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Over the past week, we have shared three tips from our white paper on Positive Adaptation. Today, we want to share an additional tip that is not in the white paper, for your added benefit.
Here’s a question:
When you decide to learn about something new, is it more often in reaction to an experience you have already had, or is it to openly explore new trends and developments?
We have noticed that most often, research is conducted as a response to a decision that has already been made, but we believe it can be more helpful not to wait that long. Be proactive in your learning, rather than reactive.
It is more important than you might realize to set aside time every week to scan editorial about new developments in B2B marketing. When you research change with a proactive, open mind, it is easier to assess new tools and trends with the strategic filters (link Monday’s post) you have set in place for your company.
As you make it a priority to explore such materials, ask yourself if a policy for sharing information within your department might be helpful. With a system for sharing in place, more marketers and colleagues can reap the benefits of your research. Sharing information personally with your network might also be useful.
As you make an effort to proactively conduct industry research, visit sites like TED, Lynda.com, and BtoB Magazine. There are countless blogs to visit, and following industry leaders on Twitter makes it easy to be led to posts and articles that might otherwise be hard to find.
Enjoy your allotted research time – another way to feel like you are on top of our culture’s fast-paced change.
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The first two steps towards Positive Adaptation in the midst of rapid change are to accept and then to decode change. The third step is just as important: change must be processed.
As information is received, it is crucial that marketers draw a distinction between everything that is coming in and everything they should actually use. We believe that the processing overload often leading to Perpetual Novice Syndrome can be viewed as “skeptical underload.” The problem is more often an inability to distinguish what is important than it is the sheer volume of information.
Because it is impossible to be the authority on every topic, it is important to understand how to appropriately process information without becoming overwhelmed. It is essential, in this quickly moving culture, never to lose sight of your “North Star.” In other words, always bear in mind the fundamentals of good marketing.
These precepts of quality marketing do not change, despite the advancements in technology and culture happening all around us. An understanding of them should be the litmus test by which you run every new tool, social media tool, or digital methodology. This will make the processing of new information more effortless – and more meaningful.
No matter how hip new tool X seems, ask the fundamental questions: Will this help me build trust with consumers? Will this help my customers feel valued and listened to? Will this help me figure out what my customers really need? Will this help turn buyers into influencers?
If the answers are yes, then new tool X might be worth a real investment.
Come back Friday to continue discussing Fast-paced Culture and Positive Adaptation.
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Recently, we have been sharing steps for marketers to adapt positively to our fast-paced, accelerating culture. Instead of racing to learn every new tool with the risk of using none effectively, it is important to develop new behaviors that will enable you to keep up and succeed.
As you strive to accept accelerated change, work also to decode it. Military aircrafts can spread bits of aluminum, known as chaff, to avoid being spotted by an enemy. It appears as clouds or as small secondary targets on a radar screen. Today, companies must be able to recognize which trends need to be targeted and which are simply “marketing chaff.”
Have a Plan
To decode change, marketers must be prepared. CMOs should have a plan in place to determine which tools and trends will be effective and which might be a waste of time. Whenever there’s a new blip in the marketing radar, use this set of guidelines to understand immediately whether or not it needs your attention. Consider long- versus short-term impact, and examine whether your needs are to be more or less aligned with business strategy. Industry trends and past company success will be of aid in formulating these strategic filters. A simple “gut check” is no longer enough.
Recognize Salience
When new trends develop that make it through the filters you have developed, do not hesitate to start making them work. The companies who show others how to use new tools effectively often emerge as industry leaders. Knowing what fits your mold before the question even arises puts you five steps ahead of companies without a plan.
Get Help
There are resources available to marketers that are helpful in decoding change. The annual IBM CMO Case Study, for example, determines top trends in marketing by analyzing response from several thousand CMOs. Follow industry blogs to stay abreast of the feedback new tools are getting from those who have tried them. Taking the time to get to know this data serves marketers well when it is time to decide what trends to invest in and which to ignore.
Accelerated change is the new normal. Stop by Get There on Wednesday for more tips on Positive Adaptation.
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Our rapidly accelerating culture is one in which marketers feel the need to constantly learn, adopt, and master each new tool that becomes available. This behavior leads to an inability to use any of them to their utmost potential. The first step towards Positive Adaptation – our best shot at “keeping up” – is to accept accelerated change.
Get Comfortable with Short-Range Plans
Buddhists believe that because everything is in a state of flux, attachment becomes cause for future suffering. The same applies to marketing. The old 3-5 year high-level marketing plans with strict, 12 month schedules are too rigid for today. Programs can have broad contours, but it is better to think in terms of weeks – not years.
Imperfection is Unavoidable
It is important not to wait for perfect information before you act. Today, waiting often means prospects are scooped up by competitors who moved more quickly. Engage customers as you go, without relying on a perfect moment.
You’re Not Alone
If the messiness of our fast-paced culture makes you uneasy as a marketer, know you are not alone. Understanding that all of us are in the same boat makes it much more appealing to move forward. If you need further convincing, take a look at this post for thoughts on why chaos in your work is perfectly acceptable, and explore The Lean Startup Methodology for inspiration on creating a viable, customer-approved product, amidst unknowns, as quickly as possible – how to “work smarter not harder.” Finally, visit this post to understand why marketing needs story-telling, and why story-telling needs chaos.
Check back next week for more tips on Positive Adaptation in marketing.
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As we discussed Monday, our fast-paced world is creating Perpetual Novice Syndrome among marketers. How are we supposed to learn every new tool and trend? On top of that, how are we supposed to use each to its fullest potential? The answer is more simple than you might think: Positive Adaptation.
Though it is possible that the rate of innovation will slow down, it is unlikely. We believe that this constant state of disruptive change is the “new norm.” If that is indeed the case, an entirely different behavioral approach will be needed for marketers to thrive.
Take, for example, Big Data – a trend all marketers are being forced to consider. The volume and variety of data that has become available is staggering. CMOs have been worrying about how their marketing departments will cope with the much-discussed impending data explosion. A recent study by the CMO Council and SAS found many issues impeding organizations from using Big Data effectively: rigid silos, a lack of CMO/CIO alignment, unclear responsibilities, and poor leadership.
The issue, then, is not Big Data itself, but the organizational barriers surrounding it. We believe that these barriers are a direct result of individual behaviors. Perpetual Novice Syndrome inhibits employees from gaining the knowledge necessary to make sound judgments in such situations. We believe the cycle that leads to these behaviors is one of maladaptation – collecting habits that started as useful but, over time, became harmful.
Over the next two weeks, we look forward to sharing four tips for turning maladaptive marketing behaviors into Positive Adaptation.
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Here at Movéo, we have been thinking a lot recently about how marketers can succeed in a world that refuses to slow down. Technology is advancing at an alarming rate, providing marketers with endless tools and countless options to reach their customers. Sometimes, it seems impossible to know which ones to use or how to use them most effectively.
This pace of change is dizzying, and while it is exciting to meet the challenge of change within the industry, it can also be scary to try to keep up. Enter Perpetual Novice Syndrome.
From the moment you hear about a new tool, you are expected to understand it, use it flawlessly, and prove its worth. Before you feel mastery of that trend, there is another one on your desk. The good news is, you’re not alone.
With the constant emergence of “game-changing” technological tools, marketers are caught in a cycle of constantly learning new things, without being granted the time to truly master the knowledge and use it to its fullest potential. They are always too busy always learning new tools to become experts at any of them — they are perpetual novices.
Marketers are trying to cope with this fast-paced change by simply running faster. This speed, however, comes with a cost of marketing effectiveness. It causes team exhaustion, it creates a reactionary rather than strategic business culture, and it prevents marketers from connecting the dots.
The inability to connect the dots is perhaps most concerning. As each new tool and trend catches marketers’ attention, and they feel the need to keep up, they fail to take the time to consider the larger connectedness that makes the tools most effective in the industry through strategy and implementation.
Does Perpetual Novice Syndrome sound familiar? We will be discussing the problem throughout the month of June and providing you with a cure. Stay tuned.
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May has come to a close, and summer is here. We have dedicated most of our May posts to strategies for navigating the new B2B sales funnel, and we hope they were helpful to you. As usual, we have also created a roundup of this month’s most helpful B2B marketing posts.
Here, Derek Edmond examines the B2B marketer’s need to address and utilize data. In response to the endless forms of data analysis available, he offers five report strategies he believes are most useful to marketers.
Tony Zambito writes about ever-changing buyer behaviors and the need for marketers to be nimble in their strategies. He summarizes five ways in which buyer habits will continue to evolve and advises that B2B marketers be adaptive and agile.
In this post, Eric Wittlake addresses the current need for B2B marketers to be “always on” and asks how marketers are responding to this consumer demand.
Dawn Westerberg addresses the dilemma of sensing that your marketing campaigns are not standing out from your competitors’ and offers ways to respond and move ahead.
We hope these posts are helpful to you. Let us know what you think in the comments below.
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LinkedIn is popular among B2B marketers, but it is a lesser understood social network, leaving some unsure how to use it most effectively. Even if they utilize the platform, many marketers are not using the feature we believe to be most valuable to them: LinkedIn Groups.
Here are a few reasons Groups will work for you:
The Rules Apply
Though you are probably not a marketer who needs them, there are a set of rules by which Group users must abide. This creates a level of trust that will extend to your group members. They know promotion will not be overdone, so when it happens, they notice.
Niche Appeal
Groups have a niche appeal, which is perfect for the B2B marketer. They provide a place to connect with other members of your highly specialized industry, and they give you forum for discussion, a great place to provide insight and collect content ideas.
To Your Advantage
The power of a Group lies in your ability to leverage its power. Simply posting blog links might not be enough; instead, use the Group to listen to consumer problems and offer solutions. Your LinkedIn Group will become one of your most valued places to build trust with customers.
How has LinkedIn worked for your company?
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As a recent Forrester study showed, B2B buyers will find three pieces of content relating to a vendor for each one that is pushed out by the company. This content is found in many channels – intentional via search engine research and unintentional via social media – and is constantly accessible on computers, smart phones, and tablets. In many ways, this content overload has given the B2B buyer an advantage over the B2B seller.
It is unnerving that the content B2B marketers create might be competing with other, external content over which they have no control. This result of the multichannel sales system is unavoidable, but it can – and should be – addressed. It has become necessary to use the same research tools to your own advantage by conducting your own content audit.
Do a systematic search to uncover all content related to your company. Leave no channel untouched, and compile a report of your results. Collect all the data you can find, identify trends, and use them to evaluate how your own messaging is being impacted.
The final step requires some subtlety, but the results will be worth it. Restructure future marketing plans to address your findings. When you have a full understanding of what is being said by your competition, you can strengthen your voice – and therefore your position for sales – in comparison to theirs.
How has content overload changed your perspective on B2B marketing?
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Marketers know that customer relationships cannot end when sale is reached. Instead, they must grow stronger. It is at this point – after purchase – that a customer becomes most valuable to its company.
We like to look at it this way: in the new sales funnel, customers do not exist once they’ve made a purchase. These past customers are poised to become a B2B brand’s most powerful salespeople. Converting buying customers into brand advocates is a crucial building block that cannot be overlooked.
In the age of internet research and endless peer reviews, companies cannot afford to let their former customers slip into anonymity. With some encouragement, people who have bought and enjoyed your product will provide recommendations that are more trusted than any your salesforce can provide.
Do not hesitate to offer incentives for your company’s former customers who recommend your product to someone else. When referrals lead to bonuses, they are far more likely to happen. Consider implementing a new rewards program to stimulate this process. The reciprocal relationship you develop with your buyers will prove to be one of your most profitable tools.
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