First off, I seemed to have drifted off my marketing/branding agenda a bit. I'm basically ranting about some thoughts that have been circling my mind for some time and have finally had the time to get it out. It's not as smooth as I'd like, but felt it was important to get it down in hopes you can take something away from my ramblings.
A week or so ago I met with a friend of mine who had lost her marketing agency job. During the course of our conversation we focused on diving into what her core competencies are. Not only professional but personal. Tangible and intangible. Each one of us should do this time to time. Take a personal inventory of who we are and what we are about. What we offer clients or employers and what makes us happy and what do we enjoy doing. Thinking about this is one thing, but putting it down on paper in some sort of organizational chart is another. It'll graphically map out you. Then, based on your core compentencies what connections do you have that compliment those and who can you leverage? Add them to the chart. Pretty impressive isn't it? By putting down these items you'll realize that the whole is truly greater than the sum of its parts. Are you maximizing your network of relationships? I'm a firm believer in networking and the nurturing of those relationships.
I see this as an organic process that doesn't stay static long. As your experiences and knowledge increases, your competiencies shift. The journey of self-discovery never ends and the more we learn about ourselves, the more we can benefit our clients, peers and employers.
I'm sure many of you have the same issue I do, a work/life balance. There doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to fit everything in between work, family, friends, exercise, etc. Below is a link to an article that offers some great ideas for saving some time throughout the day.
Zenhabits Article
Recently, I ran across a great article that really outlines the insight into customers, how they take in information and how to tailor your campaigns towards them. In addition, the author's (Jane Paolucci) listing of "Create a Compelling Experience", must also include this experience being driven throughout the life of the campaign through generating conversations and keeping influencers engaged, but also a means to hold the customer's attention, build additional dialogs and continue to assist "virally" in getting the word out. Looking at every possible customer touchpoint can help with enhancing this experience. Interjecting the company or product brand should also be included to continue to strengthen the experience and brand.
Article link: http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/consumer%20strategies-social%20media-10-steps-to-capture-the-cool-crowd-_20099.html
The customer is the central point to all activities. With the latest production technologies such as variable data printing and electronic communications a customers preferences can be catered to, creating a maximum customer experience. Creating and maintaining a customer database, whether through a CRM system or a separate marketing database, is the first step. By taking the time to set this system up correctly for any and all of your anticipated needs, is the first step. In addition to the typical data captured (contact information, product interest, products owned) why not capture preference data? Data like what information the customer wishes to be sent, how often it should be sent and how it should be delivered. What about delivered with the customer’s logo as well? How else could communications be tailored to a customer preference?
Thoughts?