Tag Archives: change in the workplace

Mobile marketing – The Internet just got personal

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mobile marketing

I have been around the block a few times with websites, email, marketing solutions and branding services. My background “started” in graphics and communications. I remember the day when I would get buzzed from my design markers and super 77 spray glue (that glue would make my hair unruly for days). I would start my day by gathering my design tools of layout bond, rulers, exacto knives, and that little orange cone-shaped can filled with solvent, that removed any blemish or mistake.

Fast forward to today….Now I am living in digital world where all of the tools I once had at my disposal are still in existence, only virtual and available to me with one click. Having remained on the cutting edge over the years and transitioning from a marker and paper artist to a digital artist specializing in website design, to more recently a digital marketing strategist, I have to say that the latest trend towards capturing an audience, which totally blows my hair back is mobile applications and smart phones. These little programs can scan a credit card, purchase merchandise from my favorite store, keep my kids busy while we are traveling on vacation, find my favorite radio station, search for my favorite recipes and much more. Now I don’t have to wait until I get home to have access to the most amazing technology of our time.

The big push now is to take all of the data that’s coming in from web, search, CRM, ecommerce, mobile and email while making sense of it all. An effective marketer in today’s business will be able to take all of the digital footprints and touchpoints and make intelligent decisions in leading a company forward. He will be worth his weight in gold and able to answer the questions of the day: How am I able to capture leads, what is the most effective way to generate those leads, and how can I nurture my leads and turn them in to customers? What about brand loyalty, what makes my company unique?

CEO’s are still grappling with the ROI on this new little diddy and I have to say that it’s time to get on board or you will remain behind the curve and miss your opportunity to stand out from the competition. The numbers don’t lie, on Tuesday, Google‘s Senior VP of mobile devices Andy Rubin revealed that the Internet search giant presently activates close to three-quarters of one-million Android mobile phones daily. iPhone activity is even higher beating Android 2-1 on app downloads. Even though more users are on Android, iPhone users seem to love the ease of use to gain access via the smart phone so they download twice as much.

Social media is transforming communities (and even toppling regimes). This story from Nashville, is a good example of how access to smart phones helped a community get information when timing was critical:

During last Sunday’s storm, 44,000 Nashvillians were without power (myself included). The only way I was able to receive critical information about the severe weather advisories and the growing flood problem was through Twitter and Facebook on my phone.

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If having a smart phone makes you smarter than I would say having a smart app to promote your business and stay connected with your audience is the smartest decision to reaching a generation “on the go”. Social media integration, sharing information to those that you influence, avoiding long lines in a check out, saving money on gas, personalizing my shopping experience, these are positive signs towards mobile business in a mobile friendly world.

For more research on this topic, check out the following links:

Android apps more popular than IOS – Huffington Post

Google activates 700,000 devices everyday – Mobile Marketing Watch

The Online Customer – Daily Infographic

Tried and True but not Tired – Search Engine Land

Marketers…Do you lack “business credibility” with your CEO?

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73% of CEOs Think Marketers Lack Business Credibility: They Can’t Prove They Generate Business Growth

They are not effectiveness-focused enough, leading to CEO-Marketer disconnect

LONDON, 15 June 2011 – 73% of CEOs think Marketers lack business credibility and are not the business growth generators they should be: they are still too far from being able to demonstrate how the cross-channel marketing strategies and campaigns they deploy grow their organisations’ top line in terms of more customer demand, more sales, more prospects, more conversions or more market share.

That’s one of the key findings The Fournaise Marketing Group, one of the global leaders in Marketing Performance Science to Generate More Customer Demand, identified through its 2011 Global Marketing Effectiveness Program in which it interviewed more than 600 Large corporation and SMB CEOs and decision-makers in the US, Europe, Asia and Australia.

The top issues CEOs have with their Marketers are:

  1. They keep on talking about brand, brand values, brand equity and other similar parameters that their top management has great difficulties linking back to results that really matter: revenue, sales, EBIT or even market valuation (77%)
  2. They focus too much on the latest marketing trends such as social media, because they believe they represent the new marketing frontiers – but can rarely demonstrate how these trends will help them generate more business for the company (74%)
  3. When asked to increase their Marketing ROI, they tend to understand it as cost cutting through better economies of scale or negotiations with their third-party partners and agencies, instead of top-line growth generation: more revenue, more sales, more prospects, more buyers (73%)
  4. They are always asking for more money, but can rarely explain how much incremental business this money will generate (72%)
  5. They bombard their stakeholders with marketing data that hardly relate to or mean anything for the company’s P&L (70%)
  6. Unlike CFOs and Sales Forces, they don’t think enough like businesspeople: they focus too much on the creative, “arty” and “fluffy” side of marketing and not enough on its business science, and rely too much on their ad agencies to come up with the next big idea (67%)

The worrying part: while 73% of CEOs think Marketers lack business credibility and are not effectiveness-focused enough to generate incremental customer demand, 69% of the Marketers Fournaise talked to feel their strategies and campaigns do make an impact on the company’s business, even though they can’t precisely quantify or prove it – confirming the great CEO-Marketers disconnect.

“Until Marketers start speaking the P&L language of their CEOs and stakeholders, and until they start tracking the business effectiveness of all their strategies and campaigns to prove they generate incremental customer demand, they will continue to lack credibility in the eyes of their CEOs and will continue to be seen more as a cost centre than an asset” said Jerome Fontaine, CEO & Chief Tracker of Fournaise.

For more FournaiseTrack – Media Releases

Top Ten Financial Resolutions to keep in 2011

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For many, the magic of the holiday season begins to fade as soon as they realize how much they spent over the holidays and calculate how big their credit card bills are going to be. On the bright side, the New Year offers the perfect opportunity to set attainable financial goals. Following are some examples of financial New Year’s resolutions worth keeping:

1. I will make informed financial decisions, understanding the difference between wants and needs.
2. I will communicate with my family about money matters so that we are all working toward the same goals.
3. I will be aware of the effects of advertising on the financial decisions I make, and resolve not to be influenced by them.
4. I will take care of my finances today by tracking expenses and creating a budget that is flexible and realistic.
5. I will take care of my finances tomorrow by saving for my future.
6. I will meet the credit obligations I have made on time and as agreed.
7. I will continue my personal education about financial health, budgeting, credit, and personal debt.
8. I will plan for periodic expenses, including the next holiday season.
9. By setting a good example, I will teach my children the importance of budgeting, saving, and the wise use of credit.
10. Finally, if I am over-obligated, I will take the necessary steps to seek assistance.

The Secret To Success…Passion

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I get asked frequently, in this economy, “How is your business doing?” I tell all, “That we are thriving and that most of our clients are thriving.” They then ask, “What makes the difference?” I then give them the advice Jon  Gordon articulates, The strongest may survive but it is the passionate that will thrive. If you want to be successful today you must do the tough thing and prune your team, and then load your team with passionate people… and most of all you must be passionate yourself. In the past maybe you could be lukewarm and mediocre and still be successful. Not anymore. Now, in today’s competitive environment, your passion and your purpose must be greater than your challenges. You have to be willing to work harder, run faster, drive further, study more, practice longer, lead better, sweat more, love deeper and this requires passion. Passion wakes you up earlier. It dials your phone one more time to make one more sale. It rallies your team together when times are tough. It moves you to see one more patient after a long day at the hospital. It provides legendary customer service. Passion transforms workplaces.

But what about someone who has a low paying job or who is in a job that quite frankly is hard to be passionate about you might ask? I get this question often and my answer is: “It’s not the job or the money you are being paid but the passion that you bring to your job that matters.” After all, I’ve got fast food worker clients who are more passionate about their jobs than some of the professional athletes making millions of dollars that we serve.

 

If your people aren’t passionate about the work they do and the people they work with, and if they aren’t passionate about your brand and mission, then you need to let them off the team so they can find another team where they can live their passion. This is good for them and it’s good for your team.
By letting disengaged employees off the team you make room for those who are passionate about your team and organization-and with a company filled with passionate people you will thrive while others merely try to survive.
This article was posted by Wayne Essex, you can contact him for more information

Wayne T. Essex PhD. – Essex & Associates

 

Accepting Change

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What sets an employee apart from the rest? There is an attitude that you can display that makes you a valuable employee, consider this:

Accepting Change
It’s a common trait – people don’t like change. But in our fast-paced world, change is inevitable, especially in your career. Even if you’re not planning on making a career change in the near future, your employer may have a different idea for you. Here are a few tips to help you cope if change comes your way.

First, expect your job description to evolve. Companies are constantly growing, presenting the need for employees to change or to take on additional responsibilities. Be flexible and accept changes as opportunities for you to gain experience in new areas.

Next, check your attitude at the door. Many times employees react to changes they don’t like by adopting the “I’ll only do as much as I have to” attitude. In the end, though, no one is hurt except for your image. Accepting change and moving on with a professional attitude will demonstrate an ability to be flexible, helping your image in the long run.

Lastly, change is more easily accepted if you understand the reasons behind them. If your manager communicates an upcoming change to you, ask why the changes are coming and how they will benefit the company. Avoid appearing resistant, but rather be excited about new challenges.

Overall, take on change with an open mind. While adjustments may be difficult, an optimistic point of view will help make any transition easier.

This post was from Christian Jobs weekly – ChristianJobs.com