miercuri, 12 decembrie 2012

Every Marketer Should Be Technical

Every Marketer Should Be Technical

Every Marketer Should Be Technical

Posted: 11 Dec 2012 06:46 PM PST

Posted by Jamie

There's been a lot of talk of roles like growth hackers, marketing ninjas, and technical marketing in the past year. Regardless of whether or not you subscribe to these labels, technical skills are becoming a requirement for success in online marketing. The marketers who know SQL, can write code, leverage APIs, and perform quantitative analysis will be the most desirable and productive individuals in our industry. Those without these skills will find it increasingly difficult to find ideal career opportunities.

I've prepared this guide as an overview to the technical skills that are most helpful in online marketing and included a directory of resources to help you get there.

Growth hacker, growth cracker; the labels don't matter, but the skills do!

There's been plenty of discussion in the past year on the importance of growth hacking, who is and isn't a growth hacker, and if growth hacking is really just marketing. Although I appreciate this conversation, I think we're overlooking what's most important.

Instead of focusing on what those who do technical marketing call themselves, I'd rather we explore what it means to be technical and help each other develop those skills. Refer to these marketers however you like; what really matters is what we're capable of as professionals.

Can a marketer be technical? Of course. (And developers can be phenomenal marketers, too.)

I started my own career as a developer and slowly became more focused on marketing as the years progressed. I worked as a developer when Netscape Navigator was popular and Yahoo was #1 in search. However, I was a pretty lousy developer, slapping things together with table tags and transparent gifs. I was fortunate enough to keep my job because that's how most of us did web development back then.

I'm actually more technical now as a full-time marketer than I ever was back then because I've been fortunate to continually be exposed to, work with, and do work that requires technical skills. And that's really only because it was a matter of necessity in the organizations I've worked in. So, if an unfocused individual like me can do this, anyone can.

Better examples can be found in the phenomenal marketing and technical skills of individuals like Richard Baxter, Vanessa Fox, Wil Reynolds, Alex Schultz, Tom Critchlow, or Michelle Robbins. All of these individuals have different stories of how they developed their capabilities, but I'd bet they all share a passion for staying up late, tinkering, and hacking away at their work, with a strong desire to always be developing new skills. (As a side note, I feel so fortunate to work an industry with so many individuals like this, and it's been an absolute pleasure to learn from them.)

Developers can be remarkable marketers, too, and some of the best marketers I've known work as developers first and foremost. The one difference is that a lack of marketing skills is not likely to prevent an engineer from being successful at their work. Marketers, on the other hand, are going to have a much more difficult time doing their work without some semblance of technical skills, which brings me to my next thought:

Generalist/specialists are the new minimum viable professional

For generations, professionals have been pressured to be either a generalist or specialist. The generalists were the managers who oversaw operations, and had a holistic view of how marketing was accomplished, but were less capable of doing the work themselves. Generalists relied upon specialists who knew how to write, design, code, or analyze. And for generations of marketing, this worked just fine.

But, this trend just doesn't cut it anymore. To be successful nowadays, you need have both a breadth and depth of skills. You have to know what to ask for and how it's done. Without both of these capabilities, you're prone to be less efficient than a colleague or competitor who does.

This is especially pronounced in the startup world, where budgets are constrained and companies can't afford to hire both managers and specialists. And this trend explains why the growth hacker meme is so popular in startup communities. You have to be able to do everything to hack it at a startup.

I like refer to these individuals as generalist specialists. These are individuals who have both knowledge of marketing channels, methods, and techniques, but also have the specialist technical knowledge to understand what's possible and what's not, and to do the work themselves.

Know what to ask for, or just do the work yourself

Perhaps my favorite reason to develop these skills is the ability to communicate better with everyone in your organization. If you know what's possible, then you'll know what to ask for when you work with developers, designers, and analysts. And in many cases, you'll be able to just do the work yourself.

What is a technical marketer capable of?

Stated simply, a great technical marketer can devise, develop, launch, and analyze their marketing campaigns with little or no assistance. The example I've prepared below is fictitious, but by no means a panacea. I happen to be using a fictitious marketer at Incase, a company I randomly chose, but whose products I really like.

So, let's take a look at the process and capabilities a technical marketer would use to manage their efforts.

1. Find something to improve

A technical marketer can review their efforts and find and prioritize opportunities for improvement. In this case, our marketer has decided to try to increase repeat purchases.

2. Devise a strategy

From there, they need to determine how they are going to accomplish that.

 

3. Forecast the improvement

The next step is to estimate the efficacy of the campaign to see if it's worth their time and effort. It looks like it is!

4. Pull customer list from database

The marketer would then use SQL to query their database for the appropriate users to generate an email list.

5. Wireframe the email, and write the copy

From there, they would create a simple wireframe and draft the email copy.

6. Design and code the HTML for the email template

Next up is creating the HTML template, first using an image editor like Photoshop, and then developing the HTML and CSS.

7. Instrument end-to-end tracking

The marketer will then ensure that there is end-to-end tracking in place, and likely place a few test orders to confirm it's all working properly.

8. Launch the campaign

It's time to send the campaign and wait for the results. Meanwhile, our fictitious marketer enjoys a bland, but reasonably-priced American beer.

9. Evaluate the results

A few days later, the marketer collects analytics from the various systems, combines them in Excel, and calculates the quantitative impact of the campaign.

10. Automate for ongoing success

The marketer determines the campaign was successful enough to do it each month and develops a script will automate the process.

11. Correlate those that receive email with purchases

Ever the ambitious individual, the marketer then performs some statistical analysis to determine if those who receive email campaigns have a higher propensity to make purchases on the site. 

12. Rinse and repeat

After a successful campaign, the marketer begins all over again, armed with additional experience on what sort of campaigns are successful, and is better prepared to be successful in the future.

What does it take to get there? Here's a recipe to develop your technical skills.

The capabilities demonstrated above show a fictional marketer who is able to run a successful campaign with little or no assistance from others. So, how do you get there? Primarily, by jumping in, trying it out, and learning as you go.

To help you on your way, I've put together a recipe of skills with links to resources. Some resources are better than others, and you can pursue them in any order you'd like. Have better resources than what I've included? Please feel free to contribute them in the comments.

Databases and SQL

Pull your own data. Understand how databases work and create your own.​

Web development

Build web pages and emails. Use JavaScript to add functionality. Utilize server side scripting.

​

Web technology

Understand how HTTP and web servers work. Harness the power of the query string.​

Web design and UX

Pick up some design skills. Give better wireframes to your designers, or design it yourself.​

Copywriting

Learn to write for the web, email, and social marketing channels. Be creative AND pithy.

Analytics

Know how you’re doing. Evaluate performance and determine how to make it better.

Forecasting and Statistics

Predict the future. Create a forecast or budget. Run correlations and regression analyses.​

Technical SEO

Become an SEO-friendly web developer. Use your knowledge of HTTP to fix on-site issues.​

Content platforms and Hosting

Know how to publish your wonderful words and code. Use the right tool for the job.​

E-commerce tech

Learn to accept money graciously. Discover how SSL works, PCI compliance, and industry vendors.​

Many paths, one result: an unstoppable force of capability, limited only by your own creativity.

Developing technical skills isn't about being becoming indispensable; it's about developing capabilities to be self-reliant when necessary and providing signficiant value to your organization. These skills help you not only in doing your own work, but in working with your team and other individuals. In other words, these skills will remain valuable for your entire career.

I'd love to know what you think in the comments. What resources do you like? What have you used to bolster your technical skills?

(Some images provided by Shutterstock.)


Sign up for The Moz Top 10, a semimonthly mailer updating you on the top ten hottest pieces of SEO news, tips, and rad links uncovered by the Moz team. Think of it as your exclusive digest of stuff you don't have time to hunt down but want to read!
Publicat de 1 la 09:59 0 comentarii

First Lady Michelle Obama Delivers Toys and Holiday Cheer

The White House Your Daily Snapshot for
Wednesday, Dec 12, 2012
 
First Lady Michelle Obama Delivers Toys and Holiday Cheer

First Lady Michelle Obama stopped by a Toys for Tots service project at a military base yesterday with “boxes and boxes” of gifts that were donated by White House staffers, American CEOs, and even First Daughters Malia and Sasha.

As she thanked the volunteers and donors working to make this holiday season special for those who are less fortunate, Mrs. Obama noted that it was especially meaningful to attend the event on a military base, since Toys for Tots was started by a military family.

Check out more about the First Lady's visit to this Toys for Tots service project.

First Lady Michelle Obama is escorted by SSgt Joel Vazquez as she arrives with a sack full of toys at the Toys for Tots Distribution Center at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C., Dec. 11, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

First Lady Michelle Obama is escorted by SSgt Joel Vazquez as she arrives with a sack full of toys at the Toys for Tots Distribution Center at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C., Dec. 11, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

In Case You Missed It

Here are some of the top stories from the White House blog:

President Obama's Record and Proposals for Cutting Spending
The President has signed $1 trillion in discretionary spending cuts into law through the Budget Control Act, and his budget calls for more than $340 billion in entitlement savings from Medicare and Medicaid, and $250 billion from other mandatory programs.

Meet Pretty Willie
On Monday, President Obama introduced the world to "Pretty Willie" Carter — a man who has clocked in at Detroit Diesel for 60 years. The only other job he ever worked was fighting for his country in the Korean War.

Vice President Biden Takes in "America's Game"
On Saturday, the attention of the college football world was focused on the Army-Navy game in Philadelphia, and Vice President Joe Biden was on hand to witness an instant classic.

Today's Schedule

All times are Eastern Standard Time (EST).

9:45 AM: The President and the Vice President receive the Presidential Daily Briefing

12:00 PM: The President holds a conference call with a bipartisan group of mayors and community leaders

12:30 PM: Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney WhiteHouse.gov/live

WhiteHouse.gov/live Indicates that the event will be live-streamed on WhiteHouse.gov/Live

Get Updates


Stay Connected


This email was sent to e0nstar1.blog@gmail.com
Sign Up for Updates from the White House
Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy
Please do not reply to this email. Contact the White House

The White House • 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW • Washington, DC 20500 • 202-456-1111
 

Publicat de 1 la 08:59 0 comentarii

Setting up Google plus communities – what you need to know

Setting up Google plus communities – what you need to know

Link to SEOptimise » blog

Setting up Google plus communities – what you need to know

Posted: 11 Dec 2012 05:32 AM PST

Google plus communities

If you’ve been on Google + recently, you might have noticed Google's latest feature called Google+ communities. It's probably too early to judge its success just yet, but based on my personal Google plus news feed (so not scientific at all) I am certainly seeing quite a lot of engagement on the platform.

The concept and the objective behind launching Google+ communities is to create a platform within Google+ where individuals, organisations, and business can meet and engage, based on shared interests and passions.

This is meant to enhance a user's ability to find others with similar affinities or interests, and be able to connect and learn from experts. Organisations, businesses, and brands can leverage topics, interests, and causes that they're passionate about and share them with their audience.  Thus, communities provide a place for all of these groups to converge.

As a business, here are some of the benefits of setting up Google+ communities:

  • Find and connect with people whose interests relate to your business
  • Start engaging in discussions with prospects and individuals that share a passion related to your business
  • Host Hangouts and Events to engage face-to-face

By creating a community that's relevant to your brand, you can quickly begin to build a community based on topics of interest to your customers and act as a guide or moderator for discussions within your community.

You can also engage with other communities that are related to your business.  In addition, your Google plus page can engage with community members, whether they follow you or not, using Hangouts and Events.

Engaging in communities related to your business is another great way for businesses to listen to and learn from their customers and target audience.  Communities can be a rich source of market research.  Try joining a community related to your business or industry and stay connected with your customers, even when they're not directly engaging with you.  For example, a major e-commerce electronics retailer could observe what people are talking about within a gadget and tech-focused community, and use this information to make decisions on stock, products, user needs etc. and respond to them.

Setting up Google+ Communities

The set up process is pretty simple; you can choose one of four community types:

  1. Public communities – this is a community where anyone can join.
  2. Public but moderator approval needed to join – this is a community type where anyone can join upon a moderator's approval.
  3. Private but people can find you through search and request to join – similar to the above community type where anyone can request to join, but unlike the previous community type, only members of the community can see existing members and their posts.
  4. And finally, private communities hidden from search – people can become members of a community only via invitation, members and their posts are viewable only to existing members, and the community is hidden from search.

The key to remember is that once you have selected one of the four types of communities you cannot later change it. So be sure to think long and hard about which community type suits your audience best.

Setting up your community:

Name – pick a unique name that clearly conveys the purpose of your community.

Photo – pick a photo that'll make a good impression

Tagline – make sure to include a descriptive tagline to attract the right audience.

About – this is the section where new members will learn about your community, so use this space to describe the purpose of the community, what types of posts you'd encourage users to share, and add any relevant information.

Discussion categories

You can create discussion categories to help your community members find topics that they're most interested in. So if you have set up an 'online marketing' community, you can have categories such as SEO, Paid Search, Social Media, CRO, Email Marketing etc. Categories can be added, renamed, reordered, and deleted fairly easily.

Posts and moderators

Unlike Google plus pages where you mainly broadcast information about yourself, communities are meant to encourage discussion and sharing of ideas by community members. If you find yourself doing all the posting, it might be a good idea to identify some of the most active members within the community and make them moderators so as to get them involved in managing and posting content.

Moderators can:

  • Remove posts made by members
  • Remove members from the community
  • Ban members from the community

Lastly, here's a check-list with setting up and managing a Google plus community:

Setting up your community

  • Pick a unique name that communicates your community's purpose clearly
  • Include a 200-pixel-wide by 250-pixel-tall photo that makes a good impression
  • Add a clear and descriptive tagline to attract the right members
  • In the 'About' section, add additional information relevant to your community and set expectations for members
  • Add discussion categories to help guide conversations
  • Write a first post to welcome members

Promoting your community

  • Share your community publicly from your profile or page
  • Share your community on other social networks
  • Send out emails announcing your community
  • Promote the community on your blog and include a link
  • Link to your community from your website

Engage with your community

  • Participate by posting, leaving comments, +1'ing posts, and creating hangouts and events
  • Install the Google+ mobile app to keep up with your community on-the-go
  • Check in on your community daily to make sure that the right kinds of conversations are happening
  • Update and add discussion categories if necessary. Invite moderators to help you post content and manage your community

I hope you've found this post useful. Have you set up a community on Google plus yet? If so, please feel free to share your thoughts and experience within the comments below.

Image credit: steven w

© SEOptimise - Download our free business guide to blogging whitepaper and sign-up for the SEOptimise monthly newsletter. Setting up Google plus communities – what you need to know

Related posts:

  1. The Art of Setting Facebook KPIs
  2. What Brands Need To Know About Google+ Pages
  3. The Future of Google & the Triple Convergence: Mobile, Social & the Knowledge Graph
Publicat de 1 la 05:03 0 comentarii
Abonați-vă la: Postări (Atom)