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Article: Avoiding the cardinal sin of communication. Linda discusses how to avoid turning off your target audiences with your communications on MultiBriefs: Exclusive.
Article: Clear as muck: When the only thing that’s certain is more uncertainty. Linda discusses how to keep going in today's challenging world on MultiBriefs: Exclusive.
Podcast: Linda Popky interviews Karen Jackson who talks about some of the reasons companies have trouble integrating sales and marketing - and how that hurts profitability. - Listen.
Podcast: Deb Zahn talks with Linda Popky and Lisa Anderson, SAC Executive Directors, about what SAC (Society for the Advancement of Consulting) does and how it helps consultants build successful businesses. A Craft of Consulting podcast. - Listen.
SAC® Press Release: "Increased Customer Focus Will Help Business Thrive in 2021" - Linda recommends focusing on what matters to customers now. – Read release.
Video: Just a Moment for Marketing: One-minute marketing tip videos. – View over 100 videos.
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Marketing Above the Noise
Introducing Dynamic Market Leverage™, an approach to help cut through the clutter, stand out, and effectively build business.
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Top of Mind Thursday October 22, 2020: Thriving Through Ambiguity
For 16 years, the association I manage, the Society for the Advancement of Consulting, has held its annual meeting in New York City in the Fall.
But not this year. We had reserved hotel meeting space for this week, but we realized months ago that an in-person event was not going to happen in 2020.
We took our theme–Thriving Through Ambiguity–to heart. We used the tools available to us to create a more robust virtual event with global speakers and a larger group of attendees. Going virtual allowed us to run sessions in times friendly for Europe, North America, and Pacific Rim. It allowed us to offer a variety of sessions: keynotes, panels, interactive breakouts. And it let us record all the sessions for attendees to view at their convenience.
Running a virtual event with 34 sessions and 50+ speakers in two-days was no mean feat. But extensive pre-planning, engaging a strong team with clear roles defined and developing backup systems to account for possible technical glitches paid off. Attendees told us the event went very smoothly. The content was excellent and they found the experience extremely worthwhile.
It wasn’t what we’d planned, but nothing in 2020 has gone by plan. Instead of bemoaning the situation, we took control. We didn’t let the pandemic hold us back. Instead, we helped our members thrive through ambiguity by doing the same ourselves.
Contact me to find out how you can get heard above the noise–even in a crisis situation.
Check out our marketing thought leadership podcasts and the video trailer for my book, Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters.
.
Let us help your business rise to the top.
linda@popky.com
(650) 281-4854
www.leverage2market.com
Top of Mind Thursday October 15, 2020: Let Me Be Perfectly Clear
If you’re one of those people who likes to wait until chaos stops and things settle down before taking action, I have bad news for you: It’s not likely to happen soon.
We are less than 3 weeks away from a presidential election which may or may not be decided immediately. We are close to having a vaccine to prevent COVID-19…or perhaps not that close at all. There’s agreement that wearing masks is the best way to stop the spread of the virus…except among those who think they don’t work.
There’s immense polarization in the US right now on many issues. It’s unlikely the election will change that–regardless of who wins. In the meantime, we need to keep calm and carry on, as the British say.
Learning to manage through uncertainty and ambiguity is a learned skill. That means we can all make improvements in this area. Rather than bemoaning the fact that we’re in this situation, we need to get used to where we are today and take the appropriate actions.
What new challenges are your customers facing and how can you assist them? How can you help your employees stay engaged and productive when they’re caught between family and work responsibilities? What can you do to support those around you, such as your local community?
Uncertainty has moved into the neighborhood and plans to stay for awhile. We need to accept the situation. That’s one thing that’s perfectly clear.
Contact me to find out how you can get heard above the noise–even in a crisis situation.
Check out our marketing thought leadership podcasts and the video trailer for my book, Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters.
.
Let us help your business rise to the top.
linda@popky.com
(650) 281-4854
www.leverage2market.com
Top of Mind Thursday October 8, 2020: Pumpkin Spice
It’s that time of year: Pumpkin pie, pumpkin latte, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies. You name it–it’s got pumpkin in it.
Some of us like pumpkin. Some of us really love pumpkin. But after awhile, there’s too much of it for just about everyone (and especially for those who weren’t aficionados to start). Every package is orange and every food product starts to taste the same. We start to long for good old-fashioned chocolate and vanilla cookies, apple pie, or latte that tastes simply like latte.
We see this in the business world as well. Something pops up that’s new or useful and people begin to adopt it. If it continues to attract attention, more and more people join the bandwagon. Soon, everywhere you go you see nothing but pumpkin everywhere.
Are you bombarding your customers with the same flavors as everyone else? Are you riding an existing trend rather than creating your own?
The first rule of standing out from the crowd is to do something that makes you, well, stand out. Do something original to spice up your business.
Contact me to find out how you can get heard above the noise–even in a crisis situation.
Check out our marketing thought leadership podcasts and the video trailer for my book, Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters.
.
Let us help your business rise to the top.
linda@popky.com
(650) 281-4854
www.leverage2market.com
Top of Mind Thursday October 1, 2020: Up for Debate
Tuesday’s Presidential debate was a spectacle in itself.
Regardless of political inclinations, most people who watched the event seem to agree this event set new lows for political communications. The moderator lost control of the process early on and never was able to get things back on track. The evening was more about shouting at and over other speakers and less about civilized discourse.
The debate team is rushing to create a better process for the remaining debate sessions. Maybe they’ll be able to craft a process that keeps things more under control moving forward, but, given the situation, that will be a serious challenge.
What happened on national TV Tuesday should be no surprise to anyone. From the beginning, this political campaign has been about name calling and accusations, posturing and innuendos, mudslinging and character assassination.
In a time when fighting a global medical crisis has become politicized, science has been belittled and ignored, and racism and bigotry have been encouraged, this kind of spectacle is to be expected.
The question is how long we will allow this to continue. We have serious issues to face–from a pandemic that has already killed hundreds of thousands of people, to climate conditions that are causing unprecedented fires, storms, and flooding, to social justice issues that continue to smolder.
There are plenty of valid topics on which political candidates can offer legitimate political view points. Maintaining civility and treating political opponents with respect and basic consideration should be the least we can do. Allowing ourselves to fall to a new low should not be up for debate.
Contact me to find out how you can get heard above the noise–even in a crisis situation.
Check out our marketing thought leadership podcasts and the video trailer for my book, Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters.
.
Let us help your business rise to the top.
linda@popky.com
(650) 281-4854
www.leverage2market.com