One Way to Standout During Slow Times…
March 24th, 2008, by Michael StelznerThings are slowing down.
At least all the signs seem to present this reality.
If you are a marketing professional, it’s time to sit up straight. Your job just became much more important.
“As large corporations redouble their efforts to find more profitable paths to growth, they’re looking for strategic and operational leadership from the marketing organization more than ever before,” stated a Strategy+Business article.
Whether you are a big or small business, chances are you are feeling the pinch.
My friend, Brian Carroll had this to say:
If you want to flourish regardless of the economic conditions, you need to look for ways to help your sales team execute and improve performance.
Much like a savvy investor who buys when the market is down, smart marketers can capitalize on this opportunity (and beat competitors), by bringing focus and attention to their lead generation efforts.
A recent IDC marketing study found the following, as reported by B2B Magazine:
Lead generation is the top marketing priority for tech marketers this year (ranked 4.3 in importance on a scale of 0-5), followed by brand awareness (4.0), online and interactive marketing (4.0), alignment with sales (3.9), marketing performance measurement (3.9), customer knowledge (3.6) and channel/partner marketing (3.4).
So what is the solution?
Simply put: Stand out by giving away great content.
The fact is that people always need to do research. Indeed, with tightening budgets, research will become a mandate for many of your prospects.
You can trump your competition by providing valuable educational content in the form of a white paper.
The one tool that performs exceptionally well during economically slow times, the white paper will help your prospects make decisions.
The theory is this: Give a person something of value. The person returns the favor by giving your solution consideration when shopping.
Being part of the “short list” of firms under consideration will provide you an exceptional competitive advantage over your competitors.
So get writing people—before your peers beat you to the punch.
If you have had success with white paper during an economic downturn, I would love to hear from you. Heck, if you have anything you’d like to say, speak up. 
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March 26th, 2008 at 7:56 am
thanks, I will subscribe this blog.
March 29th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
i agree with you, content is king, also, sometimes giving just teasers of your great content can help too, like let say you are selling a great e-book, give a chapter or two for free, if your readers like it they will probably be tempted in buying to whole ebook..
March 31st, 2008 at 9:56 pm
I think your theory, what I call the “Farmer’s Market” method of marketing, is so important.
When you go to the local farmer’s market, the vendors often give you a free sample. Then another. Then another. I once stood outside an Afghani food stall for 10 minutes while the impressive salesperson gave me every combination of flat bread and toppings, until I felt compelled to buy something. Even though I didn’t even like what he was giving me!
It’s what Robert Cialdini calls the principle of reciprocity. The need to return a kindness you are shown by another is so strong that you will not feel whole until you can restore “balance” to things by repaying what you’ve been given in what you consider an equivalent way.
March 31st, 2008 at 10:09 pm
Steve - That’s actually a great story that I might use again if you don’t mind
- Mike
March 31st, 2008 at 10:34 pm
No problem. Let my defeat serve as a lesson to all
And I’ve got plenty of mint pesto spread in my fridge if you’re ever in the neighborhood!
April 3rd, 2008 at 8:13 pm
Give a person something of value. The person returns the favor by giving your solution consideration when shopping…Nice theory. Value would differentiate us with competitors.
May 12th, 2008 at 10:51 am
I agree, great content is essential to gain targeted traffic. It is amazing just how effective a susccessful SEO campaign can be. Google loves good content, epecially when it is linked to by people who find it worth sharing.