Archive 27 September 2021

What the hell is “Omnichannel” Marketing?

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Every now and then you hear buzzwords floating around in the world of Marketing and Finance that will catch your attention. One such phrase that came into my sphere of perception recently is “Omnichannel” Marketing. Even though presently I am studying in a business school, this word wasn’t ever a part of the college curriculum.

So now that I got your attention let us see what it is exactly.

Omnichannel marketing refers to creating your brand’s presence across multiple online and offline channels while ensuring a positive and seamless experience throughout the customer journey.

Here the key words are ‘positive’ and ‘seamless’ because often for consumers the reason why they may move out from a brand to another is because of negative customer experiences. This means today every brand has to take their omnichannel marketing strategies very seriously and mold it in such a way that it gives the consumer a net positive experience.

Why is it Important Today?

Omnichannel Marketing is essential primarily because it helps a brand guide a customer’s experience at every stage of their lifecycle, reduce churn, and drive and build an overall positive reputation.

A good example of this is Disney, it starts with your initial experience on the entertainment giant’s beautiful, mobile-responsive website. Once you’ve booked a trip to Disneyland, you can use the My Disney Experience tool to plan your entire trip, from where you’ll dine to securing your Fast Pass. In the park, you can use your mobile app to locate the attractions you want to see, as well as view the estimated wait time for each of them. They also have what is known as MagicBand program, this tool acts as a hotel room key, photo storage device for any pictures taken of you with Disney characters, and a food ordering tool.

Therefore Disney makes sure that the consumer can go home with the memories of a significant experience which increases the probability of them returning in the future.

Steps to build the Perfect Omnichannel Marketing Campaign

  • Plan the experience of the consumer beforehand.
  • Start with the basics: Your website and social media channels.
  • Use data as a base while strategizing– With the help of CRM data, social listening data, and customer’s online search behavior, you will know how your customer behaves and can accordingly create a solution to address their challenges. 
  • Segment the users and personalize the journey.
  • Seek to solve for the customer every step of the way.
  • Make sure the context is right as bad messaging to the wrong audience at the wrong time turns away future users
  • Use the same messaging across channels, but beware of using boilerplate content. Don’t just copy and paste everything left and right.
  • Give customers a device- and platform-appropriate CTA (Call to Action)
  • Make your organization customer-centric.

Omni-Channel Experience- A Key to Future Success

Our world is becoming increasingly virtual day by day, and I don’t have to explicitly say this for you to get it. Let us be honest here, every one of us looks at our phone the first thing in the morning and the last thing before bed. For the Marketer of the Future this means they could fine tune your consumer experience in such a significant way that you do not forget it. This is much more than a random corporate trying to sell you their new boring printer, as now it’s all about providing you value in the smallest of time intervals so that you Consumer is now the Royalty.

But, but, what about Funding?

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Human beings are a unique set of creatures. What differentiates us from the rest of animal kingdom is our ability to think, imagine and visualize. Our brains have the capability to identify a problem and find very realistic solution for the same. And that is where, an overly used and sometimes mispronounced word “entrepreneurship” takes birth. Entrepreneurs are people who have the capacity to identify a visible or sometimes a hidden problem.

They not only throw light to it but also provide a very reasonable solution(s). In that case wouldn’t all of us become entrepreneurs? So, what are some of us doing differently? The most common answer we come up with to explain why we are not converting our million-dollar ideas to million-dollar businesses is in fact not an answer but a question.

“But what about funding?”

Through this article let’s answer that question. Albeit not a new piece of information, I hope the essay gives you a brief summary of a few ways you can possibly raise funds.

1.  Be Bold and Believe

If you have an idea and you know its epic, be the first one to invest in your business. I could put the sentiment in a dramatic way and quote, “If not you, then who”. Investing in your own company not only give you more control on business but it will also help investors to understand that you are serious about what you are trying to achieve.  It will ensure the investors that even if the business hits a bad month or two, you, the proprietor will work through the problems. Not to mention funding your own is least expensive in terms of cost and control.

2. Ask and ye shall receive 

If you do not have any way of raising money then you can always think about other sources. The most common one is asking your family or relatives. The major advantage here is that your family knows you well and it will give them assurance to invest in your business. And if your fear that you would lose control of the business to your relatives, you can always make and maintain contracts that would ensure clear and professional behavior where business is concerned.

3. Angels are Real

Before we understand, what an angel investor is, let’s get something straight and simple. An entity can fund you either through debt, equity or a combination of both. In case of debt, you will need to pledge something as an assurance that the person or institute funding you will not lose their money. You will have to pay back the funds borrowed plus a fee otherwise known as interest rate. But in case of equity, there is no collateral but the fund provider gets some kind of ownership position in the company depending on the fund given to the proprietor.

Angel investors are individuals who offer fund to start ups for a piece of the business. According to business news daily the percentage of business angel investors want in return for fund lies in the range of 20-25%.

4. Good old banks

Although banks wouldn’t be motivated to invest in your business at its incubation stage, it can and will provide funds for working capital against account receivables, inventory and so on. There are several schemes that will help you to receive funds from financial institution and this may vary depending on the nature of your business, the experience you have as an entrepreneur and the general atmosphere of the organization.

Understand that these are just some ways to raise money, now there are also platforms like crowd funding websites like kickstarter.com that can solve your fund related problems. At the end of the day if you really believe that you have the answer to an impelling problem then don’t let the hurdle “But what about funding” stop you from blossoming. Remember if the will is strong enough the way appears.

Why you hate Work

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What happens when you hate the most in life you will have to do it anyways!

Like in the case of students most of us hate math classes and you do not have any option because if you don’t take it you are not able to accumulate credits and pass in that subject. When people despise their jobs, they become depressed and emotional, making it difficult for them to consider why they might want to stay also you are unable to use your imagination or bring new ideas to the workplace, and it is a frustrating feeling that you are no longer required to think.

It’s a terrible feeling to look forward to going to work every day. You spend your days dealing with angry customers, accepting responsibility for company failures beyond your control, and wasting hours each day battling public transportation to and from work. When you get home from work, you’re so exhausted that you collapse on the sofa and order takeout. You spend more time at work than anywhere else, so it shouldn’t be a source of dissatisfaction. If you believe this is the case, it is time to take action. A negative attitude at work can have a negative impact on not only your performance but also your health. Complaining to coworkers and friends about a bad work environment may feel therapeutic, but it only makes things worse.

Working from home in our Post-Covid Era

Some people are unable to do so because they are preoccupied with other things.

  • If you’re looking for relatable examples
  • I’m not sure how much bread I have.
  • Is it necessary for me to go to the store?
  • What is the current state of the fence?
  • Is it necessary for me to hire someone to fix it?
  • These walls are painted in a color that I truly hate.
  • Perhaps I should bring a television with me to keep me company while I work.

The point is that when you work from home, your mind wanders. It’s also true that the human brain can’t focus on work for the entire workday.

I’d love it if I could find a job that allowed me to do this, but I know some family members who would be better off if they didn’t. They don’t seem to be able to concentrate when they have to work.

Well, from my perspective, I can give specifics on how to stay in a job that you despise and how to stay positive in that job.

  1. Ask yourself why

People frequently leave jobs they hate without first determining what they dislike about them.

  • Are you tired of being bored?
  • Is your commute excessively long?
  • Is the structure of the company too flat?
  • Do you wish you had more peers?
  • Is your job too process-oriented?
  1. Volunteer for passion projects

To avoid any misunderstandings or conflicts, check in with the manager. Outside of the company, work on passion projects such as pro bono public relations and marketing services for local people, minority-owned businesses, and political campaigns.

  1. Create your own goals and rewards
  2. Learn a new skill

Develop a new skill and put your time and effort into improving it. Ask your boss to send you to a seminar or pay for an online course if it’s something that would benefit you in your current job. At the very least, you’ll be able to start preparing for your next job while learning something that interests you.

  1. Practice gratitude

Leave your pessimism at the door, pick up some new skills, and strive to be the best version of yourself. When it’s time to walk out the door, your new boss will appreciate your upbeat demeanor, and you won’t leave a negative impression.

Power of saying ‘No’

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‘No’- might be a small word but it is more carries a powerful message when used in the right place. If you’re looking for a peaceful life then you are in the right place. This post is based on my personal experience and how I started to enjoy myself just by saying the simple and easy word- ‘No’!. I used to believe my happiness was based on how well I could please others, but once I started to say ‘Yes to other’s commitments and goals, I had to say ’No’ to myself.

I was in the assumption that the more I could say ‘Yes’ to others, the more I would be happy. But at one point in time, I was burnt out. I was tired of saying Yes, so I decided to start saying No.

Stop being a People Pleaser

Stop being a people pleaser!- It is a highly overrated suggestion from society. We have grown up with it and are still following it for no reason! Everyone suggests pleasing others to have a good impression. Yes, it is good to create a good impression, but that does not mean you need to please everyone. Each one of us is having a limited amount of energy and a limited set of resources.

The biggest problem in saying ’No’ is people take it as rejection. We need to remember that we are only responsible for what we say and what is in our hands and not for what others think and perceive about us. If you start considering others’ opinions you will fall back to the ‘People Pleaser’ zone again. People are afraid to say no because of the same reason. They think they will be rejected, but the truth is when you start saying Yes, you are over-committing too much than your ability.

Learn to say NO!

Have you seen a 5 years old kid, he is happier than an adult. If we boil down to the root cause it is very simple, he does not fear others’ rejection and others’ feelings. He is bothered only about his happiness and is least bothered about what the world thinks about him.

Start by saying ’No’ to small things which do have a huge impact on our daily life. We are grown up and hardwired to say ‘yes’ subconsciously. Even before our mind processes the situation our words speak. There is a lot to unlearn before we learn something new.

Limited Time and Energy!

We need to be aware of the fact that none of us are permanent in this world, and are limited with energy and resources. Life is small and simple. Rather than fulfilling others’ dreams and goals, start to analyze your commitments. When you start saying ‘No’ to others you have more time to fulfil your goals.

One last thing to say, it’s your right to say No and you are not responsible for others’ feelings and emotions.