the startup marketer's conundrum - making the most of your content
TRANSCRIPT
The Startup Marketer’s Conundrum8 Tips to Make Your Marketing $ Go The Extra Mile
Rajendran NairVice President, MarketingRootstock Software
Hello!Rajendran is the Vice President, Marketing at Rootstock Software, the most comprehensive ERP solution for manufacturing, distribution and supply chain.
Rajendran has more than two decades in enterprise software in roles ranging from development to product management to marketing. He was most recently at Intalio, one of the pioneers in enterprise class Business Process Management (BPM), where he was part of the team that turned the company around leading to a successful acquisition in Q4 of 2015. Prior to that, he had successful stints at SugarCRM, where he setup an enterprise-focused marketing team, and at CallidusCloud, where he was part of the team that transformed the company into the leading provider of cloud-based Sales Performance Management (SPM) solutions. He has also served at Primavera, the leader in Project Portfolio Management (PPM), Qualcomm, and Siemens.
Rajendran holds an MBA with a concentration in Marketing from Santa Clara University, and a Masters in Software Systems from the Birla Institute of Technology and Sciences, India. You can look him up at http://www.linkedin.com/in/rajendrannair.
Who Is RootstockERP Software System Experts focused on Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Distribution and Projects businesses
What Rootstock DoesDesign, Develop, Sell, and Implement 100% Force.com Native ERP Software for companies that manufacture, distribute, service and/or repair goods
Rootstock’s Target Market1. Companies replacing legacy ERP with the cloud 2. Companies that are first time ERP buyers (growing)3. Companies on the force platform needing to expand
Some TestimonialsPretty much every aspect of our business is covered by Rootstock, from purchasing to work order management, to field service and maintenance, bill of materials… everything.
“” Steve Simons
CIODirect Energy Solar
Rootstock has taken advantage of the Salesforce platform to deliver significantly larger value than your legacy ERP tool.
“” Achyut Jajoo
Global Lead, Manufacturing IndustriesSalesforce
I think Rootstock is a gorgeous product that will make everyone forget about the early days of MRP, MRP2 and ABAP.
“ ”Bruce Richardson
Chief Enterprise StrategistSalesforce
What is the Startup Marketer’s Conundrum?
Leads
Budget
Marketing is measured primarily by leads
But you never have enough budget
You need to generate organic inbound leads to meet this shortfall by creating awareness about your product/company
Creating awareness- requires effort- takes time, and- is not easy to measure
So, how do you justify spending on activities that- require time and resources- don’t have an immediate ROI- but are crucial to long-term success?
1. Cover your bases2. Repurpose your content3. Leverage your customers4. Reach out to the analysts5. Stop being (press-) shy6. Make your claim to fame7. Salesforce8. Find your force multipliers
Leverage What You Are Already Doing
WebsiteWebsite
Website
Assets
SEOSocial Media
Blog
1: Cover Your Bases
2. Repurpose Your Content
Webinar
Recording
BlogSocial Media
Follow up Videos
3. Leverage Your Customers
You are already working with customers
– Success stories– References (sales)
Create new content– Press releases– Blogs
Sign them up for campaigns– Webinars– Tradeshows– Meetups
Create marketing artifacts– Quotes– Reviews– Awards– References (marketing)
4. Reach Out to AnalystsBrief analysts 2-3 times a year… its free– But don’t make it all about yourself– Give them something that will be useful… to them
Broaden your outreach– Don’t limit yourself to the Gartners and Forresters
of the world– Adopt a multi-channel strategy in your outreach
Remember, this is a really long game– Don’t measure yourself by immediate results– There is no “free lunch”… but you can decide what
you want to pay for
5. Stop Being (Press-) ShyPut out a constant drumbeat of “press releases”– Its anything you want to announce
• Product updates, quarterly/annual business updates, new customer wins, customer go-lives, success stories, webinars…
– Use free wire services
Start building up relationships– Engage with journalists and contributors that you
want to target– Engage with anyone that has a strong interest in
your domain– Give them a voice on as many of your channels as
appropriate
6. Make Your Claim to Fame• Lots of options
– Stevie Awards, International Business Awards, CODIEs are the most popular multi-category awards
– Domain-specific awards• Relatively inexpensive ($250 - $500/application)
• Each entry is like your company’s resume– But only the current job
• Some tips– Study the criteria very closely, make your case succinctly– Highlight results, but always provide context and benchmarks– Customer anecdotes add credibility to your claims– Don’t limit yourself to your achievements
• Customer successes are legitimate too• …plus nominating them will get you brownie points
7. Salesforce
8. Find Your Force MultipliersFind
– partners that you can have a mutually beneficial relationship with• typically means a huge overlap in the target customer segments
– find things you can do together• Joint webinars, joint participation at tradeshows, dedicated events
http://www.manufacturingcloudsummit.com http://www.abmleadershipalliance.com http://www.strikedeck.com
A Quick Recap
1. Cover your bases2. Repurpose your content3. Leverage your customers4. Reach out to the analysts5. Stop being (press-) shy6. Make your claim to fame7. Salesforce8. Find your force multipliers
You miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take
“”
- Wayne GretzkyHockey Hall of Famer
Q&ARajendran [email protected]://www.linkedin.com/in/rajendrannair