When you were a kid, did your mother ever say to you, “Nobody likes a smartass?” Well, when it comes to B2B marketing, it turns out mom was wrong.
To be successful in marketing, you have to be a bit of a smartass, according to Lexington author Carro Susan Ford’s clever and insightful new book, The Smartass Marketer’s Handbook: A Guide to B2B Marketing with Attitude. Being a smartass is not only a good thing; it’s a necessity to survive today’s complicated B2B marketing maze.
B2B (business-to-business) is a very different animal from business-to-consumer (B2C) marketing, Ford says. How different it is raises a discussion of the many, many types of marketing. While the Eskimos may have a hundred words for snow, marketing has many more than that for its trade. It takes a smartass just to begin to sort through all the definitions.
Ford defines smartass as “a more affectionate term reserved for people who aren’t afraid to say what they think. These smart alecs entertain us with the right combination of sarcasm, snark and spark.”
It’s their offbeat, clever commentary that makes the reader stop and think, driving the message home. This relevant and compelling book does the same by irreverently showing how to develop and implement effective marketing. Ford’s clever dialog speaks not only to those new to the marketing field but to those in the business for some time needing new insights to boost sales.
While it may be a handbook that comes with an attitude, it’s really about “how to get things done.” Ford packs each chapter with indepth looks at B2B essentials, compiling a comprehensive marketing toolkit. This is a quick, stimulating read that details timely, proven, how-to methods for success in B2B marketing.
Ford begins with the forehead-slapping basic premise of why marketing exists: to market to someone. Many B2B marketers forget this. The biggest mistake they make is not spending enough time with customers.
“We have our message maps and the other crutches that we think make us customer experts,” Ford says. “But too often the marketing crew stays locked up in the corporate tower. We guess. We assume. We miss the mark.”
Instead, marketers need to put their customers on their marketing team. Ford suggests techniques such as using case studies, customer councils and groups, a constantly replenished stockpile of great quotes, blogs and white papers.
Writing an annual marketing plan is “an exercise in futility,” Ford says. It is more realistic for companies to develop a flexible, rolling three-month plan. She suggests building the marketing plan around the one thing that stays constant: the customer.
Ford lays the groundwork needed to help B2B marketers maximize every aspect of their programs. Among the highlights:
Influencer relations: Also known as PR or public relations, Ford cautions that it’s not about what you want to talk about, but what the influencers want to know. The author shows how to build foundations with the media, spend face time with influencers and develop an influencer relations campaign.
Press releases: If your company is new or lean, these can be your best friends. More affordable than advertising, they can help you grow a digital footprint. The author details how to write a strong press release.
White papers: These and eBooks are like the hipster Clydesdales of your marketing content, pulling the big loads, Ford says. She ingeniously shows how to “repurpose, reuse, recycle” white papers to maximize their impact.
The pitch: Knowing how to sell an editor on an article that will help promote the author and your company is an art. Ford provides a superb in-depth tutorial on how to write effectively for trade publications.
“Marketology”: The combination of marketing and technology, this includes Google Alerts, Blogging, and all things social media.
The handbook also includes a section on how to become a freelance writer and another listing vital resources for marketers.
In her closing remarks in the book, Ford says that she doesn’t pretend that “Smart-ass Marketer’s Handbook” is the bible of B2B marketing. While it may not be the entire bible, it definitely merits ranking as the first book. The advice, tips and ideas will provide a genesis for making B2B marketing a reality. Read it to learn how to build best strategies and tactics for your success.
When it comes to B2B marketing — go ahead and be a smartass.