Date: November 2014

Earlier this month, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg held an hour long live-steamed Q&A from the company’s Menlo Park Headquarters.

The idea was to answer questions about the direction Facebook is taking. There were the usual superfluous questions, but the one question that was on many marketers’ minds was: what happened to the organic reach on my Facebook Page?

I am not one to divulge too much personal information. The most that anyone outside of friends and family really know about me is that I studied film and wanted to be a film critic, or even direct a movie one day; I get lost in music (more than just both kinds); I am a St.Kilda supporter and worked for the club for approximately 12 years as a trainer; and I don’t drink coffee.  Some believe that non-coffee drinkers are untrustworthy, but I say that is a load of bitter tasting mud.

Not being much of a conversationalist that is the best I can give most people. But as someone who has just become a regular blogger, I feel I must dig deeper. And I have been told to do so anyway.

So, as my smiling face now accompanies these blog posts, here goes.

You’ve founded a startup. You’ve been putting in 80 hour weeks, working every moment you’re awake, sleeping in the office and it seems like it’s paying off! Numbers are rising, and you’re gathering media buzz. But then—everything stops. Traffic drops, registrations decline. You’re still trying to secure that next round of funding, and a drop in numbers right now could be fatal. It’s now or never. 

Okay, take a breath. That was just a thought exercise. But it’s an important topic, and one any founder or aspiring founder should have a plan for. Just how do you kickstart your startup’s growth to get you to that next round? We’ve assembled five tools to help you get your startup off life support and into major growth mode. 

Design is one of the most important facets of any marketing campaign. Although it isn’t something we think about too much when we are looking at an ad, logo or a brochure, the fact is if the design isn’t attractive we just won’t read what is on offer.

Earlier this year Business Insider ran a piece on The 15 Worst Corporate Logo Fails. Topping the list was the London 2012 logo, which some mistook for a Nazi logo and others for Lisa Simpson being a very naughty girl. 

Brand communication via our smartphones is nothing new, however marketing agencies, retailers and other savvy businesses are now making better use of the tool.

According to eMarketer, mobile budgets have increased more than 735% between 2011 and 2014 and spending is expected to rapidly accelerate.

We all know that content is king. In the magazine world, from where I have come and which is vastly different to that of marketing, content drives advertising, audience and sales. Come to think of it, perhaps there isn’t much difference between the two.

What makes a magazine successful is a good mix of editorial and features written from within the editorial department and outsourced articles written by experts within particular fields. As a business editor, I would ask contributors to supply specific topics on property, investments, risk management and marketing. In-house editorial combined with carefully curated content, creates a magazine that encompasses the most important aspects of readability: information and entertainment.

As part of my new time management ritual, I am cutting back on my time surfing the net, checking for updates on social media and reading blogs.

When you run a business such as mine, it's hard to find time to do everything that you want to do, at the level you would like to do it at. So, I spent some time this morning reading over 50 different marketing blogs and was amazed at the varying levels of content quality.

There have been five writers that have truly stood out in the past few years, and although it would be fair to say that they have the following of the most loyal marketing and entrepreneurial crowd, they also come with thought leadership and strong opinions - which makes for great reading.

Marketing Eye Marketing Manager Melissa Sharp attended Media Social recently, a Sydney-based event which brought together some of the country’s best and brightest marketing managers to share ideas and experiences.

Melissa gave me her take on the event and the presentations and ideas she found most inspiring.

Curating a team of would-be champions in the workplace is like trying to put together a 1000-piece miniature puzzle; it is difficult, time consuming and ultimately a challenge you can’t turn away from until it’s complete. The difference is that the workplace puzzle is never complete, when one vital piece is lost, another takes its place … and it’s never the same fit. 

Having different personalities in the workplace is an advantage. However managing a range of psyches, emotions and needs provides some serious challenges. 

It’s crunch time for marketers.  No longer can marketing teams and their agencies get away with disregarding their organisational sustainability policies.  Any why do I think that?  Because we’ve had a few clangers lately. 

Remember the Telstra iPhone 6 ad, where the man opens the packaging and throws it away so that a crab becomes stuck in it?  Not a great example of environmental responsibility – and also a reinforcement of overt consumerism.