Marketing is business
Anyone who has come to one of my workshops will know that I endlessly quote Peter Drucker, the father of business consulting and his views on the importance of marketing and innovation to every business.
Anyone who has come to one of my workshops will know that I endlessly quote Peter Drucker, the father of business consulting and his views on the importance of marketing and innovation to every business.
You may have already heard about Design Thinking. You might not. Chances are you know some companies that are using it.
Tesla, Apple, Netflix, and Amazon Prime have all adopted it. In the words of Steve Jobs:
“It is not the customers’ job to know what they want” – Steve Jobs.
In other words, in order to be successful, companies need to figure out what their customers want, before they know it themselves.
And this is exactly what your company needs to do too.
So, let’s dive into design thinking. What is it exactly? How can you take advantage of it?
Design Thinking is a design methodology, of 5 stages, that enables companies to identify and meet their customers’ needs. With Design Thinking, companies have the opportunity to create products and services that solve their customers’ problems. So what are the 5 steps?
Following this cyclical 5 stage-process will allow you to create products and services your customers really need and will crave for. Post-launch, remember to listen to customers’ feedback in order to continuously improve their experience and blaze an innovation trail.
If you want to know more about design thinking, or how it could help your business, email hello@makehappy.co.uk
So you’ve decided to focus on content marketing this year. And why not? Good content marketing can help you reach and increase your target audience and drive traffic to your product, all whilst positioning your brand as a category leader.
However, as with all forms of marketing, it is important to be strategic about who you’re trying to reach and why. As always, we’ve compiled a list of handy tips for you to follow to get the most out of your content marketing if you’re unsure where to start.
Content marketing in the digital space gives you immediate feedback and detailed analytics on whether your content is working. It’s easy to get caught up in the numbers and lose sight of your main objective, so it’s important to decide on your key metrics for success before you start crafting your content.
For example, if your aim is to raise brand awareness, you might set clicks to your website and general audience interest as your goals. The main metrics you could use to measure success would then be CTW (click to website) and Engagement (likes, comments, shares).
Test, test, test. Running consistent, informative A/B tests takes time and planning.
Here are some elements you can look at testing:
Track and analyse. Ensure you’ve set up tracking along all consumer touch points, online and offline. For example, you can track where your website traffic is coming from using Google Analytics. You can track off-site enquiries by setting up specific email addresses and collecting customer journey information over the phone.
Funnel your online audience to your website to reach them directly through your website blog or a regular email newsletter, for example. This will allow you to craft specific messaging for audiences who have become more familiar with your brand.
After you start testing, you’ll gradually gain a wealth of insight on who your audience is, where they can be reached and what their needs are. This information can help you flesh out your overarching marketing strategy and can even help you hone your product or service. Putting aside some time once a quarter to work these insights into your larger marketing/ product plan will allow you get the most out of your content marketing efforts.
The social and political events of the times are unsettling to many. But despite the regular dose of misery that comes from the news, there are great things happening. Between the various tech, research, and innovation hubs in the world, the beneficial application of cutting edge technology is flowing into the wider world. Three areas of particular importance are energy, information, and health.
Most startups begin with an idea of a useful product or service. Plans are drawn, teams are formed, funds are raised, and a startup business is born. This takes a lot of work, but despite the attrition rate, the number of new businesses are on the rise.
The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas. – Linus Pauling.
According to a 2014 PwC report into breakthrough innovation and growth, 43% of 1,757 executives interviewed saw innovation as a ‘competitive necessity’ for their organisation.
Read MoreLondon Tech Week is a yearly gathering boasting hundreds of events and pitching opportunities for techies within and across many industries: retail, education, cyber security, marketing and advertising. Industry-specific offshoots of Tech Week have also emerged, the next being the world’s first Food Tech Week, running from 16 October 2015.
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