Blog Author Mellissah Smith - Page 80

It's that time of year again and as we all wind down for the festive season, it's time to reflect on the past year and look forward to the year ahead.

Most marketing strategies will be firmly in place for next year, but for those who have left it too late, there are a few things that you need to consider.

• If you look back at 2012, you will realise how much things have changed. 
• Facebook listed and fell flat on its face, but woke up with more than 1 billion registered users.
• Pinterest came to the forefront and became the fastest growing social media platform on the planet.
• Instagram bagged a billion bucks with only enough employees to count on your two hands.
• People like www.jeffbullas.com out of downtown Sydney became a global social media phenomenum just by writing blogs that are interesting and knowing the rules of engagement for content creation and exploitation.
• No-one in the world sees their website as a brochure anymore (although many still haven't done anything about it)
• Google is going from strength to strength
• Linkedin company pages are essential to any companies "winning" strategy
• Old-fashion marketing is having a revival of sorts with DM pieces still having impact ONLY when they are super duper creative
• The US is still feeling the pinch and Australia is seen as a sound performer with a strong Aussie dollar and an economy that hasn't yet fallen flat on its face
• A woman is the richest woman in Australia - thanks Gina Rinehardt for flying the flag
• Obama won a second term as President of the United States of America
• 12 months since Steve Jobs passed away and Apple is going remarkably strong with the launch of a new ipad mini
• Microsoft launches Windows 8 
• The prophecy of a major disaster with 'the end of the world'  is still growing in momentum

In light of the above, where from here?

Marketing Strategies need to be aligned to a company's overall business plan. It underpins the overall sales plan and creates the forum for which sales can occur. 

Businesses that have put on the hand brake because the year has been turbulent from an economic perspective, are being surpassed by their less successful competitors who have invested heavily in marketing and reaping the rewards of a strategic approach to doing the opposite of everyone else.

A clever marketing strategy in 2013 is being revised right now. The reason is simple - so many things have changed and to truly have a marketing plan that is effective, there may need to be some tweaks. Don't be afraid to do this, as one of the big benefits of being a small business is that you have the ability and scope to be flexible.

Take into account;

• Changes in search engine optimisation algorithms
• Pinterest and what role this social media platform plays in your overall marketing strategy
• The rise of Instagram 
• Online influencers and how your business is reaching and engaging with them
• Traditional media versus new media
• e-Marketing and its role in driving leads
• Branding and positioning in a new world
• Collaboration with key partners and alliances
• Global expansion in light of economic uncertainty
• Fast growing markets with scalability like China, Turkey and India
• Outsourcing of key roles in marketing, finance, human resources etc
• People in your organisation and what role they play in building your business
• Investment in online marketing
• Your website - if it is dead, bury it. Build a new one that is "today" and not "yesterday.

What will you change in 2013?

One of my close girlfriends rung me today. She hasn't been out on a date in 5 years because she was married and now newly single, was about to embark on her first dating experience.

She asked,"I am new to this stuff, but I am going on a date tonight to a dinner and a movie and I am not sure what the protocol is with paying."

I asked, "do you like him?" 

She said, "yes, he is a really great guy and I really like him".

Do people really believe what they read in newspapers, internet, magazines, watch on television or YouTube or hear on the radio or through podcasts? 

Daily I receive updates on Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin from people that have received publicity whether it is through an online blog or in the media sprouting how successful they are. The first couple of "pushes" of publicity, I applaud and genuinely think "good on that person". Then when it keeps coming in what can sometimes be "D-grade" versions of media that perhaps only a few people ever get to read, I start to think "oh, this person is looking for attention or needs people to think they are successful".

Which, might I add, may not be the case at all, but it is just my immediate perception if I don't know any better about the person.

Professional services firms are known as the "safest" b2b marketers, only second behind that of the medical industry.

Still stuck in the dark ages, many professional services firms still believe that 'good work speaks for itself' and "you need to find the clients pain" ensuring that they keep it "safe" when embarking on marketing of any kind, rather than looking deep into customer insights to drive leads and create more sustainable client relationships.

What professional services firms are forgetting is that while they may still be on track to achieving their sales goals, being complacent and not moving with the times, will make it almost impossible to stay competitve.

For years, I have been fascinated by design in every possible form; shape, configuration, pattern, ornamentation and visual appearance. Of particular interest is architectural design.

Last week, I was fortunate enough to walk the streets of Amsterdam with one of the Netherlands most famed interior architects, Flip Verbeek. He use to be co-owner of a company called Flow that has designed some of the most amazing interiors in buildings throughout the Netherlands. As we walked the streets, looking at building after building that had been designed by Flow and the talented architects in the team, I was inspired. The passion that this man has for design and visuals that are sustainable and complement the environment in which it inhabits, is contagioius.

So contagious in fact, that on my flight home from Amsterdam, I looked up www.realestate.com.au, found a property and days later, bought it.

The property will be the new home for Marketing Eye in Melbourne. It is located in my favourite street in the city, Greville Street and fits inside my inner-city bubble that I love to live in. While I won't be here so much to enjoy it, it gives me great pride to be able to find a building with the character and potential that the one I have just bought has.

This blog has been spurred by the many challenges in growing an international business leveraging  economies of scale and opportunities that are simply too good to pass by.

In the past week, I have been thinking alot about Linkedin. It has been the topic of many conversations and all for the right reasons. Daily I am asked about what social media mediums are best for b2b organizations and of course, there is no one answer because it depends entirely on a companies specific demographic, time constraints, strategy and of course, budget.

I wrote a blog on the value of Linkedin for small businesses and have spent quite a bit of time on this social media platform over past couple of days. It's interesting to see how people interact and reach out to each other. It is equally fascinating to see some people's comments that are purely self-serving or a bit over the top negative for no apparent reason.

It is "unbeatable". The race that stops a nation.

The 152 Melbourne Cup Carnival promises to be even bigger and better than ever before. More than 100,000 people will go down to Flemington, rain, hail or shine, to watch a race that lasts only minutes. 

Swiss took the first prize in the celebrated Birdcage stakes attracting international movie star Nicole Kidman to town for just 24 hours to make an appearance. Lavazza came in a close second, although I do think their birdcage is by far the most fun, with Roberto Cavalli. Love their very "in" fluro accent on the cage this year. Looks very in vogue and no doubt will be part of bringing out the best party in town yet again. They always have a cool DJ playing and a bit of a sing along at the end of the day which draws in the karoake loving celebrities around town.

For Lavazza I think they do an amazing job of standing out from the crowd. It first started with having Rod Stewart's ex as a guest, Rachel Hunter and each year it has gotten bigger and better. I have seen the Madden boys in their a few times, lots of local celebrities and sporting stars. John Valmorbida is the ultimate host and is always as charming as ever.

A very wise man once said to me, "friends are clients and clients are friends". From that moment it all made sense. If you treat your clients as friends and not another number or addition to your revenue hunt, your relationship will last longer and be more sustainable.

In the modern digital age, it's much simplier to be friends with your clients, particularly if you have hundreds of thousands of them at your fingertips.

They connect with you on social media; facebook, twitter, linkedin, pinterest, myspace - you name it, they are "friends" with you. Each day, I log onto my twitter account and I talk to people I know and some that I don't. The one's that I don't, are new friends. People I am getting to know via twitter. They have shared a common interest or have an opinion on something that I have written that interwines us together. Instantly, we feel like we "get" each other or perhaps that "we don't". Either way, we form a connection and depending on how we interact and communicate we will either become "friends" or fade away into the twittersphere.

Finding time to spend on social media networks is getting more difficult. There are so many to choose from, that at times, small businesses don't know where to start.

From time to time, re-evaluating which social media networks work best for your company and re-defining your strategy according to changes in features and functionality, can either leverage your business to new heights or create havoc with your sales cycle.

As a firm believer that "you cannot be everything to everyone", it makes perfect sense to spend time looking at the various analytics relating to social media, the demographics of each platform and how it applies to your target audience, brand authenticity and collaborations with clients and partners.

When it comes to b2b marketing, the decision on what social media networks to use and invest in becomes significantly easier.