JAZD Markets, Inc.

Top of mind for most CEO’s these days is a return-on-investment in every area of their companies’ spend.  Most marketing pros know that marketing is always under the microscope, pushing marketing analytics front and center on a daily basis.

CMO’s now need to set the stage in their organizations for achieving the CEO’s confidence in the marketing spend and marketing dashboards can help step up that process.

Demand Metric , the Analyst Perspectives Blog, frames the importance of a good marketing dashboard and how to build one.

The 7 key stages of implementing a marketing dashboard:

1. Discuss the Project with Steering Committee
2. Assemble a Project team & Complete Project Plan
3. Review Data Sources & Identify Gaps
4. Select Critical Performance Metrics
5. Build a Framework for Measuring Results
6. Develop a Brand Scorecard
7. Select a Marketing Dashboard Solution

Read more on the execution at Demand Metric.

While marketing dashboards are not for every organization, measuring marketing effectiveness and identifying gaps in opportunities may result in gaining or losing revenue, as well as increasing the efficiency of the marketing spend.

According to MediaBistro, only 22% of Fortune 500 companies have corporate blogs.  That percentage should climb considering that corporate blogs have so much upside.  PR works.  More important, a corporate blog is interactive and gives you instant connectivity to all your stakeholders.  A well done corporate blog can communicate a company’s values, pride, passion, and customer engagement, as well as delivery performance, all in one platform. 

One corporate blog that often gets showcased as a best practice by blog reviewers is General Motor’s Fastlane blog.   GM’s Fastlane blog is packed with information, is well organized, includes lots of pictures, and is updated frequently.  It implies action and innovation.

Like other marketing platforms, you decide your rules of engagement.  In addition to your company spokesperson, you can open the doors to other industry gurus as well.  You can continually replay your messaging in a variety of ways.  Keep it interesting.  Make sure it’s interactive.  Serve your customers.

 Frequently visited sites such as Bloggingtips.com can give you guidance from coming up with content ideas to production and posting.  Copyblogger.com is one of the kings on blog writing.  Technorati.com provides some useful tips including what not to do with a post on some reasons why corporate blogs fail.

In the world of business buyers, product directories are essential.  Marketers looking for product directories to do business with should choose directories that offer state-of-the-art technology.  Reason:  When buyers go to a directory to do research, they want as much information as possible on the products and the company in a single user experience.  Once a directory becomes a research destination, it quickly becomes a transaction destination as well. That translates into more leads and more sales.

At the same time, you want to make sure that the directory you choose is supplier-friendly.  You too want a good user experience as you upload your products specs and other sales collateral.

State-of-the-art directory features include:

1. Powerful search functionality that helps buyers quickly and easily find and research your products.
2. A comprehensive taxonomy.   The classification system of content items assigned to hierarchical categories is relevant.
3. The ability to conduct side-by-side product comparisons.
4. Request-a-quote capabilities.
5. A content library to host all types of collateral from whitepapers to videos.
6. Self-service capabilities so suppliers can load their own content onto their product pages.
7. A variety of online marketing tools beyond category placement, including lead generation, display advertising, and content push such as placements in content newsletters.
8. A choice of advertising bundles to get the right fit for your needs.
9. An easy-to-use supplier portal.
10. Real-time marketing metrics that is easy to understand.

Your marketing goal in a product directory is to get on the radar screen of every potential buyer. Choose a product directory where you can gauge the buyer experience and get the most for your marketing spend.

You can’t manage what you can’t measure.   And, what and how you measure counts most.  Hard metrics vs. soft metrics need to stand out.  The new marketing agenda requires ROI to be measured on short-term payouts and not as part of the overall marketing budget that caters to long term objectives such as product introductions, brand awareness and other umbrella activities.  Since you need  to separate it, we’ve done it for you.

The new JAZD reporting system:

• Saves you Management Time
• Gives you Metrics that Matter
• Provides Lead Nurturing Intelligence at your Fingertips

The dashboard below demonstrates your payout.

• You get details on the number of touch points to your potential customers and fine-tuned metrics.
• We’ve calculated your dollar value for you.  You don’t have to pore through reports.
• We have categorized your online leads with behavioral data and other elements to help you transition effectively from marketing through the sales cycle.

Today is a great day at Jazd Markets. We are thrilled to announce we’ve formed a partnership with the technology content gurus at Technology Business Research, Inc. (TBR)!

We’re committed to forging strong, mutually beneficial partnerships with like-minded businesses (learn more about partnering with Jazd Markets here) and this relationship with TBR is a perfect fit for us.

Both TBR and Jazd Markets are committed to providing their customers with the expert knowledge they need to make smart buying decisions. This mutual commitment to empowerment through education is at the core of this new content interchange.

TBR’s expert market research and analysis will contribute to and enhance the industry news and analysis Jazd Markets directories already offer.

Come August, Jazd Markets users will be able to leverage new content on computer, software, telecom, mobility and the professional services industries through TBR’s market research and customer satisfaction studies.