Our latest expert perspective for the DocuStar (now Vya) Marketing Organizational Leadership blog
series comes from Chris Morrison, President at The Geode Group, a Cincinnati-based management consulting and sales coaching firm. Prior to co-founding The Geode Group with his brother, Tim Morrison, Chris held past high-tech management roles at NCR, Ernst & Young, and ClearOne Communications, while Tim’s background in the steel industry includes general management roles at Bethlehem Steel Corp, Olympic Steel, and Baldwin Steel.

July heralds summer excitement in full force with fireworks, the start of the London 2012 Olympics and the kickoff of the World Choir Games, which will be hosted locally in Cincinnati. And with long days full of sunshine, July is a perfect month for ongoing gardening and home improvement and repair projects.

Whether your focus is B2B or B2C marketing, manufacturers in the building products industry can benefit from integrating QR codes into their multi-channel marketing promotions strategies.

Business is a team effort, and no department reaches its full potential without effective cross-functional collaboration. Marketing has a critical role in building and nurturing new relationships with customers and prospects, while also holding responsibility for activities some stakeholders may perceive as a cost center. In today’s economic environment, where doing more with less has never before been more urgent, it’s critical for marketing leaders to collaborate, share strategies, measure results and continually adapt their approach over time. Below are four strategies for elevating confidence in the marketing department.
1. Collaborate with other departments, especially Sales. Marketing should collaborate with Sales to understand how Marketing can support and complement the Sales process. Marketing should be as responsive to Sales support needs as possible, while balancing its tactical support and strategic planning roles. Although it may take some effort to find balance initially, the benefits of collaborating with and supporting Sales are significant. Sales can help Marketing to build a better awareness of competitive activity and customer needs in the field, while Marketing can share insights to help shorten the sales cycle. Finally, collaboration with Sales links Marketing’s contributions directly to Sales activity and revenue generation, which helps to quantify Marketing’s organizational impact and value.

QR codes are the perfect marketing medium to drive new customer acquisition.

Part one of this series addressed trends in marketing localization as measured by CMO’s and reported in a recent CMO Council study. In this blog, we discuss how to adapt your content to local buyers and markets. Below are some tactical suggestions for localizing your marketing efforts.

arketing localization is here, and myriad factors are driving the shift. A new study released by the CMO Council reviewed the trends in marketing localization as measured by CMO’s. 

New players in loyalty such as Perx and Punchd have evolved loyalty programs through their innovative uses of QR codes. Quick response codes are an ideal pairing with loyalty programs because they make it easy for customers to enroll in your program and register for discounts and incentives at the point of purchase while your company is still top of mind. Here is our guide to integrating QR codes into your loyalty program, including caveats for getting started and examples of successful applications to help inspire your own successful QR-loyalty pairing.

Whether your rebranding decision is driven by a merger or acquisition or competitive reasons that necessitate refreshing your brand image in the marketplace, irrespective of the catalyst for change, rebranding strategies require time and research to be done right: Setting your rebrand strategy is just the beginning. Below is our guide to executing a seamless rebrand, including a review of the channels and materials affected and recommended best practices for managing the transition.

June is host to the first day of summer and carries the official designation of Great Outdoors Month. Customers look forward to Father’s Day and outdoor sporting events, including the US Open and the beginning of the Wimbledon. June is also a perfect month to tackle summer home, landscaping, and gardening projects.