There are a lot of “marketing speak” terms and phrases used to illustrate wins in strategy (sometimes overused, to be honest). “We really moved the needle on our KPIs” or “Our shift to more focused smarketing made a significant impact on ROI.”
With the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, perhaps no term was more frequently used than pivot. And rightfully so. What else were businesses supposed to do when the world came crashing down?
In my blog last week, I referenced that I believe I’m becoming a “real, human marketer.” What I meant by that is that I’ve started to look at everything from a marketing, branding, customer journey, and customer experience perspective. I would not go so far as to say “the student has become the master” (I still have a lot to learn), but it’s actually quite fascinating to observe the world in this new(ish) light.
One thing I’ve observed is that brands who “do it right” share this defining characteristic: They really take care of their customers.
I do a lot of research when writing content for clients. Recently, I ran across a link that seemed it would be largely supportive of one of my blog assignments. It was a gated article, which is fine—I don’t mind filling out a form.
Last week’s biz buzz included a debate on whether or not Kylie Jenner is truly the youngest “self-made” billionaire. As part of the Kardashian empire, commentators on either side questioned whether Kylie’s fame and fortune prior to starting her makeup line excludes her from the self-made designation.
Skeptics would say she had plenty of support and thus doesn’t deserve the title. Supporters would say she used her own money to start the company and the success that followed was very much in her control.
I subscribe to a daily inspirational email newsletter, which doesn’t always spark me as so much “inspirational” but rather a bit preachy. However, from time-to-time, the creator (Jerry Del Colliano) gets me into a light-bulb state of mind. One recent topic was, “People Want to Buy, Not Be Sold.” The writer prefaced his quick snippet of wisdom with the following:
That’s true not only of merchandise and services, but ideas and concepts.
If you have a great idea for your team, spend much of your effort into getting them to buy it from you rather than have you sell it to them. If you have a daughter or son who could benefit from your wisdom, don’t push it, get them to buy it from you.
Sometimes content marketers and their writers get lucky. A client who has diverse blog content needs is a near-ideal situation, particularly if the topic matter is fresh, new, and ever-changing. I specify blog content, because the downside to this situation would be spending exorbitant amounts of money to continually produce other assets, like brochures, ebooks, one-pagers, and the like.
When I was visiting my sister and her family over the Thanksgiving holiday, we got into a conversation about customer service based on an instance where my two nephews were attempting to order at Panda Express. The key word here is “attempting.”
Last week I wrote about the little “aha” moments I’ve been experiencing lately, sparked by a few eye-opening webinars I’d attended. I love that these continuing education opportunities are so accessible and so affordable (aka, free).
And, they’ve been extremely inspirational—not just for contributions to the White Space blog, but in my everyday work and working relationships.
Do you ever get that feeling, that intuition, which then becomes validated? My response is usually, “I knew it!” as I high-five myself (or the nearest of my two kitties) for trusting my gut.
I’ve been getting little affirmations here and there after recently attending a handful of free webinars on content marketing, branding, and the importance of collaboration—specifically in terms of the effort everyone here at White Space has contributed to our refreshed value prop: Let’s do more, together.
Sunday, September 30 marked the last day of the 2018 Major League Baseball (MLB) regular season. I grew up a Minnesota Twins fan and have many fond memories associated with the team; most notably seeing the team go from “worst to first” when they won the 1991 World Series.
