Having worked both in business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) communications settings, it’s evident many factors differentiate the two, but a lot of the guiding principles remain the same. For example, B2B in its definition requires a 100 percent complete understanding of a product or service, which in our industry is often rather complex. Whereas it’s often easier to describe a consumer product because of the personal connection. How do you sell potato chips? Taste them, describe them. How do you generate leads for your B2B client? Not quite as simple…

B2B requires relationship building at a higher and greater level, whereas B2C can often focus on quick, point-to-purchase decisions requiring less strategizing and more overt creativity. The underlying foundation for both is the same: targeting decision makers with an end goal to inform and influence action.

The following are a few important aspects of B2C communications to keep top-of-mind while entrenched in the B2B world:

1. Public Relations. Public relations in a B2B setting in its definition requires an extraordinary amount of knowledge both of your product set and also of the broader industry issues and trends. There’s less opportunity to not have the facts just right with a trade journalist, who usually also has a mastery of the subject. But don’t forget to take a look at some of the tactics B2C uses in your own strategy, such as an emphasis on creativity and tying in to trends outside of your industry, recent events and other opportunities. We’re all consumers exposed to the same issues every day beyond our jobs. With this in mind, it’s imperative to look at story ideas from the consumer perspective when moving beyond the trades to pitch at a local, regional, or national level. On the other hand, when looking at pitching to trade publications, a top level healthcare IT executive is still reading the news about the presidential debates, and if there’s a creative and smart way to tie in your story with news that affects us all, you’ll likely stand out from the crowd of other pitches.
2. Lead generation. The majority of B2B companies will say the most important part of their marketing initiatives focuses on lead generation. In B2B, companies have a tendency to lean on the conservative side when it comes down to the look and feel of their brands, and for good reason. With a subject matter so serious, there is concern about striking the right chord in a fiercely competitive environment. But there are plenty of ways to think outside the box and be bold with your brand while maintaining the strategic aspect of lead generation. For example, don’t be afraid to experiment with colors in marketing collateral that may be an unexpected choice for the industry. Again, keeping in mind the many aspects of the consumers’ lives that we are trying to reach is key to effective lead generation.
3. Social media. This is a facet of marketing that can easily get overlooked in a B2B environment, simply because many businesses working in this realm are still getting familiar with how social media initiatives can help reach their goals, and the jury is still out on how to measure results. It’s important to stay up-to-date on the latest news and trends being discussed—on Twitter, for example—no matter what the space. In fact, numerous trade editors and reporters sometimes go to Twitter first when in need of a story idea or source. As smart marketers we should use social media as another resource to form and maintain a relationship with media contacts at the very least. Just as trends get started among consumers talking about pop culture, food and the musical festival down the road on Twitter or Facebook, trends are also seen among people discussing niche markets like healthcare. And we should always be on the lookout for ways our clients can “come to the rescue” from a relevant thought leadership perspective when these opportunities arise.

At the core of these observations lies the one major point that both B2C and B2B marketing specialists must keep in mind: if you always “stay one step ahead of your brand” and remember to infuse smart strategies to take your company outside the box, you’ll be on your way to successfully meeting communications and lead generation goals in 2012.

When innovative, fresh ideas explode on the scene, it’s inevitable that copycats will be trailing only a half-step behind. Sometimes, this is a good thing, producing a variety of similar goods and services at a range of prices.

However, sometimes, this is a bad thing.

Take, for example, the fantastic Old Spice, “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like,” campaign engineered by advertising giant Wieden + Kennedy. This campaign took the world by storm during Super Bowl XLIV and is arguably one of the most successful ad campaigns in recent memory. After its debut, Old Spice sales jumped to a high of 107 percent, traffic to oldspice.com increased by 300 percent and the video garnered nearly 40 million YouTube views in 12 months.

Cue the look-a-likes.

Dairy Queen launched a campaign in which a singular man with an allusive tone of voice asserts that the company goes the distance to please its customers. In one ad, he stresses that Dairy Queen not only brings the consumer delicious edible wares, but also kitten-filled bubbles. Sound familiar? Maybe that’s because you remember Old Spice’s romantic puppy surprise.

Edge Shave Gel, not wanting to be left out, also has an ad featuring a smooth-talking man navigating through scrolling scenery with that same, telling, allusive tone.

Even Pledge is getting in on some residual action, only this time, with an accent.

Imitation is rumored to be the sincerest form of flattery, but it does little to help the imitator’s cause. Watching the Dairy Queen, Edge and Pledge commercials, I am not thinking about ice-cream treats, the scourge of the five-o’clock shadow or cleaning my bookshelves – I am thinking about Old Spice. Even though these companies are not competitors, in this imitation, they diverted their consumer’s attention away from their product – the cardinal sin of advertising.

When creating an ad campaign for your company, be original. Of course you can pull minor, successful elements from other campaigns, but avoid obvious imitation at all costs. If your target audience sees and believes that you have copied another campaign, at best, they could be distracted. At worst, they could think less of you – as a brand, company or vendor – for it.

Over the past few weeks, much of the country has been directly or indirectly affected by the tornadoes that have torn through cities such as Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Joplin, Mo. Towns have been devastated by the damage, and the storms have left many residents with nothing. Though no one can be fully prepared for the magnitude of storms like these or the damage they create, there are precautions that can be taken to be kept as safe as possible.  Companies and organizations can learn a few lessons from and be reminded of the importance of a crisis communications plan from these recent storms. Learning how other companies and organizations handle crisis situations can also be very helpful.

While the cities affected by the tornadoes and strong storms may not have been able to fully prepare for what was coming, many were prepared to seek shelter and listen to weather advisories. Most Florida residents, who brace for hurricanes each year, have become quite good at preparing for storms.  These residents, who take many precautions, serve as a good example for a company when creating a crisis communications plan.

1. Listen to the warnings: Hurricanes are fairly easy for meteorologists to predict because of the weather patterns they follow. The same applies to certain communication storms such as the resignation of an executive, bad press in the local newspaper, negative comments on a Facebook page, or misinterpreted advertising.  All companies have faced similar problems before, and many have done so very successfully. Take time to learn about crisis communication best practices when developing your own plan.
2. Secure your home: Take necessary precautions to ensure your company is as safe as possible. Homes with strong foundations and boarded-up windows usually survive better than those without. Different types of companies have to safeguard against different things. For instance, healthcare and technology companies must safeguard data to avoid crisis situations . Make sure your organization takes time to establish a plan so no one is caught off-guard in the event of a crisis.
3. Stock up on essentials: When a storm is eminent, most people go to the store to buy food and essentials—just in case. Don’t wait until a crisis has occurred to begin developing a plan. Create a list of media contacts you might need to contact after a crisis; decide how your company is going to respond to a negative Tweet; determine who the company spokesperson will be; have training sessions so everyone knows what to do.
4. Leave if necessary: If the crisis has created so much buzz that your company cannot handle it, consider stepping out of the spotlight for a little while. Many experts thought BP should have followed this advice in the midst of the oil spill crisis.  Another option is to reconsider the direction of your communication. When a hurricane is threatening, residents leave their homes, and roads are rerouted to be most efficient. Crisis communications requires attention and message redirecting, as we’ve discussed before.
5. Develop a plan: This is the most important step. Many hurricane preparedness sites suggest creating a family plan so everyone knows what to do if a storm is coming. Where will you meet? What will you pack? Who will you contact? The same applies for a company. Who will speak about an accident at a manufacturing plant? Who will respond to a negative newspaper article? How should employees interact in the local community in response to a crisis?

A crisis communications plan acts much like a generator after a big storm. When there is no power, a generator helps restore power to some areas; a crisis communications plan helps restore reputation and raises awareness among the audience about a company or organization in the event it is needed. It is never too early to start preparing for a pop-up thunderstorm or a hurricane in the world of communications.

Thank you to everyone who attended our most recent webinar “What’s for launch? Using integrated communications strategies in your company” led by Brad Dodge. The webinar focused on strategies to help combat the biggest challenges for launching a new company or product in a B2B setting. Most organizations underestimate the resources, funding and time necessary to successfully create a sustainable messaging strategy to build brand awareness and identity for their new company or product.

The webinar presents twelve key areas to improve a company or product launch, which you can learn about by listening to the webinar after registering here. We hope you’ll join us for the next webinar on June 16 to learn about establishing credibility through an integrated communications campaign.

Thank you to everyone who attended Thursday’s webinar, “Where is Print Advertising Headed? MedTech Media Discusses the New Paradigm.” The webinar panelists Jack Beaudoin, co-founder and CEO of MedTech Media, and Danielle Hartley, SVP, publisher for MedTech Media, provided insights into how the landscape of print advertising is changing and offered strategic recommendations for print, digital and integrated communications programs.

Topics covered during the webinar included: using print as a brand building vehicle; new programs happening in the print world, such as QR codes; the effects of downward pricing pressure in print advertising; and how to launch an effective integrated program.

A recording of the webinar is available after registering here. We welcome your feedback, comments and questions for Jack, Danielle or Dodge Communications.

Join us for a free series of webinars starting Tuesday, May 24^th at 1 p.m. EDT,  to gain insight into key strategies for developing successful integrated communications programs. We’ll discuss solutions for creating a marketing and PR plan that will work together on every level to help your company capture emerging opportunities and address every challenge the market presents. Click here for more details and to register for the events.

Join us for a free webinar on Thursday, May 19 at 1 p.m. EDT, with Jack Beaudoin, CEO, and Danielle Hartley, SVP and publisher of MedTech Media. They’ll examine the changing landscape of print advertising and offer strategic recommendations for vendors making advertising buying decisions. Click here for more details and to register for the event.

Your average C-level executive probably still thinks that investing in a social media campaign constitutes thinking outside of the box. Though social media is extremely prevalent, even pervasive, in our everyday lives, it’s still tough to get the higher-ups to buy in. Concerns over ROI tend to add more questions than answers, and when a social media campaign does begin, it’s often very conservative.

 Several brands have shown, however, that if simply creating an online presence is thinking outside the box, then thinking further outside the box can really make waves. A couple years back, Burger King developed an app for Facebook that awarded a free Whopper to anyone who removed 10 of their friends. The catch? This act of defriending would be broadcast on the user’s newsfeed, so that the spurned parties were made well aware that they lost out to a burger. And just this week, Kraft announced its “Mac & Jinx” initiative, where if two people tweeted about mac & cheese at the same time, each would be sent a link. The first user to click the link would receive five free boxes of Kraft’s macaroni and cheese.

 This applies to the healthcare industry, too. While the opportunities may not seem as abundant as for large consumer brands, there is always a unique way to reach your audience. Whether it’s using Groupon to offer discounts to new patients or creating social networks that add an element of fun for diabetic children testing their glucose, the ideas are endless. Sometimes, just thinking outside of the box isn’t enough.

“Different” to a healthcare client and “Different” to a creative agency can mean two very different things. As a creative, I get very excited when a client says they want something “different.” I think, “oh I can give you different alright!” But then I have to calm myself down and realize that what I think is just outside of the box may be way outside of the box for the healthcare  technology or life sciences industry. That one word can cause hours, sometimes days of wasted time. When a client says they want something different, it’s our job to ask “different to what you have now or different from your competitors?” and “on a scale from 1-10, how different?” Over the last year I’ve had several clients say they want something different and they “like the apple site” all in the same breath. Then everyone jumps on the same bandwagon and nobody’s different any more.

Another word that needs clarification is “inexpensive.” When a client wants something “inexpensive,” the creative’s first thought is usually “darn, but ok, I’ll keep it simple.” But then you do something “simple” and often they love it, but sometimes they’re underwhelmed. For instance, say we get a creative brief for a direct mail piece and the client says they want something “inexpensive.” We immediately think postcard, but to some clients an “inexpensive” mail piece might just mean that it isn’t a 3d customized promotional item in a box. In other words, we could still do something outside of the standard postage rate size, could still do an interesting die-cut, still use an interesting paperstock, etc! So again, clarification is needed up front to make the creative process go smoothly and to have a happy client in the end. Plus, you have to think, if your marketing piece doesn’t get noticed and doesn’t elevate your brand, and you don’t get any business out of it in the end, then the postcard really was more “expensive” than the pop-up, glow in the dark, embossed and foiled mailer! Check out some of the direct mail pieces that Dodge has produced which are fairly “inexpensive”…or are they?

There are an infinite number of words such as these that need clarification: “animated,” “colorful,” “professional,” “conservative,” “dynamic,” etc… So it’s all about clarifying and asking questions and getting on the same page. Of course, it’s also our job as the creative agency to advise our healthcare clients on just how “colorful” or “animated” they might want their professional brand to be. It’s not always an easy task to put your own personal taste aside and focus on what’s right for the target audience, but that’s another post.

Do great creative ideas = great response? Well, it definitely helps. But if the call-to-action is weak, your chances of prospects knocking your door down are slim. Too often we get caught up in the clever folds of a direct mail piece, the brilliant flash animation of a web banner, the tedious styling of a photo shoot, all to forget the purpose of this multi-faceted dog and pony show…to get people to actually respond! Sometimes clients almost seem afraid that people WILL respond. Almost like they aren’t quite sure if they will measure up to the unique positioning for which the communication has touted them. Or even worse, they don’t have enough support in place to properly handle the response – but that’s another blog.

So here are just a few call-to-action tips that, when combined with a creative single-minded message sent to the right audience, could actually turn into sales.
1. The call-to-action needs to stand out. Don’t hide it within body copy. Give it its own space. Make it bold. A different color. Whatever, just make it stand out.

1b. But don’t make it stand out more than the main message. Sometimes people try to make the call-to-action the main message. Remember you have to sell the benefit before asking to respond.

2. Offer an incentive when appropriate. When budget allows, offer an incentive that supports your concept, but be sure it’s not something that will cheapen your brand. There’s nothing worse than responding to something that looks awesome in the photo and then you’re disappointed when you receive it. A negative response is worse than no response at all.

3. Give a deadline to respond. For instance, “…Call before Dec. 10 to set up a meeting and we’ll bring you <this really cool thing>.”

4. Make it easy for the prospect by giving them several different ways to respond. Some people prefer to text, some prefer to call, some prefer to email, etc…. Give them as many options as possible.

5. If you’re not really expecting to sell something right away, but are just trying to engage the prospect to start a relationship, you may want to send them to a “landing page” which visually and conceptually ties into your campaign. Here you can also ask for more information so that you can better speak to this prospect next time. Also, give them some new, more detailed information rather than just reiterating what you’ve already communicated in the initial communication. If you said, “To learn more visit…” then give them something new to learn. Don’t waste their time.

6. Don’t be afraid to repeat the call-to-action. Especially on a brochure or direct mail piece that might have a few different panels or folds.

I think that about sums it up. And if they still don’t respond to printed pieces or online communications, follow up phone calls could be the answer.