Although this is an article specific to Social Media (a current passion!), there are some very practical and simple lessons for managers wanting a structured process to get things done thoroughly and quickly. No, the two are not mutually exclusive. It’s about FOCUS and ACCOUNTABILITY. Of yes, and if you happen to be planning, say, developing a company website there are direct applications.
My favorite learning is the new definition of “Scrum.” Not referring to Rubgy, the new definition:
“a project management process with less planning, more prototyping and faster turnaround. Taken from agile software development process, scrum is easy to learn; requires little effort to start using; and works ideally for social media [and OTHER!] projects.”
This isn’t the only way to manage introducing a new product, but it is one to consider. See how it fits your business!
Social media -- those invitations to be a friend on Facebook, to connect via LInkedIn, Tweets on Twitter -- all those and many, many more comprise this new area of marketing communications. We are planning a workshop on this in Atlanta for next month geared to Small Business Owners, and including marketing strategies all the way through to blogging. Stay tuned for more info!
Meanwhile, here are two YouTube videos to view especially if you’re still sorting things out. One is about Web 2.0, the one after that is also about this new Web world and is a beautifully creative piece to boot!
Whatever you do, DON’T MISS this one! Takes less than 5 minutes.
It’s tempting, to be sure. First, stop listening to the news hourly – it will only depress you and not offer any information useful to your business. Unless you’re an investment banker or needing credit to stay afloat, the economic situation oughtn’t to affect your business directly. And Wall Street’s woes don’t mean that you suspend your business. On the contrary! Now is not the time to allow the marketplace to forget you. Stay on track with those ad campaigns and initiatives. You’ll be glad you did.
At this time more than any other, having a clear, current and actionable plan for your business is of critical importance. This article is written by the head of Palo Alto Software, makers of the leading business planning software “Business Plan Pro.” They produce in-depth plans suitable for soliciting loans. Although he has an obvious bias, he is correct that challenging financial times are precisely the time to re-evaluate (or evaluate — or build) your plans, starting with Sales Plans and Marketing Plans.
A plan that functions effectively doesn’t have to be voluminous. But it does have to exist!
