Strategy

How To – Marketing Strategy Videos

How To – Marketing Strategy

These short and easy to absorb videos will help you get your head around your marketing strategy priorities in a way you can capture the relevant internal and external forces, the strategic priority of the business and target markets which will help you achieve your goals. There is 3 videos in the sequence.

 

 

Student tips – Using Microsoft Word for great assignments

Student Tips  – “How To”

The widely used Microsoft WORD (2007 – 2016 versions) have some features that can help you improve your assignment results through simpler but accurate referencing and presentation to engage your Professor and markers.

Watch and apply !

Marketing in their DNA, new orgs doing well #Atlassian, #Tesla, #Uber & #airbnb

Atlassian

Atlassian Values – easy to grasp and empowering

When I picked up this graphic from the #atlassian IPO docs, I was inspired as to the potential of organisations in the current environment, when, if you work for a large traditional organisation, its likely to be all about policy, procedure, restructure/ re-engineering and a narrow funnel to the perceived best positions in the organisation !

While we could go on about that, everyone is far more interested in today and the future. Atlassian, Tesla, Uber and airbnb are all great examples of what customer understanding and clarity around organisational purpose, brings to all stakeholders.

This is the core purpose of strategic marketing and I doubt that these organisations have paid specific attention to marketing, but instead it has been ingrained across their growing organisational worlds, from the start up, its everywhere ! Other great examples of this philosophy include Richard Bransons’ Virgin businesses and Anita Roddicks’ Bodyshop.

All have a vision, clearly communicated, all look to leverage resources (owned or not) in unique and innovative ways, all have transparency with customers through staff blogs, apps with usable rating / engagement tools, all are doing cool customer engaging service/product upgrades/experiences as part of the deal, and all have a lack of respect for the status quo.

I don’t work for these organisations, but I’m already intrigued and while it wont be for everyone, I’ll bet they get the best people for their mission through the door. This further disadvantages those other organisations who talk a big game but are caught up in unclear priorities and lack of customer focus.

I don’t think this exciting world is out of reach for any organisation, but you have to give up some traditions and look to your customers and understand their needs and what value you could possibly represent for them. You also have to empower your people to contribute to the customer journey in a transparent way. In every organisation I’ve worked in or consulted with, there has been a massive capability for unique problem solving solutions internally but its rarely tapped – unleash the good work your brand has already achieved ! The digital environment is a major facilitator of these opportunities and its very cost effective and scale-able, so there’s no excuse for not to be part of this rewarding way to do business !

Finally as an owner or manager, quoting Atlassian “be the change you seek”.

Digital Marketing Scrum – impact your digital future

Digital Marketing Scrum

Digital Marketing Scrum

It doesn’t matter if this will be your first or next Digital Marketing Plan, join us with a maximum of 7 other like-minded, non-competitive organisations and people, to workshop our Digital Marketing Plan template to build a digital marketing plan – ready for you to fine tune and present to your management.

Its called a Scrum (check out your project management terms !) because we are bringing people together for a short, sharp and productive meeting to shine a light on the digital opportunity and challenges that the organisations represented in the room are facing.

Bring your device and disconnect from work for the day, we’ll bring lots of ideas, templates and fresh resources to shape your thinking. Bounce ideas off other participants so you can get target market focused, and develop usable tools and media options to meet your goals.

These sessions are planned for Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne in December and again in January 2016 as a back to work motivator !

See our work and join the conversation with the #igetdigital hashtag – empower your digital future.

Click here: Tickets, Times and Dates – Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne

#igetdigital for global digitally intrigued citizens – Digital Marketing

Global Digital Community

Global Digital Community

We have been having an awesome time delivering the Digital Marketing Free Online Course  – such great feedback from the the more than 4500 enrolled, global digitally intrigued citizens and those following the sessions live.

Last week when @elishabooth was guest speaker talking digital marketing plans, we introduced the hashtag #igetdigital and the conversation has run across Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Linkedin since then with some great posts about digital issues, great examples of digital and great questions that help everyone involved “get digital”.

This week (week 3) @amashman is hosting and @brijidgroup – James Lloyd is presenting a session on SEO and SEM which will be complimented by the Advertising Opportunity and Digital devices to wrap up. (7pm tonight, 1/9/15, Sydney time !)

Follow the session live or use #igetdigital (twitter) to get involved tonight. Next week, @rich_evans is talking social media and by then most participants will be able to complete their digital marketing plan template.

To access live, enroll here https://www.itmasters.edu.au/free-short-course-digital-marketing/ You can get the recordings of previous weeks and the resources and watch future sessions live.

Enjoy

Short Courses to move you forward

Marketers making good decisions

Marketers making good decisions

Its a massively fast moving world with stuff changing everyday, what was hot yesterday is now so “2000 and late”. The courses we are offering in 2015 are not about whats hot or whats not and they are not lists of 10 things to do tomorrow or even one word the best describes a concept !

Our courses will give you a set of underpinning skills and confidence to improve your decision making when confronted with new opportunities that inevitably bang on your door or inbox. Our models and core understandings give you a strategic tool box to focus on your targeted customers and stakeholders while keeping a strong focus on what outcomes your organisation needs. Once you are strong on that, you can get to work on the right communications, distribution decisions, value offers and customer journeys.

Yes, do some specialist courses then or out source to experts in these fast moving spaces but keep and eye on what you are doing and why its going to work for you !

Our first Sydney and Melbourne courses are on soon  – check these links for details or for all our courses click here – 2015 courses for smarter marketers 

Book Sydney

Book Melbourne

Smarter Decisions – marketing skills can help

People talk about marketing from a communication POV but there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes.

smart thinkingMarketing can help making smarter decisions through the conscious alignment of what the organisation needs and an understanding of which stakeholders (customers) can best help deliver on those.

People with a marketing orientation (they can be anywhere in your organisation) are on top of what challenges face the Org and are very aware of who their important stakeholders are and what’s affecting them, today.

The smarter decision comes from being proactive, empowered and understanding what fits and what’s on the fringes. When you demonstrate this in your actions, touch-points inside and outside the organisation, you build trust, gain credibility and are far more efficient. Those fringe offers, opportunities and proposals don’t take up all of your precious time. Yes, as part of your ongoing environmental scanning, you’ll have an eye out for new things, but your knowledge of the Org and your customers/stakeholders will keep you progressive, innovative and value adding.

Marketing – not just for the department of !

Non Marketers Contributing to Marketing

Non Marketers Contributing to Marketing

We’ve just finished a conference key note for around 130 non marketers talking about marketing, and while we’ve done a number of sessions like this over the past few years I’m always excited at the feedback we get. While if you work in marketing, its your daily thing but for non marketers to have an insight into what actually happens behind the scenes to drive the front end comms and new products/services is a bit of an eye opener and even reassuring for them.

While our sessions are always fast paced and motivating, the knowledge shared, understanding gained can only help the organisation and the marketers as they recruit and retain clients, because more people are onboard for what needs to be done.

Certainly when you empower the PEOPLE part of your marketing mix, its a distinct bonus as employee advocates are highly trusted sources of information, also processes permitting, you might find more problems are solved for customers and opportunities realised for customers and stakeholders at the point of contact. This makes your brand really sing to all those inside and outside of the organisation.

A business/organisation with empowered, marketing orientated people can cope with changing conditions and customer demands far better than those who haven’t invested in this internal opportunity.

You need to expose more of your people to marketing ideals and this can start by the marketing department doing more internal presentations and launches and being open to feedback and buy-in from across the organisation.