Nogen går i læ, når det blæser – andre sætter drager op.

De seneste 18 måneder har givet grå hår i hovedet på mange virksomhedsejere, ledere og medarbejdere.

Hvor længe varer det tilbageslag, som vi oplever lige nu ?

Hvornår er det rette tidspunkt at skære ned, tilpasse sin organisation og sine salg- og marketing initiativer til en generelt lavere økonomisk aktivitet ?

Eller er det nu, at der skal skabes forbedringer i salg og marketingledelsen, så brandet vitaliseres f.x via tilpasning af produktportefolien, udvikling af salgskanalerne og synlighed i markedet ?

De overvejelser, som spørgsmålene giver, er værd at bruge lidt tid på.

For selvom mange markeder er svundet betragteligt ind, fordi forbrugerne vælger at nedbringe gæld eller spare op i stedet for at forbruge, så er markederne der jo stadig.

Og kampen om markedsandele stopper jo ikke. Beslutter man sig for krybe ind læskuret, så overlader man i alle tilfælde kampen og dens præmisser til de andre. Det betyder, at man kommer til at leve med resultatet.

Måske vågner man op til en konkurrencesituation, som man ikke er klar til.

Der er gjort mange betragtninger i senere måneder, om hvorledes marketingparametrene kan tilpasses i en så dramatisk situation, som vi ser nu. Det mest berømte eksempel er et stort amerikansk ølfirma, der for en række år siden stoppede al markedsføringaktivitet i én stat for at se resultatet. Meget overraskende steg salget de første måneder, hvor man tærede på den brandvalue, man havde. Derefter faldt salget – og det blev det ved med. Konkurrenterne havde overtaget billedet i forbrugerens bevidsthed. Prøv selv at google efter resultater, som er relevant for netop dit marked.

I krisetider handler dialogen om markedsføring og salg alt for om den manglende risiko ved at skære ned. Logikken er som reglen, at det gør konkurrenterne også, og derfor holder man share of voice og dermed sin relation til sine kundesegmenter. Umiddelbart lyder det jo fornuftigt nok, hvis forudsætningen holder – at alle kryber ind i læskuret.

Nogle vil også mene, at det vi oplever lige nu er, at vinden har lagt sig helt – Så man kan slet ikke sætte drager op !

Uanset hvilket sortsyn man vælger, så er der en anden option. At gøre det bedre – at give sine parametre og processer et sundhedstjek. Er prisen sat rigtigt, er produktet rigtigt specificeret, arbejder vi ud gennem de rigtige og mest effektive kanaler, har vi et kommunikativt flow, der både fastholder vores relation til vores nuværende kunder og bygger nye relationer op, står vores brand med de styrker, som vi ønsker osv.

Hos Strategy2tactics møder vi flere typer virksomheder, og nogle føler sig forståeligt nok fanget. Tilbageslag i markederne har kostet omsætning, og det har forringet resultaterne, og spørgsmålet er ofte: Hvordan kommer vi videre – under hensyn til at ressourcerne er begrænsede.

Vores svar er som reglen: Fokuser på at få dragen op – brug den vind, der er. Glæd dig over at der er trængsel i læskuret.

Og den gode nyhed er, at er man åben for at se på sit marketingmix med nye øjne, så åbner der sig som reglen også muligheder for at skabe bedre resultater uden øgede omkostninger. Og de forbedringer giver vedvarende konkurrencefordele.

Vi oplever også at det kræver en voldsom ledelsesindsats, medarbejdere og ledere skal motiveres til at gøre op med gamle vaner, der skal sættes nye mål, skabes en ny fælles virkelighed, arbejdsmetoder skal tilpasses, organisation og processer skal måske også have en tur. Men det er der jo tid til hvis kunderne ikke står i kø. Så der et velvalgt tidspunkt.

Netop i det spændfelt arbejder Strategy2Tactics. Hvordan man kommer fra ide til handling.

Så vi tager gerne en dialog med dig og din organisation – hvis du altså skal ud og sætte drager op.

-        Bloggen her er ment som et oplæg til dialog og diskussion – så giv dine synspunkter tilkende.

[Via http://soerenmichaelpihl.wordpress.com]

Social Media is here to stay, but....

So I’ve really been trying to wrap my head around this whole social media craze. I understand and agree that it’s the wave of the future, but I still struggling with finding my fit in the big picture.

On a personal level, it’s been great catching up with long, lost friends from 100 years ago. That’s working for me. Exchanging casual small-talk with friends is fun and great to know what everyone’s doing, even though their Facebook posts seem much more exciting than anything I could think to share. You see, my kids are grown and gone…no soccer scores to share, no academic successes to report, just mundane day to day stuff. Well, my daughter is getting married and we’re planning a big “to-do”, but I’m not compelled to share all those details with the general public. My close friends know what’s going on because we’re plugged into each others lives on a more personal level. They’re not reading about it on Facebook, I’m sharing the news with them, well, in person or over the phone.

Now, on a more professional level, I’ve spent much time analyzing the efficacy of promoting a non-profit business through social media and have found it has much more substance, at least for my needs. There are so many ways to connect with followers and fans on so many levels that it’s created the need for a whole new marketing strategy. The traditional pay, print and distribute method will continue for some time, however digital advertising will eventually shut the presses down and shift the focus to electronic delivery. Until this new delivery system is firmly in place, we need to embrace social media as the most current electronic method of delivery and take full advantage of it’s strength. For now, it is the most viral means of connecting to our constituents that exists and we’d be remiss in turning our back on it’s effectiveness.

As you begin evaluating your social marketing plan and how best to implement, remember, everything in moderation. If everything you put in front of your constituents is promotional in nature, it can potentially become a turn-off and counterproductive. Do you have a marketing plan in place for social media? How are you balancing the business end with a personal touch? Share your thoughts.

[Via http://jagras.wordpress.com]

Balancing Platform and the Novel

At a recent conference I attended, almost all the agents and editors on staff agreed that platform should consume 50% of the time you dedicate to your novel before it’s published.  Some recommended getting started as early as three years before you have a book.

I don’t know about you guys, but backing up to three years before having a publishable novel puts me somewhere around “What’s show don’t tell?” and “What do you mean there are 47 different kinds of third person?”  Not to mention, 50% of my writing time brings me down to a handful of hours a week.

Realistically, most aspiring novelists are still learning to write novels.  And then they have to write them.  All while holding down a full-time job (stay-at-home moms and students, I count you).

Even coming from a marketing background, I had to put the whole thing off for four years for my novel’s sake.  Any my sanity’s.  My marketing plans are just beginning to roll out now in the areas of blogging, social networking (on and offline), online and print advertising, and library seminars.  Below are some tricks I use to squeeze these platform elements in while still finalizing my novel.

Structure, structure, structure. I only get 15 waking hours per week to myself.  So structure is crucial.  I have set times for blogging, online networking, writing and attending events.

Goodbye Perez Hilton. Somewhere along the way, I developed an addiction to surfing the Internet.  Good news!  Blogging accommodates this.  I’ve replaced Perez, my private Facebook page and a million other bookmarked news sites with writer blogs, forums and Facebook pages relevant to my goals.  Commenting on such sites is the best short-term way to drive traffic to my own blog and conveniently scratches my Perez itch.

Google Reader. Subscribing to my favorite writing blogs with Google Reader shaves time off this crucial element of online networking.  If you aren’t familiar with news readers, go to http://www.google.com/reader and watch the tutorial.  It’s easy.

Evergreen posts. I try to schedule my blog posts about a week in advance so I can come down with the flu if need to, or even better, can finish a scene if I’m hot with an idea.  Which brings me to…

Strike while the iron is hot. If an idea for a blog post or a scene comes to me, I WRITE IT DOWN.  If it’s technically novel-writing time and I have a blog post burning a hole in my brain, I write the post.  This eventually evens itself out.

One social event per quarter. This is a random and personal quantity, but I have a quota of one writer event per quarter.  It keeps me out there in the writing world without overwhelming me.  Critique group doesn’t count, by the way.  The social events always have to be with new people.

Check traffic only once per day. HAHAHAHA.  I tried.

Write when it’s time to write. I used to procrastinate during my writing times (with Perez as my accomplice).  Now if I need a little transition time, I’ll comment on some blogs or forums.  But then I shut the internet down and write.  No time for messing around now.

Choosing how and when to build platform is personal. It may be a huge priority for you or you may buck the whole thing.  I’m pulling for you either way.  But if you are juggling with platform and have some time-management tips for the rest of us, we’d all appreciate your insights in the comments.

[Via http://disobedientwriter.wordpress.com]

Dealing with Failure: How you can learn from Toyota

We’ve all been there.  We make mistakes that might only lead to inconvenience or a little wasted time, or maybe its impact leads to thousands upon thousands of dollars.  How to deal with failure can change the outcome in the long run, and influence your long term success.

Let’s take a moment to examine the recent situation involving Toyota and their malfunctioning automobiles.  Historically, Toyota has been know for, and built a brand on safety and reliability.  It’s been the primary factor in their success in luring away customers from the American brands like Chevrolet and Ford.  But then, the accelerator started sticking in some cars.  There were reports of drivers crashing, flying out of control and not being able to slow down or stop.  People panicked, and Toyota did too.  They blamed the customer; top level management went strangely underground and weak promises of resolutions lacking substance were made by mid-managers.  The entire situation destroyed any semblance of dedication to fixing the issue at any cost.

This should be an educational experience for both businesses and individuals.  How you respond to failure or crisis changes our potential for long term success.  If you’ve failed in some way, or are experiencing a crisis in your career, keep these points in mind.

Own it.

You’ve failed, it’s over now and the dust is starting to settle and everyone is looking at you.  This is probably the most important action you can take.  Stand up straight away and admit your momentary lapse in judgment.  Tell people that you did indeed make the mistake and have a repentant attitude.  Remember, part of what people want is just to know it wasn’t intentional and that you are truly sorry.  They want to blame, but you take away the blame game, and own the mistake.  In a company, this needs to be done as quickly as possible by the leader, the CEO of the company.  Mr. Toyoda learned this lesson rather painfully this year.

Provide direction.

Now you have instilled some trust and shown character in your ownership and willingness to be accountable.  Now provide some direction in how you’ll work towards resolution.  Lay out your plan, and try as best you can to get the right people lined up with you to fix the problem, and make the outcome even better than originally expected.  Show people you’re not done, you’ve learned a lesson and it’s time to drive it to completion and build back the trust.  This might be trust from your boss or coworkers, or like our example, your customers who swore by your product for 10 years only to now consider buying a different car because of something they watched on the news.

Strap in.

That’s right, it’s going to be a grind.  It’s time to examine everything to make sure that you understand where your decision making process broke down.  Take the time to really dig into your thought process and information gathering processes.  You have to help everyone understand the entire scenario that led to this failure or crisis, and how to avoid it moving forward.  It’s time to think about how to avoid this in the future.

Don’t waste it!

You’ve heard the old saying, never waste a good crisis.  This is so true.  You have a newfound willingness to examine yourself and your broken habits and make positive changes.  Now you have removed the blinders that were there from ego or refusal to make an introspective examination of yourself, and can really improve.  Acknowledge this in yourself, and take advantage of it.  Make positive change now, and watch people notice (they’re watching you).

Attack!

You can come out of this stronger than when it started.  People will look at your differently because they’ll remember your strong character and willingness to be accountable not only for the bad decision, but the resolution.  They’ll hold on to your leadership as things improve.  If you are able to make things even better than they were supposed to be in the first place, that will carry even more weight.  It’s time to get on the offensive now, start making up ground and moving forward.  For Toyota, they need a structured plan of attack to reclaim market share, and lay claim to even more.  You better believe Ford and Chevy are on a full on attack of Toyota and their market share, and if you think that your screw up won’t bring your own competition out of the wood work looking to drive down your individual market share in the office, you’re dead wrong.

It’s interesting how you can learn from the crisis in a global corporation and apply some of those same principals to your own reaction to failure in your life.  Take care as these situations unfold, and carefully choose each next step.  They will definitely have a significant impact on your success for years to come after the mistake.  Let me know what you think about this.  Have you had a major crisis in your life that you handled poorly, and learned from?  Perhaps you handled one beautifully, and learned from that?  I’d love to hear about it here in the form of a comment, or on Twitter at http://twitter.com/matt_schmitt/.  Let’s connect today!

Matthew Schmitt

[Via http://matthew-schmitt.com]

Why Use Twitter?

Why do people use Twitter?

And, more importantly…

How does Twitter help with marketing?

There are a lot of people who don’t understand the uses and advantages of using Twitter, and therefore, they argue with the fact that Twitter really does help in marketing products and spreading the word on brands. Nay-sayers think Twitter is a way to pretend you’re “friends” with celebrities, or to post every detail of your day. It’s not!

Twitter is social networking at its finest. You choose who you follow and who is allowed to follow you. You can re-tweet (RT)  important information, and create lists to narrow your results — among other things.

But why do people use Twitter? Does it make them feel like they’re important, like they have more friends, or is there something more to it?Twitter, in one of its most beneficial advantages, provides you with a live, up-to-date news feed, providing you with the news before many news outlets can. You can search for trends in tweets and reply to other users almost immediately after they post.

Twitter also gives you feedback from customers, consumers, and followers. Mentions of your username (e.g. @QuinlanCompany), are traced back to you so you can review what others are saying about you. This shows you how your brand or company is being received, and can help you change or improve on certain areas if need be.

Twitter helps you reach out to a wider audience, and lets you connect with them on a personal level. Twitter helps promote events and products, getting your word out to the world. It is also a way to share ideas casually all the while connecting to your audience and building relationships with them.

Twitter also helps with search engine rankings. Twitter gives you the ability to share direct links to your sites with millions of users, and the opportunity for those users to RT your link to others. Your search engine rankings will improve the more you use key words, post links, and mention your brand. Frequency is key! Post often and regularly with relevant information to your audience and you will see results.

Don’t have anything to Tweet about? You don’t need to! Let the news and topics come to you. Create a custom news feed. Check your lists. Ask questions. Twitter is custom-made just for you. Give it a chance, and you’ll understand the appeal.

[Via http://quinlancompany.wordpress.com]

Marketing Vs. Selling : Go to Market

“Marketing is what you do to make the sale possible — before your first contact with the prospect. Selling is what you do to make that contact and close the sale,” Parker writes.

Both of these are an important part of starting a business. But for many freelancers, marketing is an almost insurmountable task.

According to Parker, there are two primary reasons writers fail at marketing. First, she says they try too hard. That as writers, we expect to come up with the “perfect” marketing pitch – something unforgettable, something smashing.

The truth is, you have to be in it to win it. Or as the instructor of a marketing class Parker took said, If you’re there, you’ll get your share.

Chances are good you don’t suck. I mean, you may, I haven’t personally evaluated your work, but so long as you don’t completely suck, if you put yourself out there you will do some business. But you won’t do any business if potential clients don’t know you exist.

Second, Parker says that writers fail because when they get busy, they focus on the client work and fail to continue marketing themselves. When we’re swamped, like in up past our ears so that all that peaks over the piles of paperwork on our desks is our eyebrows, the last thing we want to think about is finding more work. But guess what? If we don’t, when we finish wading through that pile of papers, there won’t be another one waiting.

In order to make sure you don’t end up in a dead zone, with work behind you but none in front of you, it is essential that you develop a marketing plan and that you stick to it. This is not nearly as daunting of a task as it may seem.

The fist step is to do some market research. At the most basic level, marketing research is figuring out who your clients are and what they want.

If you know a few people who fall into your target demographic, invite them over for pizza and beer and tap their brains. If not, do what I’m doing.

Today, I began doing the preliminary work for my own market research. I put “Astoria” and “Chamber of Commerce” into Google and hit the search button. After realizing that there are a lot of places named “Astoria,” I refined my search and found the Queens Chamber of Commerce website. Listed there are a ton of local businesses.

I began by scrolling through them looking for likely prospects. I believe that my services will be more in demand among service vendors than among retailers; there may also be some demand from manufacturers. In addition to looking for potential clients / contacts, I checked out local small business events on the site’s event calendar and scanned the list for potential competition.

My next step will be to compile a list of contacts and contact information. I will write up a few questions (Do you hire a writer for your marketing materials? Would you? Why or why not? What would you pay for said services?) and then call, tell them I’m starting a small business and would like to ask them their opinion on a few things.

I’ll ask about what these people read, where they look for services, and what kind of small business events they attend.

Recording the answers for a dozen or so calls will give me a pretty good feel for the potential demand for a writer in the area. It may turn up potential competition. If I need more information, I make more calls, until I feel like I have a good idea how to reach the clients that I want to work for/with.

The next step will be deciding what steps to take based upon this information.

[Via http://jargonwriter.wordpress.com]

Heineken Champions League prank!

A truly geeeenius piece of buzz marketing done for Heineken by JWT Italia (well beyondM25).

They got 200+ football lovers partners/lecturers/bosses to convince their man to reluctantly go to a classic music concert on the same night that the AC Milan vs Real Madrid champions league match was live on Sky Sports, one of the biggest clashes you can find in football.

Once the concert started words start appearing on the screen behind the performers and it soon becomes clear that they have been pranked and then they start to show the match cementing the message that Heineken are ‘made to entertain’

In the days following the stunt was tweeted, blogged and covered in the news (TV and Print) all over the world – Brilliantly clever!

Thanks MyModernMET for sharing

[Via http://beyondm25.wordpress.com]