It’s Spring! What Marketing Seeds Are You Planting?

May 19, 2017

Spring is bursting out all over! As I see my flower garden budding and blooming and chat with my friends who are getting ready to plant their fruit and veggie crops, it made me think about how businesses often make some pretty serious “gardening” mistakes when it comes to marketing.

Mistake #1: Expecting a Crop Ex Nihilo

What would you think of a farmer who planted no seed, but anticipated a crop? Ridiculous. Crazy. Foolish. And yet businesses regularly do no marketing, yet expect leads to magically appear.

Mistake #2: Planting This, Wanting That

If you plant tomato seeds, don’t expect to get cucumbers on the vine. Similarly, if you want to attract a certain target audience, you have to plant the seeds that will yield that harvest. For example, you can’t publish blogs geared to the interests of IT techs, and expect to pull in the CEO of a software firm. Know who your target market is and target your marketing!

Mistake #3: Scattering Seed to the Wind

Yesterday, I scattered wildflower seed along a path where I walk. I don’t really care what comes up, or where, or if anything grows at all (maybe the birds had a feast on the seed!). Any flowers that happen to take root will be lovely. But I wouldn’t suggest that approach for marketing. Haphazardly shooting out a blog here, a white paper there, a tweet every now and then, etc. will never bring you the consistent, quality leads you need to sustain your business.

Mistake #4: Getting the Timing Wrong

My fruit- and veggie-growing friends assure me that timing is very important if you want to enjoy a healthy harvest. Plant too late, and there will be no time for the plant to mature enough to put food on your table. Similarly, marketing takes time to gain momentum and bring in results. If you are driving toward certain goals and objectives, make sure you start marketing at the right time to produce the harvest you want.

There are plenty of other lessons from the garden for businesses, but I can’t go into them now … I have to go work in my garden.

Author: Paula Marolewski

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Eight Work-From-Home Etiquette Tips

Eight Work-From-Home Etiquette Tips

Whether telecommuting is old hat or something you’ve been forced into as part of the COVID-19 shutdown, here are a few tips to make the experience run smoothly for both employers and employees.

Managing expectations

Successful work-from-home strategies always begin with clearly communicated expectations. Make sure your employees have any necessary equipment, tools and resources. Will they need to track their time? Participate in regularly scheduled meetings? Be available at certain times of day? For employees, know what you’re accountable for and clearly communicate any challenges you’re having.

Constant communication

Keep the lines of communication open and be accessible. Check in with employees regularly through apps like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts and Skype, or even an old-fashioned email or phone call. Be genuinely interested in how they’re doing but don’t overdo it. Foster a feeling of trust by not micromanaging.

Nine to five…ish

While having a daily schedule is ideal, it may not always be practical right now. Make sure your people know when you need them to be available and try to offer flexibility at other times. They may be juggling school schedules as well as work schedules and working at “off-shift” times may be necessary. Be mindful of employees in different time zones as well.

For employees, try to work when you’re at your best, and not when you’re exhausted by kindergarten playtime and fourth grade math. Make sure people know if you will be unavailable at certain times.

Taking a break

Getting up and moving clears the head and helps with creativity and problem-solving. Whether it’s a walk around the block or a break for lunch, make time to get away from your desk throughout the day.

Signing off

Working from home does not mean being available 24/7. Set an actual end to the workday if possible. Don’t send and respond to messages at all hours. Sign out of messaging apps and close work programs. Understand and respect these boundaries.

Location, location, location

When setting up a home office, think about where you will have the fewest distractions – for yourself and for those who may be seeing you and your background on a video conferencing platform. Try to avoid busy spots that may include semi-clad people walking behind you, barking dogs and kids vying for your attention.

Conferencing and calls

Be clear about whether you expect people to turn on their cameras during meetings. If so, be clear about how they should be dressed. During calls, mute your phone when you’re not talking to avoid background noise. Headphones can also help with call quality. When speaking, pause frequently so others can participate in the conversation.

Social engagement

It’s ok for managers and employees to have some down time together, which may help ward off feelings of isolation. Keep up your normal level of interaction, perhaps with a virtual coffee break or happy hour. Managers should set the tone for how casual to be. Let employees choose what they would like to share, and never pry into areas that were off-limits before.

Author: Erin Alderfer