That being said, working in B2B marketing, and specifically green industry marketing, has been the most fun challenge I’ve ever had. In B2B marketing, you have to reach decision-makers in many ways to make the most impact. Because B2B purchasing decisions typically come down to reaching the right decision-makers with the right message at the right time, communicating using multiple channels is a must.

This is especially important because the way business people access information continues to change and evolve. Therefore, you must think smarter about how to apply traditional tactics with cutting-edge marketing communications vehicles—sometimes simultaneously.

Case in point – let me introduce you to the Horizon Distributors Landscape Maintenance Guide…

The Horizon Maintenance Guide

Horizon tasked Canyon with creating this printed piece because they needed to find a way to give their customers – Landscape Contractors – a way to quickly reference and troubleshoot a slew of issues they might find in the field while on the job. Having this quick reference guide allows their customers to solve problems quicker, which saves time and makes them more profitable while keeping their projects on-budget.

And because Horizon Distributors wanted to deliver this same information in many different ways to keep up with technological innovations, the Landscape Maintenance Guide smartphone app was born.

Canyon worked closely with Horizon to adapt this piece into one that could be viewed on a variety of mobile devices because their persona research determined their typical customers always carry one on the job site. So now, this valuable information that will allow Horizon customers and prospects to reference information and troubleshoot issues in the field, right from their smartphone!

You would think that taking a print piece and converting it to an app would be a simple process. Not so.

The App shown on iPad and iPhone

In fact, for as much time we spent creating the app, we spent equal time strategically troubleshooting the challenges that arose by taking a print piece and making it work as a smartphone application.

When working to create an app you have to:

1. Make sure it’s user-friendly;
2. Valuable to the audience; and
   
3. Accessible from a variety of different mobile devices (including iPhones, Android devices, Blackberries and various tablet formats).

In the end, the app turned out to be a homerun for our client. Their customers and prospects who download the app will now have access to specific information that will help them do their jobs better while in the field. In addition, we built in the capability to make enhancements and updates on the fly to encourage users to keep checking back for new content and access the mobile app again and again.

Have you contemplated building a smartphone app for your B2B organization? What other mobile marketing strategies have you used to get the word out about your business? Do you look at mobile as a growing part of your marketing mix?

Tip #2: Freeze Panes -

Another favorite of mine, freezing panes is a great way to keep certain information, such as headers, on the page no matter where you scroll. We’ve all been in the situation where we’ve scrolled down to row 2,893 and across to column U, only to forget exactly what information actually resides in column U. If only there was a way to keep those headers visible while scrolling around the page. Well there is; freeze those panes people!

Tip #3: Use Functions -

This isn’t so much a tip as a piece of advice. When dealing with a spreadsheet that includes numbers and functions, I find it much easier to use as many formulas as possible. By using formulas, you are letting Excel do the mathematical work for you while also eliminating the need to input numbers multiple times. This can save you precious time and help eliminate typing errors. It’s also helpful to link information to different cells so when one number changes, the others are updated automatically based on the formulas. For example, if cell A1 has the same information as A2, type “=A1” into cell A2 so you only have to update the information once.

Functions in Excel are pretty much endless and can be very complex. Tune into my final post on this topic to learn about one of my favorite Excel functions.

The other day I stumbled across a fantastic Web site called Readability. Readability is a free tool that allows users to customize their Web viewing settings to make reading copy on the Web easier and less straining. And, it removes clutter around the copy so it’s easier to focus.

It’s so easy to install. Just visit Readability, select your preferred settings then drag the Readability badge to your browser’s bookmark toolbar. That’s it. Then, whenever you’re reading an article or copy on the Web that you want simplified, just click on the Readability link in your bookmark and the page will automatically be converted.

Readability is quickly becoming my favorite tool. If you’ve never used it before, give it a try the next time you’re reading copy on the Web. Or better yet, create a well-designed, readable Web site in the first place!

1)      B2B marketing is complex: At Canyon, we only do Business-to-Business integrated marketing communications programs. That means we deal with long sales cycles, multiple decision-makers, many touch points, lead scoring, trigger-based marketing communications tactics, etc. It’s always good to show how everything works together on one page.

2)      Nothing slips through the cracks: When you flowchart something, it’s easy to see where process breakdowns may happen and fill in those gaps.

3)      I’m a visual person: I need visual stimulation all the time and I like pretty pictures. Therefore, I think a lot of people respond to this type of presentation instead of words on a PowerPoint slide or a written proposal (Bor-ing!).

Take a look at my sample Loop flowchart above (click on it to enlarge). Do you think it conveys a B2B demand generation process flow effectively? Do you make flowcharts for your business? What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever flowcharted out?

Did you know that by 2013 cell phones will outnumber PCs for surfing the web? Is your company’s Web site ready? I found this great blog post by Jeffrey Cohen on the impending social mobile experience and some initial steps your company can take to prepare:

1. Check out your site on several mobile devices to see what users currently experience.
2. Plan for the future mobile experience by creating a hardworking mobile site.
3. Don’t forget your blog. Make sure your content is easy to access, read and share.

Remember as with all communications you need to approach it from the customer’s point of view. Consider what motivates them to purchase your product or service and speak to that.

Image courtesy of Marketplace Mobile.

What are you doing to mobilize your Web site? Need help? Call us.

Make sure to remember the following keys to meeting success:

• Create a clear agenda – this sets expectations and helps everyone stay on task
• Keep it short – time is money
• Ditch the smart phone/laptop – distractions promote lack of engagement
• Team up – involve the appropriate people
• Follow up and through – take away action items and take responsibility

At Canyon, we have our weekly production meeting standing up. What unique meeting techniques does your company implement?

For a number of reasons, the term ‘trust’ is mostly void of value in today’s B2B environments.

There are new ‘P’s’ that influence highly skeptical B2B buyers. Politics, price sensitivity and pundits (everyone’s an ‘expert’) have made the idea of true partnership an insurmountable task. The best way to foster trust is by making it a mutual exchange:

1. Learn what perceptions exist about your company and understand how you can best connect with customers. Determine if trust issues exist that need to be mended.
2. Ask customers and prospects what information they value when making a buying decision. Inquire about how they prefer to receive information.
3. Develop a message that delivers information honestly. State why your products and services are different and communicate it in a credible way. Make sure your company is organized and equipped to follow through on any claims you make.
4. Be sincere when accepting feedback. Move quickly when responding to issues. Take the time to recognize and be grateful for good fortune that comes your way.

Trust helps cement relationships that lead to long-term customers. At Canyon, our sole focus is to help our clients connect and build trust with their customers through marketing communications. It’s a goal we embrace, rally around and tackle on a daily basis.

How do you foster trust with customers and prospects? Interested in a partner you can trust?

Let’s talk about planning ahead again. This time let’s take on the headline. I’ve coined a term here at Canyon and we see it come up from time to time. It’s the dreaded “paragraph headline”—a headline that was born a paragraph and destined for a really small font size.

A headline is successful if it grabs the reader’s attention and gets them to read the copy. It’s especially successful if it prompts a follow-through response on your call to action.

Designers can deal with headlines of any length. But, we like to have them nailed down before we start designing. That gives us time to figure out how to express the headline visually.

To quote a post from Ted Nicholas, “you should go to copywriting jail if your headline is longer than 17 words.” I tend to agree with Ted. If you’re guilty of this, don’t worry, I’ve heard that copywriting jail isn’t that bad, days are spent sharpening government pencils and weekends at home writing mandatory public service blog posts.

Some say a long headline allows the reader to qualify themselves and weed out the “tire kickers” from the get go. So sadly, the dreaded “paragraph headline” may not be as dreadful as I once thought.

But this post is really about “What to do BEFORE you design.” Designers can make headlines work no matter what length. Just figure it out before you send it to a designer so we can aim for that ever-awesome marriage of visual elements and words. For examples of this, see Renata’s previous post, B2B Advertising Can Be Sexy. Great ads!

1. Clear out the clutter
   Before we can decorate, we need to clean up.  A few years back, I read an article that concluded most employers won’t promote a person with a messy workspace into a position of responsibility. A messy desk says that you’re like the vast majority of people. But, it can also portray you as stressed, overwhelmed and disorganized. So let’s clean it up!
2. Organize
   • Set up a filing system
   • Have papers and materials for only the task at hand on your desk
   • When you’re done with something, put it away
   • Keep equipment such as phone, printer and fax within reach
   • Get a calendar and use it
   • Ask the intern to clean up for you (you never know, he might do it)
3. Personalize Make yourself comfortable! Invest in a comfy chair, a mouse and a keyboard that fits your style. Post pictures of things that inspire you. eHow suggests buying a colorful desk lamp to offset harsh overhead lighting.
4. Show off your spruced up workspace Send your before and after pictures to me at rmiles@canyoncomm.com and I’ll show off your hard work.

So let’s get cleaning!

Photo courtesy of http://seejanework.com

Design, put simply, is the presentation of information. And, good design does this in the most pleasing way possible. For the latter to become a reality, designers need to have the project’s “information” in tip-top shape BEFORE the design process gets started. The last thing a designer should be paid for is proofreading! It’s not that designers are incapable; it’s just that we’d rather be DESIGNING.

Ensuring consistency in a project’s details before it goes to design is critical. This means em-dashes versus dashes, initial caps versus title case. We’re not just talking about spelling and run-on sentences. Taking the time with your project and information before it gets to design helps move it along at a more efficient and cost-effective pace.

Stay tuned for my riveting second blog installment, titled, “When it comes to copy, size DOES MATTER—dealing with the more-than-ever-prevalent and scary ‘paragraph-length’ headline (AKA “paragraph-line”).”

photo courtesy: www.flickr.com/photos/Nic’s events