New Year’s Resolutions for Marketers
One week into 2013, it's prime time for New Year's resolutions. Just walk into any gym in North America for proof. Of course, three weeks from now it'll be a very different story. It's easy to go out on January 1 with guns a-blazing only to crash and burn by the end of the month.
As marketers, designers, and developers, no doubt there are tons of goals we could be setting for ourselves, but trying to do too much too quickly is often our downfall. Here are five resolutions for 2013 that are actually doable and can help yield rewards throughout the new year and beyond:
1. Resolve to add value. Clients love working with agencies and design firms. Believe it or not, clients get excited about meeting with their agency team. Quite often it's the most fun part of their day. They get to look at new designs or concepts, ask questions, give feedback, and make decisions. But clients should be looking forward to working with you for other reasons, too. What value do you offer them? Are you regurgitating the same marketing plans over and over with a different client name in the masthead? Are you copying and pasting the same budgets and timelines from project to project, or producing different variations on the same design? Stop doing that! Think of yourself as your client's partner. Success for them = success for you. Make sure all your interactions with a client have value and strive to create solutions you'd be excited about.
2. Don't sell yourself short. When it comes to providing quotes on projects, be realistic. Assume the worst and prepare accordingly. Build in contingency. Allow for revisions. Better to have a client sign off on a realistic budget upfront (and possibly be able to come in under budget) than to have to deal with addendums throughout the course of the project. By quoting low you are doing yourself as much of a disservice (or more) than to the client. Think how pleased everybody will be when you end up finishing under budget! (Same goes for timelines).
3. Listen more. There is a saying that we have two ears and one mouth because we should listen twice as much as we speak. The same holds true for marketing. Really listen to what your clients have to say. Ask lots of questions and actually take note of the answers. When you go into a project kickoff meeting, don't have an idea in mind before you even get a chance to hear the clients' perspective - let it develop after you've had a chance to chat and listen. Understand their business. Immerse yourself in it. Putting yourself in your clients' shoes and attempting to see things from their perspective makes problem solving a whole lot easier. Listen to your competitors and others in related fields, too. Start a conversation, share an opinion, and don't make it all about you all the time - there's nothing less interesting than the "friend" who only talks about himself and never asks how you're doing.
4. Stay on top of trends. This is an easy one, especially for anyone who enjoys their work. Keeping up with emerging technologies and techniques, and being able to recommend them to clients, shows that you're on top of your game and that you're a contender in your industry. It also helps keep you from being caught off guard by a client's questions. And being able to suggest a new functionality or feature to a client ties into #1 - adding value.
5. Be interesting. Do something cool and then toot your own horn about it a little bit. Better still, share something cool that someone else has done. Don't be afraid to show some personality - differentiate yourself from the rest of the pack and you will be remembered.
Happy New Year to all our clients, colleagues and friends. Best wishes for a healthy and prosperous 2013!
