October 7, 2014 · 11:06 am

Look Through The Windshield

Today’s wake up call comes from the good folks at Hubspot.  They do a report each year on their area of expertise which is inbound marketing.  What the heck is that?  Well, you’re sort of reading some now, since the screed is not just a way for me to blow excess verbiage out of my system but also a way for people who might need some help with their business to see how I think and where I can help.  Company blogs (yes, I’m a company) are a form as are corporate social media and SEO.  Inbound marketing is just a fancy way to describe content companies put out there to attract the right customers and to generate leads.

Hubspot’s report – The 2014 State of Inbound Report reviews how companies are using this marketing form.  It contains the aforementioned wakeup call as they discuss measuring ROI – return on investment of those activities:

Given the compounding benefits of measuring ROI, you’d assume most marketers would list it as their top initiative. Surprisingly, very few marketers — even marketing leadership — are prioritizing it. Only 15% of marketers ranked “proving the ROI of our marketing activities” as their #1 marketing priority and a little over half (53%) of marketers we surveyed are measuring ROI.

Yikes.  Almost half aren’t even attempting to figure out if what they’re doing is providing them with the desired results.  Marketers should have a clear way to measure success otherwise how can they allocate resources in a manner that maximizes the benefits of their marketing efforts?

I wish I could say I’m surprised but I’m not.  The “newness” of new media seems to obfuscate the fact that part of the benefit of digital is that it is highly measurable.  It’s not just knowing for the sake of knowing either.  As the report says, marketers that measure ROI are 12X more likely to generate a greater return year-over-year than a lower return. In other words, simply the act of measuring ROI correlates with positive results. 

You wouldn’t drive a car without looking through the windshield.  Not measuring the results of, and return from, your marketing or any other business activity is doing just that.  While driverless cars may almost be here, business activities will never become that way.  If we don’t look out the windshield we’re heading for a wreck.  Thoughts?

Leave a comment

Filed under Consulting, digital media

Tagged as , , , , , ,

October 6, 2014 · 12:37 pm

Say Yes!

As we start the week, how about we all try something? This week, let’s all agree to say “yes!” as often as we can. Sounds simple, right? Hopefully so. I’m willing to wager that you’ll be surprised at how often your instinct is to say something else, however.yes-238373_640

    • When someone walks into your office with a new product idea that might mean a lot of extra time and effort but could pay off nicely if it works, what’s your instinct?
    • When you are sent an article from a writer that has a different view of politics from you, what’s your instinct with respect to investing the time to hear the writer out?
    • When your significant other suggests making it a meatless Monday, what’s your instinct?
    • When someone says they need an answer RIGHT NOW, what’s your instinct?

The above and dozens of other questions are all about a couple of things.  First, it’s about escaping your comfort zone and pushing yourself to explore new things. It’s about learning and expanding your knowledge base even if it never changes your opinion.  It’s about, in the words of the famous Alka Seltzer spot, listening when someone says “try it you’ll like it” and having an open mind. Sure, there will be the occasional bout of heartburn but there may also be some phenomenal discoveries.

Finally, it’s about all of us (me included and maybe in particular!) bringing a lot more positive energy to a world where things often seem kind of negative.  Happiness and a positive attitude can be catching, just like a sneeze or hiccups.  Let’s try spreading them around.

Yes?

Leave a comment

Filed under Reality checks, Thinking Aloud, Uncategorized

Tagged as , , ,

October 3, 2014 · 10:47 am

Whose Side Are You/They On?

This week’s Foodie Friday Fun comes from an experience I had last weekend.

Casa Bonita food service

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Mrs. and I went out for dinner with another couple and usually when the four of us go out we try new places. I had discovered a new-ish place not far from us and when I did my research the reviews were interesting. The praise for the food was pretty universal but many people mentioned the service as ranging from just OK to complete inattentive.

We went anyway figuring that finding really good food at a reasonable price could overcome mediocre service. As it turned out once we met the owner it became obvious why the service reviews weren’t great. He is European and the service is as well. The staff didn’t hover. They allowed for conversation. They refilled the water glasses at the appropriate time, made sure we had wine, and brought the food at a leisurely pace. Very much NOT what most Americans expect in my mind but it did raise a question.

I suspect that the reviewers might have gone to the new place thinking they had to find something wrong.  I think they might have assumed that any new place wouldn’t pass muster.  I also think there is a side to each of us (and I know I’m very much guilty of this) that thinks any business is trying to screw them somehow.  We’re all a little jaded with how many businesses behave.  Marketing is misleading, loud, and relentless.  Customer service is non-existent.  However, we might be just as guilty.

Ever been rude to a server or a sales clerk?  Do you allow the fact that the “customer is always right” to turn into a misplaced sense of entitlement?  Your dollars don’t permit you to be a jerk.

The message is that we need to assume that any business is on our side until they prove themselves to be otherwise.  Businesses have to assume the same thing about their customers.  Most of them are not out to get us nor to destroy our reputations via social media and word of mouth unless we really deserve it (and some places do!).  As with the case of the “slow” service, maybe they don’t quite understand what we’re doing and a little note on the menu about “our unhurried service is to permit you to enjoy the food and one another” would clear it up.

Clear?

Leave a comment

Filed under food, Thinking Aloud

Tagged as , , , , ,