On the fence about social media?
April 7, 2011 by Barbara · 4 Comments
Perhaps I’m feeling more social now that we have daylight savings time and warmer days. Or maybe it reflects the conversations I have been having about social media with Puget Sound AEC firms.
I see a definite shift from two years ago when I moderated a panel on social media for SMPS and most people replied to the question, “How is your firm engaging in social media?” with answers like “We’re too busy, and don’t know how we’d add anything to our plates;” and “I’m not sure how social media applies to what we do.” Read more
My year as social media explorer
March 28, 2011 by Barbara · 8 Comments
I’ve been learning about social media for more than a year now, and I keep asking other people how they are engaging with it.
My audience basically falls into two camps: professional service firms, primarily in the design and construction industry, and small and solo business people who are often active in Biznik.
My AEC colleagues mostly still watch, often maintaining personal accounts and blogs while their firms debate how to engage as a firm. In general, LinkedIn predominates, no longer seen as just for job seekers, many believe it is the best place to find and meet other professionals. Jan Flesher’s periodic blog posts about the AEC industry set a good example for using social media to offer value. Read more
I’m not sure I should tell you this
February 28, 2011 by Barbara · 6 Comments
I struggle with my own marketing. I agonize over finding the right words for my own marketing message. All the objectivity and inspiration that I love bringing to my clients . . . POOF! Suddenly my head is going in circles.
Finally I realized that I need to get OUT of my head to make progress. And I need another human being to interact with who can hold an objective, outside perspective.
Why is this so important? There are a few reasons.
Now more than ever we are required to be crystal clear in our marketing communications, and that all boils down to our core message: the bedrock of how you promote your business. Read more
Why I want you to love planning
February 22, 2011 by Barbara · 4 Comments
I love to plan. It’s not just that I like some control and predictability. There is such satisfaction in gathering up the pieces in my mind and putting them on paper in some meaningful relation to one another. I see connections. I get more ideas. It’s fun!
I know that we are not all wired this way. I have no illusions that my plan will happen by the ‘script,’ but experience has convinced me that any planning makes my clients (and me) better prepared when life happens. And I don’t have to tell you that life typically doesn’t ask us how we’d like it delivered. It simply arrives. Read more
Living & breathing your plan
February 16, 2011 by Barbara · 13 Comments
“If you don’t set goals, you can’t regret not reaching them.” Yogi Berra
Some of us would rather plan than do. Others hate to plan, and just want to be out in the world doing Stuff. Many of us fall in the middle, loving some parts of planning and doing, and avoiding others.
There is a lot of evidence that planning our business and marketing is a good idea. Sound like bad-tasting medicine? It doesn’t have to be. Planning has us take an overview, which helps us see patterns or trends, and connect the dots in new ways. A plan gives us a way to be consistent about activities that are essential for a sustainable, profitable business. Planning can be creative and fun — and it can really pay off. Read more
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As a 25-year veteran of marketing professional services, Barbara Breckenfeld is a strategist and a storyteller. She helps helps businesses grow as a consultant, marketing coach, and seminar leader.
