On the value side:

More than seven out of ten (72 percent) of those surveyed see the need to gain control over the exponentially growing volumes of data in their organizations. In addition, 75 percent mentioned the new and better possibilities for data analysis arising from such technologies, and nearly two-thirds (66 percent) already have identified the value of so-called polystructured data from different sources, such as social media, sensors or weblogs.

But, what is the top challenge?

No, it’s not a lack of resources. (In fact, earlier this year, the CMO Council reported that marketing budgets are on the upswing.)

Interestingly, our research found that the most troublesome big data challenge facing companies today is insufficient technical and analytical know-how.  As I wrote about in a previous blog post, it seems that, at least for now, there just aren’t enough data scientists to go around.

How is your company faring in this regard? Are you able to find the talent you need to propel your organization forward in our big data economy? And what if we move beyond the issue of data scientists? What other big data challenges are keeping you up at night?

When I talk to marketers, I hear that marketing organizations are struggling with:

• A tactical vs. strategic approach to markets and marketing. Companies that still view marketing as mostly an “arts and crafts” function have trouble implementing data-driven marketing. Marketers simply must become less tactical and more strategic, embracing an approach that uses data and gleans valuable insights from the information contained in it.

• Manual marketing management. If your internal creative go-to-market processes are manual, they’re not only impeding you from engaging in relevant conversations with your customers; they’re also hurting you in the boardroom. The C-suite now demands greater accountability from marketing, and CMOs and their teams must use an integrated suite of marketing applications, one that can help collect, manage and report on the business of marketing while connecting to broader enterprise systems (like service and sales) to show value and a closed loop- view of marketing.

• Silos of interactions across channels. When marketers – and other employees –manage information across multiple siloed systems, it’s difficult to get everyone on the same page and achieve buy-in for more integrated solutions.

• Difficulty in communicating marketing value.  We all know that today’s marketers are expected to deliver a higher degree of performance and metric-driven discipline than ever before. Unfortunately, though, many are falling short. CMOs must embrace this new laser focus on accountability, transparency, customer acquisition and retention . . . and they have to “prove it” in the C-suite. Then, they need to implement the new technology required to harness big data, integrate operations and produce even more credible, tangible metrics.

What’s holding back your organization from adopting a data-driven marketing approach? As you’ve undoubtedly heard before, the first step in solving a problem is identifying the problem itself. Now that marketers recognize the value of big data, it’s time to start hurdling the challenges and working toward implementing big data marketing solutions.

The latest push forward has centered largely on digital marketing: websites, email marketing, social media marketing, multimedia marketing and mobile marketing –and the underlying data and analytics aspects that make it “go” —to name just a few options available to pros today.

As companies shift their budgets to include the latest technologies, the same questions about priorities keep coming up again and again: Has digital marketing completely eclipsed traditional marketing? Do classic strategies matter anymore?

The buzz around today’s new platforms could lead you to believe that yes, digital marketing does, in fact, require your immediate –and complete –attention. But savvy marketers know there’s no need to jettison established channels in favor of every new opportunity that comes along. One, if not the main truism, remains: It’s always about customer engagement, and making those relationships more interactive.

Here’s why traditional marketing still matters . . . and how you can combine marketing channels to create effective campaigns:

• Different audiences exist on different channels. Few companies can say for certain that their entire audience has “gone digital.” So why give up on those who connect with you elsewhere? For all the people glued to their smartphones, there are still plenty glued to their television sets.By balancing your efforts and your marketing spend, you stay connected with customers and potential customers everywhere.
• Different techniques engage your audience in different ways. There’s a difference in the way a television campaign engages your audience versus how a social media campaign calls them to action. Audiences who view your messages on their smartphones or tablets have a different experience than ones who catch your ad in the paper.By combining passive (view and connect) and interactive (respond and connect) strategies, you stand a better chance of engaging a broader audience overall.
• Integration benefits both sides of the marketing spectrum. The brand messaging strength of a traditional ad campaign can add punch to your social media messages. On the other hand, uploading your best (most meaningful, most funny, etc.) ads to YouTube gives your fans a chance to share what it means to them. The opportunity to interact with you on Twitter or Facebook can keep the impact of a television spot going long after its 30 seconds have passed. Including a QR code in your print campaigns ensures that your website gets plugged in to your audience’s smartphones. The options are truly endless!

Ultimately, a balance between the old and new makes for the most comprehensive—and successful—approach. If you can use the best aspects of your digital campaigns to add spice to your traditional campaigns, and the strongest messages of your traditional campaigns to add resonance to your digital efforts, you’ve gone further than any single channel, or type of channel, could possibly go.

And that sounds exactly like what every smart marketer wants to achieve: creating compelling, lasting and mutually-rewarding customer relationships.

Starting the conversation versus listening and responding

Marketers are used to choosing channels to push out messages. Traditionally, we use the channels our target audience responds to and push out the messages that work well within those channels. When a new channel emerges, there’s always a period of adjustment before best practices float to the top.

Social media is still in this debate stage, though savvy marketers have settled on a few key imperatives:

• Listen to customers before you say anything.
• Influence the conversation—don’t attempt to control it.
• If you’re going to use a channel, monitor it regularly.
• Have protocols in place to make responding easier.

All of these things can be tied to the reality that customers —not companies –“own” social media. Even if you delete comments or complaints on your own pages or accounts, you can’t stop folks from talking about you everywhere else. This is why many companies fear “starting the conversation” via social media. “What if no one wants to respond to us?”

And worse… what if the response is negative?

Sharing marketing messages via social: How far should companies go?

So, should companies simply respond to customers, or can they push out messages and perspectives via social channels, too? Many companies worry about looking like they’re “broadcasting,” megaphone-style, if they share advertising or marketing pitches… or even just fun content (albeit with a marketing twist).

The “no social marketing!” advocates often suggest that social channels work better for customer service, crisis management, market research, listening for concerns and overall customer sentiment. All of these are good things—but do they need to be the only things?

While the warnings against pushing out too much marketing undoubtedly saved a few companies from coming off like bullhorns, I feel the pendulum may have swung a bit far in some cases. Many studies have shown consumers don’t mind being marketed to if the pitch fits their particular needs/aesthetic and offers them real value.

And why miss out on the chance to communicate about your business when someone is listening?

Well, it depends.

When it comes to deciding how to use social media channels for your business, all the following factors need to be a part of the discussion:

• Who is your target audience?
• How are they using social channels?
• What social channels are they using?
• Which of your competitors are using social channels?
• What are they doing that garners a great response?
• What mistakes are they making?
• What are people already saying about you on social channels?
• How much time and effort do you have to give to these platforms?
• How well can you integrate social media into your other marketing initiatives?

That’s a long list of questions! But giving each question some thought is the best way to ensure you use social media effectively.

Great examples of social media for customer care

Some of the first social media “success stories” came from companies that used social channels to reach out to unhappy or concerned customers.

One of the most famous of these stories started when Frank Eliason of Comcast launched a Twitter handle devoted to reaching out to customers. @ComcastCares was an organic decision based on a clear need, and it made Eliason something of a digital celebrity—after he had helped thousands of customers.

@JetBlue remains one of the most responsive companies on Twitter or Facebook, and some might say they need to be, given the amount of chaos and concern their customers face on a daily basis. The reality is that air travel is unavoidably subject to delays, malfunctions and errors. So why would a company step into the fray, knowing it going to face a bit of a firestorm.

Because companies like JetBlue earn a tremendous amount of customer goodwill for being willing to step up and face the music —and in the process, they help customers become more open and responsive to their marketing efforts, too.

Great examples of social media for marketing—and influence

Plenty of marketers also do a fantastic job of pushing out marketing initiatives their customers love. The “secret sauce” to getting a good response via social media, again, is knowing your market and providing real value—which, of course, is precisely what makes any kind of marketing garner a better response.

Video game company EA shows a deep understanding of what its audience loves by using a YouTube video channel. This platform shows off customers’ creativity alongside the release of EA’s Spore game. The Spore Creature Creator not only celebrates the best aspects of the game, it puts fans in charge of creating content (something any marketer could grow to love).

The “Whole Story” blog from Whole Foods is another example of great social content—but with the capacity to influence, not simply entertain.

Whole Foods’ mandate to be one of the most responsible corporate chains in the world lines up nicely with the stories shared on the blog: posts from product producers and dedicated employees, others that cover issues customers care about . . .and much more.

Not only does this content contribute to Whole Foods’ positive reputation, it positions the company as a thought leader on multiple issues—a powerful way to influence the conversation on social media.

When it comes to deciding how your company can best use social media platforms, consider first how you can use them to benefit your customers. Once you’ve figured that out, you’ll be on your way to effective social media marketing.

But there’s one big problem with that philosophy: All of us are different and unique.

We each have our own personalities, our own passions, our own goals and our own way of doing things. And when those unique aspects of who we are bump up against a wall of strict norms, we can end up feeling, well . . . weird.

Fortunately, some smart people are figuring out that weirdness is something to embrace, not fight. In fact, some aspects of being a renegade may actually make you more successful.

Here are some tips to help you make the best of your own weirdness, and the weirdness of those around you at work:

• Little freedoms can add up to big satisfaction. Offering employees a standing desk or yoga ball instead of a classic office chair. Encouraging everyone to set up a playlist for the office stereo –or even having an office stereo! Loosening up the dress code. Letting folks decorate their own personal workspace. Offering unique hours to capitalize on when employees are most productive. Creating a weekly or monthly event around a favorite snack or beverage (“Smoothie Tuesday”).

While none of these things could be considered a major benefit (or even truly weird), the freedom to be comfortable and express who we are in a group situation—and to come together around those passions—can make a huge difference in the long run. Yes, everyone needs to be appropriate, especially in a client-facing environment. BUT, “appropriate” can have a more broad definition than we often give it.

• Creativity doesn’t belong in a box. Offering comfortable collaborative spaces and fostering a “brainstorming culture” can make it easier for employees to share their ideas and for “out of the box” ideas to make it past “dreaming” to “doing”.

Take some cues from the unique spaces successful companies have created, and consider what kind of collaborative space could encourage your own team to open up and work together.

• Work/life balance doesn’t need to be a myth. Encouraging balance is a major ingredient of our success at Teradata. By valuing the time our employees spend with their families, and on their own personal passions and interests, we communicate how valuable they are to our team, too. Happy employees make for a more productive and positive environment—something we can all agree is a good thing!

From flexible hours, to remote work options, to thoughtful illness policies, to supportive maternity/paternity policies… there are any number of benefits you can offer your team to make their work/life balance more successful. Consider which options work best for your particular team.

And one last bit of advice: If you’re not sure what would help your employees be more productive and satisfied… ask them!

The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, or CISPA, passed the House of Representatives a few weeks ago, but it will not go any further. Apparently, the Senate will not be taking up CISPA this spring. Instead, several Senators have said they plan to draft new legislation of their own.

Perhaps that’s for the best, considering President Obama already said he would veto CISPA in its current form.

In case you need a refresher, let me give you some background on CISPA, the latest round in the ongoing efforts to modernize the nation’s cybersecurity laws and practices.

Essentially, CISPA outlines how information would be voluntarily shared between private companies and the government in the event of a cyber attack. As PCMag.com explains, “If the government detects a cyber attack that might take down Facebook or Google, for example, they could notify those companies. At the same time, Facebook or Google could inform the feds if they notice unusual activity on their networks that might suggest a cyber attack.”

That sounds reasonable, doesn’t it? So, why is CISPA causing so much controversy –and more specifically, why does the President oppose it?

Mostly, the objections from the White House center on the protection of privacy, particularly the sharing of customer information between companies and the government. Here’s an excerpt from the Official White House Response to CISPA:

When it comes to information-sharing, there are three key principles we apply to any legislative proposal: Does it (1) sufficiently protect privacy and civil liberties, (2) ensure that a civilian department — not an intelligence agency — is the primary point of entry for cybersecurity information sharing, and (3) provide narrowly tailored liability protections that would allow the private sector to respond to threats (without encouraging reckless behavior). Here’s a bit more detail about each:

1. It’s important that any information shared under a new cybersecurity law must be limited to what’s relevant and necessary for cybersecurity purposes. That also means minimizing information that can be used to identify specific individuals. For example, if a utility company is looking for government assistance to respond to a cyber attack, it is unlikely that it needs to share the personal information of its customers, like contact information or energy-use history, with the government.

2. Cybersecurity legislation needs to preserve the traditional roles for civilian and intelligence agencies that we all understand. Specifically, if legislation authorizes new information sharing between the private sector and the government, then that new information should enter the government through a civilian department rather than an intelligence agency. That doesn’t mean breaking the existing mechanisms that already work. For example, victims of cyber crime ought to continue to report those violations to federal law enforcement agencies and public-private information-sharing relationships that already exist should be preserved.

3. Any new legislation ought to provide legal clarity for companies that follow the rules and appropriately share data with the government. But it should not provide broad immunity for businesses and organizations that act in ways likely to cause damage to third parties or result in the unwarranted disclosure of personal information.

And so the debate is likely to wage on –even though the White House says we urgently need “to modernize our laws and practices relating to cybersecurity, both for national security and the security of our country’s businesses.” There is an extremely delicate line between the privacy we all want and the security we need, and as every marketer knows, finding that balance isn’t easy.

Here’s my advice: While we wait for Congress to act, do your homework, and get your own house in order. With regard to consumer privacy, check out the “Privacy Promise” from the Direct Marketing Association (DMA). It’s an assurance to consumers that US marketers who are DMA members will use customer information in a manner that respects the customers’ wishes.

For more about preventing and reporting cyber attacks, see this cybersecurity tip sheet from the US Department of Homeland Security. Additional information is available from the National Cybersecurity Alliance.

Old Spice Guy

Some marketers will tell you that you need a viral video to be successful. Some will tell you there’s a formula for creating viral videos. Some say you won’t have to wait long to see if you succeeded with your viral video—the payoff for your efforts will be nearly instantaneous. Or, some may say just the opposite.

K-Mart’s advice for viral video hopefuls stands out from the crowd, though. If you want your video to succeed, just . . .

Ship your pants!

The sassy spot promoting K-Mart’s free “ship to store” option has been a major hit on the web (with a few exceptions), due in no small part to the laugh-out-loud pun repeated by multiple characters.

Whether you think it’s idiotic or genius, the video did manage to get people talking about K-Mart, a retail chain that could use a little good news. Now, K-Mart is taking the ad offline to TV viewers and hoping to see continued success.

Of course, other brands have attempted to go the same route by creating shocking, strange or funny videos to generate buzz and conversation; however, the strategy doesn’t always work. You can’t force people to talk about you —and you definitely can’t force them to say nice things when they do.

Even so, if you’re interested in creating a piece of viral content, here are a few tips to maximize your chances of racking up YouTube views:

Aim to earn a response—not a reaction. Shocking or startling can work sometimes, as with LG’s “Elevator Terror” spot or mission-driven spots like these texting and driving PSAs. But if you step over the line into truly taboo territory, you may end up with Hyundai’s current PR nightmare. Know your target audience, know their boundaries, consider the risks . . . and tread a little more lightly than you might think is necessary. Sure, going “too far” may work in some cases; whether that’s a chance worth taking is up to you.

Make sure they know who to talk about and where to go to see more. Your video should clearly identify that it comes from you, and it should contain links to exactly where you want your audience to go once they’re done watching. Do you want them to head to your social networks or directly to a certain part of your website? (And when they get there, be sure to greet them with consistent, relevant content that lets them know they’ve found the right place!)

Invite them to share your viral video, and make it easy! First and foremost, post your video on YouTube.com. Not only does YouTube make it easy for people to share your video on multiple networks, the platform also does you multiple favors in terms of search engines. Google loves YouTube results, which means your video could show up near the top for mentions of your brand or industry, and YouTube’s own search feature is considered one of the top search engines in the world. Being found, however, depends on how well you title, describe, categorize and tag your video, so don’t forget to:

• Put your brand name in the title and description of the video, and include it as a tag, as well.
• Include a link to your website within the video, and within your description.
• Tag your video liberally with relevant industry and search keywords.
• Include your video in a relevant YouTube category.
• If people begin describing your video in a particular way, go back and add that as a tag, too!

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. (But feel free to build another!)  Posting two or more videos that you release a few days or weeks apart can be a great way to capitalize on your video’s viral status, if you earn the buzz you’re looking for. Or, if you find yourself the subject of an internet love-fest, create another video that takes your concept in a slightly different direction.

There are no guarantees your next effort will earn the same amount of positive conversation, but if it does, you may have an Old Spice Guy on your hands.

Don’t get me wrong: Viral videos are not an automatic win, or an effortless path to promotion. On the contrary, they often fall flat, even if you put a ton of work into them. Be sure to manage your own expectations if you decide to wade into the viral fray—and remember, all the buzz in the world won’t fix a bad product or customer experience, so work on that first.

And of course, that’s why the ones who DO stand out from the crowd.

If you want to take advantage of all the benefits email marketing has to offer as an engagement resource, there are several ways to grow your list—and keep it healthy

Create a compelling opt-in. “Sign up for our newsletter” is straightforward, certainly. But, it begs several questions: “Why?” “What will I get?” “How often am I going to hear from you?” “Is there an immediate value for me?”

Your opt-in should:

• start with an engaging headline or title.
• indicate exactly what your subscriber will get (handy tips, monthly newsletter, special deals—or whatever you can consistently offer).
• offer some sort of immediate value (a percentage off of their first purchase, a free sample with their next buy, a free consultation, etc.).

Put that opt-in everywhere. What should the top fold of your website, the footer at the bottom of your website, all of your product pages and all of your landing pages have in common? An opt-in form! No one should have to look far for an opportunity to sign up.

And don’t forget your social media platforms. Include a link to a page where potential subscribers can opt in from your Twitter page (or link to it in a Tweet). Facebook also makes it easy for you to create a contact form to encourage your followers to sign up.

Encourage sharing. Be sure to include a “send to a friend” link with each of your email messages, as well as social links to share the content of your email. Keep this content hosted on a page of your site (with an opt-in nearby, of course).

Offer targeted content to targeted audiences. Consider offering a series of subject-specific emails that your subscribers can sign up for, according to their interests. When they use your opt-in form, give them the choice of what types of content they wish to receive—in addition to your primary newsletter or email updates.

Let subscribers control their email experience. Do they want a variety of different emails? Fewer emails? Only emails that offer special deals or sale information? With each message you send out, give them the chance to click through and adjust what they receive. And remember to . . .

Give subscribers a simple way to opt out in each message. It may seem counterintuitive to show your subscribers the exit on their way in, but people feel better about receiving emails—and sharing them with others—if they know they’re the ones in control.

Whatever naysayers or fans might say about the life or death of email marketing, if you’re willing to work at providing value, email can still be a solid strategy for not only engaging new customers, but also staying on the radar of your existing ones.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia commons

In the century since the Ford Model T’s trip down a dusty road designed for horse and buggy, car ownership and car culture in the US has exploded year after year.

And where once a car was an investment that had to be saved for –not to mention kept running for as many years as it held together –we’re now in an era of extensive financing options (no matter how problematic your credit might be) and the unavoidable push of the latest, greatest shiny new model.

According to car manufacturers, what you drive speaks volumes about your taste, your priorities and your level of success. What if you happen to own a car that lands a little bit above your budget? No worries. You’re not wasting money . . . you’re “aspirational!”

Most of our major cities are facing crippling traffic issues as a result, and environmentalists are crying foul at the amount of damage that’s being done to the natural world from all that fueling and driving.

Could Generation Y and Generation Z be the first to reverse these disastrous trends?

Interestingly enough, the late teen and early twenties demographic coming of age today has put a dent in the percentage of young people with a drivers license –preferring, it seems, to spend invest in personal gadgets.

Where once cars represented the utmost in freedom and connection for teens, more and more young people are content to meet up and communicate via social networks. Add to that the environmental concerns, the increasing expense of vehicles and insurance, the modern reality of overcommitted kid schedules and the demise of driver’s education classes across the country, and it’s no wonder owning a car is becoming both less popular overall . . . and far more difficult to achieve.

Environmentalists love this shift, especially the side effect of increased usage of public transportation. Of course, car manufacturers are less enthused, since the odds of “car agnostic” teens becoming car-addicted adults is, well, less than certain.

In an effort to re-engage potential young buyers, car companies like Toyota are creating youth-focused advertising and campaigns to promote their offerings—complete with a safety spin to comfort parents who worry about the texting-and-driving risks their kids might present.

Toyota’s “Arrive in Style” campaign with Teen Vogue is geared to coincide with Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and it encourages young women to focus on the road –not their mobile devices –when they’re out and about. The push not only features online and social media tie-ins; it also takes up a 13-page spread in the “Back to School” issue of the magazine.

This campaign manages to accomplish three things successfully:

• It connects the acts of car ownership and operation with a current status symbol: the gadget!
• It answers valid—and timely—parental concerns about the safety of their children, without being threatening or ghoulish.
• It goes across media—online, offline, mobile—to speak and listen to target audiences where they’re spending time.

The automotive industry could see solid results by continuing to test different types of cross-media, conversation-focused campaigns that get in front of today’s young consumer in fresh ways. Whatever they opt to do, however, it’s clear that the current generation needs a little more than a picture of a shiny car to get excited about driving.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Apple vs. Samsung.  Yummie Tummie vs. Spanx. One lawsuit covers phones and the other underwear, but both cases have something big in common.

These two sets of competitors have put a spotlight on the thorny issue of patent ownership. And on a larger level, they’ve also opened up a debate about how we develop, build on and ultimately come to “own” concepts and designs.

The technology industry is well-versed in the importance of filing patents, given the speed with which their industry moves and the overlap of ideas from inventor to inventor. If you think of it first, it behooves you to get paid for thinking of it first.

(Even if you didn’t think of it first, being the first one to the patent office puts the burden of proof on everyone else, as with the “patent troll”–people who buy patents with the intention of licensing a concept for profit, rather than developing it themselves.)

Other industries—fashion, food, furniture, kitchen gadgets, and so on—are less accustomed to having to defend designs with legal ownership of concepts, though copycats of original ideas are a frequent source of insider scuffles.

With the rise of social media, we’ve also ended up with an interesting angle on the debate between “inspired by” and “ripped off,” as designers discover via crowd-sourced justice that their designs have been . . . borrowed.

If you’re in the business of creating—whether it’s necklaces, new apps, advertising campaigns, logos, or a new business model –here are a few tips to make sure your ideas stay yours (and others’ ideas stay theirs, too):.

• It’s an amazing idea! Now make sure someone else didn’t have it first.  Whether you’re talking patent-ready concepts, or just a fantastic tagline for your business, do some research up front to make sure you’re not poaching anyone else’s territory. Start with Google, and then stop by the USPTO to check out existing patents and trademarks for overlap. By doing a little homework up front, you avoid the frustration of putting time and effort into an idea you can’t ultimately use.

• If you thought of it first, protect your intellectual and artistic property.  There are many ways to prevent others from using your intellectual property, and if your idea or invention is related to your livelihood, take these options seriously. None may end up not being necessary, but it’s better to err on the side of caution.

• Don’t give in to the temptation to borrow great ideas. As the old adage goes, there might be “nothing new under the sun,” but that doesn’t give you the freedom to borrow liberally from what others have created. Even if you think no one will ever notice that your logo looks a lot like that other company’s logo, or that your new service offering is awfully like that other business’, you could do much more damage by poaching than you could by having to use a somewhat less awesome idea of your own.

While you may never be the target of a billion-dollar lawsuit, or in possession of an idea that everyone is lining up to steal, your intellectual property matters—and so does the intellectual property of others.

By staying on the right side of the law and good business ethics you’ll save yourself trouble (and countless sleepless nights!) down the line.

Image courtesy of stock.xchng

Countless studies have made the case that a negative or high-conflict work environment can put a dent in employee performance and productivity. So, doesn’t it only follow that positive workplace environments can help employees do their jobs more effectively and deliver better results?

I certainly think so, and in fact, a recent Gallup meta-analysis found that companies in the 99th percentile of employee satisfaction are four times more profitable than those in the first percentile.

But, if constructive and encouraging workplaces are so valuable to the bottom line, why aren’t the lists of best places to work much, much longer? Why do the places with positive workplace environments stick out as the exceptions?

As I see it, the roadblocks in the journey from a “not great” to a “great” environment range from inertia (“This is how we’ve always been, why do we need to change now?”) to expense (“We can’t afford to put in that kind of time and effort.”) to plain old lack of creativity (“So they want another soda machine? Would that do it?”)

If you want to develop stronger engagement with your employees, take a closer look at three areas of the way things happen in your company:

1. The way you build your culture . . . or not. What are the highest values in your company—and do the values that get lip service actually play out in how you do business day-to-day? How do you approach things like collaboration, coaching, problem solving, conflict resolution and recognizing excellence?

   If you don’t have an approach, you could be in trouble –different coping mechanisms are bound to flourish in a vacuum. Intentional, thoughtful development of company culture makes a huge difference when it comes to making your teams feel respected, empowered and secure. The effort you put into developing your company culture will pay out in loyalty.

2. The way you communicate. This is a fundamental area too many leaders and managers ignore . . . to their peril. What are the most dominant modes of communication in your company? Is all business conducted via email, including the dreaded “reply all?” Do employees engage in real-time interaction, like internal network chat or internal wikis? Are managers and bosses available to answer questions? Are face-to-face meetings productive and focused? Is the layout of your office conducive to collaboration?

   Different companies communicate in different ways, and different styles fit different industries, certainly. The best way to figure out what works best for your team in particular is to ask. Then, gauge where breakdowns occur, and determine which methods work best for each level of your team.  Find out what tools would make those methods possible, and set expectations for each venue. Follow these guidelines from the top down, and make sure everyone has a voice.

   When people feel heard, they feel engaged. Communication matters.

3. The way you compensate your employees. Most people think “money” when they consider compensation, but I’d advocate for a broader perspective. What about nods to work/life balance, thoughtful vacation policies, flexible scheduling/hours and remote work options? Sure, some of these things fit into the area of salary . . . but many don’t cost companies anything extra to implement.

   Make your employees feel valued and trusted, and you’ll earn a state of satisfaction worth its weight in gold.

Culture, communication and compensation . . . The time and thought you put into developing these three aspects of your employee experience can have dramatic impacts across your entire work environment.

Tweak how you handle workplace culture, communication and compensation, and you can help your team feel more engaged (with one another and with your company). You can improve employee performance, and you can increase employee retention. In addition, remember this: a positive employee experience also tends to be reflected in a positive customer experience –and in today’s marketplace, elevating the customer experience is absolutely fundamental to a healthy bottom line.