Blog Author Mellissah Smith - Page 63

If you can't beat them - join them.

I am not sure about you, but I have often been completely dumb-founded by the way some employees believe the world revolves around them and working for an organization isn't a two way street. I am sure every entrepreneur and business owner can attest to having at least thought this at some point in their business life.

The truth I have learnt - the hard way, I might add - is that all employees have employers up against the wall.

We all know:

• It's easier to work with what you have and less costly then employing someone new
• Hire slowly, fire fast
• One negative person can cause a virus
• Performance is linked to employee happiness
• Some employees feel "entitled" and there is nothing you can do about it other then put bandaides on it

With all of this in mind, smart employers are realizing that if they don't like being up against the wall, then they have to lay the right footprint to exceed employees expectations and deliver an environment conducive to productivity and excellence.

It's a Sunday and rather than head to my nearest Starbucks to buy a NY Times, I decided to get all of my news online. Looking for some inspiration from other bloggers as I am about to embark on phase 3 of Marketing Eye's expansion and to be honest, I am nervous and excited at the same time. Any wisdom from my fellow bloggers is welcome. 

Another thing that struck me while looking for blogs is how out of date they are. If you type in a search in Google, you will get blogs as far back as 2005 that have never been written on again. Hope with the new change of algorithms that Google fixes this problems.

However, there are 20 very worthwhile blogs that are great weekend reads if you are looking for something easy to absorb, interesting, educational and business savvy.

TOP 20 ENTREPRENEURS BLOGS : 2013

JWT in Atlanta hosted their second CLEVER : Ideas made kinetic breakfast seminar this week with leading mobile marketing expert, Brent Hieggelke of Urban Airship as keynote speaker.

The presentation on "How 10 Brand Leaders Are Redefining Their Customer Relationships" talked to the crowd of about 30 or 40 people on how important it is for marketers to take mobile marketing seriously.

According to the invite;

"Mobile now sets the bar for brand relevancy, and Urban Airship is leading the shift from interruption-based marketing strategies to personalized, invitation-geared messaging."

Brent Hieggelke, a man that clearly knows what he is talking about, pulls from years of research done by his firm on best-practices for employing digital wallets, apps, location data, and targeted customer insight to drive meaningful, and profitable, brand engagement.

"Top power brands aren't just building consumer connections, they're redefining the context."

Over the years I have worked with literally hundreds of marketing people and I am never surprised by who goes on to become a marketing superstar and those who never make the mark.

Wanting to be successful and actually putting the hard yards in to achieve your dreams are two different things.

I read "10 Reasons Why You Will Never Be Successful" recently as published on www.addictedtosuccess.com and it really resonated with me. What makes one person climb the corporate ladder and not another, depends on how much that person really wants to make it.

I took the liberty of doing my Top 5 Reasons:

1.  Not willing to do the hard yards: People want everything yesterday and are no longer prepared to work hard for it and make sure that they have ticked all the boxes to get to where they want to go. Instead they believe "their own bullshit" and think they have already made it and are good enough - yet the proof is in the pudding that they are perhaps a bit short of where they would like to go.

Last night I caught up with my good friend, recruiter Michelle Fish, a new friend Chocko Valiappa and a couple of other people. 

As we sat down and enjoyed a bite to eat and a glass of wine, I began to talk to Chocko about Ashrams in India. I have been wanting to go for some time and wanted his insight into which ones were the best to investigate. 

Chocko is a spirital man - and although he didn't say as much, I could tell. I gravitated to him and before long we talked about different aspects of spiritality. He then mentioned that he read handwriting. Within seconds I was writing on a napkin hoping that he would pass on some wisdom about myself that would enlighten me.

He said:

"I am level headed and connect well between my head and my heart"

"I need to celebrate my highs more"

"I have discovered myself, but not other people"

A few years back, I heard of a character called Hannah Montana from one of my nieces who desperately wanted her album. I couldn't be bothered going out to buy it, so I simply gave her money so she could do it herself. Sitting in the car, she sang songs from Hannah Montana, mimicking her teenage idol.

All fairly harmless stuff - after all, Hannah Montana was a Disney brand, wholesome and pure that teenage girls the world-over could relate to.

Then something happened. She grew up. From teen idol to woman and that's where it all began.

Like Madonna before her, and Kylie Minogue for that matter, Miley Cyrus, the former sweet teenage girl that played Hannah Montana wanted to evolve her brand image and take it to the next level. If she would have kept up the wholesome image, it probably would have ensured that her brand diminish over time. Instead, she reinvented her brand. First it started with a number of selfies in proactive poses creating headlines. Then it was the picture of her smoking pot which  I would imagine was not by accident - instead just part of a brand evolution.

From Marketing Eye's website, we had a lead last month from Industrial Maintenance Group. They were interested in our industrial marketing expertise and were looking for a refresh of their brand and website, as well as ongoing marketing.

Industrial marketing is very different to traditional business to business marketing. It is very important to think about who is receiving everything from a business card through to a direct mail piece or a visit to your website.

When we looked at Industrial Maintenance Group, we realized that they stood out in the industry. The owner, Wes Schollian, works on the tools while his senior management team does most of the business side of things like bringing in new clients and marketing.

The reason Wes does this is to ensure that the best possible job is done every single time for his clients.

Our job is to get this act of "precision" out into the market place and communicate why Industrial Maintenance Group is the number one choice for fabrication, industrial services, recycling services and the purchase of balers, screw conveyers and recycling equipment. 

Industrial Maintenance Group Brand

Marketing Eye's brief was to create a brand that ignites the sense of perfection in the fabrication, industrial maintenance and services, and recycling products and services.

Waking up in Atlanta this morning was pure bliss. I literally woke up smiling and from that moment onwards things couldn't get better.

The reason was simple. I realized that my life is not boring - it's just one big, exciting adventure.

#24yrold said to me yesterday when I was a bit down in the dumps, "Your life is not boring - every day is different." 

She is right. Every day is different and if every day was the same, I would be bored mindless. It goes the same with people that you hang around with - if every person was the same, than life gets a bit dull - doesn't it?

There are so many Apps around today, that it is hard to know which one's to download and take up space on either your smart phone, tablet or computer.

As a marketing agency, we use a number of "must have" apps to ensure that we are regularly monitoring our clients performance online and ensuring that we are abreast of their competitors movements, campaigns and conversations as well as leveraging industry news and developments to bring their brands to the forefront.

While we continue to grow audiences, increasing our clients brands within the circles in which they trade, it becomes increasingly important to utilize Apps that cut-through the clutter and help ensures that we don't waste time on social media where possible.

Here are 8 of the most efficient analytical Apps that Marketing Eye uses:

1. HootSuite: If you don't use this, then you have not only been hiding under a rock, but you are missing a valuable tool. HootSuite is a social media management solution that enables teams to collaborately execute social media campaigns across multiple platforms from one single view point - a dashboard. HootSuite includes audience identification tools, the ability to streamline workflow and customize reporting. It is perfect for managing Twitter accounts.

Flying is like catching a taxi to me. I do it every week and have done so for the past 15 years. I never complain and I would not dare let myself think negatively of the fact that I have to catch yet another flight.

From time to time, I do receive bad customer service from airlines, hotels, taxi drivers and restaurants, but mostly, I suck it up. It has to be something really bad for me to make a big deal about it because quite simply, by dwelling on it, it also ruins my day.