Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much!
Before you attempt a big change in your company, whether it’s a brand overhaul or a systems change, make sure all who are affected know what you’re doing and why. Keeping your business running smoothly in a transition means addressing the needs of your employees before, during and after the change. So let’s start at the beginning and work forward.
Everybody’s talking about customer experience these days, but how many companies actually follow through to ensure that their customers are getting the best experience possible? And how are they doing that?
The “and so it goes” phenomenon of going back to school that was so prevalent when school started again this year reminded me of how important milestones are to the people experiencing them, and why we need to cultivate empathy in all of our relationships (especially during those milestones). Perhaps you’re a parent sending a child off to a new school or college, an employer welcoming a new employee, or even a salesperson nurturing a prospect through a difficult decision-making process. In any type of relationship, the ability to empathize with what the other person is going through is critical.
Are your retail customers finding you less attractive lately? Consider your position on the seven signs shared below, and you may decide your retail business needs an omni-channel makeover!
This is not just an idle suggestion we’re making, as the omni-channel retail buzz is quickly becoming a roar and with good reason.
Not since the advent of price tags, cash registers and the ubiquitous apparel hanger has there been a retail industry innovation poised to create such major change.
Should PR or marketing be responsible for corporate social media activities? It’s a common point of contention for businesses. While the jury is still out, research shows one group may be gaining favor.
Need to lower the stress from a frustrating workday or find a way to put yourself in that “happy” place? Learn from children and skip. I’m not kidding! It might sound silly, but it really isn’t. The act of skipping (with or without a rope) involves both sides of the brain, plus it improves coordination, muscle tone—even bone density. Read more on the benefits of skipping here: http://www.iskip.com/what_is_Iskip/index.htm
Ted Rubin, Future Strong Hero Interview ~via Bill Jensen
Social Marketing Strategist, Acting CMO of Brand Innovators
Author, Return on Relationship
• • • • • • • • • • •
How do you stay Future Strong? Back in 1997, I was with working with
Seth Godin at Yoyodyne when he coined the term, Permission Marketing.
That’s where my focus — Return on Relationship — got started, and I
carried that into the social commerce explosion.
My advice to everyone is stop worrying about what’s next, and execute
on what’s now. I see too many people looking too far out into the future.
I am rarely the first guy on new platforms. It’s not because I’m just
waiting to see if they take hold. It’s because I’m very busy executing
in the current media. I’m very present.
Today leadership is about more than getting things done through others and business is more than just return on investment and the bottom line. Today, employees and customers want the same things; they want an experience, a connection and a relationship that goes beyond a transaction. If they can’t get those they won’t hesitate to go someplace else.
When we look at professional networks, it’s easy to get hung up on reach—the more the better, basically. And reach is good! In sales and marketing, you want a large group of people who understand what you have to offer. Reach just doesn’t tell the whole story.
The CMO should oversee all marketing, PR, communications, customer service, and customer experience management. Every touch point with the consumer needs to come under her purview. Often this is not the case—customer service and communications are often siloed. This is a big mistake in the new marketing/social world.