Convert Your Prospect Subscriber into a Full-fledged Customer

Although some like to think we marketing managers are psychics...the real reality is most of us can use all the help we can get to figure out which prospects are close to making a purchase and which are still just kicking the tires. The most successful marketing managers are those who can identify a good number of promising customers and give them the right boost to get them to make a purchase.

There are so many priorities all needing to happen at the same time, so having a creative strategy that will drive the results without spending much effort is goal. For most of us it's a balancing act of one-to-one marketing and scheduled e-mail blasts.

Here are just a few tips to engage different groups of customers on your e-mail list to nudge them into making that final purchase:

1. Use Web analytics to keep track of behavior. E-mail subscribers often give inaccurate survey responses, and prospect reported data gets old fast. Try instead to track prospects by watching what they do with their e-mails and on your web site. Using tools like RFM (recency, frequency and monetary value) analysis will help you fin that 5%-10% on your list that's highly engaged.

2. Take a look at model behavior, models that detail your prospects behavior can not only help gain first time customers but it can also yeild a prompt secondary purchase as well. The key to this is usually in the balance of implementing the behavioral model and its true incremental benefit.

Yes this can be a time and cost heavy approach but the insight to better understanding human behavioral purchase patterns can give you an edge in pre-determining our customers actions.

3. Change things up, replace e-mail blasts with life-cycle messaging. Try not to send the same e-mail blast to everyone; the churn rate of finding new subscribers will cost you more than identifying the most interested people on your current list.

Start this by crafting targeted messages to subscribers by knowing what stage of the sales cyle thy're in. To gain that data, you need tools that count the click and open rates. If you don't know the best way to handle this type of life-cycle messaging there are various companies that can assist in creating a messaging program to fit your needs.

Keep in mind disinterested prospects of today could be your customers of tomorrow, so continue to talk to them the right way to move them on in the cycle.

4. Make it personal, personalized e-mails equate to higher engagement. Prospects appreciate you listening to their needs and because of that their interest increases. Develop the content of the e-mail to reflect their interest level, for example offering information on specific products or services or even a vertical industry.

When you get someone who asks for more info that's the key time to convert them to a sale by handing them over to a member of the sales team to speak to.

TestDrive Online Demos Showcased on Adobe Web Site

Today Adobe has gone live with their TestDrive online demo of the Technical Communications Suite 2.  This environment has been under development for several months and is the culmination of a lot of work with the Adobe team, including Senior Product Evangelist RJ Jacquez.

Adobe worked with Runaware to create a superior experience for their visitors and provide a way of demonstrating the full suite of software included in TCS2 without the 5GB download or DVD that were previously the only trial options for the suite. 

Visitors are met with a menu from which they can select the software included in the suite that they would like to try.  RJ Jacquez and his team provided Runaware with some valuable tutorials that help users walk through the value of software applications such as RoboHelp and FrameMaker.

RJ posted on his Adobe blog today about the launch of the TCS2 TestDrive.  If you'd like to see a video of RJ explaining the TestDrive online demo and what's included, you can view his recorded Adobe Connect session.

Follow this link if you'd like to view the Adobe Technical Communications Suite online demo directly.


We worked with Adobe to make this one of the best implementations of an online demo, using all of the lessons I've talked about in the past - placement in your marketing, profiling, targeted messaging, tutorials/scenarios and integration of your software.  The best part is that we can continue to build on this and add more resources to continue improving the user experience and adding value.

What do you think of the new Adobe TCS2 TestDrive?

Get creative with your software demos and marketing partners - do more software marketing for less

I recently penned an article on how software marketers can get more from their marketing efforts for less money and effort. This article was just published in the "MarketingProfs Today" newsletter. My goal with this article was to describe how marketers can analyze their marketing programs for effectiveness and look for ways to increase their ROI.

One of the main things I feel some software marketers overlook is software demos. I go on to describe the most common demos - downloads, CDs, one-on-one demos, videos and online software demos and how they compare in cost and return on investment.

I also go on to talk about how software marketers can leverage pay-for-performance models to decrease costs and share risk while engaging their vendors as partners. When you treat your marketing vendors like partners, you can utilize their expertise and really get a lot more for your investment.

Finally, I describe how the software demo process can be used to learn more about your prospects, which will increase conversions.

The article is entitle Software Sales: How to do More with Less and you can read it in its entirety over on the MarketingProfs web site.

Have you evaluated the ROI on your software demos? marketing programs? Do you engage your marketing vendors as partners?

Disguising your products to sell more in a recession

Recently I was in the grocery store picking up the usual food items and found myself spending over 5 minutes in the dairy aisle looking for the Kraft Colby & Jack shredded cheese I always use to melt over my Triscuits.  I scanned the entire aisle of cheeses and simply couldn't find what I was looking for.

It was then that I realized that the packaging had changed.  It looked just like the store's "generic" brand.  I thought this was a little odd and "out of character" for a big name brand like Kraft, but really didnt give it much thought.

Then I was further on down the store, looking to pick up a 12 pack bottle of Pepsi when I had the same trouble - I was visually scanning the aisle filled with soda and couldn't locate the familiar Pepsi packaging I was so used to.  I realized that Pepsi had also changed it's packaging!  Now we know that Pepsi has evolved their packaging and branding over the years, but it was always instantly recognizable.  I studied the packaging and realized - it was similar to what Kraft had done.  The packaging was very simplistic - and again looked "generic" in it's appearance.


I didn't give it much thought, other than just thinking it was strange that Pepsi would go this route.  It wasn't until I was sitting at my desk thinking about the challenges of marketing in this economy when it hit me - maybe this was a planned product marketing strategy.  Maybe Kraft and Pepsi were being clever.

We are conditioned to recognize brands - the big names spend tons of money so that at a glance we know what their products look like and engender a sort of trust in the product.  However, at the same time, so-called generic brands have established themselves a less costly alternatives to the big brands.  Have the big brands caught onto this?  Have they decided that in a down economy they must disguise themselves?

I personally think that they are playing a bit of a psychology game.  A majority of the population is looking for ways to cut costs and are more value conscious.  I think that brands like Pepsi and Kraft are pulling a quick one and making their products look more like the generic brands in an attempt to subconsciously make shoppers think they are getting more for less.  I think in some way, when consumers are going through the mechanics of picking up the foods we are used to, may be getting the satisfaction of buying the brands they are used to, but in some ways tying these products to the savings they would realize from purchasing generic products.

How does this translate to software?  I haven't seen any software companies change their retail boxes to look "generic."  In fact, I'm not really sure there is such a thing as "generic" brand software.  But it did get me thinking - what can we as software marketers do to pull a fast one and subconsciously get our customers to think that they are paying less or getting more value?

It's something to think about as we continue through the financially challenging times.  What do you think, would using visual cues in your marketing campaigns or software packaging to engender a "value" approach help you sell more software?

The Marketer’s New "Business as Normal"

Since the end of last year retailers have pulled out all the stops to get customers to enforce their buying power. From educational webinars to online/in-store discounts and big savings coupons, retailers have been using their resourcefulness and marketing savvy to make the best of a gloomy economic year.

Even with all their efforts retail numbers were down last year and the outlook for 2009 looked even more desperate. Perhaps the very profile of the retail environment has shifted as consumers settle in for what may be a prolonged economic change and preparing themselves for the new "business as normal" standard. Here are some smart, manageable tips on how to cut back and survive through the second half of the 2009 to keep your business on track.

Keep the Driving Force Going
Now is no time for a vacation. It’s important more than ever to stay focused on the goal which is survival in this tight economy. We are doing it at home and work is no different if we plan to keep our lively hoods. No matter how tired you are or how discouraged you might feel, it's time to think positive, rally and continue marketing to your customers. A cutback in marketing efforts is not an option. Marketing keeps you in front of current customers, engages prospects, and positions well for the economic rebound. Don’t lose the momentum…stay on the ground running.

Keep Your Customers Coming Back for More
Although statistics can vary by type of business, product, and service, one thing is undeniable...it costs more to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one. A loyal customer base can carry you through even the toughest times. Whether asking customers to sign up for your newsletters, encouraging them to join your community forum, or by offering upgrade discount incentives, you have ways to re-engage buyers.

Don’t Just Go on a Hunch
Customers make or break your business. You need to listen to and accommodate your clientele and that means knowing what they want. To find out what they want you can use your newsletter or toolbar to distribute an open-ended customer survey. Review your customer feedback and make some enhancements, this way customers can see you're making real changes based on their feedback. Make sure to track the success of those changes in your marketing strategies on a monthly basis.You will want to modify your campaign content if it isn't producing results and switch out elements of your toolbar if they aren't being used.

Make that Investment Back
Stop any spending activity that isn't directly resulting in new business. Dollars are tighter than ever, so managing them properly is critical. You might not need the latest hardware, but you do need well-designed web site and toolbars to expand the value of your site. Stick with those tools that work. Make an objective to review one new free tool for small businesses that is popular or new. Consider how best to apply that tool for account management, marketing or sales; for example, not every business needs a Facebook page, but for some it can help. Find out where your customers go to speak with or about the companies they work with and then make your decisions from there.

Realize that today's customers are different from those just a year ago. They expect more… more information, more choices, and more convenience and they are looking for you to bring that to them as quickly as you can.