This salient post by B2B expert Christina Kerley provides the roadmap marketers should follow. No, there are no magic pills or secrets to success. It takes diligent focus and commitment. But she clearly articulates both the reason why and the path forward. Perhaps my best read of the week.
Following on the above, Brian Solis does an excellent job discussing the challenges of connecting brands with consumers. It’s relatively easy to implement the tools and slather on the varnish. What’s tough is forging that meaningful connection between brand and customer. A must read for communicators – and highlights the opportunity we have before us.
In the era of so-called easy, we often forget the hard work needed to achieve success. Sure some get lucky, but most of us have to put in the focus, the time and consistent effort to get there. And it’s easy to get disillusioned by the success stories we read as they gloss over the many failures, doubt, fears the person overcame. Hard work matters. There’s no substitute.
I always find Dan Pink an insightful read and this article is no exception. In it he uses Bob the Builder to highlight how we should not just tell ourselves we can achieve anything, but ask the question, Can I do this? Research cited shows that making this small mind shift delivers better results. Asking questions pays dividends.
I first heard about Clay Shirky’s new book, Cognitive Surplus from Seth Godin, who said it’s a provocative read or rather “world changing”. But Peter Kim’s review highlights the why – particularly the notion that media is the connective tissue of society. There are many books on my must-read list, but having read and appreciated his prior book “Here Comes Everybody”, this one has moved up the list. Important stuff for communicators.