7 Tips to Close Skill Gaps, Up Your Value and Solve More Problems |  |
- 7 Tips to Close Skill Gaps, Up Your Value and Solve More Problems
- First the NSA Is Spying on You, Now Facebook?
- 7 Keys to Creating and Populating Your Editorial Calendar
- Microsoft Pulls the Plug on eCommerce Venture “Project Brazil”
- Don’t Answer Interview Questions Like Abercrombie and Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries
| 7 Tips to Close Skill Gaps, Up Your Value and Solve More Problems Posted: 25 Jun 2013 04:00 PM PDT
There’s no guarantee today that if you have a job you are secure. Keeping the job you have, or being in career transition both require dedicated attention and action. So what are you doing to enhance your customer and career retention? What is your plan and do you have one for career change? If you are not armed with the weapons, tools and a strategy for professional advancement to compete at today’s level, then you are vulnerable. There are more job and career opportunities, but the competition and requirements for them are as fierce as they have ever been.
One of my very savvy nurse practitioner friends was a sought after professional for 17 years, until one Friday she was called in and politely fired. The practice was sold to a managed group and they were taking the practice in another direction. She wasn't prepared to job search in today's career world, even at her level. She was medically skilled with lots of good connections, but no LinkedIn, social media or updated resume. She also wasn't up to date on the new online billing, coding and insurance compliance because someone else did it for her. She used her connections to get another job within two weeks because of her reputation and following, but she had to work longer hours, see more patients, learn new processes and work harder than she had in 10 years. Now she is responsible for all that coding, billing and compliance and was able to add those invaluable and essential skills necessary to function in today’s medical world. She closed her skill gaps, upped her value that was now expected, and is now prepared for job retention or finding a new job if that scenario presents itself again. Career transition is a way of life for both those who have a career or job, as well as those who have been downsized or laid off. Additionally, more and more people are deciding what they really want to do, who they want to work for, stepping out and making the case for why they should be hired and making that happen. Taking your career into your own hands and steering your own career ship in the direction you want it to go is smart, proactive and very effective. We can't live on yesterday's career accomplishments and experiences. Talking about what you did is fine, but talking more about what you are doing is better. Bolster and Accelerate Your Professional AdvancementIdentify Your Skill Gaps and Close Them to Up Your ValueGet some help by hiring a certified coach or career consultant to help you identify and strategically work on this. Be Job and Career “Search Process” SavvyMake sure you are proficient in the online search and networking process, especially on LinkedIn. Complete your profile, connect with strategic people, increase your activity and engage with your connections. Develop a ”Career Retention” MindsetBe progressive and proactive about learning, expanding and growing beyond where you are, so you are the least likely person they let go and the first one they can't be without. Develop Your Own “Personal Customer Service Process”Have your own dedicated process of how you consistently serve people and demonstrate your value. Your results and how you solve problems can ensure your indispensability. Get Ramped Up for Fast Paced Change as a Way of LifePut all the skills in place you need to navigate change now. No moaning or procrastination allowed. Get on Top of and Just Ahead of Trends and Best PracticesBe as current, relevant and real-time as you can in your industry and field so you are always thought of as an informed, trusted adviser. Own Your Time With People, Especially in PersonPut the phone away, look people in the eye, be interested in them and learn to chit chat better. What skill gaps can you close, what added value can you offer and what problems can you solve today? Success Photo via Shutterstock The post 7 Tips to Close Skill Gaps, Up Your Value and Solve More Problems appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| First the NSA Is Spying on You, Now Facebook? Posted: 25 Jun 2013 01:30 PM PDT
Businesses and brands use Facebook to share important information with potential customers. But over the past year, the popular social site may have shared much more than users expected via a Facebook leak. With plenty of buzz still going on over the National Security Administration’s controversial online surveillance program, recent revelations about Facebook also have members up in arms. Facebook Leak: Six Million Facebook Users ExposedLast week, Facebook revealed a glitch in its system and that a Facebook leak had exposed the phone numbers and emails of six million members without their consent. Reuters reported the data leak has gone on since 2012. Writing on the official Facebook Security Blog, the company’s White Hat Team said an independent security researcher had found the problem. Repairs were completed within 24 hours. But users are much more concerned about what the breach has revealed about the kind of data Facebook is collecting. Shadow Profiles Reveal Facebook ConcernsMost of the data released through the Facebook leak as a result of the glitch was not the ordinary contact information users normally provide when creating an account. Instead, it was information apparently compiled from other members or off site sources. Facebook attempts to match user phone numbers and emails with other profiles on and off the site. “The personal information leaked by the bug is information that had not been given to Facebook by the users — it is data Facebook has been compiling on its users behind closed doors, without their consent,” wrote Violet Blue on ZDNet. Blue described the information as a “shadow profile” collected without users’ knowledge and therefore without their permission. Facebook says the data was only intended to help make friend recommendations and avoid sending site invitations to people who were already Facebook members. We’ve reported before that Facebook also harnesses user data to help advertisers better target their messages. How comfortable are you with the information Facebook is collecting on you and your business? Digital Eye Photo via Shutterstock The post First the NSA Is Spying on You, Now Facebook? appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| 7 Keys to Creating and Populating Your Editorial Calendar Posted: 25 Jun 2013 11:00 AM PDT
One of the most daunting things about embarking on a content marketing campaign is knowing where to begin. Before you can even deal with that issue, though, you need to determine whether you are even equipped to execute a content marketing campaign. (If you can't produce quality content, then don't bother at all.) Keys to Creating and Populating an Editorial CalendarStep one is to take a long and hard look at your internal resources. You'll need to get your team together and figure out the answers to the following questions: 1. Who are our target audiences and what kinds of information are they looking for? 2. Does my company/brand have the expertise to address these needs? 3. Does my company have the talent and resources to effectively communicate such expertise in a clear, helpful and entertaining way? 4.Does my company/brand have enough to say to provide a steady stream of quality content? 5. Is my company prepared to fully interact with my audience, listening, reacting, serving and collaborating? Once you've gone through this process, and have answered all in questions in the affirmative, then you can begin the process of strategizing and laying out your editorial calendar: 1. Choose your format There is no single cookie-cutter template for your editorial calendar. Some people are most comfortable with a traditional calendar. More tend to go with Excel or some other spreadsheet. Still others use both. Creating a full 12-month calendar can be a bit daunting, but it is a worthwhile task. For one, it demonstrates your commitment to creating content in a steady and consistent way. Secondly, it helps you to plan ahead for key events (see below). If you are creating multiple types of content, it can also be extremely helpful to create a calendar for each content type (i.e. a blog calendar, newsletter calendar, etc.). Every company has its own way of organizing and tracking content. For a fairly basic editorial calendar, I suggest charting and tracking the following:
[Sample Template] This can get far more complex in cases where there are multiple levels of editing and approvals, but those are simple to add to the matrix. 2. Identify Your Anchor Events There will be a certain number of days each year that will be benchmarks for your target audience and for your company. Don't let them sneak up on you. What kinds of events are we talking about? First, think about the events of interest to your target audiences. Obviously, holidays are huge for retailers. If your audiences are are interested in food/cooking, look to schedule around holidays. If your customers are typically into popular culture, you might tie content to awards. You get the idea. There will also be internal events you'll need to plan for. Look on your brand's calendar to see when new products are being launched, when you may be up for awards and when you might be covered by the press. Once you've identified these events, it's easy to schedule content leading up to the event, covering the event and in the aftermath of the the event. 3. Identify and Schedule Your Content Channels There are so many content channels, you can't begin to create content for all of them. Don't be overwhelmed. Simply choose the outlets that best serve the needs of your audiences:
The act of populating an editorial calendar will give you a very clear idea of how much work you're taking on. Often, businesses will look at their proposed editorial calendars and then scale back. In other cases, businesses start out with a very ambitious calendar only to find that they are not doing real justice to any channel. If it turns out to be overwhelming to handle all of your content outlets, then you can pick and choose which ones you'll want to concentrate on. 4. Set and Enforce Deadlines Everyone involved in the content creation process – from a copywriter to the CEO – has to buy in completely. Deadlines set in an editorial calendar must be considered to be set in stone. If everyone isn't taking the process seriously, it just won't work. 5. Build These Into Your Content Rotation You don't want to bore people on your channels by providing the same kinds of information again and again. Vary your content by focusing on a variety of basic themes. Every business will have themes unique to them and their industries, but the following are good to keep in mind:
6. Be flexible Some of the best content you can create comes from a sudden inspiration or in reaction to something you've read, seen or experienced. You may also want to change your calendar in response to to what is working and what isn't. 7. Don't Forget Impact Remember, the ultimate goal of content marketing is to create customer loyalty and ultimately, drive sales. While not all content interactions are directly measurable, many are. Email blasts are measurable in terms of opens and responses to calls to actions. Blog posts can be measured through pageviews, shares, "likes" and Tweets. White papers can be measured through responses to calls to action contained in the white papers and email addresses acquired (when required for a download). Guest articles can be measured through traffic on the media site, click throughs back to the brand site and through visits or calls made directly to the brand ("how did you hear about us"). Obviously, press releases can be measured through press coverage, but can also be measured through click throughs. Armed with these numbers, you will be in a much better position to adjust the focus of your content marketing efforts. Go with what's working, ditch what isn't and continue to experiment and test. Calendar Photo via Shutterstock The post 7 Keys to Creating and Populating Your Editorial Calendar appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Microsoft Pulls the Plug on eCommerce Venture “Project Brazil” Posted: 25 Jun 2013 08:00 AM PDT
There may be a place for more players in the growing eCommerce world. And one of those players could eventually be software giant Microsoft, though for now the Redmond, Wash. firm has shelved plans for an online marketplace. Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported Microsoft had pulled the plug on its most recent venture, code named Project Brazil. But that doesn’t mean Microsoft has lost interest in eCommerce altogether. Could Microsoft Compete with Amazon and eBay?It’s uncertain from reports whether Microsoft planned to work with small merchants in its latest online effort as industry leaders Amazon and eBay have done. Microsoft execs said last week the planned eCommerce project hadn’t been intended as an “Amazon clone.” Sources indicate the company is still weighing its options for future forays into the field. “We remain committed to finding new and differentiated ways to enable a richer, more task oriented approach to eCommerce and online advertising,” said a company spokeswoman last week. Analyst Patrick Moorhead told Business Insider, “Had Microsoft built this, they would have easily become one of the top credit card holders and have a leading eCommerce platform. So I see why they may have considered it.” Opportunities AboundThe most recent Microsoft eCommerce site was planned as a place where customers could have bought from various retailers using a single shopping cart. They could then have picked from numerous shipping options for delivery. But really a new eCommerce option could take a variety of forms. For example, a previous Microsoft experiment mixed eCommerce with the company’s search efforts. Called Live Search Cashback then Bing Cashback, the program paid customers for making purchases of products found through the Bing search engine. The program ran two years and was shut down in 2010. One thing not in question are the tremendous opportunities present in the eCommerce field. Anticipated continued growth in the market means a chance for small online sellers too, whether on their own or in cooperation with a larger eCommerce website. Forrester recently projected online retail sales will reach $370 billion in the U.S. by 2017. The research firm also projected European online retail sales would reach $247 billion that same year. The increases represent a 10 percent and 10.5 percent growth respectively over 2013 online retail spending. Microsoft Photo via Shutterstock The post Microsoft Pulls the Plug on eCommerce Venture “Project Brazil” appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Don’t Answer Interview Questions Like Abercrombie and Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries Posted: 25 Jun 2013 05:00 AM PDT
Abercrombie & Fitch has been the go-to brand for many young Americans. But a single interview by CEO Mike Jeffries put the entire company under fire. In an interview with Salon Magazine, Jeffries said, "Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don't belong [in our clothes], and they can't belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely." Now I don't know about you, but I find this type of attitude repulsive – and most Americans agree. Numerous protests sprung up around the country as this interview circulated, bringing negative scrutiny to the retail giant. Further revelations that the company purposefully refuses to manufacture clothing for larger consumers have only fueled the firestorm. While there's nothing wrong with target marketing from a business perspective, it was Jeffries' attitude and the company's policies that struck dissonant chords with consumers. Since CEOs and brand representatives are spending more time with the press and monitoring public relations, it's crucial to revisit some very applicable interview techniques. By understanding these principles, you'll be able to avoid a major gaffe like A&F CEO Mike Jeffries. How Not to Answer Interview Questions Like Mike JeffriesKeeping it ShortIn the digital age, short-form content rules – and this applies to interviews as well. If you think about sound bites you hear in the press or read on line, they're just a few sentences long – or a few words. The more you speak, the more convoluted your answers can become and the higher the risk for a public gaffe. Use your words wisely, not freely. Knowing Your BoundariesJust because you're the CEO or some other executive management employee, it doesn't mean that you know everything there is to know about the company. Don't just "come up with an answer" so you have something to say. Sometimes a simple "No comment" or "I don't know" is the most effective answer. Answering for the sake of having an answer is how many brands (and politicians) get in trouble. Responding to QuestionsThis might seem like a given, but many people react to questions instead of responding to them. Not all reporters will be friendly – some lack personality or are outright hostile. If you don't agree with the way a reporter handles a question or how the interview is advancing, keep your focus on answering the questions instead of overreacting. Sometimes reporters are just trying to push buttons. Remembering Your AudienceWhile you might be speaking one-on-one with an interviewer, keep in mind that this will be eventually broadcast to a much larger audience. Your answers should always be given with that in mind. Taking Your TimeFilmed interviews will be edited and readers of a printed interview will never know that you took your time. If there's a complex question, don't be afraid to think for a moment before spouting off an answer. Remember, sometimes the interviewee, not the interviewer, digs the grave. By consciously thinking through your answers, you'll avoid setting yourself up for a contradiction. The next time you grant an interview, be sure to keep these tactics in mind for an enjoyable and interesting conversation. Model Photo via Shutterstock The post Don’t Answer Interview Questions Like Abercrombie and Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
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