Strategic Event AlignmentŠ
Chilean Miners: What We Learned
The world watched in panic as 33 Chilean Miners stood trapped 625 metres below the earth's surface. A feeling of hope was never lost, however the miners' chances for survival lay solely in the hands of the strategists behind the rescue plan. The resulting recipe for success consisted of equal parts: collaboration, innovation, dedication and transparency.
Although not a matter of life and death, meetings and events also have the potential to achieve great levels of success as long as the strategy behind the initiative involves the same vital ingredients. One of the strongest indicators of a successful strategy can be found in one ingredient: collaboration. Collaboration is imperative to the success of both organizational and rescue teams, as it enables the formation of cross-functional teams in order to overcome strategic barriers.
Read more...
Book Review
Power Friending by Amber Mac
Welcome to the new World Business Order where it's in our best interest to familiarize ourselves with (and actually use) terms such as "retweet" and "podcast." Let's face it - we live in an era where it is possible to have more "friends" than hairs on your head; social media is here to stay and the only place for us to go is forward.
If you are new to the world of social media we highly recommend picking up Power Friending by Amber Mac, a wonderful guide book that explains the ABC's of social media. Power Friending describes the benefits of creating and maintaining a social media presence. This book is a must-read if you are thinking about introducing a social media initiative into your business, especially if you plan on using social media to create brand awareness.
If you aren't familiar with Amber's work, essentially, Amber Mac is to Social Media what the i-Pod is to music. Her social media expertise has influenced prominent industry individuals such as Tony Robbins (world-renowned speaker and entrepreneur), Steve Chen (Cofounder of YouTube) and Kevin Rose (Founder of Digg).
In Power Friending, Amber explains the ins and outs of social media using practical, easy-to-understand language. The book touches upon all of today's key social media outlets, ranging from Twitter (our personal favourite!) to Blogs to Mobile Apps. Power Friending also highlights the (often overlooked) importance of establishing metrics to measure the success of these strategies. Amber explains why it is vital to analyze an organization's "Return on Engagement" in order to quantify results and justify the continued allotment of resources to a social media plan.
For all of you social media doubting Thomases out there, Power Friending adresses the common fears behind embracing social media. Amber also provides a plethora of real-life case studies, strategies and tips on how social media can be used to benefit both your personal and professional lives.
Power Friending gets the Corner Office must-read seal!
For more information on Power Friending by Amber Mac please click here
Community Thoughts
Forbes Insights: The Accountability Evolution
The Great Recession of 2007 is changing our business world in a multitude of ways. In response to the volatile economic climate that followed, many organizations lowered their departmental funding and increased accountability from their employees. In particular, Marketing departments have found themselves under increased pressure to justify their project investments and prove their achievements in order to maintain their funding and their status in the organization.
In today's business world, a marketer's focus can no longer be limited to the sole execution of a marketing campaign. Marketers must now split their time and attention evenly between the "big idea" and the tools which measure the effectiveness of their marketing programmes. Accountability is also playing a large role, as Chief Marketing Officers must prove their department's strategic effectiveness to their CEO on a day to day basis. Hmm...this sounds very familiar!
As marketers continue to grapple with the task of proving their worth, their measures of effectiveness continue to remain under question. Are metrics producing results which adequately reflect the organization's ROI and accountability? Can effectiveness really be measured "properly" considering it is a qualitative objective? Is the practice of benchmarking results against those of past campaigns an appropriate measurement technique?
Although there are many measurement methods available, studies have shown that many marketers have still not implemented formal measurement programmes. Instead, ad hoc approaches continue to be used; approaches which may or may not adequately reflect the value of the marketing programme.
To read the the Forbes Insights article please click here
