John R. Kowalski Integrative Marketing Fusion
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Empathy – Your Secret (Marketing) Weapon

The problem with today’s marketing is that it very rarely touches the recipient where it counts – the heart. Too many marketing programs are features/benefits focused without really showing how a product or service truly impacts someone or an organization.

As marketing continues to be more and more data-driven, marketing professionals need to find ways to insert their own personal experiences into marketing programs.

If you’re struggling with how to do this, empathy might be the secret weapon marketing needs to improve performance.

Empathy is defined as “the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner” by Merriam-Webster’s dictionary.

The marketing profession demands that marketing professionals’ step into consumer’s lives. We must be able to imagine ourselves in the shoes of our audience. Empathy is not sympathy, but rather it’s being able to see through others’ eyes.

This key skill allows us to craft emotionally compelling messages that make our audience feel like they matter, and we really understand them and their circumstances.

Marketing with empathy is an effective way of developing bonds between us and our audience. Research shows that marketing tactics such as personalization, storytelling, self-relevant advertising, less emphasis on features/benefits, and social responsibility can also help marketers improve performance when they include an emotional trigger in promotional content.

Emotional triggers show consumers how a product or service will create value.

What do you think? Have empathy marketing tactics worked for your organization? Leave a comment below.

Staying in Your Own Lane, and Dealing with Those Who Don’t

One incident that happened this week I’d like to address is that I am leading a product launch from a marketing communications standpoint. The plan is outlined with all of the necessary marketing elements including due dates in accordance to the training of internal sales and distribution and the public launch. This is a launch, like a lot of products, are delayed due to component shortages and delays. No problem, we are methodically moving forward with what we can for now. At this point the public launch is in March 2022. Plenty of time.

Cartoon flame

So last week a member of senior leadership decided to circumvent my process by going directly to the web team for some Adword ads leading to a specific landing page for a download. Pretty standard stuff, but the process in which it was engaged was out of line. If this senior leadership person had a question, why would they not come directly to me, the leader of the launch? Instead, by engaging the web team directly and “lighting a fire” caused unnecessary stress, anxiety and a shift in their priorities. I immediately reached out to them and defused the situation by providing them the actual timeline for getting things done as well as they final content they would need to complete their tasks.

That was some background on the situation that prompted this post.

Stay in Your Lane, and Dealing with Others Who Don’t

Yellow road sign that reads "Stay in your lane"

Something I stress is the importance of staying in your lane. Boundaries are there for a reason and more than likely, if you swerve into someone else’s lane, you’re going wind up causing an accident or getting into one out of their own poor judgement. With my Integrative Marketing Fusion model and process, I always value input and engage empowerment throughout every member of the team. I set the stage and guide the work but always gather input from others. Not only do they feel valued for their expertise, but they are given a safe environment to voice their opinions and recommendations. This is extremely important, and when this process is circumvented it not only weakens the project, but it weakens the team and organization.

In this case, I had to step in and explain the process of process. A bit of a project “reset.” Processes are set for a reason.

The other takeaway is how to deal with others who don’t follow the process. I hate to call this out in public, but I have seen an uptick recently in senior-level people who are impatient and not willing to follow the process or show patience. Or perhaps they’re just bored or have read the latest article on XYZ and need to ‘get things done now.’ That’s just something that I have had to learn over time about dealing with people higher up on the org chart. I think of it as process engineering, where process engineering has to process process.

Process is important for getting work done efficiently with quality end results. So set or know the process and know your lane! That’s all for now… back to the Integrative Marketing Fusion lab… the next topic coming soon.

Staying Focused and the Creative Flow

This past week has been a whirlwind of work and life. Just some highlights

  • 2022 Marketing strategy final reviews
  • 2022 Marketing programs – begin outlining activities to support the strategy
  • Reviewing marketing automation and nurturing tools
  • New work projects started, and a few wrapped up
  • I received a notice that there’s a drug surge in the town where my two kids are
  • The usual fire training – new EMR protocols and review/prep on forcible entry (love that stuff!)
  • My mother had a routine surgery – all good, but still added stress on my dad and sisters, and on me while being not near them
  • Smoke alarm went off at 4:30 am Wednesday morning. It was a malfunctioning smoke detector but only determined after checking things out (including the attic), borrowing the TIC (thermal imaging camera) and doing a full sweep just to make sure. Have you checked and changed your smoke detector batteries lately? Do it this weekend – don’t wait.
Flow, the Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikzentmihalyi book cover.

Sounds like a lot, yes? But you know something? It was a great week! I was focused and in the creative flow. Speaking of Flow, a moment of silence for Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the author of Flow passed away this week. If you don’t know about it, check it out, it’s a monumental and foundational read.

I’m sure you’ve been there before. You’re in the zone (or flow), your creative juices are flowing and then suddenly, it’s like someone pulled the plug on your laptop. Then you’re scrambling to find inspiration or idea that will get you going again. What if I told you that there was a way to stay focused and work more efficiently? This post is about how to do just that. This works for me, but the key is finding what works best for YOU!

Have you ever been rolling along to have life through you a huge number of curveballs all at once? How do you keep focused and stay in the creative flow while dealing with those curveballs?

I know I’ve been there plenty of times. It can be very hard to focus on your work when you have a million things going on at once. You might feel as if all your ideas are disappearing and it’s time to start from scratch again. In those moments, take a deep breath and focus on what is important for now, and focus on that.

Everyone has a different way of creating. For example, some people focus better with music playing in the background while others prefer quiet surroundings. Some focus best early in the morning while others focus best late at night. You need to find out what works for you.

I like the analogy of creativity as a muscle you need to work out or it won’t work at all. To find focus, find something that helps get your creative juices flowing again and keep going. Don’t sit there and assume nothing is working because chances are if you just give it time, focus will find you.

Here are some tips that focus my focus:

  • Write it down – If something is on your mind, write it down. It doesn’t have to be in a journal or even an idea for a blog post. For me I use OneNote so I can access my notes anytime from anywhere. This way if I feel stuck, I can open my notes and focus on one thing that keeps me focused.
  • Keep your workspace clean – Being organized is important. When you take time to clean up your work area, focus will automatically come. Cleaning helps me focus because it makes everything more simple and therefore easier to focus on whatever it is that needs focus.
  • Find focus – Sometimes it’s hard to focus on what you need focus on instead of worrying about all the things you must do. To find focus, make a list of everything you need to do and then focus on one thing at a time. You can even prioritize your task list depending on their importance.
  • Diversify your focus – While it’s good to focus on one thing at a time, sometimes focusing on too many things at once can zap focus. So, focus on one thing for an hour or two and then focus on another task. Or focus on your work for a while and then take a break with some fun activities.
  • Take your focus outdoors – Sometimes focusing indoors can be challenging. I focus better when I get some fresh air and focus outdoors. Going for a walk or taking a break outside helps me focus because it’s like getting away from everything and allowing myself to focus without distraction.
  • Stay hydrated – Getting plenty of water while working will help focus. Sometimes I focus better when I’ve got a full glass of water because it can be easy to get dehydrated when you focus for long periods at a time without drinking anything.
  • Reward focus – Rewarding yourself is very important in motivating focus. You want to focus on your work so you can have some fun, right? It’s good to focus on work but it’s even better if you let yourself have some fun or enjoy life while focusing.
  • Take a break – Find focus, but also remember to take time for yourself so you can relax and focus on having fun. Life is all about balance and finding focus should help us all become more productive, not less. A focus break can be just what you need to get back on track and focus more efficiently.

Try out different focus methods until you find what works best for you. It might take some time but with practice, focus will come naturally when it’s time to focus.

To summarize, here are some keys to not losing it when life comes at you

  • Be and stay organized
  • Prioritize
  • Time management
  • Self-imposed target dates
  • Real deadlines
  • Time for YOU – For me it’s spending enough quiet time to stay organized, playing the guitar and cooking

Most people find it difficult to stay focused and motivated. It’s so easy for your creative, “in the zone” state of mind to slip away from you when you’re working on a long deadline or project that requires a lot of focus. The good news is there are ways to keep yourself in this productive mindset longer! The above tips work well for me – maybe they’ll help you too?

What strategies do YOU use to stay more focused at work? Leave a comment below with your best practices!

5 Steps to Get your Marketing Focused & Back on Track

Marketing has changed drastically in the past few years. It’s more important than ever to be on top of your game and incorporate new strategies that will help you stay ahead, but it can feel like there are too many different things happening all at once! Join me as I provide insights into best practices and 5 steps to get your marketing focused and back on track. I also use my Integrative Marketing Fusion model which is a traditional model but with the added elements of evolve, connect, inspire and empowerment for increased value.

To do things right, here are the five steps to take:

  1. Get your brand sorted out
  2. Do a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats)
  3. Develop/update your marketing strategy
  4. Program & campaign planning & development
  5. Measure, measure, measure! And adjust as needed
  6. BONUS – My Integrative Marketing Fusion (IMF) model

1. Get your brand sorted out

A brand identity, or how it is identified, is a set of tools or elements used by a company to create a brand image. A brand image is a customer’s perception of the brand consisting of various associations related to it and memories about interacting with it. Brand identity and its elements stem from a company’s mission, brand value proposition, long-term goals, competitive position on the market, and relevance to the values and interests of its target audience. These factors have a foundational nature and in the branding process, describe what a company wants to communicate.

Meanwhile, a brand identity describes how these foundational elements are communicated. The most agreed-upon elements of a brand identity usually include:

  • A brand name
  • A tagline or a slogan
  • Colors and graphic styles
  • A logo and a wordmark and their variations
  • A voice and a tone
  • A style and a typeface

Basically, all communications in any form from your organization. A consistent and repetitive nature of these items maintains a unified and consistent brand overall internal and external touchpoints – your brand checklist.

2. Do a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats)

You’ve all heard of this but take the time and map this out. It will help identify key elements that you can leverage. This is also a way to monitor the internal and external marketing environment.

3. Develop/update your marketing strategy

Icons depicting teamwork, brainstorming, and leadership float around the words, "Marketing Strategy."

While goals indicate what you want to achieve, a strategy is the plan to meet those goals.

This is where we can map out several integral elements in one, concise document to act as checks and balances against your communications activities. Reviewing your activities against this document will quickly identify if you are on strategy with your mix and tactics.

4. Program & campaign planning & development

This takes the above strategy and goals, with actionable items in place to address how you’re going to meet those goals and support the strategy.

I use an Integrative Marketing Fusion approach, which means that all tactics incorporate consistent messaging, graphics, and tone. This also incorporates evolve, connect, inspire, and empowerment elements for optimal results. More on that later.

For example, from the “integrative” part if you’re unfamiliar with that term – a social media campaign, email campaign, and a print ad are all consistent with the headline, call to action, and imagery.

5. Measure, measure, measure! And adjust as needed

If you don’t measure the performance, how do you know if it’s working or if you should continue doing it?

Measure the success of marketing campaigns and show how well campaigns are tracking toward key performance indicators (KPIs). They are one of the most important elements of any campaign, and without them, you wouldn’t have a clear picture of whether their marketing strategy is a success.

Metrics will also notify you that something needs some adjusting for better results.

What makes sense for your business?

BONUS. My Integrative Marketing Fusion (IMF) model

One important aspect is to review your programs and confirm that they support an IMF approach.

  • Is creativity and innovation encouraged?
  • Is change management incorporated throughout?
  • How do these empower internal and external stakeholders?
  • Does this allow for leadership?
  • Do these create brand ambassadors?

If some adjustments need to be made, be sure to address them at both the messaging and program/tactic levels. By doing that will ensure you’re on strategy and following the IMF framework and direction.

Conclusion

In this blog post, we covered several topics in your marketing and a roadmap to get you back on track. Whether you’re selling a digital product online or running a brick-and-mortar business, these principles will work for you. They’ll help you drive more visitors into your marketing funnel and convert casual visits into sales. To do that successfully, marketers must get their marketing house in order and focused prior to planning and implementing tactics. It is also important for marketers to know which factors should be considered before starting the branding process, from positioning themselves on the market through developing their brand identity with consistent messaging across any touchpoints including voice, tone, and visuals – for a more solid foundation.

As always, I welcome your comments here or via my contact form here. Drop me a line with any topic you’re interested in discussing as well as all things marketing-related. I’m looking forward to the discussion.

Be sure to drop your email in the pop-up form on babacita.com for more tips, tricks, and IMF best practices.

The Bear and the Trash Can

Transcription

I’ve been working in marketing for a while now. I’m going to talk about not launching a product before it’s ready.

This is something that happens all the time but as marketers we need to make sure that our products are up to par before releasing them into the world. If not, there could be some serious consequences like wasting valuable resources or worse yet getting bad feedback from customers who can’t use your product because it’s not working properly.

You’re going to like this story.

I was about 3 weeks into a new job at a new company. This company produced, among other things, roll-out trash cans. You know, the one’s that you may have or see at the end of neighborhood driveways on trash day.

A brown bear sits in a forest staring intently into the distance

Anyway, my first big assignment had been to launch a bear-proof container. This was a big problem in the Rocky’s, Pacific Northwest, Canada…. During the night the bears would come out and stroll through the neighborhoods sampling from the buffet of containers at the end of everyone’s driveway, then after their fill… back into the woods and mountains they went. Morning comes and as people are taking out their dogs, going to work or school…. The street… trashed. Literally.

So, there was a need for something to keep the bears from making messes and probably saving them from some serious digestive issues.

Anyway, the engineering group had the can done and ready to go. I was going to do a product sheet, news release, photography, etc… As I started writing I asked if they got any third-party verification that the thing works. “Ohhh nooo… we don’t need that,” the senior engineering lead told me. “It works. No worries there.”

I replied, “Ok…. well… do you have a can I can take as I want to make sure. I’ll need it for some photography anyway. I’ll bring it right back when I’m done. That good?” After that quick conversation I was out the door rolling a 96-gallon roll-out bear resistant trash can.

I got to my office and went to the phone to get the number for our local zoo. They have bears. Just wondering if I can borrow one. 

I got in touch with their communications director who I told my predicament and wondered if one of their bears could play with the container while I documented. After laughing together and her saying this request was a first, she proceeded to talk with the zookeepers and got back with me with an excited “yes!”

Later that week I was set to show up at the zoo at 7 in the morning before it was open. The communications director met me with the head zookeeper and bear people. There were a couple.

As we marched through the zoo towards the bear exhibit, the trash container being wheeled behind me… other zoo employees seemed to just appear. I was the pied piper leading the group. I had learned that word of this “testing” had gotten around, and everyone wanted to watch.

Ok. We got to the bear area and needed to remove the 2 wheels and axel as the zookeeper didn’t want to take the chance of anything injuring the bear. The bear, by the way was a 780 lb brown bear named, I think, Stella.

We opened the lid and the bear team dropped in oranges, some sort of food that looked like giant sized dog chow. They also poured in honey and peanut butter in addition to slathering it on the inside of the lid and can.

I secured the lid then off it went into the exhibit. Stella was still in her “den” locked away safely. After the can was placed and the zookeeper safely out of harm’s way, they opened her door for access to the exhibit.

Here comes Stella.

She seemed to wallow out of her door and see this strange looking thing in the middle of her area. Her nose was also sniffing away, and she immediately knew food was close.

She comes up to the can. While walking around it she’s sniffing and licking a bit around the lid. She paws playfully at the top and lid area and knocks it on its side. She then proceeds to jump her front legs up on the side of this thing and start jumping to buckle the poor polyethylene container. Me and the group of about 30 people burst out laughing. It’s buckling as she’s about collapsing the can. She then starts chewing at the lid and top (the can’s still on its side). A few more forceful clawing motions at the same area and then with one quick motion of a paw, the lid flew about 30’ across the exhibit where Stella then proceeded to enjoy her winnings.

Now mind you…. this all took less than 30 seconds from her door opening to the lid sailing like a frisbee.

Playing with Stella the bear was definitely a marketing first for me. After about another 30-45 minutes and she had gotten all the food she wanted she satisfyingly wallowed back into her “den” and the zookeeper closed her in. They then gathered up the can, lid and various shards of plastic and brought it out to me. Another zoo person came up with a hose to hose the can down and I just stopped him in time. Nope. I wanted the can in all its bear fur and slobber glory to bring back to the engineering team. The scratches, bite marks and all the removed parts and pieces were tossed inside and away I went.

I pulled up to the engineering building and dragged this thing right to the senior engineer leads office. I told him I had a bear play with it and to let me know when it’s ready for market.

Fast-forward about 4-5 months… our bear-resistant trash container was ready. It had been redesigned and verified by a third-party company in Colorado. The launch then went onto a be a success. All thanks to a marketer who asked questions and challenged things. And also, a big thank you to Stella and the local zoo.

Now that your product is ready to go… is production up and running? What’s the lead time if a customer were to order one today? These are all important questions that you need to ask as you methodically plan your launch communications.

I’ve seen it time and time again… product launch planned and executed flawlessly. Only one problem. Product production isn’t quite ready. Prototype issues. Supplier issues. Production issues. I’m sure you’ve all been there which immediately throws us into damage control mode as we’ve just announced it to the world after teasing it for a month or so.

In a dream world wouldn’t be nice to not get thrown into that panic of an organization shooting itself in the foot and then you having to deal with the consequences from the market and customers.

I know this seems like a no-brainer but with leadership pushing to get things out and hoping to impact sales this quarter, so many marketers give in to that pressure. I also know that some marketers don’t even have a choice – it’s dictated of when to launch.

Regardless… speak up. Say “no.” And like I mentioned, you may not have a choice, but it is your choice and responsibility as a marketer to voice your thoughts and opinion and to give reasons why something may or may not be the best.

Things happen on the product side that are beyond your control, but you can control your realm of marketing communications. Have all the sales tools written and designed. Have translations and localized versions complete. You’re probably going to be waiting on photography but have everything to go so you can just drop the photos in.

Another key aspect of a product launches is training. Are your sales and distribution teams trained? Have you provided them with a ‘launch kit’ containing all the necessary sales tools, presentations, and photography? What about an email signature? Supply that and give them all the other tools necessary so they can run with it.

Timing is an issue… ideally, you’ll want to get the sales tools, marketing campaigns, website, and anything else you need done prior to training your team. After training, inform them of the launch schedule. You could launch a week or 2 after sales is trained – but that’s also dependent upon your industry and the complexity of the product. Time it appropriately.

Also, as a side note… do you need to get instruments to key customers for testing and testimonials or case studies? What about assembling a key target account list by region for your sales and distribution teams during their training?

These are all things to consider. In addition to the sales tools and internal planning my launch, at a minimum, consist of a:

  • News release
  • Advertising – both electronic and print – whatever’s appropriate for your audience
  • Direct marketing
  • An email campaign with 3-5 touches
  • A print campaign if it’s right for your industry
  • Customer webinars scheduled
  • Social media campaigns
  • Application or demonstration video if appropriate
  • Website – all the information there? SEO complete?
  • White paper or technical article on the product

This is just a quick summary… you know what your industry needs and responds to.

But coming back to the main topic… make sure you’re ready to sell your product before you launch. It’ll eliminate headaches for you and frustration for your customer – especially if they find out the lead time is 32 weeks.

Doing things the right way and timing things appropriately will give your efforts their greatest chance of success.

Hope you learned something. And until later…

happy marketing!

Marketing Stress? Take a Deep Breath & Drink a Beer.

The other day I saw & responded to a post in a marketing forum on Reddit. It was from a marketer early in his career. He’s a designer but found himself in a marketing role in a craft beer company where the owners are pretty much hands off and have asked for a Gantt Chart of campaigns for the next 6 months. Here’s my initial email to him:

—————————————–

Good to meet you and relax… no more stress. It’s just marketing. 😊

How about Tuesday or Wednesday next week? 1:30 your time? Either of those days work? I can set up a zoom call if that works for you.

Before diving into marketing campaigns do you know if they’ve had any branding done? My guess is no. Have they done any marketing stuff prior to you? Anything you can send me to look at?

To do things right you need to establish the brand. Meaning what the company is and stands for. It’s really the foundation of everything but a lot of times it’s ignored. But it really helps identify brand assets – statements that identify and differentiate from the competition. It’s also your checks and balances against any marketing activity to ensure you’re on strategy. Not don’t let this stuff overwhelm you at all.

I’ve attached a brand survey that I use that can help get this branding stuff done. Feel free to use it if you think it’s appropriate for your owners. I’ll get a better handle of your situation after we talk.

So basically:

  • Get your brand sorted out
  • Do a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats – template attached)
  • Develop a marketing strategy (template attached)
  • Now it’s campaign time – a tool I use is Monday.com for tracking and scheduling everything (there’s a free version). It’ll also create a Gantt Chart from your data. I’ve attached a manual template that has the categories I set up in Monday.com. Some of these categories may not be applicable to your company, but we can discuss.

So I know you’re feeling overwhelmed with all this stuff so take a deep breath and drink a beer. It’s the process to do things the right way. But even if your owners are pushing to get campaigns out, we can work around that pressure and do several things at the same time.

I’ve been doing this marketing thing for 25+ years and have seen every scenario possible and can help you along the way so don’t feel like you’re out there alone. I can help guide you along the way for you to be successful. 😊

Sorry about this long email but wanted to give you some foundations and things to think about till we talk.

Hang in there and we’ll chat soon.

Cheers! John

—————————————–

I always love mentoring & guiding young professionals. What takeaways did you get from the above?

Marketing in a Different Way: More Success and Value

Marketing has been evolving for decades. In the old days, marketing was about advertising and telling people what you had to offer. Nowadays, it is about relationships and solving customer problems in a way that brings value to your organization’s brand. If you are looking for more success and greater value than ever before, take these five steps:

  1. Focus on Customer Value
  2. Establish Relationships with Customers
  3. Provide Solutions through Marketing Activities
  4. Deliver Personalized Experiences
  5. Measure Results

Focusing on customer value means that you are putting your customers first. You will be solving their problems and doing what is right for them before thinking about concerns related to the brand or the company. It does not mean giving something away for free, but rather finding creative ways of helping people without taking anything in return. The better you can help people, the more they will trust you and gravitate to your products and services.

Creating marketing relationships doesn’t mean that you must become someone’s best friend or wait for them to come ask questions about your products. Instead, it means finding ways of building stronger connections with people by sharing helpful information through blog posts or social media updates regularly.

When customers know that you are there to help them solve their problems, they will start looking for solutions from your organization.

Establishing solutions through marketing activities means providing solutions rather than just trying to tell people about the benefits of buying products or subscribing to services. You can do this by hosting classes and offering free trial periods so that customers have every opportunity to try things out before they buy. You can also take advantage of email marketing campaigns and social media solutions that allow you to interact with people who are interested in learning more about your solutions but have not yet committed to a purchase.

Delivering personalized experiences means going the extra mile for customers by doing whatever you can do meet their needs. It is not enough to just offer solutions; you must go beyond their expectations. The more people can rely on your solutions, the more they will feel confident in your organization’s ability to meet all their needs over time.

Measuring results means analyzing what marketing solutions are working and which ones aren’t so that you know when it makes sense to change things up. If you are not getting the results that you want, there is a good chance that it has something to do with your solutions or marketing activities. You should never be afraid of making changes if necessary; otherwise, you will end up stuck in the same place for much longer than expected.

So, what can you do to get on the path of marketing success? Focus on customer value and establish relationships with customers. Provide solutions through marketing activities while delivering personalized experiences that are tailored to your customer’s needs. Measure results so you know which strategies work best for your business and then continue to iterate until your organization achieves its goals. If this sounds like a lot of hard work, we have some great resources that will help guide you in the right direction!

Sign up today for our newsletter where we offer insightful blog posts about marketing trends as well as helpful tips from marketing experts who understand how modern consumers think, feel, and behave when it comes time to purchase products or services online using our Integrative Marketing Fusion model.

Annual Planning, An Outline to Success

It’s time for 2022 marketing planning! If you haven’t already started thinking about it, it’s time to get going.

Here’s how I go about it:

First look at your 2021 plan – is there anything that wasn’t addressed, and you can get into this year still?

  • Summary – where have you been and where are you going?
  • Goals – what are they? Things like “increase lead generation by 16%, improve lead-sale conversion by 4%, increase new contacts in the CRM system by 12%. Stuff like that but make sure they’re all measurable.
  • Opportunities – what are your opportunities? Check out your SWOT analysis and update that if it’s been a while. Also tie these to marketing activities
  • Key activities – high-level efforts like “mine for case study opportunities, work closer with Latin American partners to help boost their sales, focus on better lead qualification”

Now it’s time to gather input from other stakeholders and key leaders.

  • Set meetings with each of your business category leaders. What’s their focus for the coming year? Where do they need marketing assistance?
  • Meet with each territory team. Same questions – what’s their focus and where do they need marketing efforts for the coming year.

From there polish your document and send to the team for their review, input, edits. One you have this final and approved it’s everyone’s strategy, not just marketing’s. You’re strengthening your team with this level of transparency and identifying your 2022 focus.

From here it’s on you to map out the program and activity plan. Build a schedule for the year with as much information as you can. Dates, locations, cost estimates, etc.

This is a guide and a direction forward. Dates change, activities get added…. This is normal for marketing as you know. Keep ahead of the game in your planning and keep pushing forward. You’ll see the wins on several levels that’ll ultimately move the organization forward.

Happy planning!

Few Posts that Caught My Eye

Recently a friend of mine and her agency, 8THIRTYFOUR, posted two blog posts that caught my eye. They’re interesting and right on topic for several reasons.

The first is to help bridge the gap from us ‘older’ folks to the Gen Z kids. Check it out here as it helps define some of their slang.

The other post is about staying authentic in an inauthentic world. Authenticity is something I’ve always strived for and this hits on a great list to help stay authentic. Check it out.

Why I’m in the Fire Service, Stress Relief and a Marketing Example

Seems like a lot of stuff has recently sparked in me and rather than put these all as separate items I thought I’d give you some sort of blog combo pack!

Why am I in the fire service?

John smiles and sits on the pavement with his firefighting gear at his side.

Post-Chattanooga 9/11 Stair Climb

Thinking about this question brings some deep, as well as some not-so-deep thought. Quickly it was initially to be part of the community where I am not from and don’t initially fit in due to my yankee accent. Also due to several wildland fires in the area and just newly built a house out in the woods, I wanted to be able to protect my house and family. But the more I got into it, the more I wanted to learn. It fulfilled a “professional” need of being valued that my day job didn’t meet. It also was serving a higher purpose with my marketing skills and expertise – one that has been a weight on me for years. Something good instead of pushing products that really didn’t help people in a meaningful way. I was helping people. Directly by responding to emergency calls, and indirectly by helping my fire department and influencing others. Not a lot of change happens in the fire service and coming in with a marketing perspective offers something new. Not that many are willing to even talk about this “soft” side of the fire service, but I see the benefit and so does my department.

The fire service is in bad shape. Declining members (both career and volunteer) and declining funding. I also believe it’s a lack of understanding and value. People have an emergency and they dial 911 and we show up. But what if those response times continue to slip? What if nobody came? It seems like that’s where we’re headed as a society anyway… everyone for themselves. Look at politics and corporate ladders. Where has the “we” and “us” gone? Where is a community that truly looks after and cares about each other? There may be some pockets of that here in the US, but for the most part I see that gone.

I guess I take that on myself. To improve my department, to show the value to my community and to pull us together and prove that it can be done. To be an example to other departments and communities. And then perhaps, work with other departments and communities as a day job. Though frustrating at times being part of a small, rural department, I also see it as a way out of my day job. An advancement to do something different that has tangible, real life-changing results with what matters most – people.

Personally, I also wanted to see if I could do it. Physically and mentally. To learn something new. I have been so bored with my day job and not seeing much future in it or seeing a higher purpose in it. To push myself physically to see if I could keep up with the kids in their 20’s. To lead them and to offer a positive example. To give my department members with a positive role model and to lead them. And to be honest, it also helps me burn off aggression and

anger due to the issue with my precious children. I’m not involved in their daily lives and rarely even hear from or talk with them mainly due to their “mothers” bitter and vengeful influence and the courts not really caring about anything but money. I have been able to punch holes in boats with an axe, rip down ceilings during overhaul, save precious memories, extinguishing fires and raking fire breaks. I get dirty, sweaty and can use brute force. This helps me control my anger. It is getting better with time, but I still have my moments, and this gives me a good outlet.

I know I keep most of this in my head and to myself, and it takes a lot to pull it out of me (kicking and screaming sometimes due to my stubbornness). I stay pretty reserved with my personal life as I have been hurt by so many people in the past my trust is limited. Maybe fire service is a way for me to trust again. It’s needed on emergency scenes and with who I’m there with. Didn’t think of that before but it makes sense.

It also brings an aspect of respect and honor. I feel proud to be a firefighter. It’s an important job and the fact that I’m a volunteer makes it extra special. Not because of what others think, but to me and my own pride and sense of self-worth. When I have my turnout gear on, I feel invincible. I feel strong and know the adrenaline is coursing through my veins. It’s a high.

The fire service can be changed, and I can help be part of that change. It’s for the good of all of us, and it’s good for me.

An understanding and tools to reduce stress management

A friend of mine, Leslie Yancy, has developed a sheet to help understand stress with tips on how to best manage it – something all first responders should know and learn. She does some amazing work and give programs to first responders and medical staff on healing from trauma or ptsd. Learn more about Hero 2 Hero and check out her stress handout here.

A marketing example for your fire hall

Recently and at the conclusion of Fire Prevention Week, my department, the Lone Oak Volunteer Fire Department, held an open house to the community. We had breakfast and lunch, educational programs and hands-on demonstrations for everyone. And the best thing? All the supplies and food were donated to us from local companies. Everyone had a great time. As a marketing tool itself – the open house– we gained valuable visibility within the community and our mutual aid partners. In addition we had a local videographer film and edit down the entire event which provides us yet another marketing tool in our overall program. Take a look and tell me this doesn’t make you feel good about community and the great work we’re doing.