These days the same-old, same-old, is simply not working. It wasn’t long ago that you could work for a company and build a career through hard work and commitment. Today, this isn’t the case. 
There is very little stability in the market and you need to continually invest in and reinvent yourself and your products.
As marketing professionals, how do we navigate an every changing landscape?
Here are 5 easy steps to help you stay relevant in your marketing efforts:
1) Listen, listen and listen!
As seasoned marketing professionals we’re good at speaking at our audience. STOP and LISTEN! One of my motivational mentors, Zig Ziglar says that success is a matter of helping others achieve their goals. Successful marketers are those that best understand their clients goals and preferences.
2) Don’t be afraid
While you don’t want to be hasty, don’t be afraid to challenge the norms of your office or organization. If there’s ever any time to challenge office politics, it’s now.
3) Add value
Think above and beyond the norm and look to delight your audience. There’s a growing trend across age groups to make a difference in their community. So look for ways to give back and incorporate this into your product mix. Pepsi does this very well with their Refresh campaign.
4) Think social engagement
I recently had a conversation with a general manager at an auto dealership and he asked me how to sell cars on Facebook. WRONG! It’s about engaging in a social way to tap into a potential buyers interests. Nobody wants to be sold something they don’t genuinely need. I guarantee that more people would ‘like’ a dealership if they were educating and providing valuable information without being pushy or irrelevant.
5) Don’t give up
It’s common for professionals to apply different measurement standards to social media and online marketing than they would for tried and true platforms. If something doesn’t appear to work at first blush, don’t be quick to dismiss the platform as not successful. You might miss out on something great. Social relationships are difficult to measure and require different measurements.