Successful mid-size service firms, those with $3 million to $30 million in revenue and 15 to 150 staff, often grow by way of referrals. These referrals come from clients, partners, networks and associations. While referrals still work and have always worked, are they the best way or the only way to grow a mid-size service firm? Do CPA, law, technology consulting, management consulting, financial service and AEC firms have to rely on referrals as the primary source of new clients? Is this all there is today? I think not.
Digital disruption is real. Over the last 10 years or so, there has been an explosion of digital devices, tools, apps, communication networks and social media properties. This is creating an ecosystem of prospective clients who could be a great fit for your firm. But can all of this new technology really help you acquire new clients?
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2017/11/01/why-mid-size-service-firms-need-the-ultimate-digital-marketing-stack/#176dff401641/
Beware of the HiPPO in the room. When a HiPPO (highest paid person’s opinion) is in play, your organization is most likely not relying on data to inform decision-making. In fact, I believe the HiPPO effect is one of the biggest barriers to more evidence-based and data-driven decision-making. With the quantity and quality of data available today, it is just poor business for organizations to ignore data in favor of making decisions solely based on what the HiPPO wants done...
https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2017/10/26/data-driven-decision-making-beware-of-the-hippo-effect/#1131f38280f9/
Digital marketing is a complicated beast that demands collaboration across such diverse disciplines as branding, content, and data science. The best marketers combine company strategy and brand goals with a keen understanding of what makes the customer tick; listening to customers is truly the secret sauce of successful marketing.
http://www.zdnet.com/article/mckinsey-on-digital-marketing-personalization-is-not-what-you-think/
It used to be that retailers couldn’t wait to hear the unmistakable sound that said the holidays had arrived — ringing cash registers. Today’s businesses are adapting to the new signs of the holiday season — digital clicks and online carts. Black Friday, the most joyous of all shopping days in the year for retailers and customers alike, still tops the list of sales spikes for the year, followed closely by its relatively new cousin Cyber Monday.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2017/11/28/five-digital-marketing-trends-for-the-2017-holiday-season/#54cb1dd4777f/
What do you need, as an entrepreneur, to make you truly believe that your initially crazy idea of a startup has justified itself and is actually worth the efforts and resources you’ve put in it? Investments are the answer. It is one thing to have faith in your own business and a completely different matter to convince others that your idea is worthy of something.
http://trak.in/tags/business/2017/12/12/digital-marketing-tools-startup/
Voice of customer (VOC) programs are becoming increasingly popular with marketers, but there are some general do’s and don’ts to follow if they're going to succeed.
CMO reached out to three industry commentators to reveal what’s hot and what’s not on their voice of customer approach and what it takes to successfully create and implement a program.
https://www.cmo.com.au/article/633504/do-don-ts-voice-customer-programs/
Many companies are striving to launch customer experience (CX) programs that will improve their growth, margin, and customer retention. In working with our clients, one of the challenges we see is a tendency to view CX as a tactical effort–something designed to seek out and resolve customer annoyances, particularly in customer service interactions. As a result, company’s CX focus can be narrowed to activities like enhancing customer care processes, front-line employee performance, customer care hiring, and call center training. While these are all good and necessary efforts, this sort of myopia misses the point of what CX really is and what it can do for your company.
https://which-50.com/leaderships-essential-role-in-customer-experience/
Brexit is getting closer and with negotiations still in progress, all of us digital marketers are out there watching and waiting with bated breath…
In times of uncertainty or turmoil, markets have the capability of evolving much faster than most digital marketers can adapt. This gap between how you see the market and the reality of what’s happening in the market will become a major hurdle in the coming years for many marketers. In fact, experts are even calling Brexit a wake up call for everyone in the digital marketing industry. So the question is, is your digital team ready to re-strategise when push comes to shove?
https://mopinion.com/post-brexit-britain-where-will-that-leave-digital-marketing/
