#13 The Marketing Challenge

This year I have set myself a challenge to try and transform the organisation I work for. A hard task you may say, but I'm not one to shy away from these things.

Basically I need to facilitate the move of the organisation away from that of a direct sales organisation, trying to force our products down prospects necks, to that of the friendly expert organisation. The trusted friend that is a font of information and experience, and when the time is right, you will ask it for the help you need.

Well, that's the plan anyway!

Being 22 and with my whole career ahead of me, this mammoth task is going to make me look like the mutts nuts of marketing in any interview I come up against.

The almost genius marketing strategy that I have put in place is as follows:

• Improve the website, there is a confusion of what the company actually does and what it can provide
• Improve the usabililty of the site by including video content
  
• Provide useful and appropriate information through eBooks and blog entries that is specifically of use to prospective customers
• Create an opportunity for anyone to test our knowledge at any time
• Create a members area where richer and more useful content is shared with all those willing to sacrifice their details in order to see it
• Showcase the services and how they add value to clients we already work with
• Employ a CRM programme to increase current clients usage of our services, thus increasing revenue
  

Of course when starting from scratch, this task looks particularly large, but if I successfully complete this, then the chances are this will be both beneficial to the organisation and my career as a marketer.

Alongside these tasks, I will also be taking part in these activities:

• Split testing on direct email campaigns to attempt to work out the perfect formula for the company in terms of both subject line (for opens) and copy (for click throughs)
• Cleansing the database
• Developing a clear contact strategy from approaching prospects to make initial contact, to attempting to convert them by sending an offer
• Writing eBooks
• Making copious amounts of tea
• Using CopyDoodles to increase response rates
  

So wish me luck, as 2010 will be a hell of a year for my career if I get this spot on! Of course any advice or ideas are always welcome, and of course any questions too!