As a student of politics and international relation I learnt in school that the primary psychological disposition of most if not all 3rd world countries have always been to catch up. While this has been the disposition of most African economies it is impossible to deny that it hasn’t also been the disposition of the average African business. This been the case, the approach would have been a good one if development was a fixed position in time and space but unfortunately this isn’t the case. And unfortunately so, over the last 60 years, our so called catch-up psychology is yet to pay off and for most of it, most African economies and businesses have been eating from the bottom of the pot, left with nothing but scrap.
However there is a need for what I call the 3rd world success psychology. This shouldn’t be confused with sheer economic materialism drive as many tend to confuse success with materialism these days, although with success does come material wealth. One thing that African businesses and the continental economy as a whole must realize is that our primary approach toward economy and business which is influenced by the catch-up psychology isn’t going to work because by the time we think we have caught-up we would only wake up to realize that we have been left behind once again hence the need for us to review our approach and precepts towards business growth and economic development.
When it comes to business development or economic growth psychology does play a crucial role as a determining factor which dictates how far one can or can’t go and as growing economy or business we seem to be better placed unlike what many would think to achieve success faster than most. I know this sounds clique but actually it is true. For starters as come-ups we already have a blueprint of what works and what doesn’t and likewise we have the pages of history full lessons of success and failures and how best to avoid them thus this put us in a vantage position. However more than this, is something fundamental which can be traced to the very nature of man himself which is that when men/businesses/ economy have gotten to a certain point, they have a tendency to get comfortable and become ok with the status quo and also try to perpetuate the continued existence of this status quo that has them on top. And with this status quo comes an acceptable knowledge base and behavioral pattern. As a matter of fact each and every economic or social status quo is built and driven by what they deem as an acceptable knowledge base and social behavior.
As upcoming business or economies it is fundamental that we understand that as long as we continue to work within the framework of the accepted knowledge base we cannot really go as far as we may truly desire. My kind of 3rd world business psychology is one that says that we shouldn’t be afraid to go where no one has gone before and it starts by going past the knowledge of today and in quest of the knowledge of tomorrow which in turn will demand some level of research and development.
As growing businesses and economies it is not ok for us to be ok with the global business templates because to do so will only imply that we will only remain at the periphery of the global hierarchy of states and society. Rather we must reach beyond the comfort and confines of today and press forth for new ideas, new thesis or better still combing two seemingly opposite ideas to beget a new synthesis because unless we do so, we will never discover anything new which will propel us to the position where we can easily reap the good form the global market. To survive either in business or in the global economy one thing is central; a competitive advantage and how can we have any form of an effective competitive advantage if we refuse to entertain new ideas of how to do things? Man isn’t the strongest of animals as you know but he appears to be amongst the most surviving specie after the crocodile and the reason for his survival can be found in his ability to always reach forth for something new. The same principle applies to business and economic growth, as come-ups we must never be scared to go into the dark where many haven’t ventured, we must not be scared to blaze new trails and new paths. We must learn to work with the present structure but the aim of going beyond it. We must ceaselessly put forward new theories, new philosophies and start to entertain nascent ideas and concepts and in doing so we must never be scared to fail as well. Contrary to what you many think it is good and healthy to fail like they say a smooth sea never made a good sailor.
My opinion about 3rd business and success psychology is one that is far from catch-up but one steep in venturing into the dark of new ideas and new thoughts and ways of doing things and as a matter of fact I am not the only one who shares this opinion; Google ventured into uncharted territories and came out a success, so did apple et al. so what are we waiting for?
Monday, 19 January 2015
The Forgotten Skill of Truly Successful People
Conflict is one of the great inevitabilities of life (after death and
taxes). And while you can try to avoid conflict for a while, you cannot
escape it.
This is especially true if you are in a leadership position in the workplace. Conflict — and, more specifically, conflict resolution — is your job. The more you are able to recognize it, understand it, and ultimately resolve it, the more successful you will be.
When I published my recent post on the most important soft skills of successful people Tracey-Leigh Wessels commented that there was another vital one I forgot - conflict management. I agreed and replied that I would do a post on the topic, so here we are.
The vital soft skill of leaders
I don’t think it can be overstated that conflict management and resolution is perhaps the most important soft skill for leaders, because in a leadership position, you will encounter conflict every day.
Avoiding conflict is rarely a good idea, because it allows problems to fester and worsen. We’ve all had or known a boss who repeatedly gave into someone simply because he wanted to avoid the conflict. In parenting, that turns out spoiled kids; in business it turns out weak leaders.
Too many times, I’ve witnessed otherwise smart and capable professionals lose control over a project or a team because they were unwilling or unable to engage and defuse a conflict that arose.
But conflict doesn’t have to be a dead weight on a project or a team if you, as the leader, brush up on some key conflict management skills.
As a leader, you also need to be proactive in defining what is and isn’t acceptable and helpful in a given situation. If, as in our previous example, team members are often sending vague emails or not including all the relevant information, creating a template for project updates with all the necessary parts can help prevent misunderstandings and conflict. Likewise, easy to understand rules and expectations make conflicts easier to resolve: when someone doesn’t meet expectations, there are consequences.
Finally, it’s important to remember to pick your battles. Seeking out conflict just because you can isn’t the mark of a good leader. Understanding which conflicts are important and which are petty annoyances is an important skill to master.
Stop and think. Don’t react right away. Our first reactions are almost always emotional, and those feelings can cloud the issue. Take a second to breathe.
Acknowledge the conflict. Try saying something like, “I’m feeling some tension here. Let’s talk about it.”
Engage in active listening. While the other person is talking, actually stop and listen to them — don’t just use the time to formulate your argument! Ask questions. Repeat key phrases; “What I’m hearing you say is…” And don’t jump to defend yourself.
Stay on topic. When responding or giving feedback, concentrate on the issue at hand, not how you feel about the person or what he or she might have done this morning or last week. Be specific and descriptive, and focus on your thoughts, feelings, and wants. You might say, “Here’s what I was expecting, and here’s what happened. Let’s talk about the gap.”
Be respectful. No matter how the other person reacts, stay calm and respectful. If their emotions or attitude are preventing a resolution, you can always take a break and come back when they’ve calmed down.
Great leaders don’t shy away from conflict or avoid it, but rather see it as a tool for bringing a team closer together. When there is a desire to resolve a conflict, it can be resolved — every time — and usually to the benefit of both parties.
Creating these win/win resolutions is a skill that can only be built over time with a great deal of practice, but it’s also one of the strongest hallmarks of a true leader.
How do you deal with conflict in your organization or team? Do you believe in seeking out conflict proactively, or avoiding it to maintain the peace? I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts in the
This is especially true if you are in a leadership position in the workplace. Conflict — and, more specifically, conflict resolution — is your job. The more you are able to recognize it, understand it, and ultimately resolve it, the more successful you will be.
When I published my recent post on the most important soft skills of successful people Tracey-Leigh Wessels commented that there was another vital one I forgot - conflict management. I agreed and replied that I would do a post on the topic, so here we are.
The vital soft skill of leaders
I don’t think it can be overstated that conflict management and resolution is perhaps the most important soft skill for leaders, because in a leadership position, you will encounter conflict every day.
Avoiding conflict is rarely a good idea, because it allows problems to fester and worsen. We’ve all had or known a boss who repeatedly gave into someone simply because he wanted to avoid the conflict. In parenting, that turns out spoiled kids; in business it turns out weak leaders.
Too many times, I’ve witnessed otherwise smart and capable professionals lose control over a project or a team because they were unwilling or unable to engage and defuse a conflict that arose.
But conflict doesn’t have to be a dead weight on a project or a team if you, as the leader, brush up on some key conflict management skills.
Hone your conflict management skills
The first step you can take is to prevent conflicts that are preventable — not all of them are, but by actually seeking out a potential conflict and taking steps to mitigate it, you’ll make your job ultimately much easier. For example, if someone on your team sends out a vague email that could easily be misunderstood, asking for clarification upfront could head off future conflict.As a leader, you also need to be proactive in defining what is and isn’t acceptable and helpful in a given situation. If, as in our previous example, team members are often sending vague emails or not including all the relevant information, creating a template for project updates with all the necessary parts can help prevent misunderstandings and conflict. Likewise, easy to understand rules and expectations make conflicts easier to resolve: when someone doesn’t meet expectations, there are consequences.
Finally, it’s important to remember to pick your battles. Seeking out conflict just because you can isn’t the mark of a good leader. Understanding which conflicts are important and which are petty annoyances is an important skill to master.
5 steps to handling a conflict
The next time you’re faced with a conflict, try practicing these five steps for handling the situation:Stop and think. Don’t react right away. Our first reactions are almost always emotional, and those feelings can cloud the issue. Take a second to breathe.
Acknowledge the conflict. Try saying something like, “I’m feeling some tension here. Let’s talk about it.”
Engage in active listening. While the other person is talking, actually stop and listen to them — don’t just use the time to formulate your argument! Ask questions. Repeat key phrases; “What I’m hearing you say is…” And don’t jump to defend yourself.
Stay on topic. When responding or giving feedback, concentrate on the issue at hand, not how you feel about the person or what he or she might have done this morning or last week. Be specific and descriptive, and focus on your thoughts, feelings, and wants. You might say, “Here’s what I was expecting, and here’s what happened. Let’s talk about the gap.”
Be respectful. No matter how the other person reacts, stay calm and respectful. If their emotions or attitude are preventing a resolution, you can always take a break and come back when they’ve calmed down.
Every conflict is an opportunity
Teachers often talk about “teachable moments,” and every conflict is a strong teachable moment. When there are two sides, two opposing viewpoints, there is a remarkable opportunity for learning, innovation, and even team building.Great leaders don’t shy away from conflict or avoid it, but rather see it as a tool for bringing a team closer together. When there is a desire to resolve a conflict, it can be resolved — every time — and usually to the benefit of both parties.
Creating these win/win resolutions is a skill that can only be built over time with a great deal of practice, but it’s also one of the strongest hallmarks of a true leader.
How do you deal with conflict in your organization or team? Do you believe in seeking out conflict proactively, or avoiding it to maintain the peace? I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts in the
Thursday, 8 January 2015
5 Ways to Make Money During Video Production
While saving money on your video marketing budget is certainly desirable, keep in mind that cheap, quick, and great don’t all go together. You’ve been warned – sometimes fixing the problems a cheap video campaign creates ends up costing more in the long run.
But are thee ways to save money on video? Absolutely. There are plenty of ways, actually, and a number of great companies that are more than willing to help lighten the load along each step of the way. The key is understanding how to reduce your expenses along each stage of the video production process, including pre-production, production, and post-production.
Saving Money on Pre-Production
Pre-production is the step of the video production process that happens before the cameras start rolling. It’s when you have to budget, plan, and propose. If you want to save money, this is when you start doing so.1. Pick a budget
Once you’ve decided on the quality of video you’re comfortable with, you should take the time to really map it out. Have you ever produced a video before? If not, go online and search for ways to keep a video budget under control. If you’re already familiar with budgeting, then start asking yourself qualifying questions, like:
- Does my project need a professional script?
- Should I work with an agency or freelance videographers?
- Do I want live-action or animation? If live-action,
- How many actors do I need for the project?
- How many sets do I want?
- How many locations will I probably need to shoot on?
- How much equipment will I have to rent?
- How many videos do I want to shoot at once? Will this be a video series?
2. Prepare Your Proposal
Once you’ve answered the high-level budgeting questions, you should focus in on the project proposal. Also known as a “production brief” in video lingo, this proposal should be a concise one-pager that describes your project’s scope sufficiently to justify each part of the budget. The production brief should answer basic “Five Ws” type questions, like:
- What’s the objective?
- What’s the goal?
- Who’s watching?
- What’s the key message?
- What is the video style?
- How long is it?
- How will you distribute?
- When is the deadline?
- What’s the budget?
3. Be informed of your choices
Fortunately, we’ve taken the time to gather together a short list of useful video production services. You may find some of them useful, and others useless. It all depends on the project you have in mind, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of your marketing team:
Your video production will be based on two documents – your production brief and your script. Needless to say, you could use some professional help preparing both. Conveniently enough, Scripted is a content writing service that began with scriptwriting services, and offers help with scripts at very competitive rates (compared to the EFA’s standard rates).
Fiverr is useful for a lot of things. When it comes to video production, it is a great resource for quick and cheap voiceovers, actor testimonials, and custom-made music for video production. Most of the time, you’ll be getting exactly what you paid for. But some Fiverr creatives have pretty stellar ratings and rave reviews.
What’s an infographic got to do with video production? Good question. If you’re making an animated explainer video, for example – an infographic can often help you preview the data and see whether it’s as compelling as you think it is with the added bonus of an affordable infographic that can also stand on its own. Why not throw two outs with one pitch? Many famous animated business videos are actually just a series of motion infographics.
VoiceBunny takes the guesswork out of voiceovers with a simple, user-friendly service that has amazing turnaround times. With access to over 10,000 voiceover professionals, there are few voiceover needs that Bunny Inc. can’t meet.
Saving Money on Production
Production is the stage of the process during which the shoot occurs. Ideally, this stage should take as little time as possible because it will slice and dice up your budget with each billable hour. (Are you sure you don’t want to stay in pre-production just a little longer?)By now you should have chosen a style for the video. You should have also cast all actors, scouted all locations, and budgeted for the video crew’s every need. You should have a day-by-day breakdown, or shooting schedule, of exactly what will happen. Now’s the time to:
5. Communicate efficiently
Most of the time, you’ll be working with a team of people or an individual freelancer who will report to you remotely and in-person. You’ll probably have spent plenty of time communicating remotely during the pre-production process and working out the kinks, so it may be tempting to simply sit back and hit autopilot during production.
But keep in mind that face-to-face communication is priceless. Now’s the best time for you to ask any remaining questions, add in suggestions, and voice concerns. If you can, be in the room while the camera is rolling so that you can catch any problems before they reach post-production. Learn how to better communicate with creatives and agencies.
7 Ultimate Skills For Cash Flow
1. High EQ
EQ stands for emotional intelligence quotient, and your emotional intelligence determines how well you relate to other people, your ability to put yourself in other’s shoes, and your ability to build rapport. It’s important when you’re managing or working with a team, in networking, in understanding workplace politics and really any time you need to interact with a co-worker or client. In other words: it’s invaluable to develop these skills. You can improve your EQ by mindfully practicing putting yourself in another’s shoes, for example, to practice empathy and understanding.2. Communication Skills
You might have the most brilliant ideas in the room, but if you aren’t able to effectively communicate those ideas, you’ll never get anywhere. Being able to communicate clearly is vital to working with managers, teams, and clients. You can start improving your communications skills by studying the words and phrases you should never use, and paying more attention to what you say.3. Decision Making
A decisive person is going to be desirable in any position, at any level, and the ability to make decisions is especially important the higher up you climb on the ladder. Taking forever to decide, procrastinating by doing unnecessary research, or avoiding making decisions altogether aren’t a good way to get ahead anywhere. Practice being decisive and demonstrating your decision making abilities to get ahead.4. Integrity
Integrity at work means owning your mistakes, doing what you say you’re going to do when you say you’re going to do it, acknowledging when new information means you’re wrong, and being willing to say, “I don’t know.” People will respect and trust a person much more who has a reputation for integrity than someone who never admits he’s wrong or always puts the blame on others.5. Drive
Having drive doesn’t have to mean working 80 hours per week or volunteering for every extra project. Instead, demonstrating that you have drive could mean consistently working hard while you’re at work. It could mean having the initiative to continue your education in your field or go the extra mile for a project. It demonstrates that you’re committed to your work, and that’s very attractive to employers and managers.6. Focus
Maintaining focus is an extremely important skill, whether we’re talking about focusing on a single task at hand or on your long-term objectives. It also means not getting sidetracked by “shiny object syndrome” or by what seems easy or expedient.7. Balance
Perhaps most importantly, the key to a successful career in any job is maintaining a healthy balance. Only you can determine what makes a healthy balance for you, but it’s vital to balance your career with those things that will make you truly happy.These are my picks for the top seven skills that are essential to career success, but they’re certainly not the only ones. What soft skills would you add to the list?
Life-Changing, Money Making Books To Grab This Year
What's one of the best resolutions you can make for the new year? To read more. Yes... I know you're already busy enough as it is, but even adding in just *15 minutes of reading a day can help you:
- Reduce stress
- Slow progress of and possibly prevent Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia
- Expand your vocabulary and improve writing skills
- Boost your knowledge
- Improve your memory
- Strengthen analytical thinking skills
- Improve focus and concentration
- Foster creativity, imagination, and new ideas
And whether you hit all 12 (a damn-fine goal) or even just a couple, know that with every word you read, you're bettering yourself, your mind, and your business -- and that's a year-long resolution you can be incredibly proud of.
Check out the top 12 books to read in 2015 below:
1. The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz
Joey Wilhelm, vice president of technology at Scott's Marketplace, says, "The best way I can describe this book is that it contains four agreements to make with yourself about how to live your life in order to make it suck less. Keeping these four simple things in mind every day has improved every aspect of my life, both personally and professionally, and I find new ways to apply them daily. I can truly say that I would not be who I am today, and in the position that I am, without the guidance provided in this book."2. How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie
Michael Maguire, principal of Michael Maguire Consulting, believes this book's teachings are timeless and beneficial to all small business owners. He says, "Old school I know, but no less valuable in terms of effectively and easily managing customers, vendors, and staff."3. Dataclysm: Who We Are (When We Think No One's Looking), Christian Rudder
Daniel Leeman, entrepreneur, recommends this book, written by the founder of OkCupid, because it "shares fascinating insights about the human condition, drawn from the millions of users on the OkCupid dating website. Equally important is its focus on big data, and I believe it paints an exciting picture for the future for small businesses to transform aggregate data into meaningful stories."4. Rework, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
Since long books can often feel overwhelming to business owners with packed schedules, Matt Simpson, a sales and marketing consultant, is recommending Rework, which he says is more of a daily meditation book for entrepreneurs. "It provokes enough thought to push buttons without overwhelming the already-taxed mind. Read one passage every morning and spend five minutes reflecting. Perhaps, like me, you’ll be inspired too."5. Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader, Herminia Ibarra
Cindy Boynton, vice president of operations at Scott's Marketplace, notes, "The saying goes 'Think first, then act' but this book challenges you to do the opposite: act first, then think. Learning from your experiences and your environment is a great way to learn about yourself and your business. As a small business owner, you are more inclined to think first because there is so much to take into consideration before doing. Take a chance by reading this book and challenging your leadership style while building your small business."6. Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits, Greg Crabtree
As entrepreneur and CEO of web design company, Crosshatch Creative, John Durso strongly recommends Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits to new entrepreneurs. He says, "The author is a CPA and business owner, and the book makes business finance and the effect of your decisions on your business very, very clear. I'd give anything to have read this two years ago starting out."7. The Four Steps to the Epiphany, Steve Blank
"This is probably the most influential book I’ve read as far as relevancy to starting a tech company," says Scott Curry, founder of Scott's Marketplace. "The customer development process is something that I completely endorse and strongly recommend. You have to build a company on what your customers need, not what you think they want."What is Big Data and What is Ontology?
Much of this can be found on the Web. I have tried to consolidate the most important points and of course added my two cents. I would suggest anyone that believes the Big Data trends needs to understand the role Ontology will play going forward.
In computer science and information science, an ontology formally represents knowledge as a hierarchy of concepts within a domain, using a shared vocabulary to denote the types, properties and interrelationships of those concepts.
Ontologies are the structural frameworks for organizing information and are used in artificial intelligence, the Semantic Web, systems engineering, software engineering, biomedical informatics, library science, enterprise bookmarking, and information architecture as a form of knowledge representation about the world or some part of it. The creation of domain ontologies is also fundamental to the definition and use of an enterprise architecture framework.
As it relates to the Big Data trend:
Ontology claims to be to applications what Google was to the web. Instead of integrating the many different enterprise applications within an organization to obtain, for example, a 360 degrees view of customers, Ontology enables users to search a schematic model of all data within the applications. They extract relevant data from a source application, such as a CRM system, big data applications, files, warranty documents etc. These extracted semantics are linked into a search graph instead of a schema to give users the results needed.
Ontology gives users a different approach in using enterprise applications, removing the need to integrate the different applications. It allows users to search and link applications, databases, files, spreadsheets, etc. anywhere. The product of Ontology is very interesting because in the past years a vast amount of enterprise applications for various needs and with various requirements have been developed and used by organizations. Integrating these applications to obtain a company-wide integrated view is difficult, expensive and often not without risks.
Why is it important?
It eliminates the need to integrate systems and applications when looking for critical data or trends.
How is it applied and what are the important elements that make it all work?
Ontology uses a unique combination of an inherently agile, graph-based semantic model and semantic search to reduce the timescale and cost of complex data integration challenges. Ontology is rethinking data acquisition, data correlation and data migration projects in a post-Google world.
10 Digital Marketing Trends For 2015
Here’s what the experts had to say when I asked them which digital
marketing trends they see dying in 2015 and which trends they see
catching more steam.
2015
will see both the death of unreasonable expectations from organic
social media and the corresponding further growth of paid social.
Countless business owners have come up to me and said that they’re doing everything they should be doing on social media but achieving little, if any, results.
This is happening because every business owner is competing for your attention against other people as well as bigger brands with more resources to spend on both organic and paid social.
If social media was made for people and not for businesses, businesses will always be at a disadvantage. This disadvantage is clear today and the only way to both beat your competition and compensate for those disadvantages is to establish a budget for paid social to supplement your organic storytelling.
I
see the act of list building via the single bait piece such as an eBook
going away and being replaced with the use of content libraries that
attract community members.
In other words, instead of signing up to get blog posts or a generic email newsletter, list builders will offer access to a growing library of useful information that someone will join and consume based on the content that interests them most.
Awesome organic reach on Facebook is still possible and you can get great results with paid ads but the hey-day of businesses solely relying on a profile or page has passed.
Across
social networks there is a shift towards Facebook and LinkedIn Groups,
Google+ communities, Twitter chats, Pinterest boards and hashtag
conversations. It’s a shift back to conversations that we control vs.
newsfeeds that are out of our control.
It’s in our DNA to tell stories, connect, debate and discuss. It makes sense to me that we will see marketers get creative to find more “human” ways of interacting with fans and pay more attention to platforms that allow more direct communication. It’s a more enjoyable interaction, builds trust and ultimately results in sales and revenue.
Silo
marketing will die by necessity in 2015 and rightfully so. Silo
marketing in social media began early on as businesses gravitated to one
social network and focused solely on that platform for their marketing.
This was the restaurant that only had a Facebook Page or the business
that had a great YouTube channel but nothing else.
In 2015, that doesn’t work…it’s about integration.
Content on your blog is critical. It must be amplified and engaged with on social media to drive visitors back to your site where lead capture moves them into your email nurture process! Content, social media and email will all work in tandem to deliver results.
I
have noticed a distinct drop in the interest and discussions around
Pinterest recently and a sharp rise in folks interested in Instagram. As
a caveat, I have never been very good at Pinterest as I’m a B2B company
servicing B2B clients.
I find this rather fascinating, as they are both similar and absolutely reliant on visuals. From what I can see in my very focused world, for some reason, Instagram is pulling ahead of the game and that’s where I’ll be investing more of my time in 2015.
One
digital marketing trend that I think is dying is social-media specific
campaigns. In 2014 we started to see a small shift in businesses no
longer using Facebook to host their apps (campaigns) but a majority of
businesses were still relying on the single social network as their
“hub.”
In 2015, I believe we’ll see a big shift towards businesses being “platform-agnostic” and using campaigns that work everywhere with differing levels of engagement.
Zipcar UK is an example of a business who stopped hosting their campaigns on Facebook and embedded them on their website instead. As a result, their participation has increased 717% and campaign page visits have increased 203%.
Building a marketing campaign for multiple channels is expensive and with audiences expanding their presence, businesses will shift their offerings to be “everywhere” so their messages can be seen.
The
trend I hope that is dying in 2015 is lazy marketers chasing the
Facebook algorithm. You should be aware of it and pay attention to
changes, but chasing the algorithm is like a dog chasing its tail. It
leads to nothing but heartache and pain.
In 2015, I think we’re seeing businesses move back to posting more original content (videos, graphics and blog posts) and posting less memes and fluff on social media. We’ve lost the human touch on social media and it’s time we got it back!
I see a lot of social media marketers shifting towards re-branding themselves as content marketers in 2015.
This is part of a bigger trend among all kinds of marketers, especially search optimizers and PR professionals.
A year from now, when everyone calls themselves a content strategist, clients and employers will need to dig deeper to learn what the preferred channels are for that professional.
2015 will also be the year that people learn the difference between marketing automation and content marketing. Too many companies have signed up (and pay big money) for marketing automation tools but they’re really only using these tools as glorified email marketing systems.
This will be the year that businesses get smart about this. Many will cancel their marketing automation contracts and others will learn that they need to actually be active in marketing before it makes sense to automate it.
People who drank the kool aid are putting down their cups and realizing that they don’t need an expensive marketing automation platform to do content marketing. This will be a revelation for many businesses in the New Year.
The
number one digital marketing trend I see dying in 2015 is the “get more
fans & followers” trend. As crazy as it may sound, it’s still a
goal too many businesses are pursuing. Don’t believe me? Go in Google
Keyword Planner and check the volume of searches for “get more fans”,
“get more followers” or even “buy followers”. You’ll be shocked.
This is not sustainable. Businesses will soon all realize that this was useless and that they need to take a different approach.
The trend I see growing in 2015 is that businesses will start to be much more selective with their social media efforts and reducing (or even stopping) them when no evidence of benefit can be demonstrated.
On the other hand, they’ll become smarter at figuring out what works and then focusing their energy there. The market is maturing and that’s a good thing!
2015
is the year of social advertising. Now that many of the social sites
have some type of ad platform, and Facebook is basically requiring
businesses to have some ad budget for anything promotional, it is time
for business owners to understand social ads.
The targeting that you can do on social sites is amazing and businesses should be taking advantage of it. Plus, there is a great capability to track your conversions and understand which targeting and platform works best for you.
Understand how to do split testing, optimize your ads and track your conversions on each platform and you will be effective.
1. Get Ready For Paid Social
2015
will see both the death of unreasonable expectations from organic
social media and the corresponding further growth of paid social.Countless business owners have come up to me and said that they’re doing everything they should be doing on social media but achieving little, if any, results.
This is happening because every business owner is competing for your attention against other people as well as bigger brands with more resources to spend on both organic and paid social.
If social media was made for people and not for businesses, businesses will always be at a disadvantage. This disadvantage is clear today and the only way to both beat your competition and compensate for those disadvantages is to establish a budget for paid social to supplement your organic storytelling.
Neal Schaffer
Founder, Maximize Social Business
2. Content Libraries Are The New Attraction
I
see the act of list building via the single bait piece such as an eBook
going away and being replaced with the use of content libraries that
attract community members.In other words, instead of signing up to get blog posts or a generic email newsletter, list builders will offer access to a growing library of useful information that someone will join and consume based on the content that interests them most.
John Jantsch
Founder, Duct Tape Marketing
3. Communities Will Overtake Pages
As social networks like Facebook gear more and more towards “pay to play”, more people are gravitating towards platforms, groups and communities that allow for one-on-one conversations with others and a feed that is minimally “filtered”.Awesome organic reach on Facebook is still possible and you can get great results with paid ads but the hey-day of businesses solely relying on a profile or page has passed.
Across
social networks there is a shift towards Facebook and LinkedIn Groups,
Google+ communities, Twitter chats, Pinterest boards and hashtag
conversations. It’s a shift back to conversations that we control vs.
newsfeeds that are out of our control.It’s in our DNA to tell stories, connect, debate and discuss. It makes sense to me that we will see marketers get creative to find more “human” ways of interacting with fans and pay more attention to platforms that allow more direct communication. It’s a more enjoyable interaction, builds trust and ultimately results in sales and revenue.
Donna Moritz
Founder, Socially Sorted
4. The Death of Silo Marketing
Silo
marketing will die by necessity in 2015 and rightfully so. Silo
marketing in social media began early on as businesses gravitated to one
social network and focused solely on that platform for their marketing.
This was the restaurant that only had a Facebook Page or the business
that had a great YouTube channel but nothing else.In 2015, that doesn’t work…it’s about integration.
Content on your blog is critical. It must be amplified and engaged with on social media to drive visitors back to your site where lead capture moves them into your email nurture process! Content, social media and email will all work in tandem to deliver results.
Mike Gingerich
Founder, Tabsite
5. Pinterest Is Out, Instagram Is In
I find this rather fascinating, as they are both similar and absolutely reliant on visuals. From what I can see in my very focused world, for some reason, Instagram is pulling ahead of the game and that’s where I’ll be investing more of my time in 2015.
Viveka Von Rosen
Author, LinkedIn Marketing: An Hour A Day
6. Social Media-Specific Campaigns Are No More
In 2015, I believe we’ll see a big shift towards businesses being “platform-agnostic” and using campaigns that work everywhere with differing levels of engagement.
Zipcar UK is an example of a business who stopped hosting their campaigns on Facebook and embedded them on their website instead. As a result, their participation has increased 717% and campaign page visits have increased 203%.
Building a marketing campaign for multiple channels is expensive and with audiences expanding their presence, businesses will shift their offerings to be “everywhere” so their messages can be seen.
Jim Belosic
CEO, ShortStack
7. No More Algorithm Chasing
In 2015, I think we’re seeing businesses move back to posting more original content (videos, graphics and blog posts) and posting less memes and fluff on social media. We’ve lost the human touch on social media and it’s time we got it back!
Scott Ayres
Author, Facebook All-In-One For Dummies
8. The Content Marketing Revolution
This is part of a bigger trend among all kinds of marketers, especially search optimizers and PR professionals.
A year from now, when everyone calls themselves a content strategist, clients and employers will need to dig deeper to learn what the preferred channels are for that professional.
2015 will also be the year that people learn the difference between marketing automation and content marketing. Too many companies have signed up (and pay big money) for marketing automation tools but they’re really only using these tools as glorified email marketing systems.
This will be the year that businesses get smart about this. Many will cancel their marketing automation contracts and others will learn that they need to actually be active in marketing before it makes sense to automate it.
People who drank the kool aid are putting down their cups and realizing that they don’t need an expensive marketing automation platform to do content marketing. This will be a revelation for many businesses in the New Year.
Andy Crestodina
Author, Content Chemistry
9. Paid Fans & Followers Services Will Die
This is not sustainable. Businesses will soon all realize that this was useless and that they need to take a different approach.
The trend I see growing in 2015 is that businesses will start to be much more selective with their social media efforts and reducing (or even stopping) them when no evidence of benefit can be demonstrated.
On the other hand, they’ll become smarter at figuring out what works and then focusing their energy there. The market is maturing and that’s a good thing!
Emeric Ernoult
Founder, AgoraPulse
10. The Year of Social Advertising
2015
is the year of social advertising. Now that many of the social sites
have some type of ad platform, and Facebook is basically requiring
businesses to have some ad budget for anything promotional, it is time
for business owners to understand social ads.The targeting that you can do on social sites is amazing and businesses should be taking advantage of it. Plus, there is a great capability to track your conversions and understand which targeting and platform works best for you.
Understand how to do split testing, optimize your ads and track your conversions on each platform and you will be effective.
Andrea Vahl
Author, Facebook Marketing For Dummies
Digital Marketing Trends For 2015: Key Takeaways
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)