As I work with people on strategic planning activities—once we get over the initial resistance to strategic planning—one of the biggest barriers I find is concern about implementation. Too often implementation just doesn’t happen and organizations find themselves in an endless loop of planning without achieving measurable results.
Part of the problem, I believe, is that (more…)
As I’ve worked within organizations and, for the past 15+ years as an external consultant, I’ve come to admit that most employees, including many senior leaders, really don’t enjoy strategic planning. I think one of the biggest reasons for this is that they see it as a waste of time. Lots of hours spent by lots of people in closed door meetings that lead to a laundry list of activities and assignments that rarely seem to drive meaningful change.
I’d get tired of that too. But I happen to really love the strategic planning process—when it’s done well.
Here are some reasons that I think many strategic planning efforts fail to capture the interest of employees (even senior leaders!), or lead to meaningful results.
This year’s Super Bowl LVIII will be held in Las Vegas on February 11 between two teams, that according to a number of online memes hardly anybody except fans in their states want to win. I’d have to agree. Unless my team (Green Bay Packers) is in the Super Bowl, I really don’t have much interest in the game.
I do, though, have a lot of interest in the commercials!
Generative AI has revolutionized content marketing, making it easier than ever for content marketers to create powerful and compelling content. By leveraging generative AI technology, content marketers can create high-quality content faster and with less effort than ever before. In this blog post, we’ll look at some of the best tips for getting the most out of generative AI for content marketing. (more…)
Much of my work over the years has been with “service brands” — brands that are not tied to a particular product, but to the delivery of some type of service — educational services, health care services, energy services, engineering services, consulting services, etc.
Developing and maintaining a strong brand for a service is, in my opinion, significantly more challenging than developing and maintaining a strong brand for a product. Why? (more…)
Most people think “advertising” when they hear the word marketing. That’s understandable because much of what we see/hear as consumers involves traditional advertising activities—newspaper ads, television commercials, billboards, etc. These media ads are the most visible and “in your face” marketing activities, so it’s not surprising that most of us think that these ads are marketing.
But, they’re not… (more…)
“Social media” is often referred to collectively as though “social media” is a single entity. Of course, it’s not. Each channel is different—reaching different people and sharing messaging in different ways. LinkedIn is very business-focused. TikTok is based on short, entertaining video clips. Facebook is highly social—a place for people to connect with friends and relatives.
Many organizations and individuals using social media for business purposes, to connect and engage prospects and customers, use multiple channels.
One foundational question they face is: “Should my messaging vary across social media platforms?”
A while ago my husband went to the movie theatre to buy some tickets that we were going to give to some people who had helped us out with a project. He wanted 8 tickets. The theatre said “No, sorry – we only (more…)
Too often when marketers think about increasing customer engagement, they tend to err on the side of selecting promotional options. That, though, is often premature and can result in a lot of money spent unnecessarily. Worse, in some cases, their efforts can also work against them. (more…)
Marketing is a must-have for businesses of any kind and any size. In fact, all businesses are using marketing to some degree whether they know it or not.
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