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I’m a big fan of the SaaS model because I’ve seen it transform a work environment, save money, and provide valuable insights into the operations of a company.  So, what is SaaS, or “Software-as-a-Service?”  Here’s a good overview from Wikipedia:

“Software as a service (SaaS) is a software application delivery model where a software vendor develops a web-native software application and hosts and operates (either independently or through a third-party) the application for use by its customers over the Internet. Customers pay not for owning the software itself but for using it.” more…

Small to mid-sized companies have not had access to higher end technology.  They simply did not have the resources to create an enterprise-wide business application that manages sales, marketing, customer relationships, etc.  A “360-degree customer view” was unheard of for the SMB (Small to Medium Business) space.  Thanks to SaaS, now even the smallest business has access to some of the most powerful business applications on the planet.  

Two good examples for SaaS applications are Liferro and Salesforce.com.  Both applications allow a company, regardless of size, to centralize their operations while providing employees access to corporate intelligence to do their jobs more effectively.  It also allows a company to outsource IT infrastructure and lower risk due to little development and no on-premise hardware.

I’ve implemented both salesforce.com and Liferro and have seen it make a significant difference.  One small business owner even told me - ”I actually like paying for salesforce.com, I enjoy writing that check every quarter.”  That kind of recognition of value when it comes to technology is extremely rare. 

It’s no surprise that Google has recently launched some fantastic SaaS business applications.  Imagine having access to your MS Office apps via the Internet, which allows you to share docs, access data, create presentations, all online 24/7 from anywhere in the world.  You can stop imagining because Google has done it. 

SaaS levels the playing field and provides small to medium sized companies access to the same technology that was once reserved only for the “big boys.”  Now, a two-person company located in a corn field in Nebraska can use the same multi-million dollar software application used by a F50 company in downtown NY City.  That’s a powerful idea.  In fact, it’s revolutionary.

In my opinion, every company should be looking at SaaS regardless of size because it is the way business will be done in the years to come.  SaaS has it all and now that the security issues have been mainly resolved it’s about to reach critical mass and explode (if it hasn’t already). 

If you have any questions about south of Boston web design or marketing feel free to request a free consultation from our corporate site:  www.sinatraco.com

I was the VP, Director or Marketing for a financial services firm several years ago and the overriding goal with the money managers was, ”mitigate risk.”  Lowering risk in the equity markets comes through diversification via multiple market segments.  In the marketing industry this same principle can also be used to lower risk.   

Small to mid-sized companies can expend a great deal of resources on marketing initiatives by putting all their chips on the table in one campaign.  Many companies have gone this route and some have done very well while others have been driven into financial ruin, much like a rouge trader makes big “bets” and either wins big or loses everything.  This is especially true with small to medium sized companies who often don’t have the resources to absorb mistakes. 

Marketing diversification can come in two forms:

• Diversification of communication tactics
• Diversification via phases

Multiple communication tactics – Using a wide variety of marketing tactics like direct mail, web marketing, brochures, and the like can help lower risk because you’re not putting all your eggs in one basket.  This is a fairly straightforward technique that many small and medium sized businesses are aware.  

Multiple Phases – When you begin to work with designers and web developers they’ll often want to deliver a full spectrum of marketing materials from web site, to logo, to print brochures, business cards, newspaper ads, etc.  Many businesses who are either beginning to gain momentum or are desperate for sales could easily spend $10K to $20K to redevelop their brand and begin to execute some marketing initiatives.

I usually recommend a different approach.  Begin with a simple web site that expresses what you believe are your key messages.  Drive some traffic to the site and watch how people interact with the different pages.  What pages are the most popular?  On which pages do visitors spend the most time?  From what city did they visit?  From what page do they exit your web site?  Then change the messaging – experiment with different ideas and continue to observe.  Determine how many people take an action (sign up for a free newsletter, for example), and how they got to the stage of taking an action.  Watch how people are interacting with your web site (Google Analytics is a free tool that will allow you to easily track your visitors in this way).

The advent of electronic media is a marketing expert’s dream.  You can test a wide range of ideas and messages and pinpoint what makes your customers take action.  In the past, this kind of intelligence could only be had through expensive market research or pricey direct response campaigns. 

While this kind of research can take months to complete, it will give you a good sense of what people find the most important about your product or service, what messages are resonating with prospective clients.  And it will not cost very much.  Another way to get good market research inexpensively, is by asking some of your existing clients to visit the new web site and ask what information they found the most valuable, what they liked most, etc.

Once you’ve done some basic research, then begin to use these lessons to develop other marketing pieces like direct mail and brochures.  Not only will these initiatives be more effective, but you’ll lower your risk substantially.  Companies can spend more money on risky marketing initiatives than on many other facets of their business.  When done right, it can have a dramatic positive effect.  When done wrong, there is no way to recover the losses.

The key to marketing success, is patience and research.  Take each step slowly and don’t feel like you have to build everything in a few months.  Marketing and branding is a process that happens over time, not a “one hit wonder.”  More importantly, building a brand is about far more than a few slick marketing pieces and mailings.  It’s about creating positive and memorable experiences over a long period of time (more about brand building in future posts).  

If you have any questions about south of Boston web design or marketing feel free to request a free consultation from our corporate site:  www.sinatraco.com 
 

I’ve had success using a combination of Blog / PR / Links.  This post highlights some of the ways in which to use a blog to inform, connect, and build alliances.  Using a blog is a fantastic way to communicate with a specific target market. I’d search the web for a the specific idea, find good concepts, and post them to my blog along with some commentary.

Then, I’d contact the owner of the web site and let them know how much I appreciated their content and provide a link back to the blog. Almost everyone I contacted in this way replied to the email – I had dozens of contacts in a short period of time.

Once I had a few dozen posts on the blog I started writing Press Releases which resulted in a few stories in top-ten newspapers and a leading magazine. Anytime I received press I’d send an email to my list of contacts letting them know about the article.  Because I had links to their web sites in the blog they appreciated the extra exposure. 

Interestingly, after about 6 months of this activity I had 4 of the top 10 search engine results on Google for my industry. We went from virtually no traffic to over 1,000 visitors per week from the top companies in the industry.  Plus, we built some great relationships with others who provided valuable content. 

A few suggestions:

• Don’t SPAM people – Only send email to those who replied to your initial email
• Only post comments on your blog that you find genuinely interesting
• Don’t send email to your contacts more than once per month
• Be honest and genuine in all your communications - a blog is a place to build REAL connections, don’t do it with an ulterior motive
• Look for ways to partner with anyone who replies to your initial email – joint newsletters, white papers, conference calls, etc. 

If you have any questions about south of Boston web design or marketing feel free to request a free consultation from our corporate site:  www.sinatraco.com