invite them to experience a product or service firsthand, too. It would involve physical and interactive experiences, and it should be immersive and memorable. To be able to catch the audience’s attention is to capture their senses. This kind of marketing aims to create an emotional attachment between the consumer and the brand. This will then develop customer loyalty and influence their decision to buy.

A Wildfire of Good Advertising

Experiential marketing can draw more public interest than other kinds of marketing campaigns. The engaging and visually appealing features create a satisfying personal experience. A good, lasting impression like that can grow their interest and establish positive word-of-mouth. It thus creates new brand advocates. Clients having fun are clients who provide referrals and repeat business! You can increase brand awareness and make your products and services stand out among your competitors. Another advantage provided by this sort of campaign is direct feedback. Participants who try out a product have the chance to share their thoughts with company representatives. This provides opportunities for improvements that would further enhance your brand. That means this outreach method strengthens customer and brand relationships. It can and should be part of a long-term strategic approach. It’s one more great way to generate leads, keep your existing customers, and boost your revenue growth.

Getting Started

Boom Demand will help you plan powerful and memorable activities that strengthen your relationship with both your current and future clients. This type of campaign is also cost-effective. That means we’ll help you reduce advertising overhead. Contact us today to plan an event your clients will never forget!

Why B2B and B2C Sales are Different

Selling is always about the seller’s relationship with their customer. The nature of that relationship is different depending on what kind of customer we’re talking about, though. Some companies sell to other companies, and others sell directly to consumers. These two types of sales are known respectively as B2B (business to business) and B2C (business to consumer). There are aspects of each that make them similar to each other, but there are also some important distinctions.

B2C

Business-to-consumer sales are the kind that almost all of us are most familiar with. The process is simple, and it’s all about the product in question. Relationships are a factor, but the goal of both parties is to get the most value possible out of the single transaction. Repeat business is nice, but it’s not the main goal here, because individual preferences change often. Just because the customer buys an apple today means nothing next week, when they may prefer a pomegranate instead. Because of those shifting preferences, the seller must focus their efforts on a very large market of individuals in order to move enough product to stay in business. Marketing focuses on images and feelings that appeal to individuals who seek intangible benefits. They also must keep the buying process as simple as possible, with clear pricing, to keep the buyer’s attention.

B2B

Business-to-business sales are less intuitive. They require far more conscious effort and preparation on the part of sellers, because their customers are not usually a single individual. Business customers are purchasing committees and boards, deeply focused on the rationality of a contract and how it affects the bottom line. Sellers in this market have to carefully cultivate trusting relationships over a much longer period of time in order to close a deal. Stability and consistency are key. These markets are also considerably smaller and far more specialized. Competition is fierce, so the seller who is able to definitively prove that their solution offers the best value, through patient education and relationship-building activities, is the one who wins over their customer.

“It’s fascinating how the fundamentals of business-to-business marketing are the same today as they were 50 years ago. It’s still about relationships, although today we have new tools and techniques at our disposal.” (David Meerman Scott)

BoomDemand focuses on the nuances of B2B selling strategies. Our team of expert SDRs has mastered the art of cultivating strong relationships between our clients and their potential business customers. Contact us today to give your B2B marketing efforts a BOOM!

5 Tips to Find Success in Your Sales Job

Working in sales is not for the faint of heart. It takes a particular personality. You have to be someone who feels passionate and driven to success, alongside a good pile of self-confidence. Anyone can develop this kind of personality if they work on it, but not everyone is willing to do what it takes. That’s because almost every sales job consists of long stretches of monotony and lots of rejection, punctuated by exultant moments of triumph. Those moments make the rest worth it, but it’s key to have the right approach to the whole process if you want to reach them. Here Boom Demand presents 5 powerful tips (and 5 awesome quotes by sales master Zig Ziglar) to help anyone in a sales job cultivate and maintain success every day.

1: Listen and Observe Before You Speak.

You were made with two ears and two eyes, but only one mouth. There’s a reason for that. Sales is fundamentally about service. You are providing something that you know people need. Rather than going on and on about how great your stuff is, you should make sure that it will actually help the person you’re talking to. How? By listening to them. Let them tell you what their problems are, and watch their body language. They will show you what to say, and when.

“Stop selling. Start helping.”

2: Believe Passionately In What You Are Selling.

If you are selling something that you don’t think will actually do any good for the customer, they won’t believe you either. You must understand your product and its capabilities on a fundamental level. You must be willing to use the product yourself. You should, whenever possible, have personal experience with its benefits.

“Have an absolute and total belief that what you’re selling is worth more than the price you ask for it.”

3: Trust is Everything.

Your credibility depends on your personal level of honesty and sincerity. Customers hate slimy tactics, misrepresentation, and high pressure. It’s unfortunate that sales has a reputation based on those who used such tactics in the past, so to stand out, be trustworthy. Trust is currency. Trust is a deal closed, and it is repeat business. Never, ever betray your customers’ trust.

“The most important persuasion tool you have in your entire arsenal is integrity.”

4: Follow Through.

Don’t let prospects slip through the cracks. Stay organized and keep in touch with everyone. You never know who might give you a referral, nor when. Any prospect who shows interest should be contacted again, and every interaction should end with a mutually agreed-upon next step. Always be moving forward with everybody you serve in your sales job, whether employer or customer.

“Take time to be kind and to say thank you.”

5: You Have 960 Minutes.

If you’re getting a healthy amount of sleep each night (you ought to, for top performance), then you have less than a thousand minutes awake each day. You should be acutely aware of that number, and plan your activities in advance to make each and every one of them count, because they are irreplaceable. Use every single minute to move closer and reach your goals.

“Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days.”

Which Social Media Platform is Best for Your Business?

Social Media is everywhere, and for marketing, it’s almost everything. So many people use these modern communication systems that any company that doesn’t actively engage their customers through them might as well close up shop. Time is money, too, so it’s important to know how best to direct your posting efforts. Each platform has particular strengths that cater to one type of business or another. Here’s how they match up:

B2B: LinkedIn

All social media platforms are networks, but LinkedIn is the platform that is most specifically designed for business networking. There is no easier way to find the best person at a prospective client company to contact regarding your solution. LinkedIn is especially powerful for SaaS companies offering an entirely non-physical service, where the right contacts are key. Example companies that are right at home on LinkedIn include Domo, Salesforce, and most other major international corporations that you want for clients.

Retail and E-commerce: Instagram

Instagram was originally designed as a way to share beautiful photography. That makes it especially well-suited to marketing where appearance is key. The platform makes it incredibly easy to show off your retail products in the best light and from all angles, and interact directly with your customers. You can get instant feedback on your designs. Both well-known retail brands like Adidas and smaller sellers like FoxyRedsDesigns can derive the same benefits from the ability to show off their products with photos and videos on Instagram.

B2C Services: Facebook

As the reigning king of all Social Media platforms, with over two billion registered users, it pays for almost any company to have at least a minimal presence on Facebook. That said, this platform lends itself to more local and family-oriented engagement. It may even soon beat Google at its own game:

“Nearly half of consumers are already using social networks, like Facebook, to discover local businesses through brand pages, the Places feature or recommendations.” (Forbes)

Local construction, repair and handyman-type services that work in a limited geographical area can use this structure to great effect. As well, small regional chains and Mom-and-Pop stores do great with Facebook. It’s great for spreading word-of-mouth reviews, and when people ask for local recommendations, these small businesses really shine. Each of these platforms can be useful one way or another for almost any business. To get the maximum benefits from them, consider the expert help we can provide at Boom Demand. Contact us today so we can drive your online presence with a BOOM!

All They Need is Love: The Importance of Nurturing Your Leads

All They Need is Love: The Importance of Nurturing Your Lead

Anyone who’s been involved in sales for longer than a few minutes knows that sales tactics are always changing. Before we get into the industry we start with some preconceived expectations that are swiftly proven wrong. One such notion is the idea that sales is about giving away as little information as possible to the customer. As it turns out, the best salespeople are experts at providing their customers with all of the information they need, right when they need it. This is what good lead nurturing is about: making meaningful and helpful contact with potential customers at every step of the sales process.

Customers are People, too

As consumers, we appreciate certain values when it comes to commerce. Above all, we like transparency. We want to know what we’re buying, how well it works, and what it costs. We don’t like beating around the bush. “Personalized emails generate up to 6 times higher revenue per email than non-personalized emails do.” – HubSpot We enjoy it when the seller treats us as the individuals we are. Not everyone has the same needs and circumstances. Sometimes some customization is needed. Sellers who take the time to learn the specific requirements of their leads are more likely to close a deal.

Broader Horizons

“When creating your lead nurturing strategy, do not think about nurture in isolation. You want to deliver coordinated, relevant, customer experiences across all of the channels your buyers use.” – Marketo The sales process has moved way, way beyond the simple old days of cold calls and door-to-door campaigns. There are dozens of different ways to reach your potential customers, and they each have their favorites. Some are very active and engaged on LinkedIn. Others will prefer to close the deal only after a series of informative personal phone calls. Email marketing remains a strong approach, too, and should not be overlooked. Some combination of these and many other different platforms is needed in order to reach each prospect in the most effective way. By reaching out to your leads the way they want to be contacted, you can help them feel comfortable as you answer their questions.

Cultivating the Garden of Your Business

Effective lead nurturing is at the core of our demand generation strategies. We know that your customers are all unique. Even though they all have similar needs that your company can satisfy, they won’t know it unless they get the information in the way and at the moment that works best for them. At BoomDemand, we take your future customers by the hand and guide them as they discover the value of your solutions. Contact us today so your customers can each feel that kind of personal care from you.