They say what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas… but in the case of what was shown at CES, I hope not! The technology was awesome—from breathtaking new televisions to ultra-thin new ultrabooks, and all sorts of fun for music lovers. Equally inspiring were some of the people presenting products, including our own MarketStar brand advocates.
I spoke with brand advocates on the show floor representing brands like Sony, LG, Canon, ZTE and BlackBerry who were doling out a wealth of information like free candy. Their passion for the technology and brands they represent combined with their superior knowledge of these products was more than impressive– it was stunning! I interviewed a handful of brand advocates to ask “What does a MarketStar brand advocate do?” …..
Companies tend to focus too much on their product or service, forgetting to listen to what customers are telling them. This often results in declining revenue and profit.
The goal of any business is to make money, but that objective is easier to reach when we listen to customers and know and understand their needs. The best way to do this is by listening to what they tell us. More often than not, in the course of a conversation, a customer will divulge information that is vital to our overall success.
Back to the topic of content marketing! Today, I spent some time viewing and dissecting a couple of videos created by Coca-Cola. These videos provide a great overview of how Coca-Cola will evolve its marketing to change from “creative excellence to content excellence.” They are very well-produced and fun to watch, but the amount of information communicated is a little overwhelming. I am not sure why Coca-Cola decided to share these videos with the world — probably so people like I can blog about them. I highly recommend watching these videos but here are some great insights: Continue reading →
Posted by
Manuel Rietzsch
Thursday, January 19th, 2012 3 Comments
My beloved son asked me a great question the other day. “Dad, what do you do to manage stress at work?”
“Why?” I asked him. “Are you having a problem?”
“Yes,” he responded. “My boss is driving me crazy, and my largest client changes his mind on a regular basis. And, by the way, I am suffering from pain in my left shoulder blade and have had sleepless nights.”
Every business person has stress in his life. Some manage it well, others don’t. Causes of the malady vary. Perhaps a deadline is a source of anxiety. Or it might be the actions of a supervisor. It can originate from any number of events, people or issues that occur in the office or plant. Continue reading →
Posted by
Alan Hall
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012 Leave a comment
If you attended CES or followed the media, the fact that it was the most attended show in history probably doesn’t surprise you. At 153,000 visitors, 2012 beat out everyone’s expectations including my own. Continue reading →
Posted by
Katie Salter
Tuesday, January 17th, 2012 41 Comments
A company must focus daily on selling its products to survive and prosper. Such effort provides the cash a company needs to pay expenses, grow the organization and make a profit. To attain this goal, every employee, from the worker on the loading dock to the CEO, should arrive at work each day thinking, “I’m here to win business and keep our customers happy.” This should be their constant and unrelenting objective.
This means each employee — every single one of them — should know what they must do to personally contribute to generating company revenues. They must also understand how others in the organization fit within the complete team selling process. Think of orchestra musicians who follow this model with the result being beautiful music.
Successful organizations understand this powerful concept and actively communicate clearly to all employees what company revenue goals are for the year, by quarters, months and weeks; leaders then measure and report sales results to all employees on a similar timing basis.
At 45 years running, an average of 140,000 attendees, and 18 days to set up, run and take down, the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is heralded as the largest technology show in the United States.
This year’s show will run Jan. 9-13, and despite some company withdrawals, it is still projected to be one of the largest in history, attracting more than 149,000 attendees (nipping at the heels of the largest CES show on record — 152,000 in 2006). Show-goers know it’s critical to make an impression at the busy CES showroom. This year, the floor will house 2,700 exhibitors stretched over an exhibit hall larger than 1.8 million square feet. Exhibitor displays, technology reveals, and uniquely branded experiences become more extraordinary and effective every year. Continue reading →
Posted by
Katie Salter
Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012 1 Comment
It’s that gift-giving time of year again. Hopefully you’re getting close to completing the gift list for those you love. I’m sorry to admit I have yet to start shopping! (It must be time for intervention from our “marathon shopper,” Katie.)
Despite procrastinating wrapped presents that come in pretty bows, I have spent ample time considering social giving.
Recently, my social-savvy colleague Lee Hanson said, “Social is all about giving. Give, give, give.” He’s right. It’s the nature of the social world — if you want to get more followers, likes, subscribers — you must give them a reason to follow, like or subscribe. In the form of infographics, intelligent content, discounts, exclusive offers, or invoking hearty laugh in a busy workday, your offerings can be real gifts.
Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra once said, “If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.”
Mr. Berra was famous for his way with words, and he makes a great point. If your business doesn’t have an end or goal in mind, who knows where you will end up.
Timing. As we approach the end of 2011, if you haven’t started planning for next year, I suggest you drop everything and urgently complete this very important task, right now. As we look at next year, I recommend the goal setting process start no later than September. By doing so, leaders will have more time for this key assignment. I believe the sooner the planning process begins the better chance leaders have to consider, ponder, decide, prepare, organize, and communicate the most important results that must be achieved over the following twelve months.
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