Matthews on Marketing

Matthews on Marketing

Problem First, Not Product First: How to Hook Your Buyers Problem-Solving Content

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Sometimes you hear something and think, "I heard that five years ago. Ten years ago. How is that still a problem?" Now, I’m not talking about global warming or peace in the Middle East. No, I’m in marketing world here, and specifically, talking about the old saw “sell solutions, not products.” Marketers have been told to focus on solutions countless times. So why are marketers are still focusing on product? We marketers are human, after all, and the problem with adages like this is that … [Read more...]

Five New Year’s Resolutions for Marketing Teams

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Good heads of marketing are always looking for ways to make their team perform better. But, with no shortage of things to do, layering on more – more planning, more training, more anything – can make any CMO feel a little guilty. What to do? One solution is to seize on resolution season. Create a quick-win New Year’s resolution for your team. By making it small and completing in January, your team can enter the year a little bit smarter and more energized. Here are five easy resolution ideas … [Read more...]

How SaaS Affects the Marketing Mix

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Not All of Your Tactics Will Be Change, But the Emphasis Will Shift While the SaaS business model is quite different from sales of perpetual software licenses, the marketing tactics are not entirely unique. SaaS companies still go to trade shows, have customer newsletters, and engage in direct marketing. The real difference is not in the tactics, but the emphasis on those tactics in the marketing mix. Here are a few guiding principles of how the buying cycle is different, and the resulting … [Read more...]

Five SaaS Marketing Pitfalls to Avoid

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This is an excerpt from my forthcoming SaaS Marketing Handbook -TM I have fallen into almost every one of these pits. Some of them more than once. I’ve learned the hard way that you need to clearly set expectations, and under promise and over deliver, to be successful as a SaaS marketer. Pitfall #1 “[Person’s name] a [Board Member | Friend of Mine | Fellow CEO | Next Door Neighbor] told me they are getting a [fill in ridiculously high number] conversion rate for [fill in a dollar amount that’s … [Read more...]

13 Questions to Jump-start Your Buyer Persona Research

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Interviews are critical to developing a good buyer persona. Actually speaking with the buyers can uncover insights that would never come to light otherwise. Simply creating a persona via research, using demographics, is a waste of time. You need to understand how they think, not just who they are. Many marketers never take this step. Contacting real buyers is a difficult and challenging task. And what do you ask them? Here are 13 questions to get you started, followed by a format for compiling … [Read more...]