We have all felt the pinch in a tough economy.  Messages get jumbled and clustered together; marketers shifting campaign focus to lower cost mediums such as webcasts and social media outlets.  And emails, oh boy the emails… ping, ping, pinging away at your inbox until you cannot take anymore.  As marketers, we must refrain from jumping on the “buy from me now” podium and take a different stance in order to stand out in this challenging time. 

My message is not a novel idea by any stretch.  But why not make sure that traditional sales efforts are once again in sync with marketing - and truly integrated. If marketing launches an educational campaign, whether it be a download, a white-paper, or a prospect reach-out, companies have to make sure those leads are followed up with quickly—which means that sales communicates back with those contacts in a timely manner.  I manage marketing for an IT consulting firm and we have implemented “Marketing 101″ in a sense, where marketing provides awareness, then sales drives the client through the purchase process with the proper phone call and follow up steps.  Again, this is not a novel idea but a simple reminder in an environment where the next greatest technology has us running to catch up. 

Do not get me wrong of course, organizations and marketers in particular must stay on top of the latest technologies in order to maintain b-to-c and b-to-b reach.  But we cannot lose out on the opportunities to remain traditional in our execution. 

In a tight marketplace, it is more important to coordinate and execute marketing and sales efforts as well as you possibly can. Make it like a re-training exercise if you have to. Learn to sync up sales and marketing all over again, since opportunities are few and far between. You have to take advantage and maximize each possibility, and that means being more on the ball than ever.  Do not forget the basics!

I have been using LinkedIn as a business development, personal brand management, and recruiting and research tool for years. But I have to admit it has taken a lot of time to put the pieces together. The process can be overwhelming trying to navigate the many options available. In fact, at times it has felt more like performing magic than actually getting any tangible, traceable results.  The following pertains to a quick success story covering business development, research, and branding through a LinkedIn Poll, an incredibly user friendly tool.

LinkedIn Poll Success!!

This is actually a two fold success. I had lunch with a Chicago Tribune reporter several weeks ago and she mentioned a story that she was working on regarding social media policy within organizations. When I returned to my office I created a very easy to use LinkedIn Poll.

I circulated the poll out via Twitter, Facebook (Paladin Fanpage), LinkedIn Groups as well as my individual contacts. In addition, several of my colleagues here at Paladin sent the poll out to their clients and prospects. We had over 180 responses in a week along with two fantastic outcomes.

1) Paladin was able to get their client an interview for the Chicago Tribune article and, in turn, Paladin received a job order from the client the very next day.

2) Desert Rose Design, an agency that participated and left a comment in the poll, was contacted by the Tribune and made an appearance in the article as well.

Here is a recent answer to a PR Week question. I thought I would share it with you here:

What are some ways junior-level candidates can stay positive during an extended job hunt?

Jadey Ryndak

April 27 2009

A positive, energetic attitude is one of the main factors to determine a candidate’s success. Companies can teach a new recruit many skills, but every employer knows that a new hire’s actual success will be highly influenced by his or her attitude. So be sure to keep your enthusiasm at the forefront during your job search.

In order to stay positive, surround yourself with people who share your passion by seeking out associations and groups, and attending face-to-face and online events.

You can also stay connected by reading articles, subscribing to RSS feeds, and participating in related events.

Break the job-search process into small steps and view the accomplishment of each step as a victory. The best way to keep rejections from being traumatic is to have lots of opportunities in the wings. Cast a wide net and never stop networking and seeking opportunities.

Create a list of the roles you want and the qualities, abilities, and skills that you can offer. Read this list regularly before interviews and networking events, or even after a disappointment.

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