| Rule # 1: Target one or more of the six emotional drivers.
"New Whitepaper!," the banner ad read, "Don't Overlook Training When Implementing New Technologies and Business Processes." Oh don't worry, I won't. But I will overlook your whitepaper. Who does this target? The training end user? His or her manager? Both? Neither? If the target is the end user, as it appears in part to be, what possible motivation does he or she have to click on the link?
The ad's problem is not uncommon - it doesn't target any emotional triggers. To be successful, all demand generation-oriented ads, even many targeting training managers rather than the training end user, must focus on one or more of the following:
- Greed - Take our training and get a Wii!
- Knowledge - Take our training and enhance your skillset!
- Fear of falling behind - Feeling rusty? Take our training and learn the latest!
- Superiority - Take our training and attain the latest certification!
- Approval from others - Take our training and get noticed!
- Guilt - Not certified yet? Stop putting it off, take our training today!
Although intentionally basic to illustrate the point, these calls to action make an impression. Bear in mind that the average individual sees 400 to 600 ads per day. Our audience is likely exposed to even more than that. It's important to cut through the clutter and give them the message that they want to hear.
Rule # 2: Don't be afraid to 'lead with greed.'
I'm not a huge Michael Douglas fan, but his portrayal of Gordon Gecko in the movie Wall Street was sublime. "Greed is Good," he sneers, and nothing could be more true for our target audience.
In short, our target demographic is greedy. I'm not speaking badly of them, most every demographic is greedy. I can't think of one that isn't. We all want stuff, and when it's free, we want it even more. Why else would Billy Mays offer us a second Slice Wizard for the price of just one - but only if we act now. A second slice wizard?! That's just too good to be true!
And so it is with IT Training. But it's not free classes that drive prospects to conversion, it's the free Slice Wizards.
Unconvinced? A couple of years ago, I surveyed 50 of our students asking them one question: would you rather receive a $250 class discount or $100 worth of swag? Care to guess the outcome? 49 out of 50 said they would rather receive $100 worth of swag. 98%. Why? Because most of North American IT Training is paid for by employers. It's all fine and good if a customer can save his or her company $250 (something that in all likelihood will go unnoticed), but it's a heck of a lot sweeter if they can get something for themselves instead.
In my experience, items such as company-branded jackets and/or lap top cases, iPod shuffles, Amazon gift certificates, and the like are all effective. During the holiday season, we often up the ante and offer premium items such as TIVOs, $250 Sharper Image gift certificates, or the increasingly popular (and difficult to find) Wii.
Rule # 3: Cross-sell. Cross-sell! CROSS-SELL!
Although it is one of the most basic elements of go-to-market marketing, there are a surprising number of companies who do not effectively cross-sell. While few in our industry are guilty of all out "love them and leave them" syndrome, many have yet to realize that existing customers are your most important marketing assets. Ignoring them or barely touching them is unforgivable.
I'm guessing that for most of you this is second nature, but it's important enough that it's worth exploring all the same. First off, all students should receive an offer of some type in their course book. They should also be called the week after class to 1) ensure that the session provided value, and 2) to upsell the next course.
All students should also be added to segmented customer lists. All MCP students should be in one list, security students in another, project management in yet another, followed by Cisco, Red Hat, DOD 8570, and whatever else matches your course portfolio. After students consume the maximum number of courses in their respective "bucket," the next logical segment can and should be pitched. For example, customers who have attained MCSE can differentiate themselves with another system administrator certification [warning: shameless plug ahead] such as Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE). As you can imagine, there are any number of other logical combinations.
And don't forget the two most basic cross-selling ideas of all: no matter what, regardless of circumstances, don't allow your customers walk away from class without at least one of your course catalogs. Catalogs have legs - when customers arrive back in their office it is invariably passed from one person to the next. And second, ensure that there is a newsletter opt-in box on the initial registration form - we want to make sure that everyone is fully aware of all specials and new offers!
The bottom line: it is 6 times more expensive to capture a net new customer than cross-selling/up-selling to your existing customer base. "Love them and leave them" is not an option.
Rule # 4: Invest in pay-per-click campaigns.
Short and sweet: if you're not doing Pay Per Click campaigns, stop reading this article and go set one up. Now. Seriously. Yes, you'll be adding to Google's billions, but you'll also be increasing your revenue at a much greater rate. The rule of thumb is simple: if you have an eCommerce engine (and even many times if you don't) you're shooting yourself in the foot if you don't have a Pay Per Click strategy in place.
I specifically mentioned Google because they possess the largest 'search share' and beyond that, any company whose name has also become a verb is tops in my book. Monthly Return on Ad Spends (ROAS) of 1000%+ are not at all uncommon with Google, and it's a wonderful metric to provide to executives. Most everyone I speak to is allocating an increasing amount of North American and international budgets to Google with nothing but positive results to show.
Of course there are other very good search engines out there such as Yahoo and Microsoft's MSN. Both have their merits, and even if the latter's acquisition of the former does occur, both search engines will remain separate for years to come for branding and systems integration reasons. Other prominent search engines include Ask.com (formerly AskJeeves.com) and any number of vertical and niche engines including Business.com, Nexis, and a slew of others. If you haven't already, experiment a bit, see which ones work best for your company.
Rule # 5: Consider an interactive lead generation tool.
All too often, companies turn to the same tired lead generation tools. Webinars, whitepapers, catalogs, tradeshows. Maybe an occasional video or raffle. These are the lead generation pillars of not only IT training, but any type of B2B marketing on the planet. I won't disparage any of them - I've used them all multiple times and I believe that each has its place.
But with the exception of events (the weakest of the lot anyway - at least for training), what do all of them have in common? They're static. The prospect comes to your web site, sees a graphic promoting a half-way interesting whitepaper, and clicks. In all likelihood, it's gated, and the user then decides amongst three options: 1) provide his/her contact information, but perhaps a bogus email address and phone number, 2) abandon the form and return back to the main page or another site entirely, or 3) claim that he is Bart Simpson living at 123 Main Street to get past the form and obtain the whitepaper.
I don't think that whitepapers or catalogs should be gated to begin with, but that's a topic for a different article. The whitepaper is now on the user's desktop and the individual may open it, but more likely than not, will eventually grow tired of seeing it. At that point it ends up in the trash or filed in an obscure folder, two levels deep, never to be seen again. But to the marketer, none of that matters because a new lead has been obtained, right?
Maybe. The problem is that 1) there is no incentive for the user to provide their correct contact information, and 2) it's likely that the user will not derive much value from the download anyway. However, if the lead generation tool engages the user and provides immediate benefit, both of these problems can be overcome.
I'm speaking specifically about interactive lead generation tools. Why take the time and/or money to write a whitepaper when a TCO calculator could be produced instead? Or instead of a TCO calculator, what about a pre-assessment test to guide the prospect to the correct course that he or she should be taking? Now that's value!
On the lead form, precisely explain what benefits the user will receive in exchange for their contact information. Maybe the calculator or test results arrive via email, eliminating the increasingly popular ronald.mcdonald@yahoo.com. Then, after inputting his/her data in the TCO calculator or taking one or more pre-assessment test, the user walks away more ready than ever to take a class, and you end up with 2 to 3 times the amount of leads you'd ever capture with a static PDF.
Rule # 6: Integrated marketing - the 1-2-3 combination!
Did you know that 20 of the 37 commercials in the 1999 Super Bowl were for dot coms? $1.5 to $2M per spot. And for most, that drained an entire marketing budget or at least a very hefty percentage. But no matter, it was a smart investment providing unprecedented exposure leading to national name recognition and a huge uplift in sales - right?
I think most everyone knows the answer. Wrong. No major revenue uplifts. Limited name recognition and brand impact. In fact 18 out of 20 are now out of business. Most as you can imagine were casualties of the bubble burst. Of the two that remain, one operates under a different name and the other has an entirely different business focus. Neither will be doing Super Bowl ads in the foreseeable future.
So what went wrong? More than 90 million Americans saw their ads, why didn't it work? Simple: "one off" marketing, with rare exceptions, does not work. In our industry a print ad on its own, for example, promoting your Microsoft courses, along with a list rental for a Cisco mailer, and banner ads for security are doomed to disappoint.
Instead, what's needed is multiple, tightly integrated components. A jab followed by a hook that's finalized with an uppercut. Bing, bang, boom – a 1-2-3 combination! Of course, I'm not suggesting that campaigns need to be limited to three inter-related components. In fact, most will probably have four or more. Here is an example:
- Email blast announcing a Spring special (Take training, get a branded jet pack). Notice that the special appeals to one of the emotional drivers (Rule # 1) and 'leads with greed' (Rule # 2).
- Sales follow up
- Post card direct mail piece reinforcing the message
- Google Ad Words promoting the special throughout the campaign
This is just a simple example, but it clearly shows multiple integrated components hammering the message home. Rule # 7: K.I.S.S.
The last rule is simple. In fact, "simple" is part of the acronym: Keep It Simple Stupid. In other words don't over-complicate your planning and execution. Simple marketing activities go a long way. The trick is to think of every touch point you have with customers and prospects and make sure that in eah instance you "remind" them of selected offerings.
Examples might include the following: - Include special offers in your company's "hold muzac;"
- Automated thank you emails (with links to ongoing promotions) following form completions;
- Upsells in confirmation emails;
- Monthly newsletters with company news, industry news, and special offers;
- Regular nurture emails--"drip marketing"--to lead nurture lists;
- Coupons in course books;
- Password protected landing page with external links relevant to course content, common popular links, and promotion of existing specials;
- Extra catalogs in the break room;
- Strategically placed one page ads on restroom walls and in stalls;
- Customer appreciation nights.
These are just a handful of simple activities that can quickly increase revenue. Most anyone could conjure up other similarly effective activities and probably double the size of the list fairly quickly. Give it a try and you may just surprise yourself.
Will these 7 rules work for everyone? Well, there are exceptions to everything. But in general, if you successfully adhere to the majority of these rules - the ones that make the most sense for your business--odds are that your marketing efforts will pay immediate dividends for your company and your career. I only wish that picking this year's Sweet 16 was half as easy!
About the Author Gordon Tillmore is Red Hat's Global Marketing Manager for training and professional services. Responsible for international go-to-market strategies, he and his team also manage relationships with the company's large training partner ecosystem. Prior to Red Hat, he served as a Marketing Manager for Tangram Enterprise Solutions, and as a leading sales representative for Global Knowledge. A graduate of the University of Virginia and American University, he resides in Raleigh, North Carolina with his wife Kelly and son Paul. www.massiveimpressions.com
| 
