Is there a TV show that is directly related to your profession? I am a senior project manager at Go East, a design, brand and interactive agency in Saint Paul, and I am fascinated and inspired by the TV show, The Apprentice, not only because it is completely based upon project management, but because the social dynamics of it are incredibly vivid and entertaining.
The problem is that we attempt to solve the simplest questions
cleverly, thereby rendering them unusually complex.
One should seek the simple solution. –Anton Chekhov
Perhaps it is human nature to overcomplicate things. As we consider all the causes, influences and relationships inherent in any problem we often get overwhelmed and paralyzed. Communication, branding or marketing problems are especially complicated by distribution, product, political and cultural issues that make clarity difficult.
Luckily, design is always beneficial when a problem is so complicated or intricate that it is hard to understand. Designers and writers find patterns, craft structures, define the ambiguous and sort through the details for insights and opportunities that solve problems. They find order and order leads to understanding.
One of our strongest tools for problem solving is visualization. For years we have been using our visual communication skills to outline complex problems and gain insights from responses. We visualize and let the user come to her own conclusions.
Visualization helps us see patterns in masses of data. The best infographics simplify information to inspire conversation and action. Design encourages interaction with data through visualization, which in turn encourages problem solving, finding opportunities and better communication.
Systematic methodologies, business processes and other heady aspects of marketing, like brand architecture models, are also critical paths that are best expressed visually. We will create everything from full-blown concept models to simple diagrams to communicate the problem that needs to be solved. Sometimes those visualizations are so successful that the visual ends up in the final product.
In every case, leveraging visuals and language to define the problem helps all stakeholders come to agreement. And agreement at the beginning of a problem-solving endeavor is a great place to start.
When marketing communications plans focus on connections rather than integration, does it follow that customers feel more connected? It seems probable. So how does one develop a connection plan? It’s not so different. It just requires a shift in the way we think about our customers and the way we plan. Gone are the days when we can put together a nice, tidy integrated communications plan grid with audiences listed down one side of the page, key messages across the top and tactics and timing for the entire year in the center. Connection planning is much more fluid. Sure, you still begin with a basic idea of key messages and audiences, and you know that your list of media and tactics will grow bigger and more complex by the day, but connection planning requires disciplined listening and quickly responding to customer input.
This means that, in connection planning, we have to let customers drive. At Go East we believe that, as marketers, we have to take on the role of the passenger by listening and observing. It’s not about sending messages out; it’s about having a conversation and adapting to feedback and sometimes to the fickle nature of the consumer.
Luckily, today it’s easier than ever to listen to customers through social media channels. If you think about it, it’s really what marketing is all about in its most simple form: identifying a consumer need and then developing a product and/or service to meet that need. It’s listening to the customers first and responding to their needs and wants, rather than trying to predict them.
Ultimately, connection planning requires developing some principles and discipline for how to respond quickly. First, it’s deciding who will respond to consumer comments and questions. And secondly, it’s setting up standards for how to respond in a timely manner. Connection planning is constant. It requires adjusting your plan to consider what you are learning on a frequent basis.
How do you connect with customers?
Thanks to everyone who took a few moments to answer Go East’s informal poll about planning.
This is the time of year that strategic planning happens in all types of organizations and, while marketing communications plans typically measure out 3-5 years and are important to the big picture, the reality is that day-to-day planning is just as important. That’s probably why many of you responded “a week” or “a month” in answer to the question, “how far in advance do you plan?”
See for yourself how others in the marketing and marketing communications field are planning.
What are the implications of these results? Well, frankly, this is good news for our Post-it® Brand clients! Lists are still the primary way many people figure out what they have to do! There’s a note for that! (Even the “Magic 8-Ball” answer likely indicates something on paper!)
Whether you’re planning strategically or day-to-day, it’s important to have a process that works for you. The lesson in this poll is that everyone’s process is different and that’s OK as long as it works. But let’s not dismiss day-to-day planning as something that can’t be foreseen or planned for. A well-written marketing communications plan will align with the strategic plan and give you the opportunity to be efficient with your time and budget.
After polling our clients, we decided to look at how Go East-ers approach planning — watch the video here.
From a marketing standpoint, social media is about engaging with customers in a meaningful way. “Engaging” and “meaningful” being the two key words!
Engaging: To cause someone to become involved in
Meaningful: Having a serious, important or useful quality or purpose
We can plan for meaningful content, but when we engage with our customers, we don’t know what will happen. Planning for social media almost seems like an oxymoron, right? How can you plan for something that is dynamic and kinetic? Well, think of how kinetic it would feel without a plan!
A good social media plan is created with a strategic, proven methodology. It’s about setting clear and measurable objectives. It’s about ongoing engagement. It’s about listening. It’s about reporting. It’s about being relevant. It’s about a lot of things, but it is not about creating a Facebook page and it’s not about you.
One other important thing about social media strategy is that it’s integrated with your brand strategy. All of your consumer touch points should be aligned with the same objectives. After all, social media — although a beast with its own set of rules — is just another consumer touch point.
How challenging is it for you to integrate your social media strategy with your brand strategy? How have you overcome those challenges?
You’ve probably heard the story about Charles Schwab and how productivity increased when executives at Bethlehem Steel Corporation wrote down their six most important things to do each day.
I’ve learned through my Go East and Mary Kay training that planning your six most important things to do each day helps you accomplish, little by little, all the things you need to accomplish. It’s best to write your to-do list the night before you need to do the tasks. That way you won’t end up in the thick of chaos the next day and think, “I wish I’d made that list.”
Write your list just after dinner or before bed. Choose a time when you can think and your head is clear. The next day, you’ll wake up refreshed, rested and ready to tackle your list. Not only does preparing your list ahead of time give you a sense of being in control of your day, it also provides a great sense of accomplishment when you cross something off of it. You are organized, productive and accomplished!
What are your six most important things to do tomorrow? I challenge you to try this.
My life is based around a schedule. I’ve given up being spontaneous because it doesn’t work for me. Whether I’m on vacation or at the office, I consult my calendar and follow a plan.
Growing up, the new school year began after the Labor Day holiday. As an adult, my “new” year starts in September and involves a new wardrobe, new calendar, fall cleaning, organizing my home and creating new goals. While the business world continues to plan — and often recognizes a January-December fiscal year — fall is a great time to re-engage your personal brand and re-charge your efforts to be organized in your personal and business lives.
Start anew and revitalize your life by meeting your personal goals, while also being proactive with your schedule by:
A few strategies that I have found helpful are:
Enjoy your summer but consider embracing the new New Year. Fall is the season for a fresh start.
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