Marketing Edge

Research more important than ever

mktgedge — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 20:26:54 +0000

I’ve been reading the book “Tribes” by Seth Godin and he makes the point that people gravitate to groups or “tribes” that share their common interests. He also says that with the explosion of the Internet there are more groups than ever for people to join. As marketing and PR professionals, this makes our job a little bit tougher and it makes research even more important. If we are going to target people where they are so we can communicate and interact with them, we need to understand these various “tribes” and their interests. With the sheer volume of options and activities available to people, we no longer have the luxury of sending out mass communications to hit our target markets. We now need to understand their interests and where they go to engage with their “tribe.” While certainly more difficult, I believe this strategic targeting will be much more successful and rewarding. So, what type of research will we need to do in the future? Certainly some of the traditional research tactics will continue to be effective and will be necessary; however, new forms of research will need to be added to the mix, including searching through platforms like Facebook and Twitter to see what people are talking about and what their interests are. Also, reading blogs and their associated comments will be important to discovering issues and the various perspectives taking shape. This new way of conducting research will be very grassroots and organic, and it will cost little more than your time. Understanding people and what they are interested will no doubt be our key to communications in the future and it will be our job to do the research necessary to find them.

No Surprise: Digital Media Spending on the Rise

mktgedge — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 03:49:10 +0000

In marketing the first thing you ask yourself is “Where will I find my target audience?” Today, the answer is increasingly going to be online, so that means we need to deploy strategies that will target people as they search, explore and interact on the Internet. Research conducted by Forrester last year shows the estimates for spending increases over the next several years:

Understanding this reality, we have to evaluate our skill set and experience to see how we can leverage what we know and gain knowledge in the areas that are new. So, what skills and experience will hold true no matter what the future holds? I believe these fundamental skills will never go out of style:

1. Data-driven decision-making. We will always need to “understand” our target markets and seek out data that will send us down the right path. Costly mistakes can be made when the research step is skipped and that will always remain true in marketing and PR. No matter how experienced we become or how knowledgeable we think we are, research will always enlighten us and present us with perspectives that we wouldn’t have seen otherwise.

2. Planning discipline. There will never be anything that will beat the power of an effective and thorough outcomes-focused planning process. From developing measurable objectives to identifying strategies by target market that will drive tactical implementation, you simply can’t skimp on taking the time to thoughtfully plan. Granted, not every strategy or tactic will be successful, but your chances of success will certainly be higher when you follow this discipline.

3. Courageous, bold action. Marketing and PR are not disciplines for the timid and our ability to speak the truth and advocate for the “right” action will always be necessary. For many, marketing and PR skills are something that everyone can do, but those of us who spend our days really doing this work know nothing could be farther from the truth. We have a unique way of looking at the world and this is our gift to the organizations and people we work with. We must never shy from being bold and original and driving others to get outside their comfort zone. It’s the only way that differentiation is possible.

Thankfully, while the world may change around us, there are important skills and personality traits that will never diminish in importance for those of us in marketing and PR. So, stay bold, continue to learn and keep your focus on fundamentals as they will never go out of style.

Success through a paradigm shift

mktgedge — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 19:43:09 +0000

Let’s face it, our world is changing and marketing, PR and communications professionals have to learn a lot of new skills to adjust to our changing environment. Traditional media is slowly fading and a new electronic world is a mystery for many of us. After 20, 30 or even 10 years of success you start to ask yourself, “How do I keep up?” “What new skills do I need to be successful now?” Burying our head in the sand is not going to work, so we must face these changes head on and adjust, like we’ve done before, just faster and with more determination. This isn’t going to be easy, as we are busier and less resourced than ever. It is my goal to learn what marketing, PR and communications pros are doing around the world to adjust and lead in this challenging time. I then want to share that with everyone else so we can all can learn from the successes, challenges and failures of others. They say “it takes a village” and there is no doubt in mind that we all can benefit from the collective smarts of our marketing, PR and communications community. I know there is a lot of innovation and great ideas out there and wonderful stories that we can all learn from. It is my goal to find them and share them with you. So, with that, I start this blog and this journey and I hope you’ll join me and share your views along the way.