Digital (Mis)Communication and Some Old Fashioned Nostalgia

I feel like I don't stop with digital media.  Well, okay it's part of my daily job.  I'm a project manager for a large-scale website project so my job is to communicate and constantly be plugged in.  But sometimes I get the urge to simply pick up the phone or go talk to someone face to face and avoid the 4000 back and forth emails to solve an issue.  Perhaps its the fact that my eyes are fried staring at a screen.  But perhaps its the drive to do what nature tells me--communicate with people like a real human being.

**Yup, I realize the irony in a blog post.  But blogging was the medium to store my thoughts and thus communicate with anyone that they might help down the road, myself included!  I do think it and other new media serves a very good cause.**

I'm not saying digital is bad...by no means.  But really some moderation is needed...and I think it would be good to revert back to good ol' fashioned belly to belly business development--instead of incessant email, texting, proposal writing, etc.  In a world where EVERYONE (and my mother...yeah she's on facebook and has a droid?!  this is bizarro world) is pushing information out a few things happen:

1. The quality of communication is severely reduced
2. Miscommunication spikes
3. We become used to it

Our nature is to adapt and evolve and (at least with many of the younger generations) we're being rapidly desensitized.  Basic human nature has given us ears and eyes and hands and a mouth and smell and taste and subconscious understanding.  That's part of communication.  When I read words on a screen I get a sense of that...but not to the same effect.  For me at least, I feel energized when I speak to someone and interact with them and feed off the energy of a group.  We still need that and while everyone else is hunkered down in a cube spitting out 500 useless drivel tweets in a row...there's no better opportunity than taking some time out of your day to talk to someone in person.  You might just find it very real and very refreshing!

4 Ways to Elicit Creativity from your Marketing Staff

Keeping creativity flowing in your department or office can be difficult.  That river can easily get dammed by close-minded team members.  So how can you keep imagination alive and vibrant?  Here are some things to try:

1. Change your permanent environment:  Your office.  You're in there 40+ hours per week.  So is your team.  View it like your home--every now and then it's nice to switch furniture, wall color, objects + space.  It also helps if everything works together.  What I mean by that is run your environment on a theme.  For instance, at home my wife and I chose a theme we've dubbed "wine country" for styling our place.  Everything revolves around an earth-toned color palette and aesthetic.  You could do something similarly simple for an office space.  Environment has been shown to have many beneficial features to creativity...so don't skimp.
2. Change your temporary environment(s):  Meetings.  Why not have a meeting in a park.  Or better yet, a walk in the park.  We have the technology for it.  Really all you'd need is a digital recorder.  You'd be amazed what some fresh air, a conversation and a wide open space will do.
3. Build your climate through rational unpredictability:  Show that you're serious about keeping creativity flowing by doing it yourself.  Never treat each day the same in the office.  Sure, there are times when it's easy to let work take the helm and steer.  But try and maintain control of your work and keep things interesting.  Be rationally unpredictable.  Basically meaning that you should never let yourself or your team fall into the groove of a standard solution to a problem.  Really marketing depts are just facing a different array of PROBLEMS day in and day out.  Whether its putting together a proposal or updating a database of information.  Get feedback from your team, build up ideas and actions, analyze, discuss, evolve them.  Need a break?  Take that old fax machine collecting dust out back and let the team take turns smashing it with a baseball bat.
4. Teamwork not competition:  Teamwork and not competition or incentives fuels creativity.  Many companies make use of employee feedback to enhance their business.  Many companies also use groups (crowdsourcing) to help them build better products and services.  Promote a collaborative relationship with all individuals AND departments and create a learning institution.  Having an open door policy to your department and education sessions like lunch and learns or training can have a beneficial and profound effect.   

The Word-of-Mouth Evolution and an AEC Example

You probably already know that word-of-mouth marketing (WOMM) is still the most profound and effective method of getting new business.  Though technology has changed greatly in the last 100 years--WOMM still reigns supreme.

That said, it has evolved.  Take for instance, the advent of social media.  Now, all of the sudden "Liking" something becomes an important element to WOMM--even for an engineering firm.  Tell that to someone 3 years ago and they would have laughed in your face.  In fact, they did.  Now they're hiring social media coordinators or handing it off to their marketing staff as a top priority.

I remember cutting my teeth on that in 2007.  It took some heavy-duty convincing to push web 2.0 concepts back then.  Thanks to Nancy Israel she supported myself and fellow progressive LaTonya Whitaker in pushing that ACEC VA (non-profit group of engineering firms across Virginia) lead the charge--and boy have they done so and have shown increased involvement, participation and are heavily branded in the community as a result.

But the thing was it made sense for ACEC VA's goals.  We saw an opportunity to be a leader and push the envelope and we had the support of a powerful figure in that group.  The recipe was right and thus, the food came out great.

One great example of using WOMM is via Google Places.  Formerly known as the Local Business Directory it is what you see when you look at a business on Google Maps.  If you haven't yet--you need to claim yourself as the business owner.  If you don't know how--find someone.  If you don't know anyone (or just a tad lazy :)) get in touch with me and I'll help you.  Be aware that ANYONE can claim your location and when that happens it's not easily reversed.

Once you claim your location you can perform a number of perform a number of great marketing tactics including

• address + photos of your business
• service radius 
• hours of operations
• payments accepted
• special offers / promotions
• customer reviews (and the option to respond to them!)

The last might be the most important.  Studies have shown that people are over 70% more likely to make a purchase decision based on customer reviews.  Professional services are no different.  Purchase decisions and human psychology today is being rewritten everyday.  Every day, minute, second you spend on your computer is shaping your brain and "rewiring" you.  This will be no different in the AEC world...it just might take a little longer to catch on!  (isn't that the same across the industry though?)

Companies really need to focus on WOMM and have streamlined systems in place for gaining and promoting things like client testimonials, likes, retweets, checkins, and reviews (to name a few).  Not only in the traditional sense, but in the online sense as well.  It's important because it can help influence decision-making and it has been show that decision makers now and in the future hold online WOM extremely important.  

Plus, of course, it has been and for the forseeable future will be the best way to win new clients for your firm.