DireCt mail
online aDVertiSing
BuSineSS DeVeloPment
PuBliCity
SoCial meDia
SaleS management
telemarKeting
email marKeting
eVentS
Your website is potentially the most powerful sales and marketing tool in your arsenal.
A good site plays an enormous role in your sales process and can help you to reinforce your brand, generate leads
and support customers. Think of your site as your storefront that serves different groups and converts visitors into
prospects and customers. It can help you:
› Generate leads
› Nurture existing leads and move them closer to purchase
› Build brand awareness
› Deliver information about your products and services in a compelling way
› Process orders, cross- and up-sell, and run special promotions
› Communicate with existing customers and distribution channels
› Communicate with partners, investors and potential new employees
› Generate publicity
Although a good website can be a substantial investment, it doesn’t have to be expensive. It just needs to effectively
communicate with your market and support your brand. When you develop your site with rich content and some basic
marketing functionality, you gain broad and potentially lucrative marketing capabilities.
24
Copyright Moderandi Inc. 2013
Share
this ebook:
Best Case
Neutral Case
Worst Case
Your site is more than a brochure—
You have a standard site with
Your site works against you. It may
it sells. You use it for a variety of
basic information plus a few press
be the design, content (or lack of),
internet marketing campaigns:
releases and newsletters.
writing, or functionality. It doesn’t
search, social, email, webinars,
support your positioning and you
ongoing communications, publicity
You’ve tried some internet
can’t use it any internet marketing
and more.
marketing with mixed results. You
campaigns.
know your prospects look at your
Your content is relevant; you know
site and it could be better, but it’s
You wince when prospects ask for
how many leads your campaigns
no different than your competitors.
the URl; you know that they don’t
generate and what those leads cost.
get a good impression from your
There are bigger priorities than a
site and your competitors look
You can quickly create landing
site redesign, but you suspect that
better and stronger.
pages for campaigns so you can
more content and functionality
convert traffic into prospects.
would give you more marketing
You can’t quantify whether you’ve
power.
lost any business—but you know
that you probably have.
How Websites Align with Strategy
Before building (or redesigning) a website, make sure that you’ve reviewed your competitive positioning and brand
strategy. Your website should support them. The copy on your website should reflect the consistent messages that
you’ve developed.
For many businesses, their website is their most important marketing tool—it is often a customer’s first experience
with the brand. Your website may also play an integral role in your sales process and customer retention programs.
Key Concepts & Steps
Develop your project team and timeline
› Work backwards from key deadlines to create your project timeline. Give yourself plenty of leeway since website
projects can easily hit snags.
› If you’re launching a sophisticated site, make sure you’ve included all of the relevant departments in your project team.
Define your needs
Before you hire a designer or developer, decide what your site needs to accomplish:
› Your major goals.
› How the site will support online and traditional marketing campaigns.
› How the site will help you generate leads, nurture prospects, communicate with your market, process orders and
provide customer service.
› The information and functionality you believe you’ll need.
› Whether a basic design is fine or whether you’ll need something more unique and customized.
DOWNlOAD hundreds of plans for these
Share
25
marketing activities at www.MarketingMO.com.
this ebook:
Develop your content
› Determine a preliminary game plan for your internet marketing efforts so that your site can support them.
› list the “users” who wil visit your site: new prospects, existing prospects, customers, partners, media, job applicants,
vendors, etc.
› Develop a list of the information and tools (“content”) that each user wants to find on your site.
› Review competitor and industry sites for additional ideas.
Organize the content
Organize your content so users can quickly find what they need. You’ll also need to incorporate search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to help with search engine rankings. For example, your home page is most important to search
engines; if you don’t get that page optimized for specific keywords, you won’t rank as highly.
Identify the functionality you’ll need
Different types of functionality often require different programming solutions.
› Determine whether you want to allow customers to do things like view product details, process orders, and access
their records on the site.
› Evaluate other functionality such as support forums, search, calculators, streaming video, etc.
› Determine the type of content management system you need to support your SEO and SEM needs.
Develop your design requirements
like your sales literature, your site should support your brand. Use your regular color palette, typefaces and personality
traits as much as possible.
Identify any last requirements
› Requirements for updating and managing the content
› Programming technologies you do and don’t want in the site
› Reporting requirements
Qualify and hire vendors
Unless you have an in-house web development team, hire vendor(s) for design, programming, copywriting and/or SEO.
Review their past work and talk with recent clients to make sure that you’re comfortable with their strategy and skills.
Next Steps
Once you’ve finished your site, use it in your marketing campaigns to communicate with your market.
26
Copyright Moderandi Inc. 2013
Share
this ebook:
Sales Tools & Literature
Strategy
ComPetitiVe PoSitioning
BranD Strategy
PriCing
DiStriBution CHannelS
toolS
naming
meSSaging
iDentity
WeBSiteS
LITERAT
A URE
DeSign & CoPy
VenDorS
reCruiting
Crm
ClV
roi
CuStomer aCquiSition
Planning
SaleS ProCeSS
CamPaign Planning
marKeting Plan
traditional
Digital
management
traDitional meDia
Seo & Sem
CuStomer retention
DireCt mail
online aDVertiSing
BuSineSS DeVeloPment
PuBliCity
SoCial meDia
SaleS management
telemarKeting
email marKeting
eVentS
Do you know many B2B companies that can sell their product or service without literature or other supporting materials?
Sales tools and literature help you communicate and strengthen your messages. They’re also known as “marketing
communications” or “collateral” and may include:
› Brochures
› Websites
› Product data sheets
› Newsletters
› Case studies
› Reference lists
› White papers
› Proposal templates
› PowerPoint presentations
› Calculators
The printed word carries a lot of credibility, so your materials are important tools in your arsenal. They reinforce your
brand and can create a lasting impression on your prospects. A single printed or digital piece can reach multiple decision makers when your primary contact passes it along, and can even go viral if distributed on the web.
Sales tools and literature are more common in B2B than B2C (which relies more on marketing campaign messages
and branding) but many B2C companies use sales tools and literature to promote their offerings to wholesalers, distributors and retailers.
Good literature and tools should be tightly integrated into your sales process. Rather than inundating a prospect with
all of your information at once, break out the information into distinct pieces that answer a prospect’s key questions at
a specific stage in the process. As a result, your prospects can quickly absorb what’s most relevant, make decisions
quickly and move to the next stage.
DOWNlOAD hundreds of plans for these
Share
27
marketing activities at www.MarketingMO.com.
this ebook:
Best Case
Neutral Case
Worst Case
Your sales literature and tools
Your literature and tools are typical
Your literature and tools
are strong components of your
and general.
don’t support your brand and
marketing arsenal. They convey
positioning—they’re working
your brand, speak directly to your
They convey much of the
against you.
market, and deliver the right amount
information your prospects need,
of information at the right time.
but lack the singular focus to be as
You haven’t defined your typical
effective as they could be.
selling process for moving
They truly help you move prospects
prospects through the buying
through the sales process as quickly
process, and haven’t created
as possible.
sales tools to address the typical
questions buyers have as they
evaluate your product or service.
How Sales Tools and literature Align with Strategy
Your sales tools and literature should support your positioning, brand strategy and messaging. They’re used to drill
down into more specific areas of your offering.
Key Concepts & Steps
Analyze your current materials
If you feel that your existing literature and tools could be more effective, take inventory:
› Review each piece to determine its sole focus.
› Ask your sales team and others for feedback on whether the piece is effective.
› Make sure that the piece supports your positioning and brand strategy.
› Make sure that each piece is delivered at the right time.
Determine what materials you need
list the steps of your sales process, then:
› Brainstorm about the materials you could use to answer a prospect’s questions at each step.
› Define a singular purpose for each piece of literature or tool.
Write, design & print your materials
To develop your content, focus on the singular purpose of each piece.
› Outline the content that should be included in each piece.
› Hire vendors for design and writing if needed.
› Research and write the content.
› Develop your design requirements.
› Design the piece.
› Get quotes and work with your chosen printer to ensure that you’re happy with the final outcome.
28
Copyright Moderandi Inc. 2013
Share
this ebook:
Train your team to use the materials
Make sure that everyone understands the purpose of each piece and when to use it.
Next Steps
Determine where and how to use your sales tools and literature—on your website, with your sales team, and in your
marketing campaigns.
Your sales tools should align with your sales process, to provide the granular details that prospects need as they move
through the steps of their buying decision.
DOWNlOAD hundreds of plans for these
Share
29
marketing activities at www.MarketingMO.com.
this ebook:
Copywriting & Graphic Design
Strategy
ComPetitiVe PoSitioning
BranD Strategy
PriCing
DiStriBution CHannelS
toolS
naming
meSSaging
iDentity
WeBSiteS
literature
DESIGN & COPY
VenDorS
reCruiting
Crm
ClV
roi
CuStomer aCquiSition
Planning
SaleS ProCeSS
CamPaign Planning
marKeting Plan
traditional
Digital
management
traDitional meDia
Seo & Sem
CuStomer retention
DireCt mail
online aDVertiSing
BuSineSS DeVeloPment
PuBliCity
SoCial meDia
SaleS management
telemarKeting
email marKeting
eVentS
Design and copy are essential tools for any brand. They play a major role in supporting positioning and shaping a
brand experience.
Brands are built by what we see, hear and touch. Our sensory experiences work together to create feelings and emotions, which create perceptions. These perceptions sometimes capture a piece of our mind—when we decide what
something is “known for.”
Think about the elements of your brand that are defined by copywriting and graphic design:
› logos and corporate identity
› Product packaging
› Websites
› Interior and exterior signs
› Campaign messages and creative (delivered via websites, search engines, social media sites, print publications, radio,
television, email, direct mail, and in-person via events, store displays, telemarketing and sales)
These account for a substantial part of most brands’ experience—everything but the people who represent your brand,
your product or service itself, your physical locations, and music or audio that you use.
Most companies use an array of copywriters and designers throughout the year. Since writers and designers typically
have strengths in specific areas, the challenge is to find the resources for the right projects.
30
Copyright Moderandi Inc. 2013
Share
this ebook:
For example, copywriters can specialize in ad print ad copy, website copy, TV and radio copy, articles and blog posts,
press releases, creative storytelling, white papers and brochures, presentation writing, technical writing, or persuasive
sales copy.
Designers often specialize in logos and corporate identity, digital design for websites, print ad design, print brochure
design, digital presentation design, illustration, photography selection, or interactive design.
A great web designer might produce mediocre print ads; a great ad copywriter might produce thin website copy.
The key to maximizing the effectiveness of your copy and design is to understand what types of skills you need for
different projects, and have access to a talent pool (or be able to find the right talent for the job). Once you have the
right resource in place, a well-written creative brief (which includes detailed brand guidelines) should give your creative
resource the understanding they need to do their job.
Best Case
Neutral Case
Worst Case
Your copy and design are powerful;
Your copy and design aren’t bad—
Naturally, the worst case scenario
they communicate your objectives
some is really effective and some
is that your copy is poorly written,
simply, in a memorable way and are
isn’t.
and your design unappealing. Your
consistent across all mediums.
materials are inconsistent, and often
You realize that your team has
create a negative impression with
This doesn’t mean that all the copy
strengths and weaknesses, but you
your market.
is the same; it simply means that
don’t have alternative options so
the design and copy consistently
you make do with what you have.
You have scant copywriting and
work together to convey your
design resources, either due to lack
personality and create a consistent
You know that you could create
of budget, or an inability to find the
experience.
a more consistent and effective
right resources for the right project.
experience, but you don’t feel that
Your market “gets it” quickly . . . and
it’s hurting you too much.
Your competitors’ brands are
you leave a lasting impression.
stronger, and you feel that you’re
losing market share because of it.
How Copywriting and Graphic Design Align with Strategy
It’s difficult to build a strong brand without effective and consistent copy and design. They play a major role in shaping
your brand, affecting most of the touchpoints with your market.
They’re a critical tool for executing your positioning and brand strategy—they’re a key part of your tactics—this is
where you “do things right.”
Key Concepts & Steps
Identify the strengths of your resources
Review the skills of your in-house team and pool of contractors and create a list or database that identifies who excels
at specific types of work.
Create a project timeline for each marketing piece
Provide a reasonable amount of time between each step so each team member can deliver on schedule. The earlier
you get started, the better your results.
DOWNlOAD hundreds of plans for these
Share
31
marketing activities at www.MarketingMO.com.
this ebook:
Determine what content wil be in the piece
Content should drive the design, not the reverse. If you start with design and try to fill in content later, the piece may
not be nearly as effective. Identify the copy, graphics, photos or charts that you’ll need in your piece before starting
the design process.
Use a creative brief
A creative brief is an overview for a project. It can be simple or lengthy, depending on the complexity of the project
and the amount of background information your team needs. A good creative brief defines:
› Deadlines
› Goals, including the action you want the recipients to take after seeing the piece
› Audience
› Content
› Background information about the product, service, audience, company, etc.
› Branding requirements including the desired color palette, logo usage, fonts, voice, tone and personality to convey
Establish criteria for the designs
It’s much easier to evaluate design concepts when you have specific criteria to measure against. Establish those criteria upfront so your design team understands what they need to deliver, and then use them to choose concepts and
provide f