Your People and Their Purpose

Listening to a recent radio interview with a senior point guard before a college basketball game, I knew that the player was wise beyond his years.

A good point guard, he said, may average 30 points per game, or only 3. The mark of a good point guard, to him, was whether or not he was creating scoring opportunities for his team.

This is a well coached player who has a true understanding of the value that he brings to the table. Can you say the same about your employees?

Well coached employees do not just have a good understanding of the tasks that have been assigned to them. They also have a solid understanding of how what they do allows the company to be what it wants to be.

When a company develops a brand vision for itself, it is describing the ultimate customer service experience for which it wants to be known.

Such a vision is meaningless, however, without everyone knowing how they help bring this vision to life.

For example, if your widget company wants to be known as the company that makes the highest quality widgets, it isn't enough for your IT guy to believe that his job is to simply keep the computers and servers working properly while the development of the brand experience is left to sales or product engineers. Your IT guy should have clarity on how the maintenance and development of IT systems helps the company be known for what it wants to be known for, and he should be evaluated on whether or not he is helping the company achieve this vision.

Having all of your employees know their true role in your company is vital to your company becoming what it has always wanted to be.

As Media Options Change, Keep Your Focus On Your Brand

Today’s media landscape is changing so quickly that it’s easy to find yourself caught up in the debate over whether traditional media is still viable or if new media is the way to go. It’s easy to worry about your current media strategy and whether you are doing the right things.

As a marketing consultant, I often get asked my opinion on the various forms of media that are available. Should we be on television? How long until social media is replaced by something else? How do you feel about billboards?

These are legitimate questions, but too often they are given too much focus. Instead, make sure you are keeping your focus on your brand. With a well defined brand and clearly identified target audiences, you will find that media decisions will become surprisingly easy.

The fact of the matter is that almost any media can be effective if you have the right strategy. Keeping your focus on your brand allows you to focus on something over which you have some control. Are you delivering the right customer experience? Do you know who you are as a company, and what makes you unique? Do you know what you want people to think about when they think of you?

Once you develop your crystal clear brand, you’ll be able to identify and prioritize the audiences you want to reach and what you want to say to them. From there, choosing the right media mix simply involves evaluating your options based on which media best allows you to tell the story you want to tell, and which options will allow you to reach the most people on a consistent basis for the best investment.

Six months or a year from now whenever the landscape has changed yet again, you’ll have nothing to worry about. You’ll reevaluate your media mix and make any needed adjustments. You already know who you are, who you want to talk to and what you want to say. Reaching your audience is much easier when you know exactly who they are.