However the pricing does not reflect the complex language used to describe our market niche. One of the largest myths currently clouding a company’s decision to work with us is pricing. Believe it or not, we are not a firm that requires $80K to begin a relationship. We help companies for as little as $2,000. We scale our solutions based on your budget and your desired return on investment. If you choose to spend $100K you will receive a greater return by utilizing our highly effective communications.

So – how much does a company invest to purchase an SMG program?

Sales Communication – As little as $5,000

Marketing Programs – As little as $2,000

Emerging Media – As little as $2,000

Interactive Training – As little as $5,000

Web Applications – As little as $1,500

So hopefully we have dispelled a few myths and allowed you think of the multimedia possibilities which can include leading edge technology. This can include streaming video, IPTV, digital signage, interactive marketing displays, Flash applications, and so much more!

Contact Us today.

Video is especially powerful because it utilizes three major communication methods, and impacts the reader on visual, auditory, and kinesthetic levels.

By harnessing the power of video, your company will be able to use compelling means to have an impact on the person receiving that message.

Video invites the person watching to hear, see, and feel the message on the screen – and if that message is yours, it could mean the difference between success and failure. Few people want to take the time to read a lot of text, and pictures can only convey small bits of information powerfully.

Fortunately for you (and unfortunately for them), a large percentage of companies are holding out on streaming video, or are not sure how to start started. That means you have the opportunity to seize an edge over your competitors. When your site features videos and their site doesn’t, who do you think is more likely to garner attention, convert customers, and drive traffic?

There are some issues to be aware of, though. For one, simply having moving images and audible sound does not make a video that people necessarily want to watch. Make sure that your message is clearly conveyed using good video content. That means paying careful attention to the mood and image that the video, audio, and tone of the final product conveys.

Online video should be kept short and to the point, or you run the risk of losing the attention of the audience. Remember, most of your readers are not curled up on the couch. They’re sitting at a computer and they’ve got a million other things they could be doing online, not to mention phone calls, co-workers, and meetings. Get their attention, get your message across, and watch the results!

When customers and potential clients can actually see your message in action (unlike memos, articles, and other forms on text-based marketing) they will be more likely to take action themselves. And for your company, that can mean an increase in revenue!

Today, though, consumers expect faster, more directed communication methods. They want to sign up for an RSS feed, and know the moment something new is going on. They want digital streaming and intranets to have all of the information at the fingertips. It’s a YouTube world, and businesses & organizations have to learn how to meet the demands and challenges of these new communication tactics.

A certain amount of up-front investment is required in order to join this new communication industry, but in most cases, the cost is not nearly as significant as some folks fear. Generally, the following technologies must be acquired to successfully communicate in today’s world, but in most cases the costs are not terribly significant:

 Internet Streaming CDNs – Be sure to budget the monthly fees associated with Internet streaming CDNs, which guarantee quality performance and uptime.

 Web platforms & programming – A well-designed platform is critical for success in communicating online

 Consulting & advice – Unless you’re truly a master at all (and nobody is!), you’ll need to leave room in the budget for consulting work. Your consultants make sure that every aspect of your business is professional.

 Messaging – This one is kind of a no-brainer. To communicate effectively, you’ll need to be able to, well, communicate. With messaging, real-time communication is no problem.

 Using rich media and technology can help convey a faster and richer message that has more impact on the receiver. Holding true to old forms of communication and ignoring these trends can be devastating, and can put an organization’s bottom line at risk.

Confessions from a Marketing CEO

Let’s face the sad reality: the assumed effectiveness of marketing is a widespread myth.   There may be a marketing department down the hall, but how does that department and the programs therein truly affect the scope and productivity of your company? As an active Marketing CEO, I can attest to receiving payment from clients whose marketing techniques were failing to obtain results. Several of these companies expended their entire marketing budgets on innovative, highly intriguing strategies that failed to yield positive results. However, it was not the substance of those programs that elicited failure; it was their integration and execution.

Let’s start at the beginning –

Why does a company come to Strategic Media Group or any another marketing consultant/firm?  The theoretical answer would be that the company desires to attain predetermined goals and traceable results.  One would think so but our experiences point to the contrary…

Last year Strategic Media Group worked with a client that requested several innovative programs and strategies, however, none of these programs produced results.  Once again, the inevitable question of WHY arose. So, we diagnosed the problems and came up with the following reasons why marketing doesn’t always work…

Over the years of sitting down with owners and executives of companies of all sizes, one of the biggest problems that is discovered is how marketing and sales are working together—or in many cases—not working together.  As one President of a company once told me, “John, we have a great marketing program, and we get tons of leads that come in from it, but no one seems to know how to close those leads—can you help me and train my people to close these leads?”  The comment by this president recognizes the problem that companies, (1) too often “assume” that they have salespeople that can close those leads and opportunities and, (2) that the marketing plan is aligned with competent salespeople that “can” close the leads the marketing plan generates. Obviously, per this president’s comment, that’s not true.  What has happened in the early stages of any marketing plan? An assumption—an assumption that the salespeople can effectively execute the sales plan and close the deals.  There has been an assumption that the marketing plan is “sales executable.”  Too often that is not the case.

What are some of the signs there may be a serious “sales execution” problem?

The obvious:

• Sales revenue isn’t where it should be
• Closing rates are not where they should be
• The sales cycle is too long
• Salespeople make excuses for all the above

The not so obvious:

• Marketing fixes (strategic and tactical) have been tried and failed.

Ø  Re-pricing, i.e. discounting…Sales says, “It’s a pricing issue.”

Ø  Searching for the “right” market niche.  Sales says, “We aren’t in front of the “right” prospects.”

Ø  Management is buying the excuses the salespeople are giving them

• Key information is not being captured by sales people and transferred to marketing
• The blame game:  Sales blames marketing for doing a bad job.  Marketing responds by pointing the finger at Sales.

We often find companies wasting at least 50% of their marketing budget because sales can’t execute.  The sales team is usually operating at less than 50% efficiency ( by the way there’s an objective way to measure and analyze this).

What is the best way to begin fixing a challenge like this?  Sitting down to do a pipeline analysis is the first step.  From there an objective and effective initial plan of action can be created.  That plan will usually include objective analysis of both the selling process and the sales people.  From there a strategic plan to address both people and process issues can be created and executed.  The bottom line is it will usually take a change in the sales culture of the organization to realize the gains of aligning the sales and marketing pipelines.  To change the sales culture is not easy. It is simple but not an easy process.  It takes a commitment from leadership but the results will be worth it.   

The #2 reason is simply a lack of execution and the broad inability follow through on the vision of success that began at the marketing program’s conception.

Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan addressed this issue with boldness in Execution – The Discipline of Getting Things Done.

“Here is the fundamental problem: People think of execution as the tactical side of
business, something leaders delegate while thy focus on the perceived “bigger” issues.
This idea is completely wrong. Execution is not just tactics—it is a discipline and a
system. It has to be built into a company’s strategy, its goals, and its culture.”

In order to apply this concept, a company must understand the clear boundary that lies between the services of a consulting firm (or outsourced marketing company) and the application of those services within the company structure. For example, a web site built by the best marketing company available is useless unless the company drives traffic to the site.  When Strategic Media Group conceives a program and consults a company on its implementation, it is assumed that the company will take the necessary steps to put the program into operation. Otherwise, the desired results WILL NOT be achieved.

Now why address these issues so boldly?  What do we hope to accomplish?

The answer is simple – we hope to alter and revamp the mindset of business owners and executives by simply stating that marketing budgets can be effective.  Incredible results can be achieved by simply cultivating sales and aligning the goals of marketing/sales departments. 

Our Challenge to You

Ensure that every dollar of your marketing budget is being spent to produce traceable results.  Dedicate a larger percentage of your budget to sales development and work to unite sales and marketing into a cooperative alliance. Make these two pipelines align! These two strategies will yield powerful and unseen results.

If you have wasted money in marketing before and have had a difficult time identifying the problem, call us for a brief discussion.  We understand that we are not the perfect fit for everyone, but we would be pleased to help you find those needed to achieve the desired results.

This blog will serve as an enterprise communications resource.  Please let us know if you have any suggestions, thoughts, or concerns!