Driving Success with a Little Insight and a Little Basketball

Wouldn’t it be great if all marketing efforts were successful the first time out of the gate? Companies would save a considerable amount of money while also enjoying great market success. But, like any other business strategy, marketing success can ebb and flow, which some ideas landing considerable success and others struggling to find air. Is there a magic formula to ensure the former is happening more often than the latter?

A recent Entrepreneur post highlighted business VoIP solutions provider, Nextiva and what the company does to promote itself and drive marketing success. While the company can have a number of starts and stops like the rest of us, that doesn’t mean its leaders don’t learn from their mistakes and improve the next time at bat. To get better insight, the article explores comments from Nextiva’s chief marketing officer, Yaniv Masjedi.

The insights provided by Masjedi aren’t necessarily new concepts, but they do point out how simple it can be to get to the heart of the matter and relate to the customer. For instance, the business VoIP provider wants to grab the customer’s attention, but knows they need to do it with the customer’s interests and not their own.

Too many companies fall into the trap of believing their product is so stellar that everyone will want it. There are a few major brands that can get away with this kind of approach, but unless you’re Coke, pay attention to the customer. (For the record, Coke is actually very good at this.)

One thing that Coke doesn’t always like to do is use celebrities to promote the product. But the business VoIP provider is not in the same arena on this one and believes a little celebrity can go a long way. At an industry conference this year, Nextiva brought a basketball-themed booth and hired Dennis Rodman to shoot baskets with attendees. While this isn’t a cheap endeavor, the company was able to offset the cost somewhat through co-sponsorships, a plan that helped attract attendees to their booth.

Masjedi also suggests there is benefit to leveraging your contacts to help spread the marketing word. If you’re doing something exciting, tell your contacts about it and get them to share your information. It’s another great way to promote the viral message, just be sure to do the same thing for your connections when asked.

The key to success for the business VoIP provider is paying attention to the details when it comes to marketing their product. That means paying attention to what’s important to the customer or client and delivering on their expectations. In doing so, you’ll easily stand apart from the competition and enjoy sustainable growth.