Category: Marketing

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Engagement Marketing

Internal Marketing Goes South

I was honored to be one of three speakers from the U.S. invited to participate in the 6th International Marketing Congress: Marketing from the Inside, hosted by Asomercadeo, the Colombian Marketing Association. My Atlanta-based colleagues, Debra Semans and Ron Strauss, and I journeyed to Medellin, Colombia, recently to share our perspectives on internal marketing and internal branding. Stershic presentation at AsomercadeoMore than 400 business professionals gathered at the Congress to focus on the strategic impact of internal marketing in organizations “where there is a synergy between the areas of marketing, communications, human resources, and senior management.” Speakers addressed the elements of employee engagement, corporate culture, corporate social responsibility, marketing’s relationship within the organization, and leadership on brand-building.

For me, the highlight of this conference was learning that the core business concepts that my North American-based marketing colleagues and I advocate are becoming more universal in practice. This revelation was reinforced in the following themes repeated frequently during the conference:

  • People are the central axis of a company.
  • Employees and customers need to feel valued.
  • Organizational culture nourishes the brand.
  • Marketing, Human Resources, Operations, Finance, and all other areas of an organization need to work together as a team.
  • CEOs talk about human capital, but few actively engage them.

Another highlight of the trip was experiencing the ultimate in southern hospitality. Cristina Jaramillo Lopera, Academic Leader of the International Marketing Congress, and Asomercadeo’s leaders and event staff were most welcoming and accommodating. Truthfully, I was apprehensive about traveling to Medellin given the area’s reputation and that fact that I don’t speak Spanish. Cristina graciously hosted us on a wonderful tour of Medellin. The city and country-side are truly beautiful; the city is also aptly recognized as Innovative City of the Year.  I was impressed with its public access to arts & culture. The strong sense of pride that residents and businesses have in Medellin and Colombia is palpable. And I look forward to returning someday.

 

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Featured Post Marketing

A Facilitator’s Top Three Tips for Strategic Marketing Planning

I recently shared why it’s important to commit time for strategic marketing planning.  Based on my combined experience as a marketer and planning facilitator, here are my top three tips for developing a successful planning session.

1. Be Mission-focused.

The basis for your strategic marketing plan is rooted in your organization’s mission. If your marketing efforts don’t support the company’s mission and goals, then don’t bother.

I post and review the company or nonprofit mission statement in every planning session I facilitate. Keeping the mission front-&-center is critical to helping participants avoid the situation that one executive described: “We spent more time focusing on what we could do rather than what we should do.”

2. Be Creative

Critical thinking and creative thinking are not mutually exclusive. To keep your planning process interesting, you can better envision and explore possibilities while engaging in “What if … ?” questions. For example: What if we had unlimited resources — what could we achieve? What if we could start over from scratch — what would we do differently? What would happen if our products, services, or brand disappeared — would we be missed?

You can also try a different perspective with this two-step scenario. First, you’ve been hired away by a major competitor’s consulting firm to help them assess your brand’s strengths and weaknesses. Following this assessment, return to your current company role and consider how you can improve your marketing to gain and keep a competitive edge.

3. Be Realistic

Besides being mission-focused, it’s also important to recognize the scope of your organization’s capacity and commitment. In the course of creative and meaningful discussion, it’s easy to develop an extensive list of marketing ideas for consideration. That’s why I advocate planning participants develop and agree on a realistic set of two to four mission-focused marketing activities that support their company’s strategic goals. The worst possible outcome from a strategic planning session is for participants to generate an exhaustive laundry list of ideas and actions that overwhelm them. Seriously, it’s a small step from discouraged to disengaged.

For being realistic when it comes to marketing planning, here’s my favorite quote from Dr. Phil Kotler:

“Marketing is a learning game. You make a decision. You watch the results. You learn from the results. Then you make better decisions.”

Happy marketing planning!

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Engagement Marketing

No Time for a Strategic Marketing Plan? Think Again!

It’s a common lament among many marketers today – their work is more reactive than proactive. While they acknowledge the need for formal marketing planning, they’re overwhelmed and pressed for time dealing with customers, co-workers, information overload and other work demands.

So they wrestle with whatever marketing projections and data are needed to compile an annual plan and budget as required by those in the C-suite. Then it’s back to business-as-usual. For organizations that just keep on keeping on, how can they tell if they’re making any real progress?

“The truth is that in a time when we could change everything, we’re running without clarity of direction or vision.”‘ Brian Solis

It’s a serious concern for marketers because our function is so visible and the people that deliver the brand promise – our employees – need to know where we’re headed in the marketplace. When employees don’t know and understand our marketing goals and what’s expected of them in achieving those goals, they’re more likely to disengage. (So much for nurturing employees as brand ambassadors!)

Not having the time to plan is just part of the excuse. The sad truth is the planning process is still perceived as a tedious one that many marketers don’t want to make time for. They understand the value of creating a plan, yet dread participating in the process.

But it doesn’t have to be that way! I’ve seen first-hand people actually enjoy the planning experience. What I’ve found that works is bringing marketing and other critical staff together for the sole purpose of exploring and developing marketing strategy in a limited time frame (ranging from a half to a full day). Whether the planning session is held in an on-site conference room or off-site venue, it’s important to create a sense of “safe space” where participants will respectfully listen to and share their ideas with each other. Food and beverages including, but not limited to, caffeine and sugar (i.e., fresh fruit and healthy snacks in addition to candy and/or cookies) are also needed to fuel the planning process.

Strategic marketing planning’s true value is in setting a clear direction and marshaling the required resources to get there. It also enables marketing and other key staff to step back from the daily grind to engage in strategic thinking for/about the organization — a process that  leaves them feeling re-focused and re-energized. A refreshing change from working reactively!

Note: I’ll share what’s needed for a successful marketing planning session in my next post.

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Customer service Engagement Marketing

Celebrate National Customer Service Week: “United Through Service”

Customers. Every business needs them. Every business loves them … or tries to love them. Let’s be honest, from the customer’s perspective, some companies aren’t as customer-focused as they purport to be.

In recognition of all employees who strive to provide positive customer experiences, we honor National Customer Service Week. And I see it applying to ALL employees involved in customer service  – those engaged in workplace cultures where customers are truly valued plus those who manage to successfully serve customers despite a culture where customer-focus is just lip service.

This special week-long observance was initiated by the Institute of Customer Service Association (ICSA) nearly 30 years ago to raise awareness of the importance of customer service and acknowledge those who provide it. “United through Service.” is this year’s theme that reflects the special bonding between customers and companies. It provides a wonderful opportunity to engage employees with appreciation, team-building, morale-boosting and fun activities.

And it’s not too late to observe National Customer Service Week:

  • Employers – acknowledge everyone in your organization who does a great job taking care of customers.
  • Employees – acknowledge co-workers who do a great job taking care of you and fellow employees as internal customers.
  • Customers – acknowledge those employees who take do a great job of taking care of you; i.e, in addition to continuing to do business with them, let them know you appreciate their efforts.

Regardless of your status with an organization, you can be creative with your acknowledgment, but you don’t need to be extravagant about it. A simple and sincere “thank you for all you do” is a great way to show your appreciation … this week and all year long.

 

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Marketing

Marketing Tips for B2B Telemarketers

I know, I know … caller ID and voice mail make it difficult to actually reach prospects these days. If you want to be more effective in reaching potential buyers, here are several suggestions based on my experience as a marketer and consumer.

  • Know your prospect. “I’d like to talk to the person who manages your credit card processing … distribution services …. sales software … ” I’m amazed at how many calls I get from B2B telemarketers offering products and services that I don’t use. Before calling, do your homework to learn if the prospect is even a viable candidate for what you offer.
  • Identify your company. “Unknown name” and 800-type numbers on caller ID guarantee most people won’t pick up the call.
  • Forget robo-calls. On hearing an automated message, I’ll immediately hang up. Why should I listen to you if you can’t have a real person talk to me? Similarly, I’ll instantly delete any voice mail message from an automated call.
  • Dare to be different. If you want to get the attention of qualified prospects, use direct mail. If it’s a well done, targeted piece, they’re more likely to read it. You can also be creative without going to a lot of major expense, depending on the size of your qualified list. For example, if you can’t afford to send customized wrapped candy with your company logo, you can use popular candy such as PayDay®, a $100 Grand® bar, or Good & Plenty® to send to qualified prospects. [Notice a theme  here?] I know a saleswoman who scouts dollar-type stores to find appropriate novelty items to send to potential customers.

Listen Up!
My beef isn’t with B2B telemarketers who strategically and respectfully reach out to qualified prospects. My frustration is with those telemarketers who persist with untargeted, anonymous and/or annoying automated calls. It’s time to wake up, listen up, and consider how much more effective you’d be if you follow at least the first three tips or revisit Sales 101 principles. It’s not complicated: useless telemarketing calls are wasted sales calls!

 

 

Categories
Engagement Marketing

Favorite Quotes on the Employee Engagement and Brand Connection

It’s a fairly simple equation – as hotelier Bill Marriott once said, “Take care of your employees and they’ll take care of your customers.”

Here are more of my favorite quotes about the employee engagement and brand connection:

“More than any other communications medium, employees can breathe life, vitality, and personality into the brand.”  Leonard L. Berry and A. Parasuraman, Marketing Services

“Brands are built from within … [they] have very little to do with promises made through advertising. They’re all about promises met by employees.”  Ian Buckingham

“The only reason your business is successful is because every interaction between employees and customers is positive. This only happens when employees are treated super well.”  Ann Rhoades

“Happiness in the workplace is a strategic advantage. Service comes from the heart, and people who feel cared for will care more.”  Hal G. Rosenbluth, The Customer Comes Second

“Over time, as we focused more and more on our culture, we ultimately came to the realization that a company’s culture and a company’s brand are really just two sides of the same coin. The brand is just a lagging indicator of a company’s culture.”  Tony Hsieh, Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose

“If you begin your branding process by declaring an ‘aspirational brand’ without aligning it with the reality of employees’ daily work experience, you are in danger of writing a check your culture can’t cash.”  Leigh Branham and Mark Hirschfeld, Re-Engage

Whose words of inspiration on employee engagement and the brand do you like?
I welcome your favorite quotes on this topic.

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Marketing Training & Development

Helping Animal Rescues & Shelters at BlogPaws

Dog adoptionI’m excited about the opportunity to speak at this year’s annual BlogPaws Conference, the largest pet-blogging and social media conference, on “Strengthening Your Brand: Relationship Marketing for Rescues & Shelters.” (More on this session topic later.)

Since this is a new nonprofit audience for me, I’ve spent the past several weeks learning about animal rescue and shelter organizations, including visiting their facilities. It’s been a fascinating experience listening to heart-warming stories of pet rescue and adoptions; sadly, there were also disturbing  stories of animal abuse and neglect. Here’s what I discovered:

  • Many shelters are mostly volunteer run, with few or no paid staff.  The people involved are exceptionally compassionate and passionate about their work with animals. (While it’s easy to be captivated by a healthy kitten or puppy, the volunteers are just as committed to helping animals with medical and psychological issues.)
  • Running a shelter or rescue operation is a 24/7, 365 day commitment. There is no time off.
  • Volunteers & staff wear multiple hats as: administrators … animal behaviorists … matchmakers (matching pets with people) … social workers … pet therapists … fundraisers … cleaners … vet techs & assistants (as allowed by law & training) … advocates and educators for animal spay/neutering, to name a few.

Silver girl PB071406While rescues & shelters have challenges that are unique to their respective missions and operations, they also share a common marketing challenge – competition.  There are many animal shelters within the same geographic region that compete for volunteers, prospective adopters, veterinary support, donors and sponsors. These organizations also compete with every other nonprofit in their communities for volunteers, funding, and consumer attention.

That’s why I was asked to speak about relationship marketing at BlogPaws, along with Kristin Elliott. I’ll provide critical insight on nonprofit branding and marketing engagement, and Kristin will share her experience as a pet-product entrepreneur who has helped animal shelter & rescue organizations.

I look forward to co-presenting with Kristin and being part of the BlogPaws Community.

Categories
Engagement Marketing Training & Development

“Share of Mind, Share of Heart” Award News

[Update: I’m proud to report that my book is the winner of the Small Business Book Award in the Marketing category!]

I just learned that my new book, Share of Mind, Share of Heart: Marketing Tools of Engagement for Nonprofits, is nominated for a 2013 Small Business Book Award, and I’m truly honored. This special recognition means greater awareness of the book and its reach among nonprofit leaders, staff members, and volunteers.

Now in its fifth year, the Small Business Book Awards celebrate the best business books that entrepreneurs, small business owners, CEOs, managers and their staffs should read. The Awards are produced by Small Business Trends, an online publication, which along with its sister sites, serves over 5,000,000 small business owners, stakeholders and entrepreneurs annually. Small Business Trends has published reviews of small business books, including Share of Mind, Share of Heart. 

“Today’s business owners are hungry for information and insights to help them run a successful business. Also, they use books as a way to grow and develop their employees and management teams. The Small Business Book Awards are a way to acknowledge the books that small business owners and entrepreneurs appreciated over the past year,” said Ivana Taylor, Book Editor at Small Business Trends.

Please share and vote …

These awards offer a unique online opportunity for people to show their support for and vote on their favorite business books. Please vote for Share of Mind, Share of Heart for the Small Business Book Award and encourage your colleagues, co-workers, friends, and family to do the same. You can vote once a day now through March 26th. Together we can help more nonprofits achieve success with this book. Thank you!

Categories
Engagement Marketing

What They’re Saying About “Share of Mind, Share of Heart”

I’m thrilled with the positive response to my new book, Share of Mind, Share of Heart: Marketing Tools of Engagement for Nonprofits.

I’m honored to share these more detailed book reviews by Ivana Taylor, Small Business Trends, and Wayne Hurlbert, Blog Business World.

Here are several recent reviews that I’m also honored to share.

“With a great passion for (and deep expertise in) nonprofit marketing, Sybil Stershic has written an immensely practical, valuable book. “Share of Mind, Share of Heart” clearly explicates both marketing fundamentals and more sophisticated concepts for nonprofit marketing professionals in plain, easy-to-understand language, with concrete examples.

“Unlike many academic texts on nonprofit marketing, this book is peppered with questions designed to get you thinking tangibly and immediately about how the concepts discussed can be applied directly to the day-to-day business of your organization. I found her insights into internal marketing tools of engagement to be particularly apt and important. Too often in leanly staffed, undercapitalized nonprofits where staff is pressed for time, we overlook this crucial area. Morale and profits suffer as a result, with organizations sometimes seeming disconnected and disengaged from their customers, volunteers, and (in some cases) overall mission.

“‘Share of Mind, Share of Heart’ is a book that should be on the shelf of every nonprofit marketer, both novices and veterans.” – Andrew Edmonson, Director of Marketing and Public Relations, Houston Ballet

“Like the author, I have served on a variety of non-profit boards and counseled them about marketing. I’ve found that the whole idea of marketing is intimidating to many non-profits. They often believe marketing is too complicated for them and requires a commitment of resources (both human and monetary) beyond their capability. This insightful book dispels these fears as myths. Marketing is presented here as it truly ought to be: a simple, people-based idea about creating and communicating value. Each chapter provides an understandable exercise that will cause the reader to pause and reflect upon how to bring the marketing concept to life in any non-profit.”     – Frank Haas, Dean of Hospitality, Business and Legal Education, Kapiolani Community College

“Every now and then, you find a book that contains more than a powerful message—it houses a poignant experience. Share of Mind, Share of Heart is an experiential wisdom-sharing tome written for organizations that benefit us all. Full of practical how to’s and laced in the language and philosophy of non-profits, it will open eyes, enhance skills, and enrich outreach.” – Chip R. Bell, noted author and consultant, The Chip Bell Group

Special thanks to Andrew, Frank, Chip, Ivana, and Wayne for taking the time to review and share their thoughts on my book!

Categories
Engagement Marketing

What is Volunteer Engagement?

Ask most people to explain volunteer engagement and they’ll tell you they know it when they see it, yet find it difficult to articulate. They can describe it in general terms as a process that includes recruiting and matching volunteer interests with a nonprofit’s needs, then recognizing and respecting those volunteers.

Beyond the generalities, it’s easier for people to describe what volunteer engagement is not. For example, volunteer engagement means:

  • not taking advantage of volunteers’ time and talent.
  • not keeping volunteers out of the communication loop regarding what’s happening (e.g., major changes in operations or direction).
  • not ignoring volunteers’ input and ideas.
  • not creating extra work just to keep volunteers busy.
  • not giving lip-service to volunteer value.

One can turn these negative descriptors into positive ones to get closer to explaining volunteer engagement, but it’s not enough. Fortunately, there’s a more comprehensive definition.

Volunteer engagement is …

According to Jill Friedman Fixler of the JFFixler Group, volunteer engagement is “a strategy that builds organizational capacity through staff and volunteer collaboration and the development of high-impact, meaningful opportunities that create greater influence and outcome for the organization.”

What I like about Fixler’s definition is that it recognizes:

  • as a “strategy,” volunteer engagement is intentional
  • its purpose is to help advance a nonprofit’s mission by building “organizational capacity”
  • it is based on mutual endeavor via “staff and volunteer collaboration”
  • it benefits the nonprofit by creating “greater influence and outcome.”

A great way to articulate what volunteer engagement is and does.