by Miriam Hara | Apr 22, 2015 | Business Success, Latest, Marketing
We live in a society that is age-obsessed. No one wants to look old. No one wants to be old. Yet, there’s no escaping it. Each one of is going to turn around one day and be ‘old’. Then we’ll ask ourselves, “When did this happen? How did this happen?” Of course those are just rhetorical questions. We all know time stops for no one. So rather than talk about something that no one can change (getting old), let’s talk about experience.
Experience is relative and it’s not necessarily age-related – although quite truthfully, it often is. In my younger years I used to say, “It’s not the years, it’s the mileage”. I still believe this. But back then, I was the youngest one on the team. Today, well let’s just say that I’m no longer the youngest!
A perspective on becoming the agency go-to guru:
At some point during my career I found myself on the other side of the fence of experience. No longer was I in search of the person who would know the answer. Seemingly overnight, I became the person who knew the answer. Well it may not have been overnight, it may have been over 20 years of late nights at the agency to become that go-to guru.
And I must say that I enjoy it – having the knowledge, the know-how and the confidence that comes along with experience. Although, I’m not saying that I’ve stopped learning. NO! In this field, it’s impossible not to learn new things. But the learning process is much easier for me now. It has become quite fluid and intuitive.
In business, regardless of whom you talk to, being of a certain age is seen as a disadvantage. So let’s talk about the advantages of experience. There are so many advantages for businesses to employ experienced people. Here are the reasons:
1) Wisdom is knowledge: There’s very little that can compete with knowledge. A wealth of experience provides depth of knowledge that is astounding. And you can only get it one way – by experience. (Funny that!)
2) It takes less time to get things done: Anyone with experience has gained many skills. They don’t know everything, but they know a lot. At the agency, our designers can really churn out outstanding concepts and designs quickly. They have a wealth of experience to draw from, cutting out the insecurities and cutting down on the time it takes to get things done. At the speed of business today, half the time to do anything is big a plus.
3) Getting it done right – the first time: No need to expand on that. You all know what I mean.
4) Confidence and professionalism: From an employer’s perspective, when someone is able to hit the ground running and have confidence, it’s nothing short of bliss. Having the professionalism to handle stressful situations gracefully is invaluable.
Experience matters. The experienced stage is a great place to be at in one’s career, at least that’s my perspective.
What are your thoughts?
by Miriam Hara | Apr 20, 2015 | Business Success, Latest, Management
A little over 25 years ago, my mentor who was a decade older than me, philosophized that with every passing decade, things would get easier for women in the future within the business marketplace. The challenges I faced climbing the proverbial corporate ladder were nothing compared to the obstacles she had faced. Although I remember thinking that regardless of the “degree of hardship” that women over the years faced, hardship is still hardship. Less pain, still implies pain.
Fast forward to 2015, getting ahead in the corporate environment is still challenging for women (albeit maybe less so than 25 years ago). However, we now see more and more women as entrepreneurs, mompreneurs and at the helm of small businesses that they had a hand in starting or growing.
Women have finally come into their own. They now respect the fact that they can’t do everything, for everyone, perfectly, all the time. With that, women have come to the understanding that it’s okay to set their own rules and pace, in accordance with the way they run their lives and still be successful in business.
Women networking is a must in today’s market landscape.
I believe wholeheartedly that most women in business today applaud one another’s efforts. Kudos to them! Gone are the cut-throat, competitive, isolation-style tactics that existed between women in business in the 70’s and 80’s. Despite the genuine lack of support that existed among women in those decades, women in business today are achieving greater independence as a result. I for one, recognize the sacrifices that those women had to make.
However, applauding one another simply isn’t enough – although it sure does feel good. It’s high time that women networking catch up and reap the benefits that male-dominated networking has enjoyed for eons. Women in influential or “decision making” positions need to open the door for other women. Make no mistake about my intent. I am not saying that women networking with other women should be anything more than a connection or a meeting for the potential of developing a business relationship. All women need to do for other women that they are acquainted with, is to open the door. The rest is up to the professionalism of the woman who will be walking through that door to ask for the business and turn that connection into an opportunity. Men do it all the time. It’s time women do as well.
What have you done for a woman business colleague lately?
by Miriam Hara | Apr 17, 2015 | Business Success, Interactive, Latest
Website performance is often confused with how a website looks. Although user experience and responsive design are important the key objective of a website is overlooked. Not too long ago, developing websites and making them ‘live’ on the world wide web was a capability that was available only to web programmers. Today, with the phenomenal Content Management Systems, (joomla, drupla) and more specifically the ‘programming-challenged’ CMS (gotta love WordPress) availability, many business professionals mistake the ease of making a website live, with it’s effectiveness.
So what exactly is required to ensure optimal website performance:
1) A Plan: All the technology and software in the world won’t replace a good, innovative and hard working ‘plan’. A website is the first impression of any business so it must resonate with the intended target audience. It also must have a clear set objectives and strategies. The definition of success for any website can only be determined if there is a measuring point. What does the website need to do? What is its core function and what are the delivery expectations in terms of sales leads, traffic numbers and contact point? Once these questions have been answered website performance can be more easily assessed.
2) Content Strategy and Structure: What does the website have to do? Does it have to inform? Showcase the business as an expert? Be a go-to for actual sales? Is there going to be an online store? Does the site need to generate leads? Most websites have a combination of many of the list just mentioned. Providing users with good, easy to read content in a structured and user friendly environment are key elements for optimizing your website performance.
3) Connection Points: It’s important for any website to have more than one point of connection. Weaving connection points throughout the site to prompt viewers to take action and connect is critical – especially if generating leads is key for the website’s performance. Connection points need to be closely integrated to content strategy and structure. Consider providing a forum where viewers can download white papers, eBooks or register for a webinar.
4) Be Responsive: Responsive design is easier to achieve now. CMS platforms have coded their web themes to provide optimized adaptation to many devices. That’s high-tech responsiveness. But web performance means that it’s not only necessary for sites to be responsive on mobile and perform visually on any device, it’s also important to be responsive to queries from viewers who are potential clients.
5) Search Engine Optimization: The importance of analyzing and developing a keyword strategy can’t be stated enough. Website performance is dependent on a critical and well laid out SEO strategy. No site in today’s world wide web would be complete or be able to compete without it.
Getting a website up, live and looking good without taking into consideration the core components that optimize a website’s performance doesn’t make business sense. Are there any other considerations that should be included to this list? Please share them here.
by Miriam Hara | Apr 15, 2015 | Advertising, Branding, Business Success, Interactive, Latest, Social Media
Every day we see brands entering the world of brand publishing. Having a content marketing strategy is a must for any business, no matter what industry they operate in. Have you ventured in yet? If not, why not? The terminology may be different. How it gets distributed may not be the same – but brand publishing has been around for many years. It used to be called PR.
Today, with the internet (or should I say Google) being the go-to source provider of information, many purchasing assessments are started on line – and referred to time and time again during the customer journey. If you are a business owner or a marketer, that fact alone should trigger thinking about brand publishing as a viable marketing initiative.
At this time, a large part of marketing carries a component of brand publishing – whether it be a blog post of 350 words, a Facebook update of 30-50 words, or even a tweet that’s only 140 characters. Brands and businesses have entered the publishing world to develop more intimate and authentic connections with the buyers of their products or services. In order to do this effectively, developing a content marketing strategy is essential in garnering the results necessary. In fact, without rolling up your sleeves and developing a content marketing strategy you may be just spinning your wheels.
A content marketing strategy allows your business to:
- Define the objectives of brand publishing
- Establish the success metrics with specific time intervals
- Set the parameters for the scope of the content that will need to be created
- Determine what properties it will be shared to
- Timing as it relates to frequency of content deployment
- Identify the different communities that your content will resonate with most
The marketing of editorial content is exactly what your brand or business needs to be doing in order to get found. Good editorial content will resonate with your target market – and that’s what it’s all about. Establishing a content marketing strategy has become hugely instrumental towards the success or failure of brands and businesses. It is time to embrace brand publishing and truly understand the value of how creating content can impact your business in the long run. Are you there yet?
by Miriam Hara | Apr 13, 2015 | Branding, Business Success, Latest, Marketing
Brand development is necessary for any brand competing in the market today. Regardless of the media channel or consumer behaviour, the need for brand development is still relevant. Brand means so many things to so many people. Yet, a brand should by definition be the same for all. But it’s not. Many people confuse Brand with a logo and a sexy tagline. It’s not. Brand is everything combined and it is the most important asset any business owns. It’s how the world sees you and if successful, it empowers them to trust you. It speaks to what you stand for and what you promise to deliver.
If you are in the midst of brand development for your business, product or even yourself, make sure you aren’t just ‘winging it’. Here are a few steps to enable brand definition:
Defining Brand promise is paramount. Consumers’ perception of brand is determined by their experience with it. In this social media era, the experience and opinions of others can also colour their thinking. Brand must take part in the development of their thinking. Brand can influence its own public image by defining, creating and communicating a strong brand identity.
Defining Brand visually is necessary. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: A logo does not make a brand. But it’s the first visual face to face meeting that consumers have with it. It’s imperative that you approach this significant visual aspect of your brand professionally.
Defining Brand identity in the brand development process is a sum of both of the above. How does it look? How does it sound? Developing a Brand identity is about how a brand communicates with the public – every time, all the time. Determine the tone, visual presence and verbal voice. Keep it consistent.
Defining a personal brand. What’s the difference? Or rather, is there a difference? With the emergence of business platforms, like LinkedIn, Brand has now evolved in the arena of “people branding”, also known as personal branding. Of course, personal branding isn’t new and isn’t the result of technology – it has always been around. However, not many people have exercised the notion. Technology has enabled the necessity of a personal brand to separate yourself from the masses. Whether its the summary you’ve written on your LinkedIn profile, the eBooks you provide to promote yourself, your blog posts or the resume you send in for a job posting. How you present yourself to the world in the digital arena must have the essence of your personal brand. Take a page from the brand development process, and apply it personally.
Success in today’s noisy marketplace is all about defining Brand: Whether you’re a product or a person, a brand development process is a must.
For a quick and easy reference on how to market your brand, download our eBooks: Branding Understood and Marketing Understood.
by Miriam Hara | Apr 7, 2015 | Agency, Business Success, Creative, Latest
Here’s a quiz that will help you to see if you have what it takes to work in the creative field. There are so many ways to make a living in the creative field. How do you determine if you’re cut out for heading up the ranks in the business of creative?
With the introduction of computers to the creative and advertising industries (Thanks Steve Jobs!) the definition of being creative has somewhat changed. Computers have made the business of creative easier by allowing us to push the envelope further.
However, many people today think that being creative simply involves the the ability to navigate a computer and its software, such as Photoshop or InDesign. That is not true. The mystery of being a creative goes much deeper than that. It is my genuine belief that a computer does everything for a bad designer and nothing for a good one – except provide the means for more exploration, make them quicker and of course creatively stronger!
So what are some of the common skills and characteristics of individuals that succeed to become a creative director, art director, conceptual thinker or graphic designer?
Simply answer yes or no to these 8 questions to determine your level of creative.
Don’t think about it, just answer instinctively.
1. Yes or No: You like puzzles. In fact, you excel at seeing how things fit together in a way that goes beyond just the shape of the pieces.
2. Yes or No: You are naturally inquisitive. You’re usually seeking to understand a new subject. You never grew out of the “Why?” stage from childhood.
3. Yes or No: You like doodling. You like taking pen to paper or screen and moving it about. It helps you to think and follow your thought pattern.
4. Yes or No: You can draw without the help of a computer. In fact, you usually have a sketch book with you just in case you see or experience something that inspires you.
5. Yes or No: You are an origami guru. You love understanding how a series of certain folds can lead to a beautiful paper sculpture.
6. Yes or No: Problem solving is in your nature. You like to fix things. You thrive from the challenge of taking complex problems and simplifying them. Deep down you don’t really understand how many people can’t see the solution that’s usually right there in front of them saying, “Here I am!”
7. Yes or No: You like words. From their subtle meanings, their true meanings, their double meanings, right down to the letters that make up the words. Words are a thing of beauty and joy to you.
8. Yes or No: Learning is just as necessary as breathing for you. You strive to keep up with what’s new. You like to learn about new trends, new software or new procedures. Learning means “new”, and new keeps you on your toes, creatively!
If you have answered YES to 5 or more of the above questions, then you definitely have what it takes to be creative, professionally. Now go for it, and welcome to the club!
What other characteristics do you know of that are indicative of a creative mind. Let me know!
