Marketers are EVERYWHERE and not all are formally trained, I for one am an accidental marketer so I thought it was important to reach out to other folks who aren’t formally trained. So as I continue to look at marketing and my network, I thought it was important to engage not just traditional markets, but also folks that help drive the overall ecosystem. Chris Brogan is just one of those folks. I actually didn’t follow Chris at all until he responded to a corporate blog I participate on and piqued my interest. I’ve had the opportunity to meet, read and appreciate Chris’ take on social media and the larger marketing opportunity with social media. Make no bones about it – Chris is a marketer and his new venture as president of New Marketing Labs is proof. Chris was cool enough to participation in the marketing is in the middle conversation and below is his view:
What marketing roles have you had and in what markets?
None. I was a technologist for the last 18 years, but got into marketing by way of joining an events marketing company (Pulvermedia), and just haven’t left the circus since. Over the last 10 years, I’ve been blogging and using social media for improved business communications. Turns out that *became* marketing when I wasn’t looking.
When you look at your career in marketing, what discipline/component have you found most interesting/challenging?
Interesting: listening. I think that listening and customer service are the new marketing. Screw your stupid tag lines and contests. If I listen to prospective customers’ needs, and I can improve the way a customer works with my company, then I’m doing what marketing really wants to do: acquire new customers and keep the existing ones happy. Have fun with your contests.
What do you feel the most important component of a successful marketing gig? (Product, Brand, Positioning)
Moving a behavioral needle. Did I get something to change and stay changed from when I started until when I left.
Since you selected something I NEVER would have thought of how has that contributed to revenue?
Building loyal passionate communities is a great way to contribute to revenue. It’s lovely to ask people who are passionate about how you make them feel for money. They like giving. Revenue is a return on influence.
What experiences brought you to this conclusion?
I’ve run some very successful conferences, and I’ve also run some online marketing experiences for people. In both cases, my best proof is revenue. I hate the ROI question, because there’s no easy calculator that shows you what I’m going to deliver. So instead, I show revenue bumps as fast as I can. Seems like a fair trade.
If you could design the perfect corporate environment for a marketer to be successful what would that be?
Small, nimble, and focused on action, not beauty.
How far is this from reality?
Not far in my world. I’m working with some great companies, big ones, who love the idea that it’s as simple as listening, building relationships, and serving those relationships. I love developing quality content marketing for them, like group blogs or email marketing that delivers, instead of the same tired old marketing messages. I’m loving my ride, and looking forward to what comes next!
