Wouldn't it be nice to have a content army on your side?
I was planning on writing a different post this evening but I was so moved by a telephone conversation I had today with a business owner that I just had to address this incredibly important subject, which is a growing problem for more and more businesses around the globe. Here is the conversation (For the sake of ease, we’ll call the business owner ‘John’):
Me: OK John, so you’re getting on board with this whole idea of inbound marketing. Great. That’s exciting. Tell me, do you already have a blog?
John: No, but that is something we’re looking in to.
Me: Once you start blogging, who do you see as the people that are going to be producing content?
John: What do you mean by producing content?
Me: I mean any person that produces any text,video, photos, etc that says anything about your product or services.
John: Well, I guess that would be my head of marketing….and myself….and maybe another person. That being said, we are a little worried about blogging because we only have about 5 hours a week to dedicate to this.
Me: Exactly how many employees do you have working for you John?
John: About 400
Me: (doing a double flinch on my end) 400??
John: Yes, 400, spread around the globe.
Me: (short pause as I slap my forehead in disbelief) John, you’re going about this all the wrong.
John: What do you mean Marcus?
Me: Well, tell me this, how many people work in your sales department?
John: About 16 or so.
Me: OK, and let me ask you one other question, and this is the important one—How many people in your company have ever answered any question at all about your product or services?
John: (thinking for a second) Well, I guess all 400 have.
Me: John, don’t you see where I’m going with this? What would happen if you asked every employee in your company to write just one blog article a year?
John: Wow, I never looked at it like that…
Creating a Culture of Education
Here’s the thing folks—John is a very, very smart guy. Just talking with him on the phone I could tell that I’d never want to compete against him in Jeopardy. Notwithstanding, John has yet to grasp the concept of creating a culture of education within a company.
One of the biggest problems businesses have is that they are way too reliant on a very, very small percentage of their employees to actually produce content. This, my friends, is bonkers. It makes no sense.
A guy like John, who is already equipped with 400 employees (a small army), was worried that he simply didn’t have enough time to produce content. Are you kidding me?!! In reality, the biggest problem John should have is managing the river of content that flows into him (or his marketing dept.) from the mountain of employees who are all excited to be a part of the company’s content marketing revolution.
Big or Small, the Same Rules Apply
I hope you’re catching the vision with me here. Let me give you another example on a smaller scale. My swimming pool company has about 15 employees. This year, we’ve given every person that works in the field a digital camera so that they can take pics of the various stages of every pool install we do. I also have my service guys equipped with flip cameras so they can record simple ‘how to’ videos on basic pool maintenance. Yes, I’m still producing content as I’ve always done but now that I’ve got so many others on my ‘team’ the idea of new ‘stuff’ has gotten much, much easier.
Also, another huge benefit of involving as many employees as possible is the fact the employees get excited and take more of an ‘ownership’ approach to their job because they are making a difference by teaching others(literally around the world) about what it is they do. Simply put, most employees throughout the world are just dying to share their talents and knowledge with others, and there is no better means to support and facilitate this than by allowing them to produce content—in any form that may provide value to consumers.
So that’s my challenge to you folks. If you own a business, the time has come to start leveraging the power and skills of your employees. Embrace a culture of education from top to bottom. Let every member of the team carry the ball. By so doing, I can assure you that not only will your workload go down while employee moral goes up, but you’re company will also turn into a content producing machine, putting yourself in position to dominate your niche for many years to come.
I’m curious to know your thoughts in this matter. Why are so many business owners reluctant to leverage the power of their employees and staff so as to produce incredible amounts of content? Are you more inclined toward an individual voice or a whole voice? As always, your comments are not only appreciated, but will be rewarded with big smiles coming from my end of the screen. 
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{ 68 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Marcus,
I like your insights here. YES, let every member of the team carry the ball! People like to be an integral part of making things happen and they do love telling what they know.
It seems to me the problem here is that “John” is just coming onboard with this “new” idea of having a blog and doesn’t yet see the full picture of how the blog can help his business. So he’s reluctant to spend manpower on it. That’s where people like you and I come in… we explain the bigger picture until he sees the light!
Thanks, Marcus.
Peggy
Peggy Baron´s last [type] ..5 Methods For Setting Up Your Social Networking System
Exactly Peggy, we’ve got to spread the good word!
You make an important observation though. Most business owners just don’t get it. If they did, they’d be all over content marketing like kids in a candy shop. The problem is that ‘blogging’ does not have a magic guarantee. It’s still new, despite what many internet ‘experts’ would lead some to believe. And it’s my firm belief that within the next 5 years, over 90% of the small and large businesses in the world will have a blog of some type….so biz owners better get the show on the road!
So grateful you’ve stopped by Peggy!
Great post! I think an important footnote would be to tell owners who are soliciting content from their employees to watch what’s going out, but stay the heck out of the way. My old boss would have days where he – literally! – would stand over my shoulder while I designed projects and tell me “ok, put that there… no, move it three inches left… ok, now change the layer to green…” I can’t even imagine what a nightmare a company blog would have been.
If you’ve picked the right people for your team, they’re the kind of folks who can’t help but own every project they do for you. They’re not going to embarrass themselves or you if they can help it. Sounds like “John” gets it.
Great point Dave. A boss should not be a blogging dictator. A great example of the practice I describe above is used by Hubspot in Boston. Those guys have one of the most successful blogs in the country. It’s nothing for them to post 2-4 blogs a day. And how do they do it? By giving a green light to all employees, which means they’ve got a ton of producers on the battle field. Their CEO, Brian Halligan, actually enjoys it when employees write blogs with opposite opinions. So people think such a practice is crazy, but actually it’s pure genius.
It’s a crying shame when bosses simply don’t let employees utilize their God given talents and abilities, all for the sake of control. But, in the case above, I’m happy to believe that ‘John’ already is starting to see the big picture and will be embracing this new form of marketing very soon.
Very grateful, as always, for your comment Dave.
Marcus,
The next time someone asks me about social media, rather than try and explain it myself (been there, failed at that) I’ll just send them to this article! I love this: Let every member of the team carry the ball.
To answer your first question, I think many business owners just don’t understand enough about social media. Maybe they are afraid of losing control of their brand? MAYBE they just need to read this post and educate their staff. I love how you gave your employees digital cameras! Brilliant!
A big Welcome to you Lori, love that you’ve taken the time to stop by and leave these kind words.
Lack of social media certainly accounts for much of the problem. Wanting to be a ‘brand dictator’ is another. But let’s just hope that the concept of ‘team’ and ‘open source’ will soon infiltrate businesses all over the globe and employees can start to take a look at their job in a whole new light.
Again, thanks so much for commenting Lori. I hope we chat again.
I have to agree with Lori on this one! I feel like I’m constantly trying to prove the value of blogging to my friends and family. Now, however, I will save my breath and point them in the direction of this post. Your example was a clear example of how most people think and why it is not necessarily a good way to do so. Great post, keep ‘em coming!
This is exactly what we should do. I work at a college, we educate people, but it doesn’t seem that any of the people working there is interested in sharing their knowledge outside of the buildings (or outside of the class rooms). We have a culture of learning and sharing knowledge, but only in the traditional sense of sharing. I would love to get more people involved in the process of creating the content.
I have recently talked to a few guys at a print design company, a fairly successful company with about 30 employees. They asked me about marketing, and I told them about inbound marketing and blogging. They were skeptical, because they didn’t want to share anything with their competitors. What if they just copied everything they did? I told them that we would have to work on some guidelines for blogging, and that we’re going to talk about it next week.
What’s your approach to this question about sharing (and your competitors)?
Jens P. Berget´s last [type] ..Inbound Marketing is About Creating Relationships
LOVE THIS QUESTION JENS!!!!!
I get this all the time. In fact, you’ve inspired me here to write a future post about this.
But to make a long story short, here is the reply:
1. Pareto’s Law always wins: In other words, even if most businesses ‘know’ how to get it done, the majority will not. In other words, 80-90% of all businesses will fail at inbound marketing despite having all the knowledge and tools to do it well. That’s how the world works, in every industry, whether it’s Europe or the US or China. Remember: You can take a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.
2. Inbound marketing is sweeping across the globe. Businesses have two choices: Poo or get off the pot. This being said, if these business don’t embrace inbound marketing soon, they will be left behind. And nothing is as quite important as time when it comes to internet marketing.
3. We live in an open source world. Somebody is giving the information. Why not make that ‘somebody’ your company?
Again, GREAT question Jens. So glad you’ve brought it up, look for a stronger follow up article soon.
Always appreciate your comments buddy.
I love the genius in that simple, clear solution, Marcus. People want to feel as though they are contributors so it is blessing to the employees as well as the whole company. Leveraging the power and skill of employees then is always for the good of all concerned. The employees feel an integral part of the whole while experiencing the rewarding feeling of “going the extra mile.”
Exactly Rob, who doesn’t want to be a part of a team, especially a winning team!??
There is enough under-utilized skill and talent around the world to write over 1,000,000 blog posts this very minute….yet no one is asking them for their assistance. Nuts, isn’t it??
Keep smiling Rob, always makes me happy when you stop in here at TSL and leave your thoughts.
So very true my friend,
I have seen employees come alive at the prospect of contributing their expertise to the greater cause. Their entire paradigm of the business changes. As you said, they take ownership of not only their content, but the success of the blog and the site in general…..heck of the entire sales and marketing effort!
The most basic human emotional need is to be understood, which is closely followed by having a sense of meaning or legacy. This satisfies both and can do wonders for workplace morale, but just like anything else, if handled in a dictatorial manor, can also serve to destroy it.
Taking Ownership
What a powerful phrase….very well said my friend. You’ve really broken the concept of content creation down to its core psychological level here Jason– feeling understood and having a purpose. That’s why I think you’re awesome. You have this uncanny ability to strip everything down and see the core meaning and motivator behind it. Love that about you man.
Thanks for making the trip of bud.
Marcus, It’s my openion that most business owners are pretty sharp. I think that most of them would agree that social media marketing is a very good business tool. That’s not the problem. I’ve worked for large companies and small companies. Almost all companies are dictatorships, not democracies. The dictator does not ask their underlings for help. Examples: Dave = the boss looked over his shoulder DICTATING his every action. Your business man John = I (The dictator) only has 5 hours. I like Lori’s answer. Send them here. Involve you employees.
I’m trying to learn social media marketing. 3 employees are taking turns teaching me and updating Facebook. I’ve made many new contacts there. The blog is up and we’re starting to post things. Please keep writting articles like this one. I need all the halp I can get.
Thanks,
Bob
Bob, you are right, dictatorship is a big problem, especially when it comes to creating content. It’s amazing that business owners will entrust their employees to speak to customers all day long and sell their products and promote and all that other jazz but when it comes to actually writing all that ‘stuff’ down on paper and posting it they ‘freeze up’ like it’s some big freaking deal….when it ain’t. Geez, I get worked up just thinking about it man!
Anyway, you guys are awesome. Love your story— An ‘old dog’ learning new tricks
Thanks for the comment Bob!
Oh crap! Just as I finished the comment, Kelly told me we have to link Facebook, Twitter, Blog and web site.
SWEET!!!
Marcus, aloha. Great article and I love the suggestion you gave John about having each employee write an article. As a matter of fact, I must admit to doing a V forehead slap myself when I read it.
For almost two decades I have been successfully involved in network marketing so have a substantial organization. As a result of your post today, I am going to ask team members to write an article for my blog. Once a week I will have a team member as a guest poster. Mahalo nui loa, Marcus. Janet
Janet Callaway´s last [type] ..Hellooooo—Is Anybody Listening by Janet Callaway The Natural Networker
And aloha to you Ms. Janet ! (I like how you do that btw
)
This is really, really exciting Janet. I hope you follow through with it. In fact, if you’re willing, I’d love to do an interview with you once you’ve completed (or gotten a good start) on the task so as to find out how it has affected your blog and the reaction of your employees. It would be a fun and enlightening article to say it in the least.
If you’re interested, please let me know….
Thanks so much for stopping by Janet!
Marcus, aloha. Definitely I am up for it. This month I am starting a couple of new features and, when I initiate that one, I will be getting back with you.
Both what I had already planned as well as the new idea today should prove quite an interesting study. Take care, Marcus. Aloha. Janet
Janet Callaway´s last [type] ..Hellooooo—Is Anybody Listening by Janet Callaway The Natural Networker
Sweet! Look forward to it:-)
Hey Marcus – Interesting point. I think when it comes to ‘some’ business owners they get caught up in the hype that ‘they’ HAVE to do it all. They lack vision and creativity because they are extended in “trying to do everything themselves”. They don’t create empowering structures; so their employees tend to do the minimum and take little pride and ownership into their role. It’s a cyclical flowing environment, starting from the top and then wraps its way around to the bottom. What happens is that the ownership/management loses value for the employee – and treats them accordingly. The employee feels under appreciated and simply does the minimum to get a check. This creates a devastating relationship that leads to high turnover and poor company performance.
Now, when we bring content creation into the loop – you may see how (from my vision) this is a serious challenge. Employees haven’t shown that they care enough to want to produce content. the ownership hasn’t empowered employees enough to feel like they’d be considered in creating content.
Personally, I feel like a collective voice comes with more clout – it’s more solid because it’s developed by multiple minds. I’d prefer to race on the back of 10 horses than 1. And I think that’s how the separation unfolds …
Companies like yours is riding on multiple horses while some of your competitors are riding on one. Multiple horses establishes and maintains momentum; you can run faster and longer.
Because of this – I find what you’ve shared to be jam packed with value – and simplicity.
PEACE
Jk Allen´s last [type] ..The Weight of Stress- A Paralyzing Force
Dang it you’ve got a way with words JK! Would it be alright with you if I started sending my articles to you when they’re half way complete and then you can just go ahead and finish ‘em up with sick words like that??
For example, just as Jason did above, you really, really boiled the problem down with this statement:
They lack vision and creativity because they are extended in “trying to do everything themselves”. They don’t create empowering structures; so their employees tend to do the minimum and take little pride and ownership into their role. It’s a cyclical flowing environment, starting from the top and then wraps its way around to the bottom.
That’s about as good of a description/definition of the problem that I’ve ever read JK. WELL said brother.
Thanks for the value and thought you put into every comment my friend.
I’m interested in what you said about giving every employee a digital camera, because last week I came into a free brand-new digital camera for my classroom. I want to know what you suggest I should do with it. Since I work in a non-profit, I don’t exactly need to do inbound marketing, but I still have a web presence and should be able to come up with something more interesting to do than take a few pictures and upload them to my PC. Ideas?
Ideas?? Heck yeah brother. Why not create a class blog? Use the camera to show the different projects, activities, etc. Allow each member of the class to participate and talk about what they’re learning, what the like, what’s hard, what’s cool, all of that. They write the articles, help take the photos(along with you) and then you act as the filter for the content that goes up on the site.
In fact, I’m of the opinion that every school in America should have a prolific blog….run by the students…showing parents and admin what they’re doing. Frankly, it should be part of the curriculum….But I’ll shut up now and just say that that you’re awesome cuz and simply the best teaching in NYC
Hi Marcus,
I like how you went about this with John. I think many owners perhaps are not “confident enough” in all of the people they employ to produce “good” content, which is why some could be reluctant to make every employee write one article. But, I think it would be a great move to do as it makes every person really give their best. Thanks for sharing
Dia´s last [type] ..Bring back the spark in your relationships
Absolutely Dia. It would be great and just a little success will breed more and more confidence. Also, it’s critical that biz owners don’t ‘over think’ blogging. The stuff needn’t be perfect…it just needs to say something of value— that’s it.
Anyway, so grateful you took the time to come by my friend.
Marcus,
This is so true. I have never really worked in a great company. I have often liked the people I work with, but not necessarily the emphasis on innovation and creation. I hear about companies that claim to encourage all employees to focus on innovation, but its hard to believe this is the case. Are they willing to accept ideas from the intern or entry level employee? What about the secretary? I think developing a culture of creativity and involvement requires truly getting everyone on board and inspired by the same mission, and actually letting them flourish. Thanks for sharing!
Joe Wilner´s last [type] ..How to Create a Personal Brand For the Fragmented Soul
That’s right Joe– Let them flourish. This is exactly what a team effort in content creation does. It stretches and binds everyone. When done properly, it can literally change a company forever. Like JK said above, would you rather go into a race with 10 horses to bet on or just 1???
So grateful you took the time to leave a comment Joe. Have a great one my friend.
Excellent post and you’ve made the solution so obvious – let everyone carry the ball – its so simple ! I guess the obvious safeguards on screening content etc do apply to avoid any digital mishaps , also there would have to be some sort of a system or process to ensure content isn’t repeated and it comes on time. On the whole, a good read.
Shane Jacob´s last [type] ..timepass- Bieber Gives The Late Show 10k twttr Followers w- 2 Tweets http-tco-o2XXCIC via @jakrose i predict blogs analyzin the Beebs influence -
That’s exactly right Shane— We’re all running backs in the NCL (National Content League
)
Thanks so much for stopping by man and taking the time to leave a comment.
I’m sure John was a very intelligent guy, as you say Marcus, but intelligence is completely different from business sense. I wish I had 400 employees!
If I did, they’d all be working on what truly mattered, all of them would know how to sell the product/service, and they’d all know where the company was destined to go. I’m glad you pointed out what you did Marcus, because it’s very important that we receive a good ol’ fashioned wake-up call when we’re heading in a bad direction and we don’t know it.
BTW, what exactly is a ‘double flinch’? I tried to imagine you doing that, and I got a mental picture of you looking like Popeye! I’m sure that’s not right
Stuart´s last [type] ..The Lion By The River
Looking like Popeye….yeah, that’s about right Stu
Like you said, the thought of having 400 content producers at my disposal would be like someone giving me a 200k gift certificate to best buy—Freaking Awesome. 
Anyway, so grateful for you Stu and your recent article. Did you get enough interaction? Looks like it really went well.
Thanks again.
I sure did my friend, got a few new faces coming over to my place, which was down to the attention I got from here. One lady, Janet Callaway, even wrote an article in tribute of one of my articles! Here’s the link:
http://janetcallaway.blogspot.com/2011/02/art-of-abraham-lincoln-by-stuart-mills.html
Brought a tear to my eye
Stuart´s last [type] ..The Lion By The River
Such a simple observation yet how many can’t see what’s right under their nose. It’s the 3 P’s approach – perspective, people and picture (both big and small). If you’re in a team encourage all the team to be involved so the people can give you perspective on the picture. And allow the people outside (customers and complaints or supporters and fans for teams) do the same. A very wise reminder a great shot in the arm for thinking outside yourself more. Fab story Marcus creating valued insight for many businesses spanning from just one brief phone call. Not many can do that!
John Sherry´s last [type] ..Where Does The World Start And Where Do You Stop
Thanks for the compliment John. That’s very kind of you, as always. I like your 3 P’s approach of perspective, people, and picture. It’s so true…and I’d like to think that being that we’re in the Social Web era and businesses are being forced to embrace this new way of thinking, then maybe the 3 P’s will really start to morph into one for more and more companies around the globe.
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment John.
John has got himself a Battalion (300-1300 soldiers). Great way to lead John to get to his own conclusion and a great way to share the story with the rest of us…nicely done dude
Dino Dogan´s last [type] ..What Makes People Buy- Rejection
Darn straight Dina— A Battalion!
I just hope he now embraces all this new-found man power and uses it to dominate his niche. This may sound cliche, but is would be so easy with that many horses in the race.
Thanks for the comment Dino
Marcus
Good points – but what about those of us who are literally one man bands? For us there’s only two choices – either outsource our content creation (which I’m not in favour of), or learn to blog like Terminators.
That’s the approach I’m taking – starting Feb 15th I’m running a challenge with some other people in a private forum starting Feb 15th to write 100 articles in 100 days!
If you’re a one man band it’s vital IMO that you learn efficient ways of creating content – whether it’s podcasts, blog posts, articles or videos. Perhaps you could write an article on how one man bands can turn themselves into content creation machines?
Paul
paul wolfe´s last [type] ..How To Avoid Writers Block 2 – The Power of Outlines
Blogging like Terminators
Hmmmm, I do love the sound of that one Paul. You’re right, sometimes we don’t have an army of content producers. Sometimes we just have ourselves. Which is why one does need to learn ways to produce more stuff on a consistent basis and still maintain quality. Is it easy? I don’t know. There are so many factors involved here. And yes, it would make for a great post. I hold that one for later Paul, so thanks for the idea…..and I can’t wait to see how your 100 day challenge goes my friend.
Thanks so much for the comment Paul.
Marcus,
Great, great post. I love the way you help folks think outside the box on subjects that many believe have been beaten to death – this is a perfect example.
-Matt
Matt Mansfield´s last [type] ..Why You Should Run Your Business Online 10- Personal Benefits
Thanks Matt, you’re a good dude. I try to keep things unique around here I guess. I look at it like this– If I go through any experience throughout a day where I or someone else learned a lesson (and I was a witness) then I feel it’s worth talking about it. I know this wouldn’t work for everybody, but it certainly works for me.
Thanks so much for commenting Matt.
Marcus, I think it’s the unknown, the ROI on how much time employees will put into doing social media, how much it will cost to properly train everyone. Which is a shame, b/c I’ve always thought everyone needs sales and PR training, everyone needs to learn those messages so that when they get that “what do you do” question, they can answer it honestly and enthusiastically.
Great comment from @Dave about culture and leadership styles. The team approach to content development does start with the managers involved. Which dovetails into @JK’s comment about time management, efficiency and control, letting go, empowering others. One oft used example is Disney. Every castmember is trained, empowered to maximize their guests experiences, well beyond the scope of their job descriptions. Doing more IS part of their job.
Everyone in an organization may not be the best writer or photographer, but they can – with the help of those who are – provide stories and content to which audiences and readers really relate. That anecdote from someone in accounting, that customer support story to help a client meet some deadline.. content gold just waiting to be mined. FWIW.
Davina K. Brewer´s last [type] ..Think your business is ready for marketing Think again
content gold just waiting to be mined….
Holy smokes that was well said Davina! I can see you completely ‘get it’ when it comes to this type of company culture. Disney is the perfect example, as they are all about empowerment— such a critical word for creating something special within HR.
Thanks for your constant support and well thought out comments Davina. You’re a heckuva lady
Marcus, you made a great point in this article. I think it comes down to (a) reluctance to think outside the box and (b) fear or more importantly trust. Many people, present company included, think they have to “do it all”. I imagine this view must be even more prevalent when we’re talking about a business model. The employer likes to feel in control of what their employees are doing down to the very least detail. But sometimes, when you give people more room to do the things they think is best for the company great things happen. You’ll get results you never expected while giving others the chance to truly be a part of your company/vision.
Trust—-Like you said here Stella, it’s a powerful word. And it’s likely the one great stumbling block for businesses owners to allow for such a culture of creation to be established within their company. The thing that business owners have got to understand is yes, there will be mistakes. There will be struggles. But it will also work wonders for the entire organization. Isn’t that worth the little bit of stress?? Alas, if they could only see it as you and I already do Stella
Thanks so much for your comment.
My theory is that the owners/managers don’t get exactly what a blog is or that it doesnt take a special set of writing skills to accomplish. Just knowledge about the company. Once that light bulb is triggered, then its an easy transition to make looking at your employees who are all full of information that could be used.
Even if they weren’t hired for their grammar skills, one person collecting a post from everyone and editing it for publishing would still work wonders for your blog.
Roger´s last [type] ..Ninja Link Building Part 9- Press Releases
MEGA dittos Roger. You’re right, many think a blog is some dumb online journal or something that only people that like to talk a lot do. (I still wish we could start over and replace that dang word..)
I also love what you said about having a gate keeper. That’s a great idea and I strongly recommend it. That way there is no possibility of something being said that would not accurately reflect the thoughts of the company.
Thanks so much for your comment Roger.
This is great stuff Marcus!
Businesses need to treat their blogs like a ‘media asset.’ It’s a platform to that can be leveraged to improve and increase business by incorporating it into your overall marketing and customer service activities. It’s powerful and something that can be extremely valuable to your business if you invest the time into building an effective social media footprint – e.g. your blog, Twitter & Facebook pages, et al.
Involve your team in the party – they’re your biggest fan’s! Let their passion for the business infect others as well. There needs to be some oversight, training and common sense {yikes} here — but nothing should water down the personalities behind the pom pom’s so to speak. Giving your team the freedom to be themselves is key… people connect with genuine.
Sorry to go on — but could go on, and on, and on….
Crank up the Volume and Crank out the Content
Thanks for getting us to imagine Marcus.
Mark Harai´s last [type] ..5 Competitive Qualities Extraordinary Entrepreneurs Possess
Not to be terribly redundant, but this paragraph Mark was so spot-on I just had to repeat it :
Involve your team in the party – they’re your biggest fan’s! Let their passion for the business infect others as well. There needs to be some oversight, training and common sense {yikes} here — but nothing should water down the personalities behind the pom pom’s so to speak. Giving your team the freedom to be themselves is key… people connect with genuine.
The party has started world, who are you going to invite!!!???
Incredibly well done Mark, thank you sir.
Marcus, it’s always amazing to me just how many people HAVE THE RESOURCES at their FINGERTIPS, and STILL make business SO MUCH HARDER on themselves than they have to. One group of people I work with are real estate agents – an industry that isn’t exactly on the ball of thinking-into-the-future. It’s amazing how many people will work so much harder instead of working smarter. They don’t see the value in social media. Yeah, sure, it’d be cool to have a Facebook page because all the other companies have one, they think. But if they looked at it differently, they’d realize their facebook page might have the potential to draw TONS of attention to their company.
Bryan Thompson´s last [type] ..Do You Ever Feel Like a Failure
I hear you with the Real Estate agents Bryan. It’s amazing how so few ‘get it’. Talk about domination opportunities for any company that will simply rally the troops and synergize its marketing efforts…..such would be amazing.
Thanks so much for your support and comments and RTs and all that jazz Bryan, your a good dude….and a great writer.
Hey Marcus.
I think many small businesses work on personal branding and are afraid that they will dilute that message by letting others contribute. Another fear might be that the employees will require extra incentives to right, or they just haven’t thought of it.
The idea is brilliant though and if you let the employees at least link to their Linkedin page, building their personal brand I think everyone will want to contribute.
Great advice my friend.
Daniel M. Wood´s last [type] ..How to Build Momentum
Exactly Daniel. For example, I know you’re in sales. You manage and train people. What if your company started a blog and adopted this policy? What if everyone combined forces to create a library of killer content? The possibilities are endless!!!
Thanks for coming by D’
What is fun is that my company asked me today to start blogging for them!
I will be writing 2 posts/week for my employer and they will probably start adding more of the staff and external bloggers to write for us. We will easily produce 2-3 articles per day.
//Daniel
Daniel M. Wood´s last [type] ..How to Build Momentum
Hi Marcus
I’ve just been asked by a training organisation to set them up a website.
This post has given me the idea of setting up a Wordpress website with a blog and asking them all to write a post.
I’m all in favour of sharing the load.
Your guest post? This weekend – honest.
Keith Davis´s last [type] ..Chocolat…
Awesome Keith, they will never look back if they just get started the right way.
Regarding my guest post, no worries bro. No rush at all. Just do your thing.
Cheers Marcus.
Keith Davis´s last [type] ..Chocolat…
Marcus, another home run. I love reading your posts. And then the added bonus is all the really smart people who make comments. Well, all of the ones before mine that is.
I think so many companies just don’t get the “Ownership” thing. I’ve seen a few that do. Some are small and some are larger. I’m familiar with one, keeping this general so no one gets their feathers ruffled, that preaches it to the masses but then disciplines anyone that gets out of lockstep.
A word that used to be popular and may have been overused is “empowerment.” When you give them ownership you are empowering them to “make” the company.
Keep up the great work. Love your content.
Rhae
You’re too kind Rhae…but ‘home run’ suits me just fine
Yes, the comments on here are exceptional, in my humble opinion
I think it’s because my number one goal with TSL is community—creating a tribe of people that learn from each other and grow in the process. Personally, I just see myself as the guy that’s starts the conversation—hands out the paint brushes and watches the art take shape.
Again, your words mean a lot to me Rhae. People think sometimes that just because I’m a ‘confident’ guy that might get a lot of comments on my blog that little statements like yours don’t matter. But frankly, they’re huge…and make all the difference.
Marcus, Agree about the comments. I don’t always get a chance to return, but I do read them in my subscription. Many of your readers really mix it up, read others comments so there is a nice back and forth, a good conversation. One of the best parts of this is you don’t know where it’ll lead, which can be fun – and to more content.
Davina K. Brewer´s last [type] ..That which we call a rose- What’s in a brand
Hi Marcus,
Good point made here. If that company employed one person (YOU) to supply them with say 800 long tail keywords. 2 for each employee. They could then write their 2 articles giving 800 articles. Content for 2 posts a day plus spares.
You could take that company blog to stardom very quickly.
Pete
Pete Carr´s last [type] ..5-137 Visitors Somebody Turned The Tap On!
Exacto Pete!! It would be a long-tail, SEO crushing machine in a matter of 30 days. After one year, they’d have more leads than they could possibly handle….and I’m not exaggerating.
Thanks so much for commenting Pete. It means a lot to me man.
Hi Marcus, I liked the story you told here in this blog post. I don’t have anyone who works for me at the moment (I’m a student, yay) but I like Rhae’s point about empowering those employees. Perhaps there’s just not enough of it promoted properly in business these days and that’s why many businesses fail to harness the power of their skilled and talented workers in certain situations. Just my 2 cents.
Elise´s last [type] ..How To Write 16 Articles In Just One Hour
You may not have anyone working for you at this moment Elise, but you sure as heck will in the future. This may sound like obnoxious flattery, but I’ll say it anyway— This first time I watched one of your YouTube videos I knew you were destined to be a web star. I seriously hope that when school is done for you that you find a way to continue on this path, cuz you’ve got some mad skills and you’re as funny as anyone I’ve seen. Again, I’m not exaggerating here.
Thanks so much for the comment Elise. If you ever want to do a guest post on here about ’10 Ways to Make Funny and Informative Videos’ (or something like that) for your business, I’d love to have you.
Best
Marcus
Marcus,
I like Rhae’s point too. Workers are often left out of the group. They show up to get a paycheck. They are simply a cog in a wheel. This would make that cog in the wheel important and his ideas valuable.
Content marketing is new to most people, like John, they think they can run the social media end themselves instead of hiring an in-house social media person. (the gatekeeper) That person would do all the work of getting the content and getting it online. He would feature the employees and their posts. Actually I think that would be a fun job.
Sheila Atwood´s last [type] ..Finally! The Year Of The Rabbit
GREAT point Sheila. In fact, I think the most important thing a business can do in 2011 is hire an in house social media/content person. Although many will complain that such a move is crazy or too expensive, I’d argue just the opposite—it’s a moral imperative.
You’re awesome Sheila, appreciate so very much your constant support.
You are absolutely right. I think many bosses are simply reluctant to accept that their staff may have ideas outside of what they are paid to do.
In the past, I worked for a company where you’d get in trouble for browsing the web when I had been given no work to do. It was clear that they wanted staff to “look busy” at all times, even though that’s terrible for morale. Being given some creative freedom to write or build content in down time would have been a much better approach.
Richard´s last [type] ..How Much Does a Website Cost
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