Enjoy the episode - Happy Marketing! www.marketingstudylab.co.uk https://www.linkedin.com/in/petersumpton/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/marketingstudylab/ https://twitter.com/cousinp81(@cousinp81) Intro We all seem to be focusing on the Digital elements of not only our Marketing, but our business and social lives as well. Sometimes it’s easy to forget the real world in all of this and how Physical Evidence can play a huge part in your Marketing Mix. More on that later. First, it’s time to chat with Michael Field about all things B2B (business to business). It’s so easy to focus on the B2C (business to consumer) elements of Marketing as they are all around us and impact us every day, but the majority of us will ply our trade within the B2B sector and Michael is the perfect person to guide us through what we should be doing here. Michael, who was also a guest lecturer at Edith Cowan University for a number of years, now focuses on developing competitive strategies for medium sized businesses for EvettField Partners. Michael specializes in helping his clients gain market share, build compelling value propositions, identify value drivers and develop meaningful, evidence-based and actionable strategic plans. Now this may all sound very buzz-wordy but believe me, when Michael talks, you listen as there is theory and analysis behind what he offers, building the solid foundations of Marketing that are so badly missing in many organisations Strategy.   Takeaways - Why is marketing important. As Michael points out, it can help companies grow and break through that plateau that other functions, such as sales cannot do alone. But it needs careful consideration backed by proper analysis. Basically, its more than just your logo, literature and a website – what are the strategic implications.  - This leads on nicely to not forgetting about the fundamentals of marketing. These are the bits that people can’t see, or don’t want to see. The research and analysis that is required to base any type of Marketing tactics on top of. These are the foundations of good Marketing. - When thinking about the various channels we now have at our disposal, it doesn't mean we should be on all of them or spread ourselves to thin. No, we go where the market is. Consumer buying behavior has driven our need for Digital Marketing, Digital Marketing didn't drive the need for customer to be on these platforms. It is down to us as Marketers to understand where our customers are and be there when they need us.   Top Tip- 7 P's - Physical Evidence Within the extended or digital marketing mix sits physical evidence. What do we mean by this and why is it a consideration? After all, for many businesses e-commerce is the only platform and thus, physical evidence is an non-entity…. Wrong. Yes, physical evidence is far more prevalent within the service industry. Take a salon or a butchers for example, the smells, sound, décor, ambiance, cleanliness, colours, clothing and even equipment is vitally important as an indicator to the quality of the service that will and is provided. But even for those organisations with very little by way of physical evidence, it is an important factor as including the physical in what is a none physical landscape can be a game changer. What the heck am I talking about. Take Amazon for example, their physical evidence is exceptional irrespective of their digital presence, lets take a look at some key elements: Packaging – usually branded and even the tape they use to seal the packaging is either branded or utilised in some promotional way Warehouses – Those massive things you see on the side of the road, yep, they play their part as an indicator to the vast delivery network that can get a packaging to you in under 24 hours Drones – They may not be quite there yet, but the fact that this is even a possibility highlights that the company is a thought leader in their industry, pioneering new technology and looking at ways to better serve their c