I love this ad from Googlers Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg for so many reasons. It's simple, tells a great story, tells it with pictures and makes you root for the authors. I want to talk to you about one of the most powerful insights I pulled from their book, How Google Works, when I first read it years ago. Just in case you don't know their story, these two gentlemen were brought to Google after their early success to help the company "grow up." They went into Google with years of experience leading large companies and loads of case studies from their MBA programs under their belt. They also brought with them countless assumptions that would eventually be disproven. Thanks to their open minds and willingness to change what they "knew", they were able to lead Google to what all of us know it to be today. To sum it all up, their willingness to explicitly define their assumptions and test them openly is what makes the difference at Google.
Read MoreWhy are we here? I think it's to create "stuff" with other people. We create businesses, families, art, cities, homes, and lots of great things by working together. Therefore, it makes sense to assume the thing we want most is connecting with another person. We want it so bad. Even worse is the fear we feel when we risk losing it.
Read MoreMarketing work can be difficult. You obviously need the technical chops to design and build digital media in today's world. You still have to do or say something that warrants someone's attention. Not to mention, you still have to be able to tell a good story. But, perhaps the hardest part of marketing is you have to be willing to be wrong - to share a message that doesn't yield the impact you expected. Crickets. We don't like to be wrong. We hate looking stupid. In this post, I share some methods I use and advice I've been given to combat writer's (marketer's) block.
Read MoreWhy are you staring at that phone when you could be calling someone who needs you? Why are you practicing your pitch for the 5th time this morning when you could be sharing it with someone who needs you? Why are you pushing off your blog when you have a reader who needs you?
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If you are running your own business or corporate team, chances are you will not be producing all of your marketing material. You will more than likely work with any of the 62,000 advertising agencies and countless freelancers to produce good content. You may even ask your team to start producing more themselves. While it's always a pleasure to work with talented designers, storytellers and content creators, there's usually one big challenge you'll likely face no matter what.
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client of mine has kept me extremely busy over the past few months. A large corporation has asked me to help educate engineering leaders (and their employees) about how to sell the work their teams do. Of course, they don't use the words "sell stuff." It's usually, "can you help my team explain our value proposition?" Whatever the reason behind the request, it typically has a flavor of "my boss doesn't think we're as valuable as I think we are." Fearing the inevitable "re-org", I think this organizational uncertainty is a fascinating trend that will continue to grow in corporate America. Whether you work for yourself or someone else, selling is a timeless skill, and modern technology has just put every team on an equal playing field. That means that if built the right way, your team can not only survive but thrive in almost any organization.
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Recently, I've been approached by a few business owners, both at small business operations and at big corporations that all want videos. They usually want to "get the word out" on a new project or product and think producing a promotional video will do the trick. I wasn't in the freelance marketing game 15 years ago, but I have to assume this is what it felt like when business owners were asking marketers to build them new websites.
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"Oh, you must be a creative." What does that mean, to be a creative? When did we decide to make that a noun?
Everyone is a creative.
Some of us are just a little more okay with being in uncomfortable situations.
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Is a food truck just selling food? Is a hair salon just selling haircuts? Is a real estate firm just selling houses? The answer is, emphatically, no! Food trucks sell nostalgia and convenience, allowing us to enjoy good food in beautiful or remote settings. Hair salons sell confidence and relaxation, knowing their clients are going to feel better when they leave their salon. Real estate firms sell security and financial independence, allowing their clients to literally stake their claim in the world.
Read MoreIn this post, we're going to dive into the topic of leadership, something very close to my heart. I believe leadership is one of the noblest positions in the world. Leadership requires sacrifice and risking part of ourselves for the advancement and betterment of others. Leadership is one of the most beautiful gifts we can get and give all at once. I was recently reminded of this point while watching the film, Hidden Figures. Being a leader is about preparing people for change, even if they're not ready for it. It's about putting the interests of others ahead of your own self-interests, knowing that the priorities of many outweigh your own sometimes.
Read MoreMarketing is about a company identifying the current and future needs of a group of people, while determining which needs it will address with their products and services. What draws me to marketing has nothing to do with the products themselves but with the profound impact they can have on the people you serve. While customers should be high on your list of people to serve, there is also another important group we shouldn't ignore: your employees.
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These four simple words relentlessly humble and inspire me. I remind myself of them almost every day. It helps me understand others' behavior, challenge my own intentions and make tough decisions when I find myself worrying over which path to take. It calms me and excites me all at once. I had the great privilege of happily stumbling upon James Carse's Finite and Infinite Games some years ago and now pass along the following as a brief introduction to a beautiful worldview.
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