John Ploetz Bloggin

John Ploetz

1 Jan, 2014

John Ploetz Bloggin

Everyone looks in their crystal ball to try to figure out where things are headed when a new year starts.  I’ve pulled my crystal ball out of the closet and put together my thoughts for where marketing is headed in 2014.  Feel free to add your own thoughts.

  1. Big Data will begin to play a bigger role in how companies decide where they will focus their marketing.  Look at top trends for 2014 – http://www.informationweek.com/strategic-cio/executive-insights-and-innovation/big-data-in-2014-top-technologies-trends/d/d-id/1113092
  2. Look for new marketing platforms to become popular and others to drop off.  Have Facebook and Twitter peaked?  (Current top social media sites – http://social-networking-websites-review.toptenreviews.com/ )   Look for platforms that are simple, easy to use, and have robust functionality with smart phones and ipads like Pinterest, SnapChat and Instagram to continue to gain in popularity.  What other new sites will gain in popularity?  Look at http://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2013/09/24/the-top-7-social-media-marketing-trends-that-will-dominate-2014/2/  for some additional thoughts.
  3. Continued transition from use of social media sites to drive awareness of brand and product to use of sites to actually drive sales.  Companies will look for ways to convert sales and justify dollars spent on social media. http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2320367/5-Social-Media-Advertising-Trends-to-Watch-for-in-2014
  4. Continued move to find more robust analytics to track data so that companies know how to use their marketing dollars more wisely.  How about 5 analytics resolutions – http://www.informationweek.com/big-data/big-data-analytics/5-analytics-resolutions-for-2014/d/d-id/1113283 .
  5. Bigger may no longer be better.  It depends on what you’re selling.   Look for companies to use “surgical” advertising through target specific niche social media sites rather than mass random advertising through Facebook size sites.  Niche sites may change the landscape of how companies think about advertising –  http://blog.sgrouples.com/new-social-networking-sites/
  6. The website isn’t dead.  Look for companies to continue to refine how users access their websites so that they are as user friendly as possible making sure they meet the needs of various age groups who purchase their products all why keeping SEO in mind.  Things to think about for 2014 –  http://www.modernmarketingpartners.com/blog/8-marketing-faux-pas-to-avoid-in-2014#.UsNplbSFf1B
  7. Companies will need to think of their marketing plans as cohesive long term plans.  Each social media, web, or traditional marketing piece will need to be tied into the overall branding and long term goals of the company.  A consistent message and branding becomes more important as companies with similar types of products must find new ways to rise above the “noise” of their competition and differentiate themselves from their competitors.

2014 should be a challenge for marketers everywhere.  The focus will be on accountability for return on marketing dollars invested, harnessing ways to use big data, maintaining cohesive branding using diverse social media platforms, and maximizing return with limited resources.  It will be the year where innovation meets consistency.

John Ploetz

27 Dec, 2013

John Ploetz Bloggin

The New Year arrives and suddenly everything is supposed to be different. All the old problems, whether they are solved or not, and all those character shortcomings have been left behind with the start of the New Year.   The holidays were perfect, harried get togethers with distant relatives and last minute gift shopping excluded.  You’re starting with a clean slate.  And this year you’ve made those 10 perfect resolutions so the year is guaranteed to run smoothly.  Before we get to more realistic resolutions for the New Year:

  1. First, throw out those resolutions you’ve jotted down.  Have you ever followed through with any of them for any year you can remember?  Can you even find your old resolutions?
  2. Stop kidding yourself about starting up your exercise routine five days a week because you’ve started up a membership at the local fitness club and want to lose a few holiday pounds.  Fitness clubs make a large part of annual revenues in January due to the after holiday rush, come February it’s back to the same old crowd at the fitness club.
  3. Don’t make sweeping resolutions that tend to make your life more stressful and open yourself up to instances when they can’t be met. You don’t need resolutions like I will not be late to any more meetings, I won’t procrastinate, and I will change my car oil every 5000 miles.

Instead make a shorter more general, more adaptable resolution list:

  1. Stay positive. You decide how you approach what happens to you on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.
  2. Look at what areas you are already happy with in your life and see if you can build on those.  Are there hobbies that you enjoy doing, but haven’t found the time to do?  Make time to do your yoga, cycling, cooking, or writing.
  3. Don’t try to make drastic changes overnight, start with small ones.
  4. Set up to make one change a month for each month during the entire year.
  5. Ask yourself – What do you really need to change?  Change isn’t always necessary; consistency in how you live your life can be a better approach.
  6. Don’t take on the hardest change first.  Baby steps sometimes lead to big changes over time.
  7. Rather than saying, “I can’t wait for this year to end”, say “I’m too busy living in this year for it to end”.

See, now instead of a list of rigid resolutions, you have an outline to reuse every year.  Remember,   years aren’t measured by the number of days but by how you choose to fill each one of those days.  Enjoy your new year.

John Ploetz

18 Dec, 2013

John Ploetz Bloggin

Discussing difficult personal topics is all about understanding boundaries and addressing those topics in a way that doesn’t offend the other person.  Keep in mind that personal topics can easily spill into business relationships, so tread lightly as not to ruin an ongoing business relationship.  Following are some points to keep in mind:

  1. Do you really want to go there?  Make sure it is a topic that really needs to be discussed.  Some topics might be important to you, but won’t produce a positive outcome.  For example, if your friend always shows up late for meetings, it might be appropriate to start a discussion to clear the air.  However, if you don’t like the wardrobe choices your friend makes, as long as the clothes are clean and situation appropriate, you probably don’t want to address the topic.
  2. Set the right tone before starting the discussion.  This is true with any discussion.  Open up the discussion positively.  Start with a cordial introduction and show personal interest in the other person by asking them about what they have been up to.  Never start off with the difficult topic first.  Choose a relaxed atmosphere and place.
  3. Choose words wisely.  Don’t use words with double meanings or complex words.  Use words that are exact and to the point.  Instead of using phrases like “you’re overbearing” or “you’re obtuse” use phrases like “you have a forceful personality” and “In some situations you’re slow to perceive . . .”.
  4. Keep any personal judgments out of the discussion.  Present the topic using factual not emotional perceptions.  Use just enough forcefulness to get your point across, but don’t be overly pushy.  It’s up to them to take your advice not you to force it on them.
  5. Use positive reinforcement.  If you can, present the topic in a positive light.  For example stating “When you’re in a group, it’s great to ask questions, it shows you are interested in what others have to say.”, creates a more positive spin, than saying “You should really stop talking about yourself all the time, it gets old really fast.”
  6. Be prepared to listen and take counter comments.  Most people don’t like receiving personal criticism.  Be prepared for the unexpected.  You can’t always anticipate how people will respond.  They may challenge your assessment or they may counter with a personal comment about you.  Whatever the response is, stay calm, keep eye contact, make it clear that you are trying to give them helpful insight, and be prepared to disengage from the topic of discussion if necessary.

Remember make sure to set your boundaries, keep your topic discussion positively focused and be prepared to listen.  Your goal is to keep that friend for life not to distance them from you.  Handled correctly, the discussion can leave you both with a stronger bond.

Have a great Holiday season!   See you in the New Year.

Next up – Goals for 2014