November 3, 2021
volunteer from your desktop
Finding community organizations that can use your help is as easy as opening your browser. It’s never been more convenient to connect with someone who needs your help and with the pandemic happening over the past year or more, this one came along at the right time for me. It’s almost as simple as raising your hand. No matter your expertise, there are people in your community or another one somewhere across the country that can use your help. I discovered Catchafire last year and have enjoyed getting involved with local non-profits from Maine to Minnesota. They’ve needed marketing help with strategy, writing for web or advertising, evaluating designs and creative brainstorming. All of those are right in my skill sets so I eagerly provided assistance. Finding Catchafire has been really satisfying at a time when I have expertise to offer to others.
Get involved with Catchafire when you visit their website (catchafire.org) and provide details on your personal profile. Identify your strengths, and the team and the algorithm behind the site take care of the rest. If you would like a longer term relationship, you can find that on the site. Or you can work with the group in time periods as short as an hour. I’ve done both and they are equally rewarding.
This is a great opportunity to stay involved with people and organizations that match your interests and strengths while never having to leave your desk top. Raise your hand and check out Catchafire. It’s worth your time.
May 5, 2021
Don’t Get Stuck
I’ve been working with a new creative team over the past couple of weeks. I introduced “Don’t Get Stuck” to them as we reviewed marketing messages from around the world. There’s a great YouTube video tracing some of the history of advertising during the past 13 months of the pandemic. You’ll no doubt recognize the brands that are included and the sameness that’s depicted in most of the messages. Big kudos to Microsoft Sam for the insightful editing of this video. It made me think about how companies should position brands now that people are moving outside, with fresh perspective.
Depending on local guidelines where you live, people are beginning to re-establish their lives at a pace that makes them comfortable. As marketers, this means you have to adjust your focus and communicate the values of your brand and how you’ll serve them going forward. After watching the video, it really made me convinced that companies have to proceed with care. You cannot afford to be a part of the sameness again. Resist the urge to frame your messages through a pandemic perspective. People are moving forward. It’s time to sell the virtues and values of your company’s products and services.
March 9, 2021
Burst Out of the Pandemic
You can feel it. Consumers are on the move. We’ve seen this happen multiple times in the past year. New habits. New family needs and new ways of working. It’s different this time though. From we’re all in this together about a year ago to get me out of here today. What can I do first?
How has your marketing changed? It’s time for media companies to move with consumers. You cannot be doing the same or similar stuff and expecting that things will stay or revert back to the norm. They won’t. People have higher expectations for news content and who they trust now. They will give you less of their time because THEY WILL BE DOING THINGS. Where will they get their news? From the few, reliable and trusted sources that demonstrate creativity, storytelling and value on each platform. Are you one of those?
How do you reach them? Real-time marketing. You have to listen, tune your ears not just your voice. Stay in step with their expectations. Have your coverage and posts reflect where consumers are going. Not where they are or where they’ve been. The time to move is now because people have been forced to rethink everything. As everyone emerges from the pandemic, there are new expectations formed by the past year. What are you doing to be there when they burst out?
And there will be a burst. Just think about it.
Activities with Friends.
Family Opportunities.
Hugs.
Movies?
Travel?
Dinners. Outside and then inside?
Concerts. Who can’t wait to go to a concert?
Brunches.
Baseball season.
Shopping in person.
Coffee in the park.
You get the idea. They may not have time for you.
Just think of the burst. Where will you be in their path? How can you gain an advantage over slower moving, more traditional approaches? It’s about tuning your messages for each experience, refining your brand focus and producing elements that reach them in real-time as they experience the burst out of the pandemic. People must know you hear them; you need them, and you will work for them. Get in real-time with people and win in the future.
February 22, 2021
Great Execution
Great Execution is one-in-a-million. I have lived by that mantra throughout my career in the media, consulting and marketing businesses. That does not mean you jump straight to production without first understanding your market, potential consumers and developing content that meets their needs. All of those are essential steps. They are just not places to get bogged down and stop. If your best idea never reaches the market, it’s only a good idea you never published.
When I work with marketing teams and we discuss creative ideas, I stress that it’s never going to be a great campaign until you produce it, place it and consumers see it. That campaign sitting on your hard drive or stuck in the approval process will never motivate anyone to love your product or service. At some point, your team will need to make it happen. So make that great plan and get moving. Just remember when sitting around your table or online conference call, plans are a-dime-a-dozen, great execution is one-in-a-million. The time to move is now.
February 17, 2021
Moving Forward.
Making choices. Establishing priorities. Setting and achieving milestones and goals. This may sound like a business strategy meeting, but far from it. I made one of the easiest personal decisions in my life last year when I moved back to the Twin Cities to get our family back together full time. And yet, it was one of the hardest decisions of my career to leave a terrific job, and team, in Denver. We had changed the way marketing was done and it was paying off. It was the right move, however, and I am happy and fortunate to have the support of my family and that flexibility in my life.
Now it’s on to the next. I’ve put fresh energy into my marketing business for media, local businesses and non-profits. I’m energized by the people I talk with and learn from each day while networking in the “new pandemic-induced way.” I do know that the values and skills I have gained over the years working with smart people and good companies will carry me forward.
I rarely spend a lot of time looking back thinking I should have changed things. Instead, I spend my energy looking at opportunities ahead, finding the next best thing. That’s continuing on the marketing train helping businesses grow, and share any knowledge along the way. Marketing to people is certainly changing; sometimes not for the best. I am excited by the challenges and look forward working with others who share that enthusiasm.
Empower Your Business.
It all starts with a conversation and we will build your plan for success.