Solar Aid - what an incredibly simple idea

Solar Aid is a marvellous charity that this business supports.

It has a defined goal to provide solar lighting to people in Africa who rely on polluting kerosene lamps. Access to light is a key way of helping people out of poverty.

It's a sobering thought as I write this on a laptop powered by mains electricity, bathed in the lights of a Christmas tree that a small contribution can make such a major difference.

If your business doesn't support a charity, please consider Solar Aid. Please see what Richard Branson has to say.

These shoes travelled more than Santa

Ordering a Christmas gift illustrated how integrated Europe is and how just in time works.

A pair of Camper shoes was ordered online in Manchester last Saturday.

DHL's tracking tool showed the order was processed in Barcelona the same day. Also on Saturday, the shoes were dispatched to Camper's sort facility in Madrid then forwarded to Leipzig, arriving on Sunday.

The next leg of the shoe's journey on Monday was to DHL in Manchester and four hours later, they were delivered to Camper in Manchester ready for me to collect. Hugely impressive, or would it have been better to hold stock at the store? Probably not a cost effective measure to sit on stock in store; just in time must be more profitable.

5 brands with an authentic heritage

A strong back story adds gravitas to brands' stories and can help engage and retain customers. Here are 5 companies that do it well. What companies do you think do it well? Please post your comment below.

1. Making a glass jar a famous brand

A simple glass storage jar that has been loved by generations of cooks, makes best use of it's heritage that stretches back to the 19th century. Kilner jars are simple but well designed and incredibly effective. They look good in any kitchen and have been much copied but the original is the best. Bringing brand experience up to the minute, their website has lots of engaging content and a club for lovers of the product.

2. Brand fuelled by heritage and innovation

MSR was established in 1969 but it was the introduction of their innovative camping stove, the MSR WhisperLite that really put them on the map. It was a category changer and MSR are still regarded in the outdoor sector as the best manufacturer of stoves, because those that use them love them. Their timeline on their website tells their history and development of the stove in an engaging and informative manner that reinforces brand values in customers' minds.

3. Faber and Faber

Perhaps the most famous independent publishing house in the world, Faber and Faber, the home of TS Eliot, does not rest on its laurels. It still publishes in print of course but embraces ebooks and has taken the next step in cementing long-term customer loyalty with Faber Members. It's free to join and brings book discounts, special editions only available to members and a range of courses from the Faber Academy in London or some online, for members only too. Their Soundcloud page is tremendous - you cam even listed to Eliot reciting The Wasteland. I can't imagine the word brand bandied about at Faber willy nilly but they are undoubtedly, very good at developing their unique brand whist being true to its heritage.

4. Ordnance Survey

OS started life in the 18th century, mapping the UK for the military, especially after the Jacobite Rebellion in 1745. Today, whilst it's website is not the best looking, it has extended its services for the digital age. Their beautiful and eminently practical maps are still loved by outdoor enthusiasts and available in printed versions but usage has been extended with digital options. Customers can now buy versions for use on their mobile phone, sat nav or PC/Mac. It means that you can specify the area you want the map to cover rather than the set maps in print. With PC/Mac you can also print your maps out if you still prefer to use a paper version.

5. Carr's Table Water Crackers

Is there anything as versatile as a Carr's Table Water Cracker? Eat them on their own, with butter, salmon, in fact they work with most foods. The company can trace it's history back to 1831 when Jonathan Carr founded the business in 1831 in Carlisle, UK. Now owned by United Biscuits (UK), the crackers are still produced in Carlisle. Recently, the brand has been extended with a range of variations such as Cheese Melts and Poppy and Sesame variations.The strong packaging still represents it's authentic heritage complete with Royal Warrant.

No clear mission - no effective marketing strategy

A truly great marketing strategy needs an inspiring mission and set of values. Companies that you love, value and tell friends about will all have a great mission statement that underpin everything they do. Here are three very diverse examples of companies with inspiring missions that go to the heart of everything they do.

Standing out in the coffee crowd
Illy's Expressemante coffee shops ooze chic and good design as well as great coffee and it all starts with their mission which says "we aim to delight people all over the world who value the quality of life by offering the best possible coffee." More here. 

Wilko - it's what Woolworths should have been
The one stop shop for everything you think you need or don't even know that you need at incredible value prices, Wilco, also has a focused mission. It talks about helping its customers get things done. That's the essence of a good mission statement, it doesn't talk about selling a a product or service, but instead focuses on customer needs, in this case, helping customers get the job that needs doing, done. Woolworth's forgot that, losing sight of what customers were looking for, with the sad consequences. More here.

Life after Kindle
Waterstones show how to win customers' hearts and minds with intelligent store design, time to browse and read with informed staff on hand if needed. I particularly like the recommendations on shelves in store by store staff.  A love of books and serving like -minded customers is at the heart of their mission. Their new Liverpool One store is a delight. More on their mission here.

5 Marketing Essentials from the CIM Northern Conference 2014

Here are 5 marketing essentials from top speakers at the Power of Marketing 2014 conference held in Liverpool, 18 and 19 June 2014. Some you will know, some will be brand new and others will be like discovering a long, lost friend.

1. No substitute for 1:1

We do marketing because we can't talk to all of our customers individually, all of the time. But the personal touch is still incredibly important and underpins Everton Football Club's community programmes.

The club is a growing global brand - especially on the back of the club's stylish, winning  performances last season under new manager Roberto Martinez -  but it's also an SME, with it's heritage firmly anchored in Liverpool.

4 point strategy
Robert Elstone, CEO and Richard Kenyon, Director of Marketing and Communications at the club explained how engaging fans 1:1 was their number one priority. They achieve this by a 4 point strategy:

• knowledge to shape and inform decisions
• make ticket purchase easy
• memorable match days
• ownership and participation to build loyalty

Winning formula
The strategy is brought to life by an extensive series of community programmes including Blue Crimbo bringing Christmas cheer to the people of Liverpool, the fan zone on match days and retro days where former players meet the fans. Maximising the use of social media, Everton's approach is a winner with more sell out games and very high fan satisfaction ratings.

2. How to plug holes in a leaky funnel

Basware, the Finnish company dedicated to simplifying and streamlining financial processes by providing open, secure, cloud-based purchase-to-pay and e-invoicing solutions, provided a masterclass on how to maximise the value of a sales funnel and make sure marketing and sales operations are correctly aligned.

Sales v marketing The thorny issue of aligning sales marketing in in a B2B environment has bedevilled business for as long as anyone can remember and it's still an issue today. The video sums up the problem.

Seeding demand
Ceri Jones, Vice President Demand Generation and Marketing Operations explained how his company had streamlined systems and processes to benefit the bottom line. He explained that they used the Waterfall model developed by Sirius Decisions Ltd to align sales and marketing activity that involves:

• seeding demand
• creating demand
• accelerating sales

CRM

Once an enquiry is in the pipeline or funnel, the enquiry is handled using MS Dynamics and Oracle Eloqua with the following sales and marketing actions take place:

• marketing qualified lead
• sales accredited lead
• sales qualified lead

Refining funnel operations

Financial pressures meant there was a need to review process to get more out of the pipeline. The review found that better pipeline management would produce benefits. In particular, the there was a need for sales and marketing to agree what their actions in the funnel process were as they had some differing interpretations leading to inconsistencies in dealing with enquiries.

Impressive results

The result was a service level agreement between sales and marketing to define their relationship and make sure the funnel was set up to work effectively for both.The results were impressive:

• 18% increase in leads
• 136% increase in sales accepted leads.

3. Marketing shock - no one love your brand but ...

Every marketer thinks their customers love their brand - they don't! The shocking truth according to Tom Lindley, Marketing Director, Mars Care and Treats is that the challenge is to get customers to buy your brand more often than those of competitors and innovation has a fundamental role to play. Companies who don't innovate will eventually die.

Innovation

According to Lindley, when innovating companies should:

• understand the needs of customers
• understand the needs of stakeholders e.g. in FMCG, this will include not only include the customer buying in shops but understanding the needs of the retailer so your product meets their needs too
• understand that innovation can be amplified by channel activity, marketing communications e.g. align newly introduced products to supporting marketing activity.

4. Inbound marketing - customers looking for you

Pre Google, marketers looked for customers; now customers look for products and service using  search engines - increasingly mobile,  and also  increasingly, social media. That was the scenario outlined by Mike Kirwan of Latitude Digital Marketing.

Killer stats

The stats are illuminating:

• 17% of search is now on mobile devices
• 26% of marketing spend in on search
• 58% of companies are increasing their search budget.

More stats from Latitude's Search Engine Marketing Benchmark Report May 2014.

Measure ROI

Kirwan likened not having a mobile website to being closed for business on a Wednesday. He is a firm believer in using Google Analytics to identify what marketing activity is responsible for the visit and attribute value to all clicks to a companies website e.g. from entry page to all pages visited - without proper tracking, it's not possible to attribute ROI. 

Get the most from online

His recommendations for every company to get maximum value from it's marketing activity:

• get the most out of search and digital channels - they are here to stay
• understand ROI
• focus on conversion to
•  make sure online spend is not wasted
• profile and segment to engage more of your targets.

5. One letter is not a customer relationship

One letter to a customer who doesn't know you is not a relationship says SME marketing guru, Dee Blick. Instead, businesses should focus on getting the marketing basics right to develop profitable customers. Blick who's new book is titled The 15 Essential Marketing Masterclasses, reminded the conference there is no short cuts to success. 

Buying process

She identified the following as essential stages in the buying process that marketing communications needed to address, hence the unrealistic expectation of a customers buying with little knowledge of the selling company.

• awareness
• interest
• evaluation
• desire
• action

Articulate

As Blick said at the conference " There is no marketing miracle for success ... the secret is being brilliant at the basics, communicate articulately and charmingly in line with your marketing plan."

Travelodge up their game

Travelodge's new rooms are just like the tv ads - improved beds with 900 individual pocketed springs, nice pillows and a splash of colour in the curtains, throw on the bed and contemporary print on the wall. For a value position hotel, it's a good improvement to allow it to compete with the likes of Premier Inn.

If you like the bed, the Travelodge Dream Bed, you can buy one at the Travelodge website. Made by Sleepeezee. I'll rate it tomorrow after my first night's stay.  Travelodge delivered on their customer promise. The bed was very comfortable with the result being a good night's sleep

Mini leads way with service innovation

Mini's are great  to drive and so is the customer service. I checked mine in for a service at 8.15am today at Lloyd Mini and by 9.15am, they had emailed me with a video vehicle health check. In the video, the technician helpfully explains that a tyre will be due for replacement soon. In addition to the video, a graphic shows the importance of checking your tyres. This was a nice compliment to the face to service in the showroom.