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How Does Your Marketing Stack Up?

August 11, 2017Lori Rohrbach

Take a moment to stop. Put your “to-do” list away. Forget about the next marketing meeting or sales presentation. Step back, put on your “objective” hat, and evaluate how your marketing efforts stack up when compared to these gritty quotes from the marketing trenches:

  1. “A year from now, you’ll wish you had started today.” – Karen Lamb
  • Do you have great aspirations for marketing your business … but they’re all on paper?
  • If so, where did things stall, and why?
  • What steps do you need to get past the inertia and make a start?

 

  1. “The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself.” – Peter F. Drucker
  • How well do you know your target market?
  • How specifically targeted is your marketing?
  • If you aren’t targeting your marketing, what needs to change to focus and sharpen your message?

 

  1. “Don’t be afraid to get creative and experiment with your marketing.” – Mike Volpe
  • Do you fear a marketing failure? If so, why?
  • What needs to change in your mindset, the expectations of others, or your corporate culture to make failure acceptable?
  • What have you learned from past failures that has helped you succeed later on?

 

  1. “Make your marketing so useful people would pay you for it.” – Jay Baer
  • How is your content relevant to your target market?
  • If your content lacks relevancy, why is that the case?
  • What do you need to do to maximize the value of your marketing content?

 

  1. “Marketing is really just about sharing your passion.” – Michael Hyatt
  • Does your content communicate energy and passion to the consumer?
  • If your content does not communicate energy and passion, where and why did it fail to do so?
  • Who in your company is most passionate about your products and services? How can you leverage their passion in your marketing content?

 

  1. “If your content isn’t driving conversation, you’re doing it wrong.” – Dan Roth
  • What is your social media strategy?
  • Are you using social media to engage in conversation with consumers, or simply to shout your message at people?
  • What needs to happen to truly engage in conversation with consumers through social media? (e.g., resources, budget, expertise)

 

  1. “You can’t expect to just write and have visitors come to you. That’s too passive.” – Anita Campbell
  • Have you fallen into the trap of developing marketing content but not marketing that content?
  • How are you driving traffic to your marketing content?
  • What new tools or tactics could you use to increase distribution and readership of your marketing content?

 

  1. “Money coming in says I’ve made the right marketing decisions.” – Adam Osborne
  • How are you measuring the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns?
  • Are any marketing efforts/campaigns “sacred cows” that don’t deliver results but can’t be touched? If so, why is that the case? How can you change the status quo?
  • Do you need better, more accurate metrics? If so, how can you implement them?

 

It’s time to go back to your “to-do” list and prepare for your next meeting. But one final question remains: Now that you’ve evaluated your marketing efforts, what changes do you need to make today to ensure your success tomorrow?

 

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

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