Exploring New Territory: Baby Boomers, Foreign Cultures, Digital Influence

Change is a constant in business today. What worked last month may need a tweak this month. Even though there are core elements to business that remain, change is constant. For example, we have to market our company, service or message to acquire more business–that’s a core element.  But some of the things we do in order to market our business are things we didn’t do five years ago. And I’m curious to see what will join the mix in the next five years … because things change.

Replacing Baby Boomers

In “When Big Companies Go Back to School, Will Small Businesses Benefit?” Anita Campbell says:

“Despite widespread unemployment, U.S. companies seeking to hire are complaining of a shortage of qualified workers.”

As the Baby Boomers continue to retire, industry finds there are not enough trained and tenured Generation X and Y (yet) to take their place in certain fields.  To address the issue, some corporations are proactive as they encourage “schools and colleges to provide job training for the next generation of employees” Anita says in reference to a Wall Street Journal report on the subject.

Replacing Baby Boomers is new territory because it’s not plug and play. The new generations don’t think the same, don’t stay on jobs as long and are often motivated by different goals and lifestyle choices.

Understanding Foreign Cultures

Foreign is relative. Who is speaking? Where are they from? What is their culture? The ability to recognize and adapt to these distinctions can be new territory for some. In “How Understanding Foreign Cultures Can Help You Advance,” John Mariotti provides “a crash course in culture politics” including the differences from one company to the next.

Being CEO material isn’t enough to succeed in a new environment; you need to understand and respect the culture of the company.  John says:

“No matter how competent you are, no matter how experienced you are, until you understand the culture in which you are operating, living or simply participating, you are in many ways, a rank novice.”

Distinctions between businesses, languages, departments and histories change how we see and respond to things. Every time you encounter a culture difference it’s new territory. So before you clear the room by saying the wrong thing, listen and adjust. Learning to maximize these distinctions instead of aggravate them could be good for business.

Paying Attention to Digital Influence

Ivana Taylor says:

“Like it or not, influence indicators matter. Becoming an influencer is no longer reserved for celebrities and powerful political figures. YOU are currently becoming an influencer, or fading into the background, depending on your marketing presence online.”

Social media is here, and the tools to measure its impact are emerging and adapting. Ivana says:

“Reputation and influence rankings are here to stay regardless of what the measuring app or tool is called.”

Social media is a relatively new marketing medium with new measurement tools. It’s new territory.  The question is, How do you adapt to change, to new territory, to difference?

Pay attention to the people around you — how they engage, communicate and adjust — and make plans only after you understand what you’re dealing with. But be quick to listen because ignoring the distinctions and the changes can cost you opportunities, relationships and influences.

About the Author

Jamillah Warner (Ms.J), a poet with a passion for business, is a Georgia-based writer and speaker and the Marketing Coordinator at Nobuko Solutions. She also provides marketing and communication quick tips in her getCLEAR! MicroNewsletter.

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Digital Impact Will Raise Your Digital Marketing to New Heights

A sobering tweet came across my Twitter feed a week ago before writing this review. TechCrunch reported that the first website, “a placeholder page written by Sir Berners-Lee,” is 20 years old.

That’s younger than MTV, below the legal age for a Jack Daniels if we were talking about a teenager, and an ultra-short period when compared to other industries such as automotive and modern steelmaking (both a product of the late 1800s).

So there’s valid justification for digital marketing still being experimental, right? Well, one book that takes the experiment out and puts results in is Digital Impact: The Two Secrets to Online Marketing Success by eMarketer CEO and co-founder Geoff Ramsey, and McCann Worldgroup marketing leader Vipin Mayar.

I received a free copy while attending an eMarketer Manhattan mixer celebrating the book’s publication. I really believe this book makes an excellent marketing guide for small businesses as much as it does for managers in a corporation.

Learn the best techniques to integrate your digital marketing for the best returns

The ideas Mayar and Ramsey reveal to address digital marketing weaknesses center on two key frameworks: performance management (identifying the right metrics based on exposure, strategic and financial concerns) and magnetic content (essentially, the “content is king” message, but with five criteria that help frame how valuable the content truly is for the receiver):

1. Is the content unique?
2. Is the content useful?
3. Is the content well executed?
4. Is the content fun?
5. Does the content make good use of the channel in which it appears?

These frameworks are applied to current digital media available to big marketers and small businesses alike – search, display, email marketing, social media, online video  and mobile – each medium treated in distinct chapters explaining subtleties of its application. I really liked this approach, which creates a serviceable workbook great for anyone just entering digital marketing and operating with a specific budget. ROI calculations are shown in each chapter, where appropriate, along with education regarding qualified reach and other metrics.

I give a huge thumbs up to the two ending chapters, one on integrating offline and online marketing, the other on dashboard creation tips. There’s no deep discussion on organizational challenges, but that topic would take another book to cover (I personally recommend Avinash Kaushik’s Web Analytics 2.0).

Bring the right data to ask the right questions and get the right answers for business

The authors explain in a straightforward manner why a book like Digital Impact is needed. After quoting a 2006 statement from former Proctor & Gamble marketing exec Jim Stengel on how consumer engagement has necessitated changes in capabilities and skills, the authors note the troubles that plague marketers today.

“We have less savvy marketers using new tools in bad old-fashioned ways. Tweeting out a random message about product feature or a two-for-one offer is as scattershot a strategy today as many mass-market network television ads were 30 years ago.”

The book is peppered with the latest eMarketer stats, as well as cases and references from other resources. All of this rightly speaks to marketers and in many ways small businesses that still believe a website, let alone any digital effort, is separate from their business strategy. One section, for example, explains why mobile is often overlooked.

“According to Forrester, about half of all retail sales in the United States are influenced by online researching and browsing, a growing portion of which is taking place on the mobile phone. Make no mistake: The bulk of these digitally influenced sales will actually take place in a store, but the impact from shopping via handheld devices is huge and growing.”

The six middle chapters may come across to a novice as if everything is essential, but the authors show how the combinations are best deployed. The search chapter wisely blends SEO and social media, while a chapter on display ads includes tips that aid SMBs making a first attempt on a limited budget:

“While you may have budget limitations, many of the larger-size banner units, like skyscrapers, leader boards and supersized rectangles, have been proven with the right creative to move the needle higher for brand marketers. Larger, more impactful ads consistently perform better than smaller ones, on average.”

If you are using information in a battle to convince colleagues of what marketing to choose, Mayar and Ramsey are the marketing marines you’d want saying “Semper Fi” to you.

A must-have for any business that is serious about marketing

eMarketer has proven itself to be top-notch asset for marketing research; Digital Impact is similarly useful as an excellent small business aid. This awesome read imparts an understandable blend of utility and information for anyone who needs to get into the basics of measurement without a discussion of analytic solution features.

About the Author

Pierre DeBois is the founder of Zimana, a consultancy providing strategic analysis to small and medium sized businesses that rely on web analytics data. A Gary, Indiana native, Pierre is currently based in Brooklyn. He blogs about marketing, finance, social media, and analytics at Zimana blog.

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Improve Your Digital Home With SBA Widgets

Your website is your digital home. You may have several social network pages from one end of the Web to the next, but at the day’s end, you need a home to return to, a website of your own. Your digital house, just like your condo, flat, townhouse, house or apartment, needs constant improvement as well as the occasional upgrade.

At least that’s how I feel about my website – and I hope you feel that way about yours.

It looks like the U.S. Small Business Administration feels the same way, as they have been on a campaign to improve their online presence as well. They have redesigned their website to be more engaging and they have also added the SBA Community.  The SBA has been “social” for a while with their Facebook page, Twitter account and YouTube channel.

Their latest change includes a series of widgets that makes it easier for small business owners to access a wealth of information directly from SBA.gov. The site was one of my most frequented websites when I first started my small business. We’ve been using the SBADirect widget in the sidebar here on Small Business Trends and we invite you to check it out. It’s a way to give your visitors access to more content without having to write it yourself.

The 5 widgets being offered by SBA.gov are:

1. SBA Direct: This widget supplies small business information and local services via your ZIP code.
2. Small Business InfoTool: This widget is a non-branded version of the SBA Direct widget.
3. Tools for Small Business: This widget supplies tools and resources for running a small business.
4. Small Business Tax Tool: This widget supplies current tax information.
5. SBA.gov Community: This widget displays issues concerning small business owners from the community.

Here’s the lesson that stands out to me.  The changes at SBA.gov highlight a few areas that all small business owners can address:

Get Social

Have you been holding back on getting involved with Facebook, Twitter and YouTube? It’s time to get social because if your website is your home, then these social networks are how you meet new people and make new friends. Think about it: When you have a party at your “place,” you want people to show up. Well, it’s time to meet people.

Upgrade It

Look at the home page of your website. It may be time for an upgrade. It doesn’t have to be a major overhaul (although it can be).  Maybe a fresh home page is enough for now. Constant improvement is a part of our modern landscape – so embrace the process.

Simple Access

The SBA Direct widget gives your target audience an easier way to engage with SBA.gov content. Are there some changes you can make to streamline your information and give your visitors easier access to what they need?

I appreciate the SBA.gov upgrade, the new widgets and the fact that I feel encouraged to continue to improve my own “house.”

About the Author

Jamillah Warner (Ms.J), a poet with a passion for business, is a Georgia-based writer and speaker and the Marketing Coordinator at Nobuko Solutions. She also provides marketing and communication quick tips in her getCLEAR! MicroNewsletter.

Connect with Jamillah Warner:

 

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