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Pramita is a Marketing and Sales Associate at InterceptEFT.
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Are or were you "engaged" to a brand? What is your experience with brand loyalty?
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But, does this mean that the era of print publications is over? Should businesses avoid investing time and money into press releases, print interviews etc.? I beg to disagree...at least for now. And, this is only because I can guarantee you that the entire population of the world has not yet adapted to social media and online news forums. Some will argue that the trend is changing, and everyday the online population is rapidly growing. I believe that, but I will certainly argue that this organically growing online population has not committed to be exclusive yet. When that happens, we can certainly kiss print media goodbye. Until then, indulge in press releases and print articles....but, please do so in moderation. Research your target market, analyze the best way to reach them and balance your media mix!
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The focus of marketing has evolved over the years. Initially it started as a support department to boost a company's sales. Now we perceive marketing as one of the core players in a business's growth and success. Someone once told me that "Marketing is what makes a company look good". To a certain extent, this is very true. Marketing department, which generally includes communications and public relations, provides a face to the business, especially the businesses that offer intangible services. Marketing creates a sense on tangibility, through campaigns and brand management.
The need for a structured and exclusive marketing department has been a topic of debate for as long as I remember. But, in the recent times I have noticed that this debate has taken a sharp turn. The idea now is to decide on the size of the marketing department. This only means that businesses have realized the value of the marketing department as a crucial part of the company's backbone. The number of employees participating in this department may depend on the size and/or the budget commitment of the business. Small businesses can afford to have a smaller marketing department that multitasks on various campaigns and executes several brand management plans and promotions by using diverse tools. But, on the flip side, big companies need to have an extensive and detailed marketing department with sub-departments focused on specialized tasks and projects.
Being a marketing professional myself, I pride on the fact that this department is valued by companies in almost all industries. Now, I only hope that the evolution of marketing continues at an exponential rate; as we venture into a world where the extent of a company's recognition among its peers and clients is not solely based on its product and service offerings, but also how the business communicates itself!
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However, the marketing strategy applicable to your employees has to be very different than the ones from your customers. Your employees, hopefully, already have some faith in your company. Otherwise they would have not made the decision to be a part of it. Now, what remains is to build on that faith, sustain, encourage and promote it. A company can do so in various ways:
So, all you wonderful employers and managers out there... treasure your employees. Because they ARE your most valuable asset!
Being born and raised in India, I fit the description of a diverse employee at any company located in the U.S.A. And this also provides me with the opportunity to experience an amazing work ambience at InterceptEFT. I have been able to learn the American way-of-doing-things (varying all the way from work ethics to daily lifestyle chores), and have pleasantly intriguing discussions about cultural differences between the East-Indian and American ethnicities.
I believe that humor plays a very important role in strengthening bonds, whether it's between friends, family or professional colleagues. So I was actually relieved to find myself comfortable enough to be able to share jokes with my peers about specific habits and accents exclusive to individual's national origin, ethnicity and culture. Through such amiable practices, I have not only found myself to be more productive at my job, but also enjoy the time I spend at InterceptEFT.
A healthy work culture includes team members' commitment to acceptance and an attitude to learn from each other and share knowledge in varied aspects of life that goes beyond the outlined job description. When a company can foster such complacent work environment, it can proudly call itself a "diverse company", and actually mean it!
Pramita Sen's blog archive
Pramita is a Marketing and Sales Associate at InterceptEFT.
Contact Pramita
Are you engaged to a brand?
by Pramita Sen (Marketing and Sales Associate), Sept 7, 2010 During a recent interaction with some of my business peers, we got to discuss the changing trend of personal relationships. A new concept of relationship that is becoming more pre-dominant these days among couples is that of "being engaged forever". Couples choose get engaged to each other, but then decide not to take the next step...which is getting married. Now, this is relatively a new occurrence. But, I definitely see a lot of potential in this development. As per this arrangement, couples are willing to make a stronger commitment to stay together. They are not being bound legally to spend the rest of their lives together. Rather, it will require more dedication and effort on the couple's part, who choose to stay together. Now, if you are confused as to why I am discussing personal relationship trends on a marketing blog, let me solve that puzzle for you. Only 3 reasons:- Brand Management: A crucial effort on the brand's part to communicate, be authentic and deliver desirable and quality products & services.
- Customer Service: The brand has to be able to listen, respond and be available for their customers. Customers also have a responsibility to reach out and communicate with the brand about their experiences, positive or negative; and spread the word-of-mouth.
- Brand Loyalty: Both the entities, the brand and the customer, works in sync to maintain a harmonious and long-lasting relationship. Needs evolve, and so does the relationship. Both the parties have to make an active effort (a lot of times one does more work than the other and vice versa), to stay connected and loyal to each other, in order to preserve the relationship.
Are or were you "engaged" to a brand? What is your experience with brand loyalty?
End of print media.... I don't think so!
by Pramita Sen (Marketing and Sales Associate), July 5, 2010 Over the past few weeks, I have read various articles about the depleting need for press releases. A few weeks ago, I watched a video which mutilated a press release...with a panda. It is a fact that the value of traditional media has been diminishing, and newspaper and magazine circulations are having a hard time to meet their goals. However, online newsrooms and publications portray a completely different story. It is an industry habit for every publication to have an online forum available for its readers. An online forum enables a broader reach and also facilitates an open discussion among its readers.But, does this mean that the era of print publications is over? Should businesses avoid investing time and money into press releases, print interviews etc.? I beg to disagree...at least for now. And, this is only because I can guarantee you that the entire population of the world has not yet adapted to social media and online news forums. Some will argue that the trend is changing, and everyday the online population is rapidly growing. I believe that, but I will certainly argue that this organically growing online population has not committed to be exclusive yet. When that happens, we can certainly kiss print media goodbye. Until then, indulge in press releases and print articles....but, please do so in moderation. Research your target market, analyze the best way to reach them and balance your media mix!
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The evolving need of marketing
by Pramita Sen (Marketing and Sales Associate), Apr. 26, 2010 Marketing is more than the concept of selling your brand. Marketing is about establishing a relationship with not just your existing or potential clients, but also with the industry that you belong to. This industry includes your competitors, business partners and even your employees.The focus of marketing has evolved over the years. Initially it started as a support department to boost a company's sales. Now we perceive marketing as one of the core players in a business's growth and success. Someone once told me that "Marketing is what makes a company look good". To a certain extent, this is very true. Marketing department, which generally includes communications and public relations, provides a face to the business, especially the businesses that offer intangible services. Marketing creates a sense on tangibility, through campaigns and brand management.
The need for a structured and exclusive marketing department has been a topic of debate for as long as I remember. But, in the recent times I have noticed that this debate has taken a sharp turn. The idea now is to decide on the size of the marketing department. This only means that businesses have realized the value of the marketing department as a crucial part of the company's backbone. The number of employees participating in this department may depend on the size and/or the budget commitment of the business. Small businesses can afford to have a smaller marketing department that multitasks on various campaigns and executes several brand management plans and promotions by using diverse tools. But, on the flip side, big companies need to have an extensive and detailed marketing department with sub-departments focused on specialized tasks and projects.
Being a marketing professional myself, I pride on the fact that this department is valued by companies in almost all industries. Now, I only hope that the evolution of marketing continues at an exponential rate; as we venture into a world where the extent of a company's recognition among its peers and clients is not solely based on its product and service offerings, but also how the business communicates itself!
skip to next post
Marketing to your employees
by Pramita Sen (Marketing and Sales Associate), Apr. 5, 2010 Marketing to your employees is as much important, if not more, as is marketing to your customers. The reason behind this is simple... you want your employees to be the biggest cheerleaders. If your employees do not believe in the products or services that you have to offer, how can you expect them to do a good job in convincing your potential customers about the company's excellent offerings?However, the marketing strategy applicable to your employees has to be very different than the ones from your customers. Your employees, hopefully, already have some faith in your company. Otherwise they would have not made the decision to be a part of it. Now, what remains is to build on that faith, sustain, encourage and promote it. A company can do so in various ways:
- Conduct regular/consistent meetings or conferences to keep your employees in the loop
- Ask for feedback
- Follow-up on the feedback
- Promote from within
- Motivate
- Gifts and incentives
- Award your star employees of the year
- Feature achievements in the company newsletter
- Organize contests - example: the employee with the best idea for this year's fundraising event gets to choose the charity organization we donate to
- Host events at which your entire company can bond at. Example: company picnics and barbeque
- Allow bonding/creative/personal time for employees during the work hours. Example: Google's 15% rule or companies allowing two 10 minutes break throughout the day besides the lunch hour
- Community involvement and participation
........be as creative as you want to be.
So, all you wonderful employers and managers out there... treasure your employees. Because they ARE your most valuable asset!
Diversity at workplace
by Pramita Sen (Marketing and Sales Intern), Jan. 25, 2010 With the diversity hype on the rise, it is important that companies and employers become pro-active about this matter. But one needs to realize that a company does not gain the reputation of being a "diverse company" simply because they state that they enforce Equal Employment Opportunity Act. True diversity in a workplace is accomplished through acceptance by one's colleagues and superiors. This does not mean that a diverse employee's peers should just pretend that they do not share something different. Something different is good! Difference fosters curiosity, which in turn leads to knowledge sharing and learning.Being born and raised in India, I fit the description of a diverse employee at any company located in the U.S.A. And this also provides me with the opportunity to experience an amazing work ambience at InterceptEFT. I have been able to learn the American way-of-doing-things (varying all the way from work ethics to daily lifestyle chores), and have pleasantly intriguing discussions about cultural differences between the East-Indian and American ethnicities.
I believe that humor plays a very important role in strengthening bonds, whether it's between friends, family or professional colleagues. So I was actually relieved to find myself comfortable enough to be able to share jokes with my peers about specific habits and accents exclusive to individual's national origin, ethnicity and culture. Through such amiable practices, I have not only found myself to be more productive at my job, but also enjoy the time I spend at InterceptEFT.
A healthy work culture includes team members' commitment to acceptance and an attitude to learn from each other and share knowledge in varied aspects of life that goes beyond the outlined job description. When a company can foster such complacent work environment, it can proudly call itself a "diverse company", and actually mean it!