Category:

Marketing Mondays - It's tough out there! (9th ed., 2010)

3/15/2010

Hello everyone,

What a world we live in. I think I’ve mentioned before how busy our lives are and how much it amazes me sometimes.

I’ve been freelancing since September, and now with over 6 months under my belt, I’ve realized now more than ever how tough it is out there for marketers.

Freelancing has really shown me a different side of what is going on in our industry, making it really tough for those of us that are good at what we do to stay in the game and show what we’re made of.

There are 3 core areas I wanted to flag on my blog this week that show the reality a typical marketer now faces:

1)      Globalization and the internet has made everyone a marketer – I’ve noticed this especially in the writing projects I’m doing but it appears to be happening across most areas of marketing – from planning to research even to developing business strategy. Now with so many freelance sites at our fingertips, there are individuals bidding on jobs for peanuts. I’ve seen requests for articles for a budget of $1 per 500 words! The issue here? Devaluing what marketers can deliver – it’s great that a business can find a cheaper solution to their needs but is it worth the price for marketers? More importantly, is the customer truly getting what they need? I still have faith that those of us who provide work that a customer values will be here to stay, but it is a definite test for our industry.

2)      Too much marketing out there (quantity over quality) – the amount of messages out there is unbelievable. Largely due to the explosion of the digital channel, the need for articles and copywriting services are through the roof. Are we now in a state of quantity over quality? I am a big believer in strong communications but I am also a supporter of defined and clear messages. This issue challenges and encourage marketers at the same time. Our services are in demand to satisfy the quantity needed but it challenges us to deliver quality marketing services due to the volume. For us, finding a balance will be the key to success.

3)      We continue to get further and further away from our customers – I see this now as a freelancer but also when I was working in the corporate world. Often, we sit in our offices and brainstorm ideas of what customers really want. Customer research isn’t often undertaken so we are developing marketing strategy and communications with a blind eye. Searching on the web about customer preferences can only tell us so much. As the world gets bigger and smaller at the same time, we need to get as close to the customer as we can. Since I’ve been working solo, in all the projects I’ve worked on, I’ve tried to get as close to the customer as I can. As most of you know, the voice of the customer is a key element for how I work, and even with the time constraints, it has to be a priority to differentiate myself and service my customers effectively.

So...what can we do? Globalization, volume and getting close to the customer are all issues we need to realize are out there. More importantly, we need to do something about them!

We need to be aware of these realities but also be sure to take a stand. My advice:

1)      Don’t undersell ourselves (both in our financial contribution and the quality we deliver)
2)      Get close the customer (meet with them, understand them, satisfy them)
3)      Embrace the heightened competition and realize that not everyone is looking for a cheap solution – show the value you bring and reap the rewards

It’s tough out there and only the fittest will survive...so keep the faith and keep up the great marketing work.

Have a great marketing week and see you next Monday,

Miriam Berger

3 Comments

Marketing Mondays #4: Reflecting on 2009

12/21/2009

5 Comments

First of all, happy holidays to all my readers! I hope you give yourself some down time so you can enjoy the festive season.

In just over a week, another year will be coming to an end – it’s a time to reflect on the year that has just past and look towards the year ahead. Drink some champers or bubbly, watch the ball drop and make some new year’s resolutions we all know you won’t keep.

I’ll sum up my reflection on 2009 with one simple acronym (WaY - What a Year)!

On a personal level I’ve had the most challenging, exciting and fulfilling year of my life. As I reflect on the year that has just past, I am coming to the end of it as a much fuller person than the one I started with. I mean that - I’ve had some amazing experiences, great times and realised and valued so much over the course of this one year. I look at 2009 as gem in disguise.

Often in life, we face hard times – during these times we have an important choice. We can look back and refuse to deal with the challenges life throws at us OR we can take a different approach. First, we can acknowledge the positive things we have (in my case fantastic friends, family and a love for my career). We can then deal with the cards we’ve been dealt by investing the time to face those challenges head-on. For me, in my own little way, I’ve done this. The biggest thing to realise is that when a challenge is thrown your way, you can’t pretend things are business as usual anymore. We need to figure out a new way forward and realign ourselves to existing in this new universe.

From a marketing perspective, 2009 has been a year of change in our industry. In the midst of one of the worst global economic crises our generation has ever seen, marketers have been hit hard. Similar to how this year has affected me personally, I think the same can be said for our profession.

The challenges of having marketing budgets cut, downsizing of staff and the increased pressure for understanding changing customer needs, has forced an evolution for the marketer. First we’ve had to recognise the positive things we have, in the case for marketing professionals – the understanding of the key revenue stream of a company (the customer), our understanding of various communication channels and our ability to react to change quickly. Only the strongest and astute marketer will survive in an environment like this one – and that is the truth.

In the midst of this mayhem, we’ve also had to realign how we work. Gone are the days where we will have a plethora of resources at our fingertips. We now have to plan quicker, with less financial or human assistance and with more competition in our midst. 2009 has really shown us that this isn’t a blip in the system but this attitude towards our profession is here to stay.

Like the challenges you or I face in our personal lives, it is essential we embrace our new realities in the marketing world so we can move forward for the good of our profession. 2010, 2050 and all the other years in between will have their fair share of ups and downs – all elements of life do – but we have the power to step up to the challenge and make them a success.

2010 will continue to test our ability to adapt and grab hold of this changing environment. Let’s not hide under the covers pretending all this will go away – it won’t. Let’s continue to embrace the change and face it head-on to make marketing more important to our companies than it ever was before.

As a way to synthesise my thoughts on 2009 from a personal and professional perspective, I took some time to write down 5 things I’ve learnt from this year. They are:

1)      The customer is king - take what the customer says to heart so this can drive change in the organisation
2)      Keep it simple - no one reads anything these days so the message needs to be short and sweet
3)     Look on the bright side - for every negative we are dealt with, try to identify two positives
4)      Face the music – deal with challenges head-on so you can realign yourself to this new world
5)      Find your passion – realise what you love to do and do it (even if you weren’t getting paid for it)

As we bring 2009 to a close, I urge all marketers out there to take a moment to reflect on how 2009 has impacted them personally and professionally. You can share this on my blog below as a comment or you can do it just for you. Honestly that’s up to you. It is just a good way for us all to realise how this year of change has made an impact on us and what we’ve taken away from it.

So that’s about it from this week. I wish you all a happy holiday season! I’ll be back next week to talk more about the year ahead.

Have a great marketing week,

Miriam - AppleCrisp Marketing Solutions

5 Comments

Marketing Mondays - It's tough out there! (9th ed., 2010)

Marketing Mondays #4: Reflecting on 2009

Archives

Categories