A Recipe for Success: Today’s Integrated Marketing Strategy

Tricia M. SpellmanCEO/Founder, MIOD, Inc.

www.miodonline.com

Welcome

About Tricia Spellman:

•20+ years of strategic marketing, market research, business development and sales experience in the healthcare and technology industries

•Award-winning Programs (e.g. BMA, AMCP)

•Professional Portfolio:•Healthcare Information and Management System Society (HIMSS)•HIMSS Analytics•Government Health IT•Zebra Technologies (NASDAQ: ZBRA)•Tenet Healthcare (NYSE: THC)•ECIN (An Allscripts-Misys Company)

Key objectives:

Building the foundation for your marketing efforts: •Know your audience and market •A clear and impactful message platform is critical for success•What the right marketing mix is in today’s world•How to Improve efficiency and campaign effectiveness •How to drive greater volume and quality of opportunities and prospects •How to gain better alignment and integration of marketing, sales and channel teams

Industry Trends

•Industry Trends*

What’s driving adoption of new technology solutions and digital marketing platforms?

•Management mandates for greater accountability, visibility and yield in marketing organizations.

•Demand for deeper analytics and predictive modeling to improve customer economics and lifetime value.

•Greater access to customer insight and intelligence allowing better segmentation, personalization and efficiency of spend.

•Higher response and recall rates from customized communications improving ROI and driving customer loyalty and advocacy.

•End-to-end measurement of campaign effectiveness requiring robust, agile, real-time, on-demand marketing automation infrastructures.

•New, digitally-driven channels of market access and engagement including: mobile, Internet, social media, online communities, search portals, digital signage networks, point-of-sale output and display systems, etc.

*Source: Marketing Outlook 2010/CMO Council

•Industry Trends*

Big Picture Goals for 2010 and Beyond -

•Reallocating more money towards electronic media that is engaging and helps drive increases in customer loyalty.

•Shifting marketing dollars to direct sales engagement and sales training.

•Undertake very big consumer insights and business intelligence drive as we gear up to invest in emerging markets.

•Need to work on coordination and time management of integrated marketing campaign teams.

•Be wiser in channeling the right message into the correct channel to maximize effectiveness.

•Improve communication between marketing and non-marketing employees.

*Source: Marketing Outlook 2010/CMO Council

Know Your Audiences and Market

•Know your audience and market:

•Business Plan Review

•Marketing Audit & Analysis

•Market Research

source | GROUNDSWELL (2007)

•Business Plan & Review

•Be a part of the process – its critical

•Know this document & ask questions

•Know projected growth plans

•New product/services launches & enhancements

•Revenue projections

•Acquisitions

Marketing Audit & Analysis

•Audit of strategies and communication channels – what worked and what didn’t

•Competitive landscape and SWOT Analysis

•Audiences perceptions

Market Research Channels:

•Market/Marketing Research Firm (recommended)

•Channels•Associations and Industry Groups

•Focus groups at annual conferences•Virtual focus groups•Co-sponsor surveys/market research

•Survey tools – e.g. survey monkey

•Social media •Blogs/Postings•LinkedIn•Face Book •Twitter•Etc.

•Other •Sermo

Market Research Elements

•Internal interviews•Executive management•Board members•Critical teams (e.g. sales, product development, etc.)

•External interviews•Customers/Members•Prospects•Channel partners •Committee members•Chapters

•Channels•Online Surveys•Focus groups – live and virtual •Phone interviews•Social media post/comments•Blogs

A Case Study: HIMSS Virtual Conference & Expo

A Case Study – HIMSS Virtual Conference & Exhibition

•Overview•HIMSS was introducing a new product/service – A virtual conference & expo

•Challenges•HIMSS did not want to confuse audiences with its other conferences & exhibitions•Did not want to cannibalize its largest revenue generator – e.g. the Annual Conference & Exhibition•Needed to set the event apart from its competitors

•Solution•A comprehsive research project with customer/prospects

•Focus Groups•Online Surveys•Phone Interviews•Industry Research/Bench marking study

A Case Study – HIMSS Virtual Conference & Exhibition

•Objectives of Market Research Effort

•Identify/validate markets and market needs

•Help guide the content of the education

•Pricing & Timing

•Perception of audiences and how to shape their experience

•Guide the look/feel, tagline and key messages

A Case Study – HIMSS Virtual Conference & Exhibition

•Top Line Highlights: •Audience:

•High acceptance and experience with e-learning•High interest among senior management, small to mid-sized budget organizations and rural/suburban/metropolitan communities

•Challenges: •Audiences are unclear about the differences between online learning and a virtual conference and expo•Hurdles:

-Office distractions -Value/pricing -Ability to interact-Technology

•Positioning:• Position the event as an additional educational opportunity rather than an alternative to existing conferences (such as Annual or Summit)

A Case Study – HIMSS Virtual Conference & Exhibition

•Why most audiences stated they wanted to attend:

• Attendees:

• Content is critical – need it to be relevant and high quality

• Finding solutions to everyday problems

• Networking with experienced peers to get practical tips

• Information on the latest technical, commercial and policy developments

• Participating in a discussion

• Exhibitors:

• Quality leads at your fingertips

• Lower costs

• Less hassle – no travel necessary

• Tracking capabilities for booth traffic/visitors

A Case Study – HIMSS Virtual Conference & Exhibition

•The Outcome:

Implementation:

• 2 times a year (June & November)

• Free content to attendees – drives traffic/interest/leads for exhibitors

• Creative/tagline/name clearly communicates the concept in a visual

manner

• Messages defines the value proposition to each target audience

• Set it apart from HIMSS other conferences – it is positioned to compliment

this conference and/or provide another option throughout the year for

education, networking, exhibiting, etc.

Results Highlights:

• The conference currently attracts 3,800 registrants. A 40% increase since the first show.  And then it has been holding pretty steady lately. 

• In addition, overall satisfaction of the event, including marketing, was rated very good to excellent by 94% of the audience surveyed.

Build Your Foundation: A Message Platform

Building the Foundation – A Message Platform

•Benefits of a Message Platform

•Lower marketing costs•Provides competitive advantage•Lays the groundwork for future product launches•Increasing media and marketing reach•Become top-of-mind within your market among customers/prospects

•What a Powerful Message Platform Accomplishes

•Communicates the value proposition of your products/services•Issues-based: Ties to timely and relevant industry trends (e.g. industry mandates)•Speaks to the pain points of your customers•Ensures all departments are speaking the same language to external and internal customers (e.g. sales, marketing, membership, etc.) •Establishes credibility among your customer base

What a Message Platform Should Consist of:

1) Positioning statement – A statement that clearly communicates what the company does, why it is different, how it helps people and for whom it provides its products/services. For example:

•Improving the Healthcare IT Infrastructure, Bridge Consulting is passionate about fueling the industry with the IT solutions and resources to ensure efficient healthcare IT adoption. Bridge is making it possible for them to achieve optimal privacy & security, EMR adoption, compliance (HITECH Act, HIPAA, SOX) and more. Resulting in a healthier and more effective industry.

2) Supporting key messages – these powerful statements support the claims made in the positioning statement. For example:

•What Bridget can do for you: Your Organization + Bridge Consulting = A healthy IT infrastructure Bridge Consulting can help your healthcare organization become and stay healthy by: •Securing your PHI Privacy & Security Strategy.•Ensuring your Compliance Strategy is Compliant (HITECH ACT, SOX, HIPAA, etc.) •Making sure you are EMR Ready. •Implementing and sustaining a Healthy IT Infrastructure.•Helping you Get Your Grant Granted.

What a Message Platform Should Consist of:

3) Supporting proof points – Each key message should have its own set of proof points. Each message needs credible proof points to help support it.

4) Customer value propositions/statements – These statements describe the actual benefits to the customer from its business’s products and services. Testimonials are a powerful way to do accomplish this.

•How is a Message Platform Effectively Developed

•Market Research

•Customer Insight/Input

•Prospect Insight/Input

•Internal Group Insight/Input (e.g. product development, executive management, etc.)

•Proof Points

•Test the messages

•Launch (message matrix, internal communications, etc.)

A Case Study: Zebra Technologies

A Powerful, Award-Winning Message Platform at Work: A Case Study – Zebra Technologies (NASDAQ: ZBRA)

•Situation:•Zebra launched a new product line of radio frequency identification (RFID) offerings in several verticals. •The company was in need of a strategic message platform and campaign. •The messages and campaign needed to position Zebra as the RFID technology leader in industries such as healthcare, retail, consumer packaged goods, government, and law enforcement. Prior, they were known as just “The bar code printing company” •Wal-mart was mandating that all its suppliers adopt RFID, this created a market demand, but it was critical that Zebra was positioned correctly within its industry.

•Solutions:•Spear-headed a strategic message platform, PR and marketing efforts in all of Zebra’s verticals.

A Powerful, Award-Winning Message Platform at Work: A Case Study – Zebra Technologies (NASDAQ: ZBRA)

•Results: •Received the Business Marketing Association’s (BMA) Tower Award two years in a row•Positioned Zebra as THE EXPERT around RFID trends, issues an solutions – e.g. CNN started calling the CFO on a regular basis for comment/insight •Obtained 222 media interviews with reporters and generated 634 media articles within 12 months• Generated 40 new business leads with leading healthcare organizations worldwide for Zebra’s channel partners, which increased sales by 30%.•Generated product analysts briefings with leading firms such as IDC Research, Gartner, Aberdeen Group, Forrester Research, AMR Research and The Yankee Group. This helped to expand the company’s global sales pipelines and provided a more aggressive competitive advantage.

What is the right marketing mix for your company?

Figuring out the right marketing mix for your organizations – Some guidelines:

Know your target market ( e.g. Market Research):

•Demographics

•Company revenues

•Purchasing behaviors and/or plans (e.g. research/data)

•Pain points/challenges

•Industry drivers (e.g. ARRA funding in Healthcare)

•Know how your competition is marketing and positioning themselves

•Ensure you know how to target the right audience at the right time with the right offer

Figuring out the right marketing mix for your organizations – Some guidelines:

Outline Goals and Budget:

•Outline desired goals and results

•Timeline for reaching the goals; this will indicate how aggressive you need to become

•Establish solid measurements – e.g. 300 leads in 12 months. Be realistic – under promise and over deliver!

•Pain points/challenges

•If it’s a new product/service -- ensure you have the budget to support this. More marketing and education will be needed.

•Choose your tactics and tweak throughout campaign if necessary.

•Choose integrated tactics/strategies that will reach your prospects throughout their purchasing cycle.

•Choose tactics that will directly help you achieve your marketing goals and not waste budget, time or resources.

•Select tactics you can use over the long term with enough frequency for your message to penetrate--without exceeding your budget.

•Constantly be evaluating and tweaking your campaigns depending on results and responses.

Examples of a Marketing Mix

•Examples of a Marketing Mix – Depends on Audience & Products:

Integrating the Teams for Optimal Performance – Sales & Marketing

How to gain better alignment and integration of marketing, sales and channel teams

•Let’s get real! •Let’s recognize that marketing and sales bring different strengths to the revenue process.

•For optimal impact, Marketing and Sales must be aligned. Some recommendations:

•Marketing’s goals (and bonuses) should be tied to the same goals as Sales•There needs to be a clear definition and analysis of a lead and when leads should be passed to Sales from Marketing •There needs to be a process in place that allows Sales teams to push leads not ready for Sales back to Marketing for ongoing nurture programs.

Strategies for Better Aligning Sales and Marketing Teams

•Model the entire revenue cycle.

•Develop a common vocabulary.

•Identify operational and departmental disconnects.

•Create a more effective reporting structure.

•Share accountability.

•Respect, trust and team spirit.

Q & A

Thank you!

Tricia M. Spellman, CEO/Founder, MIOD, Inc. 1-773-620-6716

tspellman@miodonline.com

www.miodonline.com