Welcome to Ryan Teeples Consulting Inc

End-to-end Marketing Strategy and CRM Technology Consulting

We won't bore you with cliches like "marketing that works!" and "demand-driven marketing infrastructure" or confuse you with cryptic advertising agency babble like "ideation of scalable marketing revenue-drivers."

What we do is help you build a marketing and technology strategy to acquire more customers and, more importantly, get more business from the customers you have. And do it all in a way that's measurable. Our clients are primarily larger organizations with large customer databases, but we also help businesses looking to make the push for rapid growth. 

Take a look around the site and you'll get the idea. Then call or email to get started. 801-815-0122 or ryanteeples@ryanteeples.com.

What is end-to-end (E2E) marketing? You need to know

Written by Ryan Teeples.

"Marketing" is a very ambiguous word. Unfortunately, many salesman call themselves "marketers." But that's like a flying cricket calling itself a bird.

SEO people are likewise starting to call themselves "marketers." But that's also an egregious exaggeration. SEO experts are no more complete marketers than bookkeepers are CPAs.

The fact is, there's a lot to being a true Marketer. But at it's core should be end-to-end communication, or E2E.

E2E is about constantly getting value from leads and customers you already have

E2E marketing looks past the oft-made mistake of focusing primarily on acquiring new leads/customers and puts a big spotlight on converting, up-selling, cross-selling and retaining the leads/customers you already have.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of companies aren't doing it. Or do it half-assed at best.

According to a 2011 Marketing Budgeting Survey from the Goldstein Group less than 10% of all marketing effort is spent on efforts to retain current customers, while the remaining 90% is focused on acquiring new customers.

The survey indicates that PPC, SEO, online banners, trade shows, print advertising, PR and collateral (all traditional acquisition marketing tools) account for that 90%, while email and other customer-focused marketing media are less than 10% of the budgeting mix.

Now, you can argue it's because E2E media are fairly inexpensive, so they are a small portion of the budget. It's a good point. And I would buy it IF I didn't see, over and over again in the organizations I work with, that the ongoing life-cycle communication strategy accounts for less than 10% of marketing's thinking and execution as well.

Batch-and-blast is still the norm

For the most part, the organizations I work with are still operating in an environment I call "batch and blast." This kind of marketing is campaign-focused and involves a marketer developing a message or two and batching a list of recipients which is then blasted out via email, direct mail or even social media.

There may be some segmentation, and there may be some variable data used in the messaging. But for the most part, the process is still campaign-focused, manual and impersonal.

Successful E2E Marketing is trigger-based, personal and automated

It doesn't matter if it's email, social media, direct mail, online banner or outbound call, smart end-to-end marketing can be made both automated AND personal. They may seem at odds, but they're not.

Your CRM (Salesforce.com, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, etc) or Marketing Automation system (Unica, Aprimo, Alterian, Eloqua, etc.) should have workflow tools which allow you to instantly send messages to users when certain data-point requirements are met. And it should allow you to include variable data relevant to an interaction.

When a new customer buys online, you have an email communication strategy for that buyer, beyond a confirmation and thank-you email. In may initially involve an on-boarding plan which sends email messages and an outbound call from a rep. Then, you should have an ongoing communication strategy for that person, so that no matter what happens to him from there, you always deliver relevant marketing messages to him.

And segmentation and personalization helps make the message relevant and leads to staggering increases in response. You can base messages and segments on data attributes like:
  • Previous purchase history
  • Recency metrics (i.e. "We haven't served you in over six months. Come on back!")
  • Monetary metrics ("You're one of our best customers...")
  • Demographic data (age, geography, income, etc.)
  • Recent logins/visits to your website
  • Interactions with sales reps

Make marketing a process, not an event

To truly get to that next step for successful end-to-end marketing, you have to think cyclically. Marketing shouldn't be a bunch of campaigns or events you put on during the year. Marketing should be one big cycle that's tied together by data, and is designed to run automatically.

Your goal should be to deliver the right message to the right person at the right time. Once you do it, you increase buying and improve overall LTV (lifetime value).

Until then, you're just batching and blasting. And missing the point.

Microsoft confirms Dynamics CRM to be available in multiple browsers

Written by Ryan Teeples.

Follow Ryan @RyanTeeples

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) has evolved its CRM application and platform into one that offers easy deployment and customization, on par with or superior to any CRM solutions on the market.

While it’s gained market share, it’s no secret that many organizations decide against the Microsoft Dynamics CRM solution for one simple reason: It only works in Internet Explorer.

That all will change shortly. Rumors have permeated the CRM space and today those rumors were officially confirmed: Microsoft Dynamics will be compatible with all browsers and devices in its next R8 rollout. That means Firefox, Chrome and Apple browsers will all be able to run CRM. No more dependence on the buggy and clunky Microsoft Internet Explorer Browser.

The announcement was confirmed Friday in a keynote address at a CRM user-conference in Las Vegas (CMRUG) by Microsoft’s Craig Dewar, Director of the Dynamics team.

Many assume(d) MSFT had been exclusive in its browser compatibility due to some proprietary competitive business decision. But the issue is primarily a technical one.

Dynamics CRM is architected in a .NET framework, which runs in Windows environments. In order to provide cross-browser support, the app needed to be re-architected in a new language. In this case, HTML.

This is great news for organizations who are increasingly seeing sales and marketing departments move toward tablet and (gasp!) Apple technology for computing. It won’t help them with Excel or Word, but now the entire CRM native app is available to anyone on any internet device.

Once the rollout is proliferated, expect Microsoft’s market share continue to grow, as the company continues to compete at the highest levels in features and extensibility.

The R8 rollout timeframe has not been publicly released, but it is anticipated sometime in the first half of next year.

 

Service Oriented Marketing: Serve first, sell second

Written by Ryan Teeples.

Marketing departments and companies in general have to make a major shift in thinking to succeed in the new, evolving marketing environment we’re living it.

To explain, I have to subject you to a quick technology point. There’s a term in software called “Service Oriented Architecture” or SOA (So-uh) for short. I won’t bore you with a detailed explanation of what that means, but oversimplified it’s a strategy for development that allows for rapid rollout and re-use of code or system design.

I have to use the term frequently in working with customers who are utilizing or building marketing technologies, so it’s always in mind.

The other day I was presenting a proposal to a retail company for developing marketing communication strategy, I jumbled phrases and used the term “Service Oriented Marketing.”

I thought it sounded good, so I continue to use it.

What is Service Oriented Marketing?

Traditional marketing is about driving demand and selling through promotion, offers and direct solicitation. In today’s market, that message isn’t resonating like it used to, especially among younger generations.

Service Oriented Marketing (SOM) is marketing media which drives demand for your product or service by serving the customer without asking for anything in return.

Maybe you inform a customer of a free webinar or report. That’s the simplest way. Some companies do birthday cards or time-based communications. That’s good, but it’s only a start.

Smart companies serve as much as sell

As I help companies understand customer attitudes through market research, most client’s customers echo a similar refrain about their relationship with the company:

“I only hear from you when you want me to buy something.”

It’s natural for marketers to think in a revenue-driving paradigm. Most of us are incentivized by our impact to the bottom line. But when you take a step back and consider overall lifetime value (LTV) you realize that increasing engagement and reducing churn through consistent service oriented marketing ultimately impacts the bottom line a lot more.

Start Simple

Service oriented marketing doesn’t have to be complicated. If you have a software product, maybe you send customers messages when they haven’t logged in for a while.

When you sell a customer a product, create a series of communications which help them through the on-boarding process. Your CRM solution should have the tools necessary to create and automate these kind of communications. If you don't, you need to call me ASAP.

And use education. Provide how-to videos (for free). Let customers know the’re there. When inside sales people have down time, have them reach out to customers at risk.

Take a look at your overall marketing strategy and decide whether you’re a service oriented marketing organization. If you’re not, you’ll never develop the relationship with your customers necessary to keep them coming back.

A little lime goes a long way

Written by Ryan Teeples.

We drink a lot of diet soda around our office. That's not uncommon. But what's unique is the amount of lime we add to...well...everything. It's a microcosm for how we think differently from any marketing agency or organization you've encountered.

We were squeezing fresh lime in our Diet Coke long before there was a bottled version of the soda with imitation lime flavor. We can't help but think of ways to make great things even greater. And it doesn't end there. Ever tried Diet Mountain Dew with fresh lime? We have. And it's amazing.

A little lime can make almost anything better. Salsa, salad, seafood, even water (or especially water).

So how about a little lime in your business?

The companies we work with are pretty great. But their marketing needs a little lime. That's what we do.

It may be making the CRM technology pop instead of fizzle. Or it could be refreshing the messages with a little zing. Our marketing strategies are lime for your business. And it'll bring the green in more ways than one.


An End-to-End marketing communication strategy for current customers and prospects = Money

It's amazing how often I encounter companies who have begun interviewing advertising or marketing agencies to hire and find their pitch is entirely geared around acquiring more new clients.

I love it, because the message of Ryan Teeples Consulting is so different, it makes us stand out.

We contend that, in most companies, the biggest immediate marketing opportunity lies in your existing customer base. But most companies don't know where to begin to develop a strategy for this kind of retention marketing.

To do it right, however, requires an ongoing, planned, data-driven personal communication strategy for every customer at every point in their life-cycle.

The mantra we adopt is send the "right marketing offer to the right customer in the right media at the right time." This requires building a systematic marketing communication strategy that begins when you first collect their contact info, and ends, well, never.

You continue to communicate with your customers into perpetuity.

And ongoing, personalized marketing requires some technology to enable it. We help customers build these end-to-end communication strategies as well as identify the technologies required to enable it.

It works. It really, really works.

That's not to say we don't help companies acquire new customers. We do. But our approach is different. Read about Ryan Teeples Consulting's Acquisition Marketing Strategies here.


Know your marketing technology and software systems

Written by Ryan Teeples.

CRMs and CMSs for Marketing-based Technology, or is it technology-based marketing?

We work with a lot of clients helping them understand what technologies they need to drive revenue from their marketing activities. More than ever, I'm appalled at how often I have to explain what these two core technologies are to "marketing people."

Every marketer should use these systems, and know all the players in the market.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) - You need a central repository for customer data, as well as an engine for automating and managing marketing and communications. This is CRM. Systems range from open-source CRM solutions like SugarCRM to mid-range and highly flexible platforms like Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Salesforce, all the way to super-large mammoth systems like Oracle [Seibel] PeopleSoft and SAP. 

Content Management Systems (CMS or WCM [Web Content Management)) - Nothing upsets me more than finding companies who have thrown money down the drain paying a developer to build a website from scratch. First of all, a developer or designer should NEVER lead your web strategy--that's for a strategic marketer. Second, you can save tons of time and money by utilizing content management systems. Try free, opensource CMSs like Joomla, Wordpress and Drupal, or consider new and innovative CMSs designed to integrate with other systems like Microsoft Sharepoint 2010 or Sales Force Sites.

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