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Abstract
#Prince2, Prince 2, Agile, Project Management, Scrum, Outward Bound
Training, Team Building - Atom Prince2, Prince 2, Agile, Project
Management, Scrum, Outward Bound Training, Team Building - RSS
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Prince2, Prince 2, Agile, Project Management, Scrum, Outward Bound
Training, Team Building-
10 February 2011
Prince2 and Scrum (Agile). Can they co-exist?
There are many papers on the internet which detail how the agile
methodology of Scrum could be integrated into Prince2 but from what I
have found many of these sites do not go into deeper detail on how this
is to be achieved. Many of them suggest that Scrum should only be
addressed in the `Managing Product Delivery' process of Prince2 however
whilst this is possible the author does not believe this is sufficient
in its entirety.
Before diving into detail on how this is to be accomplished (and more
so tailoring Prince 2 to Scrum) we must ask ourselves why we would want
to integrate Scrum and Prince2.
With the dawn of 2011 most job boards in the UK and Australia seem to
be flooded with job descriptions for `agile project managers' where
project managers are sought with formal project management skills (such
as those in Prince2 and via the PMP / PMBOK) as well as those with
formal training in Scrum (the leading agile methodology today,
preferably being Certified Scrum Masters). This is somewhat peculiar
given the Scrum framework removes the role of the project manager from
its project environment. From the conversations I have had with such
organisations that seek `agile project managers' as well as recruitment
agencies seeking to fill these roles, what I deduce is that most
organisations are not entirely comfortable removing the role of the
project manager from their organisation. This may be due to either
resistance to change or perhaps there are other reasons, such as
Prince2 being considered the tried, tested and prevailing norm within
government bodies in the UK, Australia and certain parts of Europe.
Prince2 does have its major successes and companies are not keen to
waiver from this. Without focusing on the justification of the role of
a project manager within an organisation what must be remembered is
that Prince2 is not a project management function alone. Prince2 is a
framework for the entire organisation. Prince2 is an organisation
structure that has the capacity to deliver projects successfully. It
provides management frameworks and roles / responsibilities for project
executives, programme management, users, suppliers, project managers,
team leaders, etc.
Prince2 states that a project must be tailored to fit its environment.
Within this `tailoring' it is possible to use Scrum to deliver
projects. Why would you want to integrate Prince2 and Scrum? Prince2
provides structure, roles, responsibilities, a framework and the
necessary documentation that is required on many high-end projects such
as government or funded NGO projects. Scrum provides a delivery
mechanism built by the `builders' that focuses on the best possible
`building' technique that places customer orientation as key and
embraces change. Both frameworks embrace change, customer orientation
and delivering in stages or iterations.
This paper (please contact Johann@MasterBusinessChronicles for the
full paper) presents a framework for Prince2 and Scrum to exist and
succeed in the same environment. It answers the questions -
o Is it theoretically possible to implement Scrum within a Prince2
environment?
o How do we implement Scrum within a Prince2 environment?
o Does a project environment remain Prince2 when you implement
Scrum?
Posted by Johann at 1:18 PM 0 comments Links to this post
- -
Labels: Agile, Prince 2, Prince2, Project Management, Project Manager,
Scrum, Scrum Master, Software Development
08 February 2010
Back at Work after Outdoor Training: What Now? The eBook.
The Complete Guide to the `Transfer of Learning' back to the
Organization after Experiential Learning, Outward Bound Training (OBT)
and Team Building / Leadership Courses.
Have you just got back from your outdoor training event and realized
that it had the same effect on your staff as a night out at the pub? It
has made everyone friendlier but none of the promised learning e.g.
communication, team cohesion, team building, project management,
leadership, etc. have been harnessed or implemented back at the
company! Are you convinced that team building or experiential learning
courses serve no purpose and do not really work? Then this ebook is for
you. Based on research from all parts of the globe and intense focus
groups, this ebook presents a clear strategy to maximize the learning
from experiential learning, outward bound training and team building /
leadership courses.
Outdoor training is a piece of management consultancy. It brings about
a change within your organization towards its betterment. This ebook
adds value to all the money you have already invested in or are about
to invest in team building courses. This ebook introduces you to a
management model called the `OBT TOL Framework (Outward Bound Training,
Transfer of Learning Framework)' which details 3 significant phases to
team building courses.
Phase 1: Organization Analysis (focusing on what needs to be done prior
to the OBT course),
Phase 2: The OBT program (focusing on which guidelines need to be
adhered to during the course),
Phase 3: Cycles of review, reflecting and learning (focusing on the
post OBT course learning).
Where all 3 phases come together and intersect is the point at which
learning is actually transferred from outward bound courses back to
your company. This ebook gives an example of this framework in action
together with clear guidelines on how to ensure the investments to be
made or already made in team building courses have an increased
capacity to bring forth a greater return via results within the
company.
-
Book Preface -
Over the past few years I have been on many outward bound training
courses. These courses are described by many terms such as team
building, experiential learning, outward bound management development
(OMD), outward bound leadership training, etc. Having been taken white
water rafting, raft building, kayaking, abseiling, aerial roping,
jungle trekking, etc. one sometimes begins to wonder what these courses
are all about. Most outdoor enthusiasts love these forms of adventures.
Most trainers of these courses are outdoor people who have spent a lot
of time developing their outdoor skills. For those who typically prefer
the city and indoors, the outdoors can be both a daunting and an
unnecessary exercise. Over the past few years outward bound training
has been received with both delight and criticism. Most employees tend
to return back to the work place having either loved or hated the
experience, and also rather bewildered as to how the training was meant
to affect their daily work life. Rather than questioning the training
most employees and employers either assume there was learning that took
place or mistakenly believe the new euphoria within the work place
(which is temporary) was part of the training although the same
euphoria could have been mustered via a simple company day trip. Does
the transfer of learning back to the organization take place in outward
bound training? Many agree and many disagree.
With careful study using qualitative research from across the globe and
intense focus groups, I managed to determine if the transfer of
learning from the outdoors to the organization does or does not take
place. With this intense study I managed to put together a detailed
strategy on how one could ensure the transfer of learning back to the
work organization does take place. I presented my findings using a
simple storyline as detailed in this ebook. This ebook details the
lives of some individuals in a typical work organization. This
organization is under a lot of stress. Work schedules are tight,
competition fierce and the work load is almost drowning individuals.
Training and developing the human resources of an organization to
handle such stresses is critical for the success of the organization
and for the well being of the employees. Using outward bound training
to train individuals in leadership, team cohesion, motivation,
communication and project management is of great value. If the training
is a realistic live simulation of the work environment it could be of
great value to both employee and employer. During recessions and
difficult times, training employees is more important than ever as it
addresses the company's continued commitment to its employees and it
motivates employees and prepares them for the roads ahead.
The key question to ask oneself is - is this training an adventure
course for the staff or corporate training for the employee? If it is
corporate training for the employee then the trainers themselves need
to be familiar with the dynamics of business administration. This book
is a management piece. It is geared towards the corporate employer or
employee. It details what the management of an organization are
required to do prior to an OBT course. It details what needs to be done
during and more importantly what needs to be done after. Using simple
characters, the focus of this book is not a story line or character
building but rather it is a management guide. The characters (whilst
not resembling anyone) are purely for the purpose of allowing the
reader to identify with character traits regarding OBT. The significant
portion of this book is the management study and implementation that it
recommends.
What is your investment?
The ebook costs USD 25. This is value for money. A typical outward
bound training / experiential learning course often costs thousands of
dollars. What this book offers you is a unique and researched
methodology to ensure that the investment you have made in employees
has a greater chance of a return. The training you undertake in the
future or already have undertaken in the past will not be in vein. This
is not simply the icing on the cake but the core missing ingredient to
a cake.
Simply click on the image below to proceed to a safe payment gateway
operated by renowned digital product retailer ClickBank.
-
Click on the Image to Proceed to a Secure Payment Gateway
This ebook will be emailed out to you within 48 hours of purchase (work
days). The ebook is in PDF (Adobe Acrobat ) format.
For further information please write to
Johann@MasterBusinessChronicles
Posted by Johann at 12:57 PM 0 comments Links to this post
- -
Labels: eBook, Experiential Learning, Outward Bound Training, Team
Building, Team Training, Transfer of Learning
30 January 2010
The Need to Train Your Staff
The long work hours, the stressful work environment and the heavy work
load require that the teams within the organization function as
effectively as deemed possible. Employees should be equipped with team
skills that would enable them to complete projects efficiently,
effectively and on time. Team skills such as quick decision making,
thinking outside the box, communication, leadership and working under
pressure are paramount for the success of a company. There is a need
within any company for the staff to be trained in these skills. OBT
facilitators promise to deliver these skills by taking employees to a
location where they would be taught these skills.
Posted by Johann at 12:50 AM 0 comments Links to this post
- -
Labels: Outward Bound Training, Team Building, Team Training, UK
05 December 2009
Prince 2
I made a migratory move to Melbourne Australia and whilst being over
here decided to embark upon attaining a formal project management
qualification. Having attended courses on the PMI institutes PMBOK i.e.
project management body of knowledge, i was keen on exploring a more
process oriented project management methodology. Prince 2 (Projects in
controlled environments) is the UK's standard project management
methodology and a must for any project manager in the UK. It is
practiced in 65 countries worldwide and is also common in Australia
particularly around government projects. Prince 2 qualifications
involve a Foundation Certificate and a Practitioner certificate.
I had enrolled for training and certification this Monday - Wednesday
for the Foundation and the next February for the Practitioner. The
foundation is a 3 day course and the practitioner a 2 day, with each
followed by mcq examinations. The reason for the gap in learning being
that I wanted to read the Prince 2 manuals and familiarize myself with
the theory and put it into practice before attempting the
practitioner.My training insitute is Project Laneway's based in
Melbourne.
I wanted to document my Prince 2 learning hence the use of this blog.
Its Saturday and im browsing through the precourse reading material and
this is what i seem to gather about Prince 2.
Prince 2 is a process based approach to project management. It has a
sequence of processes which need to be followed to adhere to its
standards. It also has principles and themes which make Prince 2 what
it is. So there are 3 parts to Prince 2 's theory -a project
environment, principles, themes and processes.
Prince 2 also produces many management products which are documents
such as a project initiation document, project plan, risk register,
configuration management strategy, etc. Each document has a recommeded
format and is produced within a set Prince 2 process.
Prince 2 Principles - i.e. these are the principles which make a Prince
2 project -
1) Continued business justification
2) Based on learning from the past
3) There are clear roles and responsibilities
4) Managed by stages
5) Managed by exception
6) Focus on products
7) Suiting the Project Environment
Prince 2 is made up of 7 themes (and their management products) -
1) Business case - Business case doc and Benefits review plan,
2) Organization structure - Project Management structure and
communications management strategy,
3) Quality - Product description, Quality Management strategy & Quality
Register
4) Plans - Project plan, Team plan, Stage plan and Exception plan
5) Risk - Risk Management strategy and Risk register
6) Change - Issue Report, Issue register, configuration management
strategy
7) Progress - Highlight report, checkpoint report, Exception report
Prince 2 processes -
1) Start up of a project
2) Initiating a project
3) Controlling a stage
4) Managing product delivery
5) Managing stage boundaries
6) Closing a project
7) Directing a project
Posted by Johann at 6:38 AM 0 comments Links to this post
- -
Labels: Prince 2, Project Management, Project Manager
10 November 2009
Using Internet / Online Marketing & Social Media as a powerful tool to
leverage Key Account Management and Relationship Marketing
Using Internet / Online Marketing & Social Media as a powerful tool to
leverage Key Account Management and Relationship Marketing
In the previous article (Key Account Management: It's all about
Relationship Marketing) we discussed the significance of building a
relationship with the customer by identifying mutual benefits to both
the customer and the company and working on this relationship to drive
forth sales and profits for the company. Marketing as a subject on its
own is changing dramatically. With the onset of internet / online
marketing, ecommerce, inbound marketing the dynamics of marketing have
changed rapidly. Any company that does not tap into the large consumer
base on the internet will severely find themselves weighed, measured
and found wanting. The internet has dramatically and rapidly in an
almost blitzkrieg type manner changed the entire world of marketing.
Marketers today need to be familiar with terms such as SEO, business
blogs, PPC and Social Media. These new mediums have also dramatically
effected the world of Key Account Management ad Relationship Marketing.
Going back to the concept of key account management and relationship
marketing, I was at a hospital the other day and seated waiting to see
my General Practitioner (GP). I had a few nights back hurt my ankle
while doing some exercises at home. On the onset of the injury I went
straight to a hospital that offered 24 x 7 treatment and seemed to wake
up a doctor who had a very quick look at my ankle and once realizing it
was not serious quickly prescribed me a few pills and sent me off. The
total consultation that took three and a half minutes. I would never
see this doctor again and do not even remember her name. The pain did
not go away over the next day so I went and saw another doctor whom I
had been to a couple of times before amongst many doctors I tend to
visit. There was no result in the pain. I went and saw a doctor our
family used to visit regularly. We used to have to queue up for long
hours to see this doctor hence my hesitation to visit him initially. We
knew the doctor by name but the consultation was a professional affair
with little chatter, a quick symptom check, a mild smile and a
prescription. This had always been the same scenario for as long as I
could remember. He was the doctor and I was the patient and our
relationship was transactional. Being my luck, my pain did not reside
and it was now getting a bit disturbing. One morning at work I switch
my mail client on and find that my old friend, my long standing doctor
and friend had sent me an email stating he was back in the country
after a holiday in Devon, UK. This doctor and I met randomly some time
back when a friend of mine recommended him to me. Since the first
consultation which took a good thirty minutes we had exchanged business
cards and kept in touch. He took a while to note down my history on a
file and whenever I saw him he updated it. He would periodically mail
me articles or advise on my usual ailments and often asking me how my
rugby injuries were and how I should avoid them. I would often
recommence him to all my rugby team mates and our coach as well as
family. After being seated in the waiting area I was ushered into his
room and a tall grey haired gentleman welcomed me in standing up. I
inquired how he and his wife were and what happened in Devon. Instead
of making a joke of the obvious and asking me why I was there he said
that he realized I was there to seek his professional advise but that I
need not hesitate to call him on his mobile if I were to need help from
him. After a thorough examination and investigation, with his knowledge
of my history and knowledge of which medication works best for me, it
was a matter of time before I was soon back to playing active rugby.
All my friends and family were updated on how I managed to get back up
again and with whose assistance.
I have described above some of the types of relationships we encounter
on a daily basis. These range from seeing people once only, or seeing
many people over a period of time, having a normal but somewhat
unsocial relationship and finally we have a relationship which is a
win-win partnership. Both the customer and the company are extremely
pleased. This 4th type of relationships is the goal of Key Account
Management and Relationship Marketing.
We know that the internet has dramatically changed how we interact in
business. The world of key account management and relationships
marketing has also faced some dramatic changes, and in some ways the
work of these managers has been simplified and made even more
powerful.
Networking, interacting and building powerful relationships is what
drives successful key account management. Social media has certainly
made these facets a lot simpler. Sites such as Facebook, Linked In,
MySpace, Hi5 and Twitter have dramatically changed the landscape of
being social. What makes these systems really powerful is their ability
to empower managers to communicate directly with their consumers.
Marketing information in the form of content could be presented to
consumers. Content that adds value and engagement is what truly
empowers key account managers online.
Content. Engagement. Nurturing. These are 3 steps in relationship
marketing for key account managers. Once customers and key accounts are
selected they must be presented with useful content. This is free
information that must add significant value to the customer. Speaking
about products is not productive. Speaking around products is what is
needed. For example, if you are a hotel it is rather boring for
customers to hear about hotel facilities. However discounted tickets to
theatres next door to the hotel, information on special promotions or
tourist attractions or special treatment adds value to the consumer.
Content must add value else it becomes clutter. Engagement allows the
key account manager to speak to the customers. By engaging customers
with content the key account manager is able to elevate him or herself
to form powerful partnerships with customers. Using the doctor example
above, the key account manager wants the customer to return to the
company and build a relationship that is mutual in value and
recognition. In return for their custom, the company will provide
frequent value added content that would be of use to the customer.
Nurturing is process in which the content that is indirectly related to
a product causes a customer to ask for more information on a product or
service and with the sending out of value added content the company is
able to work down the buying stages until a sale is made.
There are many tools on the internet at the disposal of a key account
manager in harnessing his relationships. Blogs are very popular. They
allow customers to subscribe to them and provide frequent short updates
with content, images and video that is of interest to customers. Many
CEO s have taken to blogging relating their mission and the company's
direction in the future. Blogs allow readers to comment on posts. The
commenting on blogs allows consumers to interact with the blogger.
Articles that deliver content and know how could be written and
published online. In the case of a doctor, articles on living healthy
lives for diabetic patients or lowering cholesterol with the right food
would add significant value to patients. Sending out timely emails with
content that adds value in a timely manner using autoresponders adds
significant value to consumers.
Social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Linked In allow
companies to build communities around them. For example Facebook Fan
Pages or Linked in Groups allow companies to add customers to a social
community where members are able to interact with the company and one
another. Images, discussions, news, posts, etc. could be exchanged.
Customers are able to talk with other customers and exchange their
ideas and opinions around products or services. This close interaction
with the consumer truly allows a company to work with the customer in
product enhancement or development. Customers are made to feel as if
they belong to a community and a company that listens to the voice of
the customer.
The timely use of content that is used to engage with customers and
provide them with value whilst nurturing customers towards sales is
where key account managers are able to obtain as much leverage from the
internet in order to add mutual value to both the company and the
customer. The internet has provided key account managers with dynamic
tools and platforms that allow them to directly engage with customers
using tools that they themselves use on a regular basis. Using these
tools and platforms they are able to develop powerful partnerships with
customers.
For more information on how to use social media and platforms for
business, key account management and relationship marketing, please do
not hesitate to contact johann@MasterBusinessChronicles
MasterBusinessChronicles
Posted by Johann at 3:24 AM 0 comments Links to this post
- -
Labels: Key Account Management, Relationship Marketing, social media
Key Account Management: It's all about Relationship Marketing (KAM & RM)
Key Account Management: It's all about Relationship Marketing (KAM &
RM)
For the past few years I have been a member of a programme named `Club
Vision' by a mobile operator in Sri Lanka named Dialog Telekom. It did
not surprise me much when I received a gold member card from the telco
introducing me to the programme. My welcome into this membership
programme was on my birthday when two lovely ladies walked into my
office with a cake in hand and asked for me. I was unable to speak to
them but word soon got around the office and a friend of these two
girls who worked with us asked them how does one become a `Club Vision'
member and was soon informed that my phone bills were that much more
than most customers! My frequent travel to Europe and America had
notched up a fairly large monthly roaming bill which whilst on the
radar of the mobile operator secured me a position in their key account
management programme. As a key account member I appreciated some of the
new benefits I secured. My favorites include having access to one phone
number for all queries, a specific counter for all key accounts at all
mobile operator service stations or outlets, a premium lounge in some
of the larger head quarters, annual gifts, cakes and personalized cards
on my birthday. It felt good to be appreciated by the operator.
Key account management and relationship marketing have often worked
hand in hand together. For customers the benefits they tend to offer
include special service, the notion of being unique in comparison to
other customers, one contact point with the company, quality products
and promotions, enhanced credit facilities and margins.
The idea of contrasting and differentiating between customers can cause
criticism. However from a company's perspective not all customers are
profitable. Some customers despite brining in revenue actually cause
the company to run at a loss rather than breaking even. These customers
often require more work than they are willing to pay or do not allow
the company to achieve economies of scale. These cash traps should
often be discontinued however the focus on any company should be to
identify its shooting stars or cash cows. Companies are able to
increase revenues either via sales (sales to existing customers, new
products/services to existing customers or products / services to new
customers) or via the restructure of pricing / terms and improved
negotiating with customers. Companies have the capacity to boost
profits by 100% by retaining just 5% more of their customers. In order
to achieve this, key account management and relationship marketing are
a necessity. Key Account Management is aimed at building a portfolio of
loyal key accounts by offering them, on a continuing basis, a product /
service package tailored to their individual needs. Key account
management is a partnership approach. It is a long-term relationship
and focuses on building relationships. This is what drives relationship
marketing.
In the development of a key account or relationship marketing programme
a company must identify its key customers first. In order to identify
key accounts the company needs to determine which customers perform
well on scales of transaction volume and transaction value. These two
criteria, ideally the combination of them is what makes a key account.
The company must examine the expectations for both the customer and the
company. My loyalty on most airline routines is often led toward the
Emirates airline. Other airlines do offer the same the benefits however
as my loyalty points have gathered most with Emirates together with
their high standard of service I often opt in to flying with this
airline. As a Silver Member I am allowed an extra 12 Kg on luggage
which I find most assuring. I am allowed impartial entry into the
airline without queues and also access to the Emirates business lounge
in Dubai. Flight stewardesses always personally welcome me on board and
ensure that I am treated somewhat differently in spite of sitting in
Economy. The airline differentiates their treatment towards me and I
continue to differentiate in choice of airline.
The company must decide on how they are able to differentiate with the
customer and work more closely with them. They must also determine how
access between both parties is simplified. The appointment of a key
account manager or a relationship manager is important and I would
advise the Emirates airline to look into these steps. Appointing a
regional or country based key account or relationship manager is not
too complex and often forgoes the necessity to pursue travel agents or
colder generic websites (some airlines allow key accounts more access
than others to facilities such as seating arrangement or food /
beverage options). As in the case of the airlines, the company needs to
target small win-wins to build and grow their relationships with key
accounts. Mutual benefits and their visibility are key.
Key account management is all about relationship marketing.
Traditionally, marketing would refer to the 4Ps (or 7 Ps in some
instances) i.e. product, price, place, promotion. Traditionally,
relationships, networks and interaction would orbit around this central
core competence. However in today's context - relationships, networks
and interaction form the central core with product, price, place,
promotion orbiting around it. This shift brings key account management
and relationship marketing to the core of sales and marketing functions
with the company.
Key account management and relationship management are key marketing
and sales functions within any
company. A key account manager or relationship manager represents the
company to the customer. I used to have to represent my company (an
online room reservation company) at all travel trade fairs as a buyer.
Most suppliers we worked with, despite having worked with us for over 5
years only know my face within the organization. I was the face and
`person-representation' of the company. My face was associated with the
company. As a key account manager or relationship manager a lot of
corporate power is vested in the individual and that person must
represent the person, persona and mission of the company. They key
account manager or relationship manager must be a value creator. They
are responsible for developing the relationship and should have
pleasant, friendly and most certainly people-oriented personalities.
These individuals should not drive for hard sales but more so work on
building the friendships, trust, dependability, security and faith in
customers. They should be able to put people at ease with their genuine
concern at heart. They should also be savvy business people identifying
opportunities for business. They should be able to identify mutual
value and present it as such to consumers. Being the sole
representative of the company the individual must be allowed complete
transparency into the goings on within the company such that the
customer knows that this single point of contact is a knowledge hub and
all that is required from the company. Communication, planning,
analytical and management skills are a necessity. The key account
manager or relationship manager must have the ability to manage the
customer, internal customers, relationships, resources and him/her
self.
A good key account manager and relationship manager is able to position
him or herself as a middle man between the company and the customer. He
works in the best interest of both parties to drive mutual benefits to
them. The ROI from a key account manager is a key account who
constantly pushes sales for the company on a regular basis. The ROI
from a key account manager is a customer who speaks proudly of a
company to his friends and family and recommends the company to them.
In the next article on Key Account Management and Relationship
Marketing we look at using the internet as a powerful tool to leverage
Key Account Management and Relationship Marketing.
MasterBusinessChronicles
Posted by Johann at 3:20 AM 0 comments Links to this post
- -
Labels: Key Account Management, Relationship Marketing, social media
07 October 2009
Being Found Online: Inbound Marketing to help drive visitors to your sites
Change; we hear a lot about change today. President Barak Obama spoke
widely of change in his lead up to the presidency and as we now know,
it was his mission statement and attitude towards his governance of the
USA. Amidst political rhetoric, there was change on another scale that
was taking place right through the political campaign. Politicians are
known for their vast budgets during their campaigns and there was none
greater than this. The Obama political campaign not only topped budgets
but there was a change far greater in their approach to the campaign
itself. This political campaign was the first ever US presidential
campaign that targeted internet marketing unlike ever seen before. Some
speculate that the personal one-to-one nature of the internet marketing
campaigns were part of the driving force in the Obama victory.
Change; there is great change taking place in the internet marketing
domain unlike ever seen before. On average a person is hit with over
2000 sales or marketing messages each day. This is almost too much to
contain when you think about it. Telemarketing, trade shows, seminars,
direct mail / response, TV ads, news paper ads, banners, billboards,
etc. clutter our lives so much that meaningful messages are often
diluted or drowned in this ocean of messages. The marketing and public
relations domains are hard pressed these days to come up with
penetrating ad content that reach their target audience. The great
change we notice taking place in the internet marketing domain today
deals with a concept termed inbound marketing. This strategy deals with
the concept of being found by consumers rather than pursuing and
hitting consumers with marketing messages.
The concept of being found is like a tropical bird that flutters
colourful feathers and dances to a beautiful beat in the hope that its
partners hear them and advance in their direction. Being found is all
about developing an expert opinion in your industry and attracting
visitors naturally to your sites. The concept of being found needs to
be applied meticulously as one can imagine, there are plenty of birds
making plenty of noise in the jungle.
Being found entails trying to understand who you are trying to attract
in the first place. What is the marketing persona i.e. your target
market? If you are a hotel based in Leicester Square in London, UK then
your target market could be tourists visiting London looking for a
central location to stay; or the theatre market with so many production
shows in close proximity; or even perhaps the younger tourist club
goers catered for in the region.
Marketing for being found in the internet domain carries two basic
ground rules - content and engagement.
Without content there is very little value to the consumers you want to
bring on to your site. Content could be in the form of a blog site,
articles, reports, white papers, press releases, eBooks or useful
snippets of information. The critical characteristic of the content
should be that it is useful and interesting to the target market.
Content is absolutely critical. Let us explore some of these content
tools.
Blogging for business is one of the simplest forms of creating content.
It is short and if interesting could hold an audience captive. It is
important to not only blog about who you are but more so the wider
context of your services and products. Consumers are savvy. They know
when a business blogs for the purpose of profit. They are not
interested in subscribing to product descriptions. They seek unique
value. A hotel near Darling Harbor in Sydney, Australia could capture a
wider audience by talking about the happenings in its surrounds. For
example speaking about tours from the harbor, the opening of the Lindt
café close by, the Sydney aquarium and updates on its seal population.
Perhaps if one is targeting the Japanese market, the mention of the
Sydney Fish Market being in walking distance to Darling Harbor and
providing some of the freshest seafood in the world would provide that
edge i.e. that unique bit of knowledge which makes subscribing to your
blog worthwhile and a true value addition. The key is to make content
interesting, non commercial and more so viral in its nature.
Article writing campaigns add tremendous value to your site by the
exposure they provide your site through their numerous channels of
distribution. They also add fabulous SEO value to your site. eBooks are
useful when given out free due the viral nature of the product i.e.
people love to share free things especially if its current and
interesting.
Speaking of SEO it is critical that the content we spoke of previously
follows strict SEO guidelines. SEO is not as complicated as many people
make it sound. SEO takes time and it is not a miracle strategy that
promises immediate results. It takes time. Once you get your head
around that concept it is not that complicated. It involves for the
most part using the appropriate keywords i.e. words that your target
market are likely to type on search engines in order to find you. A
powerful set of keywords used in attractive content is a key step to
SEO. Building links is possibly even more important. That is the same
as asking other sites or blogs to hold your web link on their URLs.
That basically counts as a vote for your site. The more votes you have
the more important Google or Bing think you are and the more SEO value
you hold. The more SEO value you hold the higher up the search engine
results your go. Of course SEO experts would also say that your web
URL, titles, descriptions, the use of ALT text, anchor text and the
listing of your sites on search engines such as Google or Bing are
important and they are indeed. However instead of trying to trick
search engines I think what most companies or businesses should do is
to try and focus on the most significant element of SEO - content and
votes. The more interesting your content and its significance to your
target market and other sites, the more likely you are to attract more
visitors to your sites.
As much as content is important to the strategy of being found, it is
pointless unless the businesses engages with its consumers. The
internet has made the lives of marketers simpler and more resourceful.
Never before have sales and marketing teams ever been able to engage
directly with so many consumers (millions!) using such simple tools.
The internet has become social. There are watering holes in every
savannah and it is up to marketers to try and find them. Watering holes
are where your customers or target market gather. Where the elephants,
buffalo and giraffes gather to drink water is where you want to be if
you are trying to sell the latest and tastiest varieties of green
herbal delights. Social media platforms have made engaging consumers
even simpler. Engagement need not be complex but it can turn out to be
lifestyle marketing. Hanging around where your consumers hang around to
talk is an age old theory. For example where would you hang around in
ancient Israel to discuss the latest news - the Synagogues; or where
would you go to in old London to discuss politics and trends -
Speaker's Corner. I am sure you understand what I am saying. The
internet has made news sharing and discussions even simpler. There are
more watering holes available today than any great African grassland
holds. Blogs, Google Forums, Yahoo Groups, Yahoo Answers, Linked In
groups, Facebook Fan pages, Facebook groups, Twitter, You Tube, Hi5 and
MySpace are all watering holes where consumers gather. It is up to you
to listen out for topics of interest and engage consumers; or even
start new conversations. Do not be blunt, nobody likes a salesman
pushing products where value addition is sought after. Always remember
to focus on adding value. Make sure your consumers see the value
addition and seek out your product rather than have your product pushed
at them.
Forums are abundant today. I contribute to and edit a blog spot named
StrengthTrainingChronicles which engages weights trainers,
rugby enthusiasts and gym goers with useful material. In order to
engage with my consumers and discuss / learn new trends I Google
searched Forums for such watering holes. The results I received were
unmanageable. From specific community / social web sites such as
bodybuilding to countless numbers of forums focusing on varying
aspects of the sport the research results were too many to count.
Results ranged from geographic variations from London to LA and sport
niches from StrongMan competitions to Nutrition. Finding watering holes
is simple. Communicating with your consumers and adding value is what
will bring more consumers to your site. This is public relations
campaigning and brand building as never witnessed before.
Bringing guests to your home is wonderful for most of the time. But do
you let the kids play around the vases or bring the movie crowd into
the garden? Having a specific landing page is essential. This welcomes
your target market to a target web page. Once found, visitors must be
made into leads. Leads are people interested in listening to you about
your product or service. Leads must be then converted into sales. Leads
sometimes take time and need to be nurtured with emails or promotions
together with calls to action
If it cannot be measured it cannot be managed. Being found must be
quantified in order to determine if you are being found to begin with
and by the right consumers. There are so many companies that have gone
bankrupt in 2009 by paying little attention to ROI (returns on
investment) or budgeting their use of internet marketing. ROI is all
about making the decision if your course of marketing action was worth
it or not. It is important to make note of the number of visitors to
your site, the ratios of lookers to bookers and the ratios of those
moving onto your landing page and then entering their email information
onto forms. These figures are particularly useful when gauging a new
marketing tool you have employed such as engaging a certain forum or a
press release or article. Google Analytics and other tools make these
functions simple.
We spoke of change in the beginning and there is great change in the
horizon. We are seeing a convergence of web design companies, sales,
marketing, advertising agencies and public relations into one company
focused on being found via inbound marketing. The days of effective TV,
Radio and advertisements on magazines are shrinking as the number of
ads clutter useful listenable messaging. Meaningful, attractive and
lucrative value addition to any business via inbound marketing and
being found is set to make waves of change in the world of marketing as
the internet becomes a necessity for business.
Posted by Johann at 4:33 PM 0 comments Links to this post
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