May 14th, 2008 Rachel
]Oooooh how we loathe these words. “Could you make this pretty?” “Just…pretty it up?” Marketing being equated to on-call graphic design janitor is a disaster…for all involved.
Sure, most of us tend to be pretty reasonable at it. Slide deck magic can be a regular request. Gimme that, I’ll make sure you have the correct typeface/colors/logo on every slide.
But as MarketingProfs’ Laura Patterson points out, that’s not everything. And it certainly isn’t where Marketing is going to have the greatest impact. Sure, your communications guru is going to breathe easier tonight knowing that Helvetica Neue instead of Helvetica showed up on Slide #16. But…are you really getting the most out of your marketing department then? Yeeeeeeeah…no.
Marketing is about…customers.
Yes, marketing is about promotions. But it’s also about…metrics. Follow-up.
Marketing is about strategy.
Marketing is a lot more listening than talking.
Marketing is successful when the sales team pats you on the back instead of giving you the stink eye.
It’s about not being afraid to fail and take risks with your writing, ideas, designs - but also being receptive to feedback, and flexible enough to iterate until you’ve really got it.
The “make it pretty” part? We do that because (hopefully) we just really like it. And appreciate documents and presentations that represent the company to it’s fullest. But if you limit your marketing department if you think this is all they can do. If you’ve brought the right people on board, they should be passionate about your space (or at least hungry to learn everything they possibly can so they live and breathe it anyway) and an important voice for the overall business.
We don’t proclaim to know everything, but we’re more than just the fairies of “pretty”.
Ahh, the impulse publish…as soon as I hit the button my brain flipped in the other direction - so what can a marketing professional do to get more than just “pretty” tasks?
- Take initiative. Seriously - if you see something that needs fixing or an area where you can make a difference, own it. Stop waiting for permission.
- Engage the people who are giving you said tasks. Voice your interest in other areas, your views on things, and your ideas. If you’re not saying it, no one can hear it.
- Be patient. You’re probably going to have to prove yourself. There’s an opportunity right around the corner for you to step up and show how truly well rounded and unbelievably valuable you are. Be on the look out and in the meantime provide more than just “deliverables”.
Okay - done now. For reals.
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April 28th, 2008 Rachel
My parents had the oh so fun habit of singing this refrain each and every time my teenage argumentative side reared up and got ready for a fight. Rather than thinking clearly, my brain would be going through all the huffing, puffing, and “omigod! so unfair!” irrationality of a normal kid. With laser focus on being right and winning, I usually ended up compromising my actual argument in the first place.
Oh those lyrics…the equivalent of poking the moody teenage tiger. Predictably, my reaction would be to grow more irate and get more upset.
Now, I at least (usually) know better.
Both personally and professionally, it’s easy to slide into retaliation mode without thinking…but where’s the sense in that? Let’s say your new product get a negative review. Or someone posts a snarky, needless comment about your company on a blog. They’re both bad, right? You should be drafting up reports the second that google alert arrives in your inbox…right?
Well…let’s see.
In the case of the negative product review, yes - you should be responding. Especially if what they’ve discovered/documented amounts to a pertinent bug or mistake on your part. Maybe they over dramatize the extent of the slipup…or completely disregard all the slick and shiny new features. Doesn’t matter and you shouldn’t go into that…acknowledge the issue, let them know you understand and are working on it, and give them (and the rest of the world) your contact information so they can give you more feedback. That’s how you’ll get better and the single most effective way to show you care about your users. A press release won’t do that. Nor will ignoring them…or even worse, trying to argue with them about what they found.
Now, let’s say someone simply rants about how terrible your company is in general. Okaaaaay…some things to consider.
Who is the writer? Competitors, anonymous blog trolls, looselipped internet junkies, and your third cousin Brian who hasn’t left his mom’s basement since before the iPod…roll your eyes and move on. Not worth your time - they have more of it to spend hammering you again…and again, and again…if you indulge their egos. But if you have someone who’s actually put together a thoughtful case for why you deserve a FAIL stamp across your forehead, then you might want to consider an equally thoughtful response. Keep it conversational - hopefully you can reach some sort of understanding, even if agreement is unattainable.
Where sits “the truth”? Put your own ego in check and think about this one carefully. Is the negative critique based on facts, opinions, gossip or lies? It does no one any good if you can’t be honest with yourself about this.
Who’s the reader? Even elected officials realize they can’t please everyone. The higher your star rises, the greater the likelihood that someone, and eventually groups of people, simply aren’t going to like you. Sucks, I know…but if you focus so hard on making the entire world your friend, you’ll just end up pleasing no one.
Put simply, pick your battles. Not every blog post, editorial piece or product review is worth bringing in a twenty person crisis team. Nor is it worth the stress of getting your own panties in a bunch - especially when 99% of the time, it’ll be old news by the time you’ve finished this entry anyway.
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April 21st, 2008 Rachel
I’ve written this “new opportunities” type post about five times now. Read them aloud, deleted drafts…and inevitably started all over from scratch.
Here we go again.
As some of you already know, this will be my final trek to LA for MusicIP. I can’t even begin to cover what I’ve gained/learned/picked up over the last three years. I’d get all misty eyed and you’d probably move on to another, more succinct, publication that’s not on a scenic train ride through memoryville.
I’ve been lucky enough to work with and get to know some incredibly talented, passionate people. What attracts me to startup culture the most is that overachievers and workaholics surround you. There’s something slightly manic but so electrifying to walk into such a fast moving atmosphere everyday. Given the taste, I think it would be hard to ever go back to a 9-5 position somewhere. A <blech> job.
These are folks I admire and will absolutely miss - writing up the resignation letter was the easy part…actually telling this second family of mine that I’m moving on proved far more difficult.
Even more heart twisting/warming is how supportive and quite simply…*ridiculously awesome* my MIP family has been over the last couple of weeks. I couldn’t ask for anything more.
So…
Where am I headed, you ask?
b5media - a rapidly growing blog network that I’ve been familiar with for quite some time now. Just a thirty minute walk from my apartment and home to a fantastic crew I’m thrilled and honoured to start working with (notice the ‘u’ - I really am home…). Fortunately for me, I don’t have an international move looming like other startup junkies I know…but I do have some difficult emotions to sort through. Fortunately, I’m running toward something - and that something is an incredibly big opportunity I’m dying to dig into.
Oh - and of course, I’ll be back there to visit. California couldn’t 100% get rid of me that easily.
Posted in Marketing, MusicIP, Work, b5media | 11 Comments »
February 14th, 2008 Rachel
While at CES, I was given a well timed and well received (we’re talking jumping up and down here, people) gift from our CEO, Andrew, in the form of Meatball Sundae. If you know me, you know I’m a big Seth Godin fan. I’ve acquired all the books (including a pre-release copy of The Big Moo that I nonchalantly swiped from the desk of a certain Big Cheese…) and listened to several seminars, podcasts, etc. It’s not so much that the content is even that profound - it’s that he states facts and points of reference for marketing common sense so clearly and with such brevity…how refreshing.
Anyway, over at Brand Autopsy, they’ve taken admiration to a new level.
I tried to explain the hilarity and quirkiness of the Seth Godin action figure to Andrew…but the look I got back was more of the “that’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever heard” variety. Admittedly…his reaction is understandable. But come on now…it does add a certain character to the soundbites, no?
Well, I say…go big or go home.
Forget “kinda creepy” and go all out - for the 2008 holiday season, The Seth Godin Talking Doll…that delivers inspirational guidance to your marketing team as needed..at the squeeze of a belly.
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December 20th, 2007 Rachel
I’m one extremely lucky gal.
Marketing and Sales…we’re supposed to mix like oil and water, right? Well…yeah - I’ve seen and heard and experienced this enough to know that the odds aren’t exactly stacked in everyone’s favor that you’re going to turn out being BFFs.
But, being aware of this common fact has fortunately not left me (too) jaded. As our sales staff has grown, I sort of winced, held my breath and waited for the usual headbutting and strained conversations. But now, I don’t even know why I was worried - honeymoon period being what it may be or not, I couldn’t be happier with our team - and that’s saying a lot given CES is increasing everyone’s workload and stress level.
Here’s what I think is helps
Wanting to have the discussion: I could just smile and nod when someone makes a suggestion…and Senor Sales could roll his/her eyes at my copy and then just trash it. But I can’t tell you how liberating it is to have someone sitting across the table with useful feedback and at least sane if not brilliant ideas. Not only am I ingesting feedback, but I feel comfortable enough to voice my own opinion…so now we have multiplied the brainpower instead of chopping it up. How could that not be a better foundation?
Competence, confidence, and mutual respect: I may not have twenty years under my belt, but I care deeply about what I do and spent an great deal of time studying, reading, and thinking about the different aspects of my job. Some of the people I work with have been in the business for many, many years more than me. But they don’t throw that around - instead they offer their experiences as guidance…as additional data points. No one’s threatened or makes themselves feel better by belittling the less experienced folks.
Genuine excitement: We are all driving toward the same goal. We are all on the same bloody team and we all want to succeed. I can’t imagine holding the training session I ran yesterday with a group of more enthusiastic, fun, intelligent people. I also can’t imagine getting through it with colleagues who just worked the nine to five.
Having all this - man, what a treat. Last night I was up until 2am building an html email…and I don’t really know how to code. Nor am I a graphic designer. But being so jacked up about the team I’m working with made it worth it. So, I made it work, the email went out and hey…I (sorta) learned a few new skills (FYI Adam I promise you never have to look at my messy code ever again…okay, THAT messy code, maybe not ALL the messy code I’ll inevitably create…).
I love marketing. And being able to love my sales team too just makes me relish my role all that much more.
Posted in Marketing, Work | No Comments »
