What’s your Value Proposition? 7 important points for your your ‘About Me’ or ‘About Us’ statement

 This applies to you – as a person. And, you, as a brand.

Answer the following questions truthfully, unwaveringly, and honestly. And keep at it. This isn’t a one time manifesto that just gets filed. And constantly refresh this on your LinkedIn page, your profile, your About Us page and everywhere else.

Who are you?
What is your product?
How is ‘It’ special?
How is it different from others’ similar offerings?
How can I demonstrate its ‘trustworthiness’?
How can I demonstrate that I am ‘with-it’, contemporary, ‘on-trend’?
How do I demonstrate ‘cool’?

The more you work on it, the better it will get. This is your Value Proposition.

Inspired by Tom Peters.

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How to Get Things Done

 This I learnt from David Allen.

David Allen developed the powerful GTD (Getting Things Done) program. GETTING THINGS DONE® is a personal productivity methodology that redefines how you approach your life and work. The fundamental is to follow five clear steps that apply order to chaos.

STEP 1
CAPTURE
Collect what has your attention
Write, record, or gather any and everything that has your attention into a collection tool.

STEP 2
CLARIFY
Process what it means
Is it actionable? If so, decide the next action and project (if more than one action is required). If not, decide if it is trash, reference, or something to put on hold.

STEP 3
ORGANIZE
Put it where it belongs
Park reminders of your categorized content in appropriate places.

STEP 4
REFLECT
Review frequently
Update and review all pertinent system contents to regain control and focus.

STEP 5
ENGAGE
Simply do
Use your trusted system to make action decisions with confidence and clarity.

You can find out more here.

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Focus and Reading

 I found these thoughts interesting…

• Focus is the art of knowing what to ignore.

• Reading is like a software update for your brain. 

Whenever you learn a new concept or idea, the “software” improves. You download new features and fix old bugs.

In this way, reading a good book can give you a new way to view your life experiences. Your past is fixed, but your interpretation of it can change depending on the software you use to analyze it.

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7 Winning Content Ideas for your social media posts

 3m to read / 

It’s not easy to come up fresh ideas for your social media posts every day. Here are seven easy to follow tips on types of winning content you can create easily.

1. Questions and Answers

Questions and Answers make up great stories. One easy way to create interesting posts is to pose interesting questions. Remember, your audience loves sharing experiences and opinions on social media – so provide a platform for their expression. Having a relevant and interesting image to go along with your question will get immediate attention, and more people will engage. You can ask your audience which of your products, for example, they really like.

But don’t always post questions just about your brand. They should involve the audience’s genuine interest and passion. You can also get a lot of interest by asking them to predict something. For some questions, you can provide two options as answers, rather than leaving them open ended.
Another way is to provide answers – again with relevant and useful visuals. These resolve the audience’s problems, or answer queries. Many brands use this content bucket to respond to Frequently Asked Questions about their products. ‘Answer’ posts can be useful ‘how-do’ demos, instructional videos, simple solutions explained visually and more.

2. Fill in the Blanks and Poll Posts

Asking your audience to fill in the blanks actually engages them and gives them a sense of direction on how to express themselves. “My favorite player in Superbowl LI was ___________”. Or get a sense of which social platform they are most engaged on “The social media platform I use most every day is __________”. You get the drift.

3. Create a theme for days of the week

If you create bucket themes for days of the week, you can come up with content for those days easily. As well, people will know what to expect – it gives them a feel of consistency about your posts. Movie Mondays, Tuesday Tip of the Day, Wednesday Windows, Thursday Thanks, Friday Fun, Saturday Showtime etc. Often you can actually find day themes that are common hashtags, and you can get more mileage by using those hashtags.

4. Special Holidays, Unusual and Funny Name Days

There are names for almost every day of the year – and a lot of them have hashtags attached to them. You can create pretty cool content by building your posts around these day themes. You can ask them questions around the days theme – and perhaps have a quirky call to action. Be sure to use appropriately relevant visuals to make these posts interesting. Check out this site to get a list of days in the year you can build your posts on. Remember, it can be days, or weeks, or even occasions that you create.

5. Jump on the Local Events Bandwagon

There’s usually a lot of interest on events around town – a concert, a special occasion, a gala or a big sporting event. You can use the buzz around these events to generate interesting content. Use hashtags when possible. Actually, these can be global events as well where a hashtag will get you a whole lot more interest than a normal post. You can plug the local event, provide tips, may be even a couple of free tickets…

6. Feature your customers

This works like magic. People want to be heard and seen on social media. You can feature customer testimonials, demos, unboxings or even a simple ‘how-to’ tip that they provided. Use their photos or videos – this adds visual value and authenticates the post as well.

7. Share resources

You really need to come across as their friend, as someone who provides useful content. Don’t hesitate to provide information, tips and resources from third parties that will be of relevance to your audience.
These are simple tips to follow. And they make for interesting content buckets that go beyond the usual types you do on a regular basis. Create useful, interesting content and you’ll engage your audience better.
Please share this post with your friends, and please comment on this if you want to add something…

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Winning Content Ideas for Social Media

3m to read / 

It's not easy to come up fresh ideas for your social media posts every day. Here are seven easy to follow tips on types of winning content you can create easily.

1. Questions and Answers

Questions and Answers make up great stories. One easy way to create interesting posts is to pose interesting questions. Remember, your audience loves sharing experiences and opinions on social media – so provide a platform for their expression. Having a relevant and interesting image to go along with your question will get immediate attention, and more people will engage. You can ask your audience which of your products, for example, they really like.

But don't always post questions just about your brand. They should involve the audience's genuine interest and passion. You can also get a lot of interest by asking them to predict something. For some questions, you can provide two options as answers, rather than leaving them open ended.

Another way is to provide answers – again with relevant and useful visuals. These resolve the audience's problems, or answer queries. Many brands use this content bucket to respond to Frequently Asked Questions about their products. 'Answer' posts can be useful 'how-do' demos, instructional videos, simple solutions explained visually and more.

2. Fill in the Blanks and Poll Posts

Asking your audience to fill in the blanks actually engages them and gives them a sense of direction on how to express themselves. "My favorite player in Superbowl LI was ___________". Or get a sense of which social platform they are most engaged on "The social media platform I use most every day is __________". You get the drift.

3. Create a theme for days of the week

If you create bucket themes for days of the week, you can come up with content for those days easily. As well, people will know what to expect – it gives them a feel of consistency about your posts. Movie Mondays, Tuesday Tip of the Day, Wednesday Windows, Thursday Thanks, Friday Fun, Saturday Showtime etc. Often you can actually find day themes that are common hashtags, and you can get more mileage by using those hashtags.

4. Special Holidays, Unusual and Funny Name Days

There are names for almost every day of the year – and a lot of them have hashtags attached to them. You can create pretty cool content by building your posts around these day themes. You can ask them questions around the days theme – and perhaps have a quirky call to action. Be sure to use appropriately relevant visuals to make these posts interesting. Check out this site to get a list of days in the year you can build your posts on. Remember, it can be days, or weeks, or even occasions that you create.

5. Jump on the Local Events Bandwagon

There's usually a lot of interest on events around town – a concert, a special occasion, a gala or a big sporting event. You can use the buzz around these events to generate interesting content. Use hashtags when possible. Actually, these can be global events as well where a hashtag will get you a whole lot more interest than a normal post. You can plug the local event, provide tips, may be even a couple of free tickets...

6. Feature your customers

This works like magic. People want to be heard and seen on social media. You can feature customer testimonials, demos, unboxings or even a simple 'how-to' tip that they provided. Use their photos or videos – this adds visual value and authenticates the post as well.

7. Share resources

You really need to come across as their friend, as someone who provides useful content. Don't hesitate to provide information, tips and resources from third parties that will be of relevance to your audience.

These are simple tips to follow. And they make for interesting content buckets that go beyond the usual types you do on a regular basis. Create useful, interesting content and you'll engage your audience better. And that's That's Digital Marketing Strategies 101.

Please share this post with your friends, and please comment on this if you want to add something...

Now read more on social media and content:

• 6 Critical Steps to a Winning Social Media Strategy

• Winning Content Strategy: Always share something valuable and useful

• Content Marketing Strategy: What kind of content should you create?

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What kind of jobs and roles are there in Digital Marketing in 2018

4m to read / 

The number of job titles and descriptions at agencies that deliver digital marketing solutions is an ever increasing list. What are the roles involved and where do they fit in in the digital product cycle? Ever day in this connected age of marketing, we see new points of engagement come to the foreground, and naturally new positions are created, or current roles are customized to address the new areas of focus. 

Here's a starting-point list of the most common job titles and roles at advertising, media, social media and specialized digital services agencies, and at brands these days. While the highly specialized roles usually are at agencies, a lot of brands are bringing some of the key roles in-house.

Brand

Channel Neutral Planners, Brand Managers, Strategic Planners (non digital specific)

Integration Director/Manager, Integrated Content Manager/Coordinator, Brand Planners

Digital Strategy

Digital Strategists – define the role of the brand in digital specific channels

Audience and Insight: Insight: Insight specialist, data analysts, Analytics Managers, Data Visualizer,

Content Strategy Managers/Directors, Engagement Strategy Managers, Campaign & Eco-system Planners, Social Voice Strategy Managers, Behavior Analysts, Trends Analyst,

Performance Marketing Director/Manager/Specialist, Usability Engineer/Strategist

CRO Specialist (Conversion Rate Optimization), CRO Director, CRO Analyst, CRO Data Specialist

Data Planner, Affiliate Marketing Manager/Specialist, 

Digital Creative

Creative Technologist

Digital Creative Director, Digital Art Director, Digital Production Artist, Graphic Designer,
Digital Identity Development Art Director, 

Video Director, Videographer, Video Editor, Video Producer

Digital Content Director, Content Creation Manager, Copywriter, Content Editor,
AR and VR Creative, AR and VR Producers
Mobile Experience Specialist
AI (Artificial Intelligence) Specialist

SEO-relevant writer, SEO specialist

UI/UX Designers, UI/UX analyst

Digital Programmatic Creative Specialist/Manager/Director

Pre flight manager, Traffic Manager, 

Project Manager

Social Media

Social Media Director, Social Media Manager, Social Media Account Handler/Associate

Social Media Strategists (Director/Manager), Social Media Planners, Social Calendar Developer,

Community Manager

Social Media Data Analyst, Social Media Monitoring Manager/Director, 

Social Media Distribution Manager, Social Content Publisher

Social Specific Content Manager, Social Content Art Director, 

Paid Social Manager, Paid Social Planner

Customer Experience

Web & Mobile Experience Architect, Website Designer, Website Developer, Mobile Apps Strategist, Mobile App Designer, Customer Engagement Analyst, UI/UX specialist,  CMS specialist, 

Programmers, Specialist Programmers, Mobile Code specialists, Applications Designers, Loyalty Specialist Designers, CRM designers, Website Pre-flight Analyst, QA and QC Manager, 

Experience Strategy Director, Digital Activation Manager/Director, 

e-Commerce Director, e-Commerce Strategy Director, e-Commerce Designer, e-Commerce Creative Director/Art Director, e-Commerce Content Analyst, e-Commerce Code specialist, e-Commerce Product Analyst, e-Commerce Content Coordinator

eMail Marketing Specialist/Manager/ Creative Director, eMail Marketing Analyst

Innovation

Innovation Leads, Digital Product & Service Development Manager/Director, Innovation Lab Director, Innovation strategy Director, IOT Specialist, IOT interface designer, Wearables Strategist, Wearables interface designer

Media

Digital Media Director, Digital Media Strategy Director/Manager, Digital Media Engagement Director, Digital Media Data Analyst, 

Digital Media Associates, Media Planners, 

Digital Media Buying Manager/Director, Digital Media Buyer, 

Digital Media Dashboard Manager, Programmatic Director/Manager, Digital Media Content Analyst, Digital Media Pre Flight Manager/Associate, Digital Media Distribution Manager, 

Media Creative Director, Media Art Director, Media Engagement Manager/Director

Media Content Manager, Media Content Writer

RTB Director/Manager, RTB Specialist (Real Time Bidding)

Paid Social Planner, Paid Social Buyer

Search

SEO Analyst, SEO Specialist, SEO Consultant, SEO writer, SEO Coordinator, SEO tag specialist, SEO specialized Web Designer/Developer

SEM planner, SEM strategy director, SEM Buying specialist/Manager/Director, PPC Director, PPC Analyst, Keywords Analyst, Trends Analyst,  Growth Specialist, SEO Editor, Bidding Director, 

Demand Generation specialist, 

Account Management/ Client Interface / Agency Management

CEO – Digital, Digital Managing Director, Digital Group Director, Digital Account Manager, 

Client Services Director/Manager/Associate, Digital Services General Manager

Social Media Director/Manager/Associate, CRM Manager, Experience Director, 

I haven't even mentioned niche job titles like "Snapchat Content Strategist" or "Digital Culture Analyst" – those jobs are either super niche and fall into the "invented here" bracket, or are just ways of luring brands through the front door.

If you're a brand looking for an agency and have really specific needs, you need to figure out if they are equipped to handle what you want, or are they just going to get someone within their staff to just try and "talk the walk". The roles above cover a wide spectrum – some are highly specialized roles needing unique skill sets – the others simply evolve from current roles and job descriptions. Either way, that's how agencies and brands today are defining and rising to the needs of digital marketing. And just knowing about these roles is basic knowledge – its Digital Marketing Strategies 101. 

Please add your comment if I have missed a role or job title that you feel should be included in this list.

Here are some current openings across the region at the group of agencies where I work. A lot of these job openings are for digital roles.

Read this: How to get a job in Digital at an Agency

Here are some posts that address digital marketing needs and how they are best addressed by key people in the roles above:

Insights & Data/Analytics

• Intent is the new black in digital marketing. In-the-moment marketing is what's hot.

• Customer Insights is your First Step in Digital Marketing

• What do women want from brands online today

• Data made simple: What is first, second and third party data?

Customer Experience & Social

• 5 Simple Ways to get your Mobile Marketing Done Right

• The importance of listening in social media, and how to get it right

• 4 ways to build a cool Snapchat audience for brands

• 3 ways to improve your brand's online advertising

• Improve your social media engagement. Move from Selling to building Relationships

• 11 simple ways for brands to build better following on social media

and one transformative development that's redefining roles at agencies:

• Why media agencies are now doing creative: Programmatic and Data Driven Creative is a powerful combination

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3 Kinds of Content that help you plan your content marketing strategy

2m to read / 

Content marketing is still quite the favorite marketing tool for most brands – so here are three types of content that you should be planning for. These content buckets really cover the kinds of content that you need to create and publish regularly to stay on top of the content game.

1/ Bursts or Topical content

Topical content is planned and created in a timely manner and built around events. It is usually short form content, and it has a short shelf life. It is very much the here and now content that attracts immediate attention. These 'bursts' generate quick traffic – and often lead to your longer form 'stock' or 'evergreen' content.

Topical content consist of every day posts, tweets, quick reminders, news caps, pointers to happenings around your brand or just something that your target audience is interested in. Tweets that lead to an article on your blog or web page are typical 'burst' content. The actual article is the 'evergreen' content.

2/ Evergreen or Stock content

Your brand's stock content – which is meant to have longer shelf life (thus 'Evergreen') is what your brand or product or your proposition is really all about. This kind of content provides real value to the consumer or customer. This is usually what your audience is after when they go and search for a solution. These can be how to articles, best practices, examples of product use, learnings, fixes, hacks etc.

Stock or evergreen content is meant to stay and be of continuing value. It doesn't have a sell by date – there's no real expiry. These always should provide some value which your audience is looking for and will appreciate. This is what makes your overall content sticky.

3/ Curated or aggregated content

This is a bucket for content that provides value to your audience – but you don't create. You aggregate and collect useful content, and curate and publish. Here your brand plays an useful role as a resource. When you regularly create good, useful curated content, your brand is recognized as a 'go-to' destination for information, references, learnings and knowledge. Curating isn't easy, it requires time spent on knowing what your audience is looking for, and then providing a collection of content that will resolve their needs.

Overall, you'll need to figure over time, what your typical target audience is really after, so knowing that ahead of time, as you plan your content calendar is very useful. Yes, you need to be flexible. You should not have a mathematical formula for the three content types, but instead go with a plan to deliver content that is balanced, useful and valuable.

Please share this with your friends and colleagues, and please comment below if you have something to add.

Now read these related posts:

• Content Marketing Strategy: What kind of content should you create?

• 6 Simple Steps to Win with Content Marketing

• Winning Content Strategy: Always share something valuable and useful

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