5 marketing quotes of the week

14 Things You Should Never Tell Your Employees During a Performance Review

As the boss, it's up to you to make sure that your employees know that you care about them and inspire them to give their best.

"Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man's growth without destroying his roots."--Frank A. Clark

"As the adage goes, 'Words are free. It's how you use them that may cost you,'" says Darlene Price, president of Well Said, Inc., and author of "Well Said! Presentations and Conversations That Get Results." "What you say to your employees in their annual reviews can chart a better course for their future, or demoralize them."

Words spoken by an authority figure, such as a manager or boss, are particularly impactful, she explains. "That's why it's a good idea to choose them carefully--to ensure your employees know you care about them and their performance, and to inspire them to give the best they have to offer."

Here are 14 phrases to avoid in the performance review:

'Jane can do this--why can't you?' Or, 'None of your coworkers seem to struggle with this--what's your problem?'

Avoid comparisons.

"Contrasting one employee against another is likely to elicit shame, envy, and resentment. Focus instead on what this employee can do differently to get a better result," says Price. 

'Everything is perfect.'

Don't pretend everything is perfect.

Chances are, it's not. Even the best employees can improve on a thing or two. 

If this person is doing a great job, of course you should tell them that--but then talk to figure out ways to bring them to the next level. 

And if everything is not great, don't lie and say it is. Of course you want to be encouraging and acknowledge this person's achievements, but don't sugar coat everything. If you really, truly want to help this employee, you'll need to tell them what they can be doing better, and offer your support as they work to accomplish those things. 

According to a 2014 Harvard Business Review study, 57% of employees like to receive negative feedback, while only 43% like hearing positive feedback only. 

But make sure you go about giving negative feedback the right way.

'You always/never do X.' Or, 'Everyone thinks Y.'

Don't generalize. 

"Generalities are the quickest way to put the employee on the defensive," Price explains. "Constructive feedback is specific, timely, and actionable--it's the basis for an honest beneficial performance evaluation."

'If you can't do a better job, I'll find someone who can.' Or, 'If you don't start improving in this area, you're out.'

Don't threaten.  

"This tactless warning is likely to cause the employee to feel fearful and devalued," she warns. "Instead, express your belief that he or she is capable of performing at a higher level."

'I'm not sure how to help you.'

Don't fail to offer your support. 

One of the worst things a manager can do is give feedback, make suggestions, and then not offer to help the employee accomplish these things.

As the boss, you're not expected to come up with solutions to every issue addressed during the review, but you should offer support, guidance, and advice to the employee as they work toward self-improvement. 

'What's wrong with you?! You're the worst member on my staff.'

Don't humiliate.  

"Putting down your employees will not help them live up to your expectations," she says. "Terms of judgment such as 'wrong' and 'worst' are likely to embarrass your employees and hurt their feelings."

Instead, articulate your expectations in a positive, effective manner so that your employees clearly understand how to perform well on the job.

'I hope you're going to have a better year.' Or, 'I'm a little worried about you handling the XYZ account.'

Don't imply doubt.

"Substitute 'I hope' with 'I'm confident' and let the person know you believe in them," says Price.

'Okay, that's all I have to say. We're done.'

Don't do all the talking.

Don't rattle off your list of complaints, or sing the employee high praises, then kick them out. Just like a good hiring manager would do in a job interview, turn the tables at the end of the performance review and allow them to speak and ask questions. This is a crucial part of the review process and you wouldn't want to take that away from them. 

'I don't have any feedback.'

Don't say nothing.

Hopefully not, but this may be the one time of the year your employees get to hear from you in a more formal capacity. Don't fail them by saying nothing. If you feel uncomfortable giving feedback--especially criticism--then you shouldn't be managing people. 

Your employees want to know how they're doing. They crave feedback--good and bad--and want you to communicate your expectations. Use this time to do just that. 

'I don't have time to meet.'

Don't appear too busy.

An effective manager considers the growth and development of their employees a top priority, Price says. "Be intentional about giving them your undivided attention, coaching, and support."

 Source : http://bit.ly/1RNXEP5

The Three Pillars of Content Marketing for 2016

For the past few years, content has been establishing itself as the dominant form of marketing, and in 2016, it will likely achieve that goal. Every year, more and more businesses are making quality content a higher priority and putting more money behind its creation.

And while this is great news for writers, it does create a bit of a problem.

The digital revolution has produced hundreds of thousands of millions of businesses, marketers, advertisers, etc. vying for consumer attention through social media, email, ads, blogs, and more. And with so much information floating around, it's becoming harder and harder for someone to get noticed online and to have their message heard. Even worse, so much of what's being thrown at the consumer is utter garbage.

And this isn't going to stop. So how do businesses find exposure in the face of information overload?

By building great content!

Of course, as it is with most things, creating great content is easier said than done. In order to be truly effective in our modern market, you have to build your content atop the Three Pillars: Curation, Information, and Authenticity.

Let's explore.

Curation
As the overall pool of information grows wider and deeper, the consumers' catalogue of source material grows smaller. Basically, the more information that's available, the more labor intensive it becomes to sift through it all and find the information one is looking for. Therefore, people are more likely to stick to a handful of trusted sources, often ones that deal specifically with their particular interests or career.

For years, there have been numerous blogs, self-help books, advice columns, etc. that attempt to provide blanket information to cover a wide range of possible situations. But too much broad appeal is a bad thing.

When you're creating content for your marketing strategy this year--be it social media, email, or blogs--you want to focus on curating that content for very specific audiences, demographics, career paths, and industries.

Example: Check out this Q&A blog geared towards the financial industry.

Instruction
Truly informative, educational, or instructional content trumps entertainment all day, every day (at least when it comes to business).

True value in your content comes from showing someone HOW to do something. Teach them how to navigate a particularly difficult task. Help them solve a problem. Show them how to gain a new skill. Instructional content is highly sought after in this day and age. And if you'd like some examples, check out some of these blogs:

How to Run AdWords on a Tight Budget

A Blogging Process That Actually Works

3 Editing Tips to Make Your Content Pop

You Have a Computer Virus. Now What?

Authenticity
I actually touched on this topic in a previous blog, but it bears repeating. The current generation of workers, voters, and (increasingly) owners and entrepreneurs crave authenticity. Advertisements, even from Google and Facebook, are slowly circling the drain and will likely be all but obsolete in the next 5 years. Rather than focusing your money and efforts on a dying breed of marketing, invest in authentic content.

It may sound elusive, but really, authentic content simply means creating content that:

A: Is honest.
B: Has the best interest of the reader in mind.
C: Shows you care about more than just profit.
D: Reflects something you truly, honestly believe in.

Make no mistake; the current generation of consumers can sniff out dishonest and fake content from a mile away. So be authentic.

Source : http://huff.to/21oPL6Z

4 things you can do to become a better manager today

 

Effectively managing people is difficult, and no one is born knowing how to do it.

Fortunately, management can be learned. We suggest following these four steps, which are simple, but time-tested:

1. Set appropriate goals.

Goal-setting is essential. It helps employees prioritize their activities and focus their efforts. When setting goals with employees, you should make sure that they are SMART goals (specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistically high, time and resource bound).

The goals must also be meaningful to the employee. Sufficient rewards for goal achievement and consequences for failure should be specified. This will ensure that the goal and what's needed to achieve it will rise to the top of the employees' "To Do" list.

Near the end of his life, H.L. Hunt, the self-made oil billionaire, was asked to name the requirements for success. He answered, "There are only two real requirements for success in life. The first requirement is deciding exactly what you want [setting goals]. Most people never get to that point. The second requirement is determining the price that will have to be paid to get it, and then resolving to pay that price."

2. Develop a plan to achieve the goals.

After setting goals with the employee, put together a plan to achieve them. To accomplish any individual goal, the employee will need to commit to a set of actions. A goal without an action plan is just a dream. It’s not real, and it’s not likely to happen.

Most people don’t understand how to break larger projects, goals or tasks down into actionable steps. As a manager, you can use your experience and knowledge to guide the employee. Keep the number of actions from becoming overwhelming by limiting them to what the employee can reasonably accomplish within two weeks. Set dates and even a deadline that makes sense, for when the employee will complete each action step. This will create the urgency necessary to complete the work in a timely manner.

Finally, holding a meeting that occurs at the same day and time each week will give you a mechanism for checking on progress and creating a natural deadline for your staff. The meeting can be as short as 15 minutes or as long as an hour, but should be comprised of three segments:

• First segment: Have the employee report to you on his or her progress.
• Second segment: Give the employee feedback and help him or her overcome obstacles that stand in the way.
• Third segment: Set new actions, including dates and times for completion.

3. Empower the employee.

To maximize the probability that your employees achieve their goals, empower them. That means three things. First, you must properly train your workers to do the tasks necessary to achieve their goals. This includes giving the employee enough time to practice the new skills so that they become proficient.

Second, motivate your people. Rewards for success and consequences for failure should be specified. But keep in mind that an environment that relies solely on either rewards or consequences will create a dysfunctional culture: You will have employees who either become used to a country-club existence or live in fear of making mistakes. Neither is conducive to long-term productivity.

Finally, remove roadblocks that are within the company’s control. Make sure that people have the tools, equipment and information they need to do their jobs. Removing roadblocks also includes developing effective policies and procedures.

4. Assess performance and make adjustments.

Once the above three steps are complete, you will need to assess performance and make any necessary changes. We’re not talking about annual performance evaluations. A formal review may happen only once a year, but effective management requires assessing performance much more frequently.

For employees who are new to the organization or learning a new task, you may need to assess performance daily or perhaps even more frequently. Get away from your desk and computer screen and walk around the area where your employees work. Stop to talk and ask questions. Be available and interested.

Employees who have demonstrated competence may require only a weekly meeting to stay on track. But, in either case, you should take an active role in monitoring and commenting on performance, to benefit both the organization and the employee.

Managing people is difficult. It’s not an exact science, and there is no magic wand to ensure you always get it right. In fact, you won’t always get it right. Even outstanding managers make mistakes. The good news is that managing people well is a learned skill.

With work, you can improve your capability in this area. A concerted effort on your part is required. But if your company is going to thrive, your skills as a manager will be of paramount importance.

   Source : http://read.bi/1PSHvVI

What Is the Best Social Media Platform for Driving Traffic?

There almost too many social media accounts to count at this point.  Everyone that has taken at least a vague interest in putting their business out to the public has jumped onto Facebook.

Whether you do Facebook ads or just use Web or foot traffic to drive visitors to your Facebook Page, being on FB is almost a prerequisite. 

So this article is not about Facebook per say, it is really about knowing your demographic and the platforms at which are most valuable and can send targeted viral traffic to your website.

Tumblr

My choice for creating shareable GIFs and funny memes that can send a large amount of reblogs, likes etc to your post.  The traffic that you get from Tumblr may not be the highest quality as with the type of viral shares that happen, not everyone that shares your post (hopefully you linked back to your website) will visit your site, and those that do may not be your target market.  Here is an example of a tumblr post that generated 535 notes and sent 53 viewers to the website that put that post out. Now, these funny gifs have little to do with “web design” but the title of the post “can’t touch my web design” was followed up with MC Hammer doing the Can’t touch me dance. And dancing dogs etc.  So that is rather funny.  Tumblr is a great platform for driving traffic.  If you create shareable, viral content like this, you can gain lots of visits and notes and shares that will help with strengthening the power of that Do Follow Link from Tumblr.

Reddit

A very difficult platform to master.  Shares or posts are voted up or down with Karma points.  If you are deliberately trying to make self-promotional shares for the aim of driving traffic to your sight without providing value first, well then you will most likely get harassed by other Redditors or booted completely.  Here is a great getting started guide for reddit. If your post is helpful and gets upvoted a bunch, you can get loads of traffic from Reddit.  This traffic can be very niche specific and targeted if your post was in a very niche part of Reddit.

Facebook

Yeah I know boring right?  Well Facebook Ads are still one of the best ways to really drill down and get in front of those targeted potential customers.  You think all that data that you put up about yourself in college was just so your friends could know that you love Tommy Boy and that you love wakeboarding?  Well maybe back in 2004 it was, but now that data is harvested for the (almost) sole intent of marketing things to you.  I do not market via Facebook ads currently but have dabbled with the interface and it is extremely targeted and for that I think, this is the king for paid social traffic.

Source : http://bit.ly/1XsLs8G

The 5 Biggest Mistakes to Avoid When Starting a Business

Don’t expect overnight success.

If you are planning on starting a business this year you are undoubtedly full of excitement. While raw excitement, infatuation and determination are all great, you need to make sure that you proceed with caution so as not to encounter the common pitfalls that lead to business failure.

The 5 Biggest Mistakes to Avoid  When Starting a Business in 2016

Avoid making these five beginner mistakes many new entrepreneurs often make—and good luck with your new business venture!

1. Expecting overnight success

Very few businesses are going to go from launch to successful revenue monster overnight. Yes, it happens, but not as often as one might think. The media is always going to talk about a unicorn startup that was conceived on a bar napkin and valued at $100 million two months later, rather than a business that’s been plugging away for the past few years, barely staying above water.

So, go into it knowing that you may potentially need a long time to get your business off the ground. If it happens quickly, that’s a bonus, but it’s better to have realistic expectations and not be disappointed.

2. Sitting back and assuming sales will roll in

It doesn’t matter how great your product or service is—if nobody knows it exists, your business will die. You have to market your business and put it directly in front of your target audience.

My online marketing company receives a lot of inquiries from startups that all have the same question: “What do we do if we don’t have a marketing budget?” 

Actually, there are plenty of things that you can do if you are willing to put in the work. A well-thought-out content marketing strategy and media outreach campaign can be executed with little to no marketing budget.

Simply assuming that your target audience will magically discover your brand is foolish—be prepared to grind hard in the beginning to generate momentum.

3. Failing to perform simple due diligence

Will your business name be infringing on an existing trademark?

Is there a domain name available that will make it easy for potential customers to find your business online?

Is your business name available on all the popular social profiles?

These are just a few examples of basic due diligence that can help you avoid problems down the road. A basic word mark search through the Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS) should be your first step. If it looks like your business name isn’t going to infringe on a mark, see if the domain name is available and then move on to social media profiles.

There are plenty of coupons floating around online that will allow you to register a domain for a dollar, and creating social media profiles won’t cost you a dime. Just be sure to secure your online footprint first.

4. Not going in with a long-term plan

Running a business “on the fly” without a well-thought-out plan is entrepreneurial suicide. On the fly can lead to mismanagement of funds and resources, which will ultimately sink your ship.

While you can’t predict (or prevent) all obstacles you will encounter, setting up some long-term planning will help you avoid inexcusable mistakes. For example, a long-term marketing budget will help ensure that you have funds to cover the marketing, while still leaving enough money to handle operations and payroll.

Source : http://for.tn/1O4yA1l

3 Reasons B2B Marketers Must Embrace Mobile… Now

Have you optimized your B2B website for mobile search? 

We’re all familiar with recent statistics that illustrate the growth of mobile device usage. 

Over the last few years, we’ve seen internet usage on mobile devices grow to exceed PC. In 2015, Google announced that mobile searches now exceed desktop searches on their search engine. And it’s estimated that nearly 75 percent of the US population now owns a smartphone.

Mobile is clearly a critical element of any successful marketing strategy. But what does increasing mobile usage mean specifically for B2B marketers? 

Why are so many B2B companies slow to adopt mobile marketing strategies, and how will this ultimately impact their business success?

Here are three critical reasons B2B marketers need to embrace mobile… now!

1. Mobile Impacts Fundamental Marketing Metrics

According to CWS, businesses that do not provide a solid mobile experience encounter the following:

• A drop in organic ranking.
• A loss in mobile site traffic.
• An increase in bounce rate.

I believe that many B2B marketers remain unaware that providing a less-than-optimal mobile experience is jeopardizing fundamental online marketing success metrics such as visibility and website traffic.

2. Mobile Is Required For Customer Engagement

In addition to ensuring brand visibility and driving traffic, mobile-friendly websites increase customer loyalty, sentiment and engagement. Here’s a sampling of facts from a Google study entitled What Users Want Most From Mobile Sites Today.

• 74 percent say they are likely to return to a company’s site in the future, if it is a mobile-friendly site.
• 48 percent feel frustrated and annoyed if a company doesn’t have a mobile-friendly site.
• 52 percent are less likely to engage with a company that has no mobile website.

These are fairly dramatic statistics. B2B marketers can’t afford to annoy prospects and certainly shouldn’t erect barriers to engagement.

A positive mobile experience is now absolutely required to successfully interact with prospects in order to drive engagement, leads and sales.

3. B2B Decision Makers Are Increasingly Using Mobile Devices

We know that business buyers rely on the internet during their research and selection process. But did you know that more and more of these decision-makers are using mobile devices? 

In fact, B2B mobile usage is intensifying throughout the entire buy cycle.

Google partnered with Millward Brown Digital to survey 3,000 B2B decision makers about their research and purchase habits. According to the study:

• 42 percent of researchers use a mobile device during their B2B purchasing process.
• Search activity for those using a smartphone has intensified. Google is reporting a 3X growth in mobile queries.
• B2B researchers are not just using mobile devices when they are out of the office; 49 percent of B2B researchers who use their mobile devices for research do so while at work.

It isn’t just consumer mobile usage that is growing. These days, B2B marketers, you must understand that your customers, your prospects and your buyers are using mobile devices more frequently than ever, at the office and outside of work hours, to make critical business decisions.

Get Started: Mobile-Friendly Website Tips

So how should you determine the effectiveness of your company’s current mobile experience?

 I recommend taking these two very simple “get started” steps:

1. Assess and improve your Mobile PageSpeed.
2. Understand and implement Mobile Design Best Practices.

Along with your PageSpeed Score, Google provides specific recommendations on what you should fix to improve the mobile experience. 

For example, in order to improve page load speed, you may need to enable compression, leverage browser caching, minify CSS, optimize images and avoid landing page redirects.

In terms of implementing mobile design best practices, you may need to improve things by using more legible font sizes, simplifying navigation, configuring the viewport and avoiding plugins.

These two resources provide a simple and effective starting point for improving the mobile experience.

Mobile, Your Competitive Advantage

Here is the bottom line for B2B marketers:

• The mobile experience is now directly impacting your fundamental online marketing success and affecting metrics such as visibility and traffic.
• Providing a favorable mobile experience is absolutely required to continually engage prospects and drive leads and sales.
• B2B decision-makers are using mobile devices across all phases of the buy cycle and throughout the day (including at work).

Take a look at your website analytics data. Even if mobile traffic isn’t a huge device segment today, it is growing and will continue to do so.

Get ahead of this curve. Start embracing our multi-screen world. Turn mobile marketing into your competitive advantage… today.

Source : http://selnd.com/1WS8mWs