Need to boost your inbound marketing? Then you need to consider whether or not yours is an innovative marketing methodology. As marketers, we’re constantly watching the “other guys” and brushing up on our skills – but it’s always really great when someone boils it all down for us.
Like this blog is about to do.
To be fair, this post is more of a down-to-earth rehashing of a fantastic 2011 Forbes study of the world’s most successful companies. What they found is that there are 5 key skills that these companies seem to be good at – far and above their competitors.
As you read through this skill list – ask yourself: are they part of your business’ genetic code? The more you practice them, the more close to perfect your inbound marketing and endeavors will be.
Must Have Skill #1:
Being Open Minded – By questioning the status quo – and enabling the same in your marketing team – it allows for new and potentially amazing possibilities. Without the open-mindedness to new ideas and change, stagnation and boredom are sure to follow – both in your employees and along the line to your clients, prospects and customers. By practicing the art of asking “why?” and rewarding people for innovating new ways to solve long-standing problems you’re putting yourself on track to obliterate the competition. Being open minded also means that you actively search out and get the pulse on marketing innovation from other Inbound Marketing Agency’s.
Must Have Skill #2:
Paying Attention – Are you watching what your customers and competitors are up to or are you so buried in the day to day drudgery of your work that you never see the forest for the trees? Companies that take a step back to “observe the world around them” were more connected with their customers and more able to keep in step or ahead of trends and business changes. It’s not about keeping up with the Joneses or doing what the other guy is doing – it’s about observing all of the minute details and finding those tiny adjustments that matter to YOUR business and YOUR customers that leads to truly innovative marketing.
Must Have Skill #3:
Networking – Know and connect with movers, shakers, great minds and all-around out-of-the-box thinkers both inside and outside of your industry. Networking outside of your niche is particularly important – since innovative marketing trends aren’t always going to pop up first on your side of the fence. See what’s happening everywhere and adapt what works for your business – that’s the work of a true trailblazer.
Must Have Skill #4:
Trying New Things – Experimentation is something all truly successful companies excel at. That’s not to say they try everything willy nilly in the hopes that something will stick – that’s far too risky and potentially expensive if not potentially catastrophic. However, there’s nothing more stifling for innovative marketing than a crippling fear of failure. A willingness to take things apart and reassemble them in exciting new ways is something the most successful companies do, day in and day out – and it’s not just the big ideas and processes either. Sometimes tiny tweaks in your day-to-day marketing outreach can completely revolutionize how you connect with customers. So, go ahead and rock the boat!
Must Have Skill #5:
Connecting The Dots – Successful marketing mavens not only do each of the above, they do all of them. By that, we mean…they connect the dots between the questions and the observations, and between the experiments and networking revelations. When all of these things conspire together, they explode into game-changing ideas like Netflix, Google Chromecast, the iPhone and more. You can talk the talk – but to walk the walk, you have to come up with the ideas and put them to work.
So, how many of these skills are you practicing? And, are there more you’d like to add in order to make it a ‘top 10’ list? Let us know in the comments below.
CONCLUSION:
To learn more about how you can improve your marketing skills by hiring an "Innovative Marketing Agency" download The Ultimate Guide to hiring an Inbound Marketing Agency.