Last month in Canada, I featured in an interview for Canada’s Motivational TV, discussing skydiving, my graduate scheme experience and why I moved all the way to Canada for just three months. See the episode below:
Author Archives: lauralhampton
About lauralhampton
Speak for Yourself!
Many businesses are now looking to blogging as a method of further engaging their audience, showcasing their expertise and improving their ranking on Google and other search engines. The most likely hurdle they’ll face is a lack of buy in from colleagues – but that’s the most important thing they need to have.
Your company blog needs to be just that – a blog by your whole company. That doesn’t mean every member of the team needs to write blogs in full prose; in my previous job as social media marketer at Zabisco, I would have team members submit bullet pointed versions of what they’d like to say or drafts of the full prose for me to then check over and amend if necessary.
And I would talk to them, engage in conversations about what was happening around the office and also what was happening in our industry – what interested them, what they agreed with, what they didn’t agree with and any ideas they had. We found sharing interesting blogs, videos or other media around the office was a good way of getting conversations started and inspiring people to write.
A company blog really does need the buy in of the whole team though if it is to work. One person alone cannot know all that is happening in the business, nor can they successfully generate the breadth of opinion and expertise that a business blog needs to portray. In order to get buy in, you’ll need:
- Understanding. People need to know why the blog is important.
- Reason. Make blogging a part of people’s job description and ensure they have the time to do it at least once a month.
- Support. Be on hand to assist in idea generation and support colleagues by offering to review and amend their blogs for them; not everyone’s comfortable writing so make sure they know that you will help.
But most of all, a company blog needs to encourage people to speak for themselves, hence the title of this blog! It’s not just about the benefits the company will receive from the blog, because the writers of that blog will also achieve things they might not otherwise. A blog is a fantastic place to showcase expertise, to share experience and to articulate ideas and opinions in a way that helps you explore those ideas even further.
A blog can be a fantastic asset to a company or team. But that asset is entirely dependant on being updated reglarly by its contributors. Without this, you’re achieving nothing.
The Genius of P2P Marketing
Peer to Peer Marketing can be incredibly valuable
Marketing has long held a place within businesses as the customer facing element which brings in line the needs of the consumer with the offering of the product.
But are we missing a trick by limiting our marketing messages to external audiences?
This morning, I received word of an internal competition which encourages employees to submit their ideas for ways to ‘surprise and delight’ a customer. The competition came to us via that business’ blog, within a video from the MD.
Other than being a great piece of content (everyone likes to see an MD chat frankly and openly about their business), the blog post served various other genius functions too:
1) Business promotion
The blog post draws attention to this business, which is one of many in a growing and affluent sector of TUI Travel. The content of the video covers what the business has done already in its attempt to improve the customer experience and talks of their successes, utilising customer testimony as a qualifier. Those both senior and junior in the sector will see the effort made by that company and appreciate their value.
2) Inter-business learning
By sharing some of their ideas, the business is offering its fellow businesses the opportunity to learn from them and potentially incorporate some of their ideas into their offering. Communication is a key part of large businesses and such collaboration can only benefit all parties.
3) Idea generation
This is the key element of this piece and the one which I believe is most valuable. Having already implemented various ‘surprise and delight’ ideas, the business would be forgiven for having reached something of a plateau when it comes to new idea generation (which is no bad thing – they’ve already proven they have some fantastic ideas!). But rather than allow the overall idea to go stale, they inject life into it by bringing it into the sector’s conscious and allowing conversation around it which is culminated in this idea of a competition where the winner is the one with the best new ‘surprise and delight’ option.
Calling on your peers for advice is potentially invaluable. Providing everyone is doing their job right, they understand your customer and your industry better than anyone else and are therefore best placed to provide further insight and idea. Add to this their passion for the industry; as employees in your industry, your peers are obviously going to have a passion for it which will no doubt lead to a multitude of competition entries, whilst the ‘small prize’ will add further incentive if needed whilst also creating a buzz around the whole exercise.
I’d argue that, as well as the traditional definition of P2P (Peer to Peer) Marketing – encouraging your peers to market your product to their friends and family – a more valuable definition is that of ensuring your business and ideologies stay in the mind of your peers, enabling you to call on them for their input when appropriate.
Everything starts with your end user. But when you know your end user and you are seeking new ways to enhance their experience, there’s no forum with more potential value than that of you and your peers.
Employee Satisfaction: It’s the Small Things That Count
Fruit in the office is a great treat to make employees feel valued
As part of the TUI Travel Graduate Scheme, I have the incredible opportunity of seeing how different businesses are run and learning from them what I can about the kind of working atmosphere I would like to be a part of.
During my placement at Quark Expeditions, I’m getting insight into a few traditions which really add to the family atmosphere of the office.
One example is the weekly Friday afternoon drinks and nibbles, where we finish what we’re doing around 4-4.30pm and stroll into the MD’s office for a bit of relaxation and a chance to chat and unwind together. It’s a really nice opportunity to get to know people on a social level and has certainly been a benefit to me in particular as a newbie in the office.
Then there’s the coffee machine. A small addition, it’s really not much and can’t have been too much of an investment for the office either, but everyone loves taking advantage of the array of different coffees, teas and hot chocolates it makes – and it’s so much quicker than waiting around for the kettle to boil!
We also have a good supply of fruit and a regular supply of treats that everyone in the office gets to share. There’s really nothing nicer on a nice sunny day than getting the office wide email telling us strawberries and fruit bread are waiting for us in the kitchen and it gives a real boost to the day. And with my body struggling to cope with the changing temperatures here in Toronto, I’m loving the fact that there are Kleenex issues supplied for every employee!
All of these things are only very small and don’t require a big investment from the business. Though Quark is a business doing well, it seems to me that there is no reason that even businesses struggling in the current climate can’t set aside a small pot each week to provide these little things for their employees that can really make a big difference. If we can provide small treats that make people feel special and encourage relaxation and chatting at an appropriate time, I believe we can create a nicer working atmosphere and a culture of communication and collaboration which can only help the business in the long run. Add this to the regular team meetings held at Quark and, in my opinion, you’ve got a recipe for a really satisfied workforce.
And it’s not just employees who benefit from small additions. Little things such as personalisation of merchandise, providing pre-paid postcards at every destination or even giving customers ‘spending money’ for every destination visited on a tour – by adding these little treats and bringing an element of personalisation to the experience, I believe we can really add a lot of value for the customer without a great deal of investment on the part of the business.
The experiences we have are not all about the money. They’re about the little things that make us feel extra special. I really hope I can carry that philosophy throughout my career and hopefully encourage the use of some of Quark’s little treats in the other placements I undertake.
How Social Networking Empowered the Consumer
Asking your friends. It’s one of the primary methods many of us use in determining the product or service choices we make. But have you ever considered how social networking has boosted that reliance and given us a path to even more opinions?
I’m going to spend the next few minutes suggesting to you that social networking has been a key determant of that boost, concluding that social validation, particularly in how we market to consumers, is more important than ever.
Consider for a moment, if you will, the last time you asked an opinion of a friend or peer which helped you make a decision. It doesn’t need to be a big decision; anything from where to eat to “does my bum look big in this”!
Now consider why you asked them. What kind of words do you think of?
Trust? Reliability? Impartiality?
We live in a society which is far less tolerant of brands and their messages than we may have been in the past. As some experts suggest, there are even people who are directly opposed to branding.
Instead, we seek honest opinion and impartiality to guide us – at least in part.
So, how does social networking come into this? I believe it gives us a mode through which to extend our circles and thus glean more insight and more opinion from far more people than we know in person.
In practical terms, this works in numerous ways:
- Friend recommendations
Getting in contact with our friends is now easier than ever thanks to things like Facebook and BBM, so asking for opinions is also easier.
Far beyond that though, we can share our recommendations through our status updates, through our location check ins and through anything we share with our friends and followers.
- Expert recommendations
We can also gain the opinions of those beyond our own social circles through the likes of websites, Twitter and blogging. Imagine the value to you if you are looking for, let’s say, a good reference book on piloting – if you see a well known, respected and experienced pilot recommends a certain book, you will be far more likely to choose that book. If you are interested in technology, you may go to a source like .Net to find the best resources.
- Reviews
We can see reviews in use on sites such as eBay and Amazon – and these are examples of social networking too. It’s that real, honest opinion from someone who’s used the product that gives us the confidence that leads to conversion.
- SEO
I won’t go into the complexities, but Google have recently made changes to their algorithms which put far more emphasis on the relative validity of resources and websites that show up in search results. These are based on the number of links websites have to them from other reputable sources and how they’re rated by users. Google even incorporates your social networks into your search results, providing you with bespoke results dependant on what your friends have liked too.
Of course, there are other ways we can learn through the internet and social networking but it all comes down to one thing: the importance of social validation.
What’s really interesting is how we as businesses can harness that importance and make it work in our favour. Understanding the importance of social validation is key but inherently, it’s got to be about continuing to provide a service people will want to recommend and giving them to facilities or incentives to do that.
The Link Between Marketing and Finance
The link between marketing and finance is a tough one to find
Marketing is all about communication, right? It’s about understanding your audience, creating a clear message and bringing that message to your audience in the areas they’re already active and likely to be engaged. Right?
Well, yes. But that’s not all. Marketing has to have a financial benefit to the business because, if it doesn’t, it’s really not doing its job.
That’s not an easy concept to get your head around. In a world where online marketing is ever more important, quantifiable results are ever more elusive. Our social media presence is ever changing, our messages further reaching than we could ever document and the impact of our online reputation a consequence not only of our own words but of the words and actions of others too – and its not always positive.
Marketers across the globe share a common problem; how do we quantify the impact of our efforts?
Now that’s a really tough question to answer, though many have tried. There are countless methodologies and technologies out there which supposedly help us to track what we do, both online and off, but often they fail to fairly communicate the exact reach of a marketer.
In the past, my answer would have been trust: I believed that a trust in the content and communication is enough to instil confidence in anyone seeking success in a marketing capacity, particularly online. But, now in my finance placement of the TUI Travel Graduate Scheme, I’m learning that successful businesses are not based on trust and there has to be an element of quantifiable return.
Working here, I’m coming to understand the frustrations of quantifying marketing from both sides of the fence – my own experience of trusting in marketing vs the more corporate approach of tracking every message and monitoring the ROI (return on investment). But it’s certainly not all ‘big business tramples creative marketer’ – no, instead this process has to be a collaborative one, with each party helping the other achieve their goals.
And it gets some great results. Only recently, a direct mailing campaign, built on a process of audience understanding which delivered some really key findings, was sent out by the company and, more recent still, we see the results of that direct mailing in our revenue. What a fantastic result for the marketing team and a great way to secure the same or more marketing budget next year.
It may seem that finance and marketing are different ends of the scale, but there really is a key link between them that we need to explore. Perhaps it is only in learning how to fully exploit the benefits of this link that we can really call ourselves successful marketers.
How a Brand’s Reputation Transfers to its Employees
Brand reputation is hugely important. As social advocacy becomes more and more synonymous with the consumer process, we need more than ever to ensure that the experiences we deliver are positive, enjoyable and worthy of sharing.
For the majority of the time, TUI brands deliver above and beyond this and, in my experience, the products of the Specialist & Activity Sector are second to none. However, there are the odd occasions where natural disasters, supplier issues or even our own logistical inaccuracies mean we don’t deliver quite the exceptional service we should.
One example of this become apparent to me over the New Year break. I was lucky enough to go skiing with some friends who own a chalet out in La Plagne; it was incredible! Such a beautiful location and, as it was my first time, I was introduced to the many and varied delights of skiing. I’ll definitely be going back!
Just a couple of hours’ ski away was the resort of Les Arcs, where some of my other friends were also holidaying with Crystal Ski. They too were loving the area and making the most of the beautiful conditions, one on a snowboard and one on skis. Crystal even set up a mountain-side meal for them one evening complete with a night-time ski back to their hotel, so they were having a fantastic time.
However, when the time came for them to leave, my friends encountered a problem attributable apparently to a logistical error at Crystal; their coach to the airport was booked 2 hours later than their flight was due to depart. This meant an entire coach load of people did not make it to the airport in time and thus the plane was delayed whilst waiting for them.
Crystal dealt with the situation and ensured my friends got home, but due to this error, my friend’s opinion of the company changed. He felt let down by them and considered their oversight an indicator that Crystal had not fully considered his personal experience.
Interestingly (and the key point of my blog), my friend, knowing I work for TUI and that Crystal is a TUI brand, decided to text his grievances to me, starting with the words “TUI Fail”.
Yes, “TUI Fail”. Not “Crystal Fail”, “TUI Fail”. He knows the connection of the companies and links me with TUI and thus attributed this issue to TUI and, more specifically, me.
The problem clearly wasn’t my fault. Nor was it likely to be the fault of one person at the company concerned. But suddenly, the negative experience my friend had encountered had changed his view of Crystal, of TUI and therefore, of me.
I’m extremely proud of my job and enjoy it immensely so it’s sad for me to find that people’s perception of what I do can be tarnished by something realistically so small. But it does highlight a key lesson; that reputation is key and that it affects us all.
So what can we do? Well, I am in no doubt that Crystal will provide the service to my friend that he deserves as their customer and, though I won’t profess to know what their procedures are or what my friend has consequently experienced, no doubt a process is in place. What is essential, therefore, is that we all adhere to our processes, delivering the best service possible at all time and recognising that, though mistakes or errors will occur, it is how we deal with them that counts. After all, it affects us all.
To illustrate this error in an abstract manner, and to give you something to chuckle at as a gift for the New Year, here’s a photo of me falling over on our ski trip:
The mistakes of one can affect us all....
TUI Travel Opens Applications for Graduate Scheme
The TUI grad scheme opens up a whole world of opportunities
TUI Travel have announced they have now opened applications for the TUI Travel Specialist & Activity Sector Graduate Scheme (which I’m currently on!).
You can apply now at the link below:
Since joining the grad scheme, I’ve had some amazing experiences, from learning to fly a plane to dining with the Sector MD and creating a full blown proposal for a new brand ambassador scheme and experience advocacy programme for a TUI brand.
You can find out more about what me and the other grads get up to in our TUI Travel Specialist & Activity Sector Graduates blog.
You can apply for the scheme whether you’re still at uni or even if, like me, you’ve been in work for a couple of years. It’s a huge opportunity so I’d recommend anyone to have a go and get your applications in.
Good luck!
Why are you following me?
Managing our online profile is more important than ever
In an interesting, yet bizarre, turn of events, my online profiles are today experiencing a spike in traffic…
And the reason for this spike? One person mentioned they had Googled me and found it interesting.
One person looked, so many more people in my network wanted to look; they trusted their friend’s recommendation that something was interesting and sought more information because they thought it would interest them too.
It’s a very basic yet very prevalent part of online marketing and is indeed relevant for both brand positioning and our own personal profiling.
As a brand or an individual, we want to know that the information people come across about us is positive and helping to develop our brand personality. We want to ensure that information related to us is relevant, worthwhile and of value to our audience. We want people to want to share it.
So how can we achieve this?
There’s really no hard answer as any answer is entirely brand, audience and context specific. But in essence, it comes down to managing our online presence.
So whilst others fret over the new privacy settings of their favourite networks, stop and think; do I want to hide my information, or do I want to better manage my profile by checking the way I handle myself (or my brand) online and ensure, when people do search for us, they get the impression we want them to?
You never know who’s Googling you and who they’re sharing that information with, so make sure you give them something worth sharing.
