Five Resolutions Every Marketer Should Stick to in 2015

By Bob Murphy 

In 2014, the impact of marketing grew in new and exciting ways. The evolution of technology made content more targeted and engaging, and it helped marketers uncover valuable insights about their target customers; it also made it easier than ever to determine return on investment (ROI).

As 2015 goes into full swing, it looks like that evolution won't be slowing down.

For the modern CMO—for every marketer today—it's easy to feel overwhelmed by new progress in the field. Suddenly, data must drive all marketing decisions, strategies must be tailored to translate across a multitude of mobile devices, and CEOs are demanding to see measurable and actionable results.

You can feel as though you're drowning in new opportunities, obligations, and variables.

If you're a marketer who wants to stay ahead of the curve, here are some resolutions you should consider keeping in 2015.

1. Prioritize data

Marketing is now a science. Make it a priority to treat it as such in 2015. The data you collect holds valuable information for your company's operations, including details on how campaigns are performing, whom you are reaching and how they react to your brand, and what you're doing especially well (or not.)

Take advantage of all that information to reconfigure your strategy if it seems misaligned with the data, and track your results; doing so not only allows you deeper insight into how you're operations are faring but also keeps you and your team accountable by helping you determine the relative ROI of your various efforts.

2. Integrate your strategies

Do you find yourself juggling a digital strategy, a traditional marketing strategy, and even a mobile strategy—all with different goals and outcomes?

In 2015, make it a priority to integrate those disparate pieces into one cohesive marketing strategy and streamline your operations. Revisit your 2015 marketing plan and think about how all of those different segments feed into your overall goals, and revise tactical elements and budgets to reflect your objectives.

The goal is for all tactics to work together around a single strategy and to seamlessly support one another.

3. Embrace both amateur and professional content

Do you know what people are saying about your company? How is your marketing received among your target market?

Recognize that people outside of your marketing team are talking about and creating content around your brand. Whether through blog posts, tweets, or even conversations with family and friends, content about your brand is being circulated.

Instead of trying to quash this amateur content or drown it out with professional branded content, embrace it. Learn from it, and use it to improve the authenticity of your communication with your stakeholders.

4. Track, report, and actually deliver on your goals and objectives

Do you want a seat at the C-suite table? Of course you do—but you may be neglecting the responsibilities that will get you there: tracking, reporting, and delivering on your marketing goals and objectives.

To prove your worth, you need to be able to hand hard numbers to your CEO and the rest of the C-suite, and you can do that only by proactively resolving to tie your various efforts directly to sales.

If you can show that you are delivering results that make a positive financial impact on your company, you'll earn that seat.

5. Communicate with the rest of your company

What are your company's objectives for 2015, and where does marketing fit into those objectives?

To prove your worth beyond the walls of the C-Suite, communicate what you're doing to the rest of the organization and explain how marketing aligns with company strategy. Then, take it a step further and explain what other departments can do to help out and offer an open door for advice and suggestions.

Having an outside perspective helps you to refresh and realign your marketing objectives, and it helps those outside your department understand what it is you do and why it's important to the company as a whole. Moreover, showing that you are holding your marketing department accountable to those company goals fosters appreciation for what you do and encourages buy-in from the rest of the company.

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2014 was a year of tremendous innovation for marketing, and 2015 will be no different. Today's marketers need to learn from the lessons of the past year and commit to taking steps that will keep their company ahead of the curve in the year ahead.

7 Surprising Benefits of Writing Down 10 Ideas Everyday

By Mike Fishbein

It sounded a little hokey to me at first. Writing down 10 ideas every morning. I mean, what’s so valuable about ideas.

It was something James Altucher had recommended doing as part of his daily practice. I’ve benefited from reading about his other experiences so I decided to give it a try.

I started writing down 10 ideas every day as part of my morning routine. Right when I get to the office. Before I open my computer.

The ideas are about any one topic…usually marketing ideas for my business, new business ideas, ways to improve my life or business, connections I can make between people in my network, blog post ideas, lists to include within blog posts, ways I could help people, etc.. I write using pen and paper, as shown in the picture above.

My initial skepticism has turned to advocacy as the benefits have been unforeseen and profound. Below are 7 ways I’ve benefited from writing down 10 ideas every day like James Altucher.

1. It Strengthens My Idea Muscle

When I get to around the 7th idea, I can feel my brain start to sweat. Similar to how your body starts sweating when you’re doing the last repetition of a set of bench press. It used to be around the 4th or 5th idea that my brain would start sweating. But since I’ve strengthened my idea muscle, now it’s the 7th or 8th.

Like lifting weights at the gym, pushing yourself to come up with ideas makes you stronger. The benefit of writing down 10 ideas every day is not just the ideas themselves. In fact, at least a couple of my ideas are usually terrible ideas that I will never think about again. One of the biggest benefits is that it has strengthened my idea muscle. And as a result...

2. I Have More Ideas Throughout the Day

The ideas haven’t stopped flowing when I write down my 10th idea, put away my notepad, and open up my laptop. They keep flowing throughout the day.

I find myself thinking of business ideas, marketing ideas, and more, throughout the day. It seems by taking time to go through the process of coming ideas in the morning, it keeps happening throughout the rest of the day.

3. Some of the Ideas Are Really Valuable

(Most) ideas are a dime a dozen...but the best way to come up with ideas that are worth more than a dime is to come up with more ideas.

10 ideas per day x 365 days per year = 3,650 ideas. If just one or two of those are great idea, you can be very successful. If 10-20 of them are "pretty good," that can move the needle significantly.

By coming up with more ideas, I increase my chances of having good ideas. I don’t execute on all of the ideas, but some of them I do. For example…

4. I Wrote My Own Job Description

I had an idea for a friend that I thought could improve his business. So I gave him the idea. He liked the idea. Now I’m working with him to execute on that idea.

He’s become “beta tester” for a business I could provide to many other people.

The next evolution of my 10 ideas practice will be to come up with more ideas for other people, and then send them the ideas. It seems like an amazing way tonetwork. Providing value to people up front instead of asking for their time like everyone else is.

5. Gives Me Clarity in The Morning

I get thousands of emails per day. Everyone is always busy. It’s easy to get wrapped up in everything and never have time to think about the big picture.

I’ve found it extremely beneficial just to pause and listen to myself think. Time to be proactive instead of reactive, and to think long-term.

Often when I sit down to think about ideas about one topic, I end up having of ideas about another topic. My idea list might be marketing ideas or ways to improve my business, but while I’m writing down those 10 ideas, I’ll start having ideas about other things…like new business ideas, people I should introduce to each other, and ways other people could improve their business.

6. Builds Momentum to Start the Day

Pushing through the sweat and writing down the 10 ideas starts my day off with a win. The small win gives me momentum to start tackling bigger challenges through the rest of the day. I experience the pride of overcoming a small challenge and it re-affirms that I can accomplish larger objectives.

7. It Reminds Me that I’m an Idea Machine

Despite the sweat, I’m able to come up with 10 ideas every single day. 10 ideas per day x 365 days per year = 3,650 ideas pear year. And if I keep coming up with 10 ideas every day for the next 10 years I will have 36,500 ideas.

Coming up with 10 ideas every single days gives me affirmation that I’m an idea machine. That I will never stop being able to come up with ideas. That I will always be able to come up with more ideas. It reminds me that I have endless opportunities to create value.