When we talk about branding, we focus a lot on an organization’s corporate image, the impression the market has about its service, the quality of its leaders and key or, if a service organization, the personal touch its employees provide. These are certainly important areas of focus for branding; however, in a service-driven marketplace, employers are becoming more and more aware of the importance of human capital. From senior leaders to front line employees, organizations need to attract the best and brightest to remain competitive for the long run. There are plenty of strategies and tips for effective employer branding, but here we focus on two: (more…)
Archive for the ‘Career Advice’ Category
Two Must-Haves for a Strong Employer Brand
Tuesday, November 8th, 20165 Steps to a Strong Employer Brand
Thursday, November 3rd, 2016We’ve written previously about the importance of employer branding and why consistency and coordination between the marketing arm and the HR arm are crucial to ensure alignment. In this post, we’re going to look at a practical, step-by-step approach to building that brand by applying some fundamental branding tips in the context of employer branding.
Generally, in working with organizations on these types of projects, the steps are: (more…)
Building Your Digital Marketing Team
Tuesday, October 25th, 2016Digital marketing is a key aspect of any organization’s marketing mix. As digital marketing grows to represent a greater proportion of your marketing mix, at some point you’ll need to start thinking about splitting up the digital marketing responsibilities among multiple employees. Below we look at some tips and strategies for putting together an effective digital marketing team for your organization. (more…)
Networking in the Digital Age
Sunday, October 23rd, 2016It simply can’t be overstated just how important networking is for business professionals. But, in an increasingly online world, the game has changed significantly from the days of handing out business cards at cocktail parties. Here we explore the concept of online business marketing. (more…)
Intuition vs. Thoughtful Decision: Finding the Right Balance
Friday, September 30th, 2016In business even the biggest companies don’t always get it right. Things move quickly in the business world and we’re all operating in a very fluid, and volatile, environment. While it’s easy, in hindsight, to be critical of the blunders that even the most powerful organizations in the world fall prey to, it’s important to keep in mind how pressure often gets in the way of making a thoroughly thought-out decision.
Sometimes, of course, the pace of change prevents the level of research and analysis that some might feel most comfortable with. Business leaders need to have sound instincts for making snap decisions that could have enormous implications for the business, its shareholders, its employees and its customers.
Here are three ways to help find the right balance between intuition and thoughtful decision to boost the odds that you’re more often right, than wrong. (more…)
Tips for Business Networking: Online and Off
Thursday, September 15th, 2016We talk a lot about the value of online marketing and analytics for growing your business. These are crucial tools; however, it’s also important to keep in mind that business is also very personal. While outreach through the internet is certainly a must, knowing how to effectively network on a more personal level is critical. This is especially true for larger customers, business-to-business relationships and engaging with key influencers. The same is true for executives in larger organizations. As reported in Fast Company, “A recent study of 6,000 executives at 3,000 companies in the U.S. and Europe found that executives with 50% more professional contacts above the average, had a salary 3.5% or $15,000 higher than their less gregarious/friendly/sociable colleagues.”
So how can you network online, and off, in a way that’s designed to build value—and relationships? (more…)
Best Business Books for Young Professionals
Wednesday, August 3rd, 2016Last semester, I taught three sections of a strategic management course at a local university. The students were all seniors, near graduation, and many had already landed a job and were ready to enter the business world full time. I thought it might be helpful to share some recommendations for great business books that might help them as they entered the business world, recognizing, of course, that few students in college have much time for leisurely reading outside of their required coursework.
And, while many seemed bored and disinterested as I shared my recommendations (no real surprise there, I suppose), I persisted. Interestingly enough, by the end of the semester — and even after — a number of them contacted me to ask if I could send them the list of books I’d recommended. (more…)
No Cost, Low Cost Productivity Tools to Help You Get More Done With Less!
Tuesday, July 26th, 2016Small business owners know that the seemingly little things involved in running their operations can take up a great deal of their time. So any time we’re able to find ways to be more efficient and shave time off of our routines, we jump at the opportunity.
Today we’re lucky that there are a number of apps that help to do just that—many available at no, or low cost. Here are some of the tools that we’ve found most useful in helping us to manage our days and our client accounts: (more…)
Some Productivity Apps to Check Out!
Tuesday, May 17th, 2016Lately I’ve been receiving multiple submissions from random bloggers requesting that I share them on my site. It’s something that I’ve considered doing and have had a “to do” item for some time to come up with some criteria for reviewing and potentially publishing contributed content, but I just haven’t gotten around to it. Today, though, I received an item that I thought was useful enough, and non-promotional enough, that I felt it was worth sharing. (more…)