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Effective communication is one of the most important soft skills you can have in our industry. But even for the best communicators, challenges arise when transitioning from communicating in-person to communicating virtually.
On that note, I wanted to share some tips, tricks and suggestions on how to best communicate with your manager while you're working remotely. Ready? Let's do this!
Now more than ever, you’ll want and need this time together. Make sure you have an agenda for each meeting so that you can use the time effectively and efficiently.
I’ve always found it helpful to wrap up my 1-on-1 with a quick recap of the call so that both my manager and I are clear on what we’ve discussed and any next-step action items.
Many of us take for granted the tremendous amount of information that’s shared when we’re physically in the same office: quick chats in the hall, popping into your managers office, turning to your left or right to ask a question, etc!
This loss of ease might have you feeling like you need more frequent chats with your manager. If this sounds like you, ask for the time you need!
Between email, Zoom, phone, video, text, Teams, Slack and more, we have access to so many ways to communicate.
Take the time to assess what works best for you and your manager. Try to avoid falling into the trap of rapid-fire communication across every tool you have access to. The goal here is to streamline communication, not to make it chaotic or cause confusion.
If you’ve made it this far into my blog post, I may have inadvertently confused, offended, or bored you. Please understand, it wasn’t intentional!
See what I did there? The point is that there is a lot of room for misinterpretation when we communicate via email. So, try to be as clear and concise as possible, and don’t take things personally if you’re on the receiving end of an email that doesn’t sit quite right with you.
Sometimes it helps if you insert some personality into emails to help set the right tone: .gifs, emoji’s, etc. ?
If you exchange 3 emails on the same topic, STOP. You are not communicating clearly. Ask to hop on the phone or if it’s not time sensitive, add it to your check-in agenda.
This one applies to not just your manager but your entire team: Thank them for their hard work, for their generosity, for their understanding…we’re all in this thing together!
“More frequent 1-on-1s. Come to the 1-on-1 with an agenda to discuss with your manager.” —Alana Putterman
“Use texting for an immediate concern. Use email for things that you have more time. Over-communicating is key—sharing both what does and doesn't work to get feedback.” – David Lempp
“Be transparent and over-communicate. Wouldn't be a bad idea to set some expectations on WFH with them, your schedule and the best way to reach each other. Get regular weekly 1-on-1s on your calendar if you don't already have them scheduled. Come prepared with questions, updates, challenges and wins.” —Kelly Wittmann
“I will always go on Teams in the morning and just say, "Hey," to my manager and teammates. It lets them know I’m here and alive, also starts a conversation if necessary.” —Michael Lagioia
“Speak to them about the best way to communicate daily (text, IM, email, call, etc.). Share your goals, priorities and deadlines upfront on a weekly 1-on-1 call. Don’t make assumptions, if you have questions or feel unsure just use the phone and actually speak with them.” —Kami Lentz
Interested in joining our team? Check out our careers page.
While many businesses have been forced to cut back or halt their marketing efforts this year, now is the time to start thinking about the future. It’s expected a major recession will have an even larger impact on society than the coronavirus itself. If your business is going to survive and thrive in the long run, you need to adapt your marketing strategy so it’s maximally optimized for the new world order.
Here are a few key strategies you can start implementing to help your marketing program recover post-COVID-19:
This is probably the most important piece of advice for marketers post-COVID-19. You can’t go back to business as usual after a global pandemic that’s impacted just about every person in the world. Delivering the same old marketing message would simply come off as insensitive.
If you want to keep your customers happy and content, you need to send out a clear message that elicits care and understanding. You’ve probably seen numerous examples of businesses already doing this. Allstate Insurance started a loan program for customers impacted by the coronavirus. Verizon Wireless live streams a weekly series raising money to help small businesses during the pandemic.
Failing to reach out to your audience to show that you’re there to help can have a serious negative impact as well. At the beginning of the outbreak, when Airbnb started canceling reservations and leaving hosts to deal with the losses, there was outrage. Hosts felt abandoned by the company and it was making global news headlines. Airbnb then quickly launched their Superhost Relief Fund, a program offering small grants to hosts struggling to make ends meet.
While the fund doesn’t help the vast majority of hosts, the gesture was all they needed to avoid negative sentiment towards the brand. So, try to do something, no matter how small, to show your audience that you care.
While most of the advice in this article relates to marketing sentiment, there are also some strategic changes you can make to improve your strategy post-COVID-19. One of the most purposeful tactics is investing in PPC ads. According to WordStream, conversion rates from Google ads decreased drastically after the pandemic began. This makes plenty of sense because most ads relate to businesses and services that simply can’t be used during lockdowns. Many people have also been impacted financially, consequently meaning they will be spending less.
Lots of businesses have paused or cut back their PPC campaigns as a result. This leaves a huge opportunity to win PPC auctions and gain visibility for your ads at a low cost. It might seem counterintuitive to invest more in PPC when conversion rates are down overall, but the truth is the drop in cost-per-click (CPC) is much steeper than the drop in conversions. The post-COVID-19 marketing environment offers a unique opportunity to maximize ad visibility while minimizing costs.
Every industry needs to make major adjustments to how they market online — some more so than others. For highly affected industries (e.g. travel), it makes sense to take a break on promoting ticket sales. At the time of writing this in May, some cruise ship companies are already publishing ads promoting summer trips.
The majority of people think it’s way too early for that, which makes cruise companies look negligent as opposed to caring for their customers. However, there are some ways you can cautiously promote your business given these uncertain times. Airlines wishing to sell tickets could switch to promoting safe business travel instead of targeting vacationers.
Switching focus to long-term lead nurturing is another option as well. Restaurants or vacation rentals shut down by the pandemic could market to their audiences with a reminder to “save up for when things open up.” If you do a good job of nurturing leads during the second half of 2020, then the chances are you’ll get a lot more sales in 2021.
An advertising message that was perfectly acceptable six months ago could be perceived in a negative way today. So before using your old material, take a close look at it through the lens of a global pandemic. Take a look at this Progressive Commercial that showed in March. It features two women having a dull time at a karaoke night:
This commercial wasn’t well-received because it was released at a time when all anybody wanted to do was go out for a fun night with their friends. Now may not be a good time to feature marketing content with people gathering in groups or frolicking outdoors. Even if social distancing measures are being eased in the countries you market to, it’s better to think about the long term. People are going to be cautious about mixing with each other for a long time to come and there’s a very good chance the public may be asked to observe distancing protocols again in the future. The key message is ultimately to make sure your content is sensitive to that before publishing it online.
Advertising platforms like Google have been making changes to help businesses adapt to marketing post-COVID-19. You can take advantage of these to improve the efficiency of your campaigns and drive more conversions. For example, Google has already made it free for US-based businesses to list products on Google Shopping. If you’re in eCommerce or hoping to start, now would be the time to do so. They plan to roll out free Google Shopping listings to other parts of the world later in the year.
Google has also made changes to their Local Inventory Ads so that businesses can highlight curbside pickup. Even after coronavirus passes, people will still feel reassured that they can pick up products in a safe and hygienic way. Start tapping into these features to drive more conversions.
Since a recession is just beginning, it’s important that your sales and marketing strategy work together to reassure potential customers that it’s a good idea to buy from you at this time. Even if they like your products, lots of people are hesitant about buying with an uncertain financial future.
There are changes you can make to quell these fears. For example, if you sell expensive products, you can offer financing or payment plan options to get more people to buy. If you offer software or subscription services, consider giving customers the first month free. Being flexible with payment during a recession can help you drive more sales overall.
These are just a few key strategies that will play an important role for businesses as they look to recover their marketing program post-COVID-19. In the long run, you’ll need to look out for and take advantage of every new opportunity to maximize your marketing performance. Pay attention to consumer sentiment and keep an eye out for new trends, features, and technologies you can use to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your campaigns.
Campaigns starting. Campaigns ending. Campaigns pacing behind. Campaigns pacing ahead. Proposals awaiting a response. Messages here, messages there. The day goes on and the task list quickly grows!
Centro recognizes that digital media buying is fast-faced, so we've optimized our dashboard. Upon logging in to Basis, users will now receive a customized experience—an advanced dashboard with a message center, along with a collection of widgets and graphs. These new features will help you to:
Not yet on Basis? Connect with us for a demo of this and many other workflow automation tools for your digital media business.
The subscription box market is worth an estimated $15 billion, according to McKinsey. In addition to the convenience factor, this industry's radical growth is partly due to our transition into a post-COVID world.
Dustin McAdams, CEO of petcare subscription service PupJoy, joins the podcast to share what he's learned in his pursuit of offering the best customer care in the subscription services space.
Dustin also shares how he cuts through a cluttered marketplace to offer the greatest products and service to his existing digital customers, while gaining the attention of prospective clients.
Even before the global COVID-19 pandemic, advertisers were beginning to expand the social channels they use for advertising in order to reach Gen Z audiences.
With most of the world practicing social distancing, these platforms have grown at insurmountable rates and now offer more ways for brands to connect with audiences of all ages. From multi-generational TikTok routines, to AMA (ask me anything) Reddit discussions, to inspirational Pinterest boards, the audiences are there—and savvy brands will follow.
On this webinar, Amy Rumpler, VP of Paid Social at Centro, shares the do’s and don’ts to consider when diversifying into these networks, including:
External circumstances impact the way we show up to our jobs. It’s important for workplaces to recognize this and support their employees’ mental health and wellbeing, so they can show up as the best version of themselves.
My mental health has always been a priority of mine, and one of the main reasons I came to Basis Technologies almost 7 years ago. I saw that it was an organization that encouraged self-improvement. Here are some of the ways Basis supports my mental health and wellbeing:
Above all things, Basis has a culture that transcends the workplace. Basis has proven that it’s not just about who I am from the hours of 9am-5pm, but that everything I learn in the office can be applied to my life too and vice versa!
Learn more about Basis Technologies' culture here.
Whether you’re just getting started with a SEM program or a long-time digital marketing DIYer, leveraging a digital marketing agency can rocket your returns and launch your product or service into the internet big-time. The problem, of course, is selecting the right digital marketing agency.
This is no small matter: the wrong choice can cost your organization a lot of time and money, not to mention add a lot of stress to your day. That’s why we think selecting the right digital marketing agency is so important.
A slight aside: though there are differences between a performance marketing agency and a digital marketing agency, selecting either is a similar process and follows identical considerations—for example, experience and track record.
Here are the top four guidelines we think you should consider when selecting a performance or digital marketing agency for SEM:
Wait a second...this one seems pretty simple and isn’t actually about the agency. Isn’t the goal to boost your SEM programs by hiring a digital marketing agency?
To get the results you want, you need to be able to measure your progress. This means having a clear view of where you are starting and where you want to end up right from the beginning, and a good agency will ask for this information during your initial conversations.
When gathering your data, beware of vanity metrics. You should report on KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) such as:
Your report should cover at least a year of data—two or more, if you can do it. That way, you have enough data to start to understand trends like seasonality. This information gives you a benchmark to compare your results before and after the agency launches your new, improved program and allows you to track your progress.
When considering agencies, it’s best to narrow your search to agencies who are open about who they are, where they are, and what they do. You want an established team to manage your SEM programs, not a fly-by-night provider who hides behind big claims.
Ask prospective digital agencies questions like:
They’re pretty basic questions, but they should give you enough details to rule out inexperienced providers or those that are less honest. Also, look at the digital marketing agency’s website for these key details—there should be lots of information available.
What adds up to credibility when it comes to a digital marketing agency? There are three main factors to building credibility:
Bonus points can be given for awards, but then you have to be wary of the legitimacy and clout of the awards themselves.
It’s completely reasonable to want to get the best value you can for your advertising budget. This is another case where the old adage about not going with the lowest bidder rings true: “The lowest bid does not always equal the lowest cost.”
You need to weigh the cost of the agency against the gains to your SEM program. Similar to calculating CPC, you need to achieve a balance between the lifetime income a client brings to you versus the acquisition expense of the client. Spending a little more for a highly-effective, quality team works out to your advantage when you measure your final ROI, due to efficiency and the growth you can expect in your advertising program.
How do you find out if a digital marketing agency has the value you’re looking for? Refer back to #3: credibility. Give a few of the testimonial-givers a call and ask them about their experiences.
Ideally, hiring a digital marketing agency is akin to starting a long-term relationship. Clear communication and statement of expectations both go a long way in ensuring there is understanding and harmony.
Perhaps after you do the analysis and groundwork, selecting the right digital marketing agency for your organization comes down to fit: many people refer to the “beer test”—is this team a group you’d sit down with for a drink?
Three months ago, a client asked for your help promoting their latest solution.
You began strategizing the perfect media plan and over the course of several weeks, you placed pixels, uploaded creatives, monitored your campaign regularly, turned off poor-performing inventory, and shifted budget towards channels that were generating the best outcomes.
At the end of the cycle, you succeeded—your hard work paid off and it’s time to share the results with your client!
And what do you get? A cluttered Excel sheet that requires another handful of hours of editing before you can share it with your audience.
Not anymore.
Grow your business with polished, client-facing presentations that visually illustrate your campaign’s performance. Through our new one-of-a-kind reporting option, Basis eliminates the time and cost associated with collecting, summarizing, and organizing data.
Navigate to the reporting menu and choose "Campaign Performance Presentation" to export a PowerPoint file that narrates your campaign’s triumph in a clear and visual way.
What’s included?
Each presentation contains a series of slides with charts and graphs for your Direct, DSP, Search, and Social executions. You can choose to include information on video completion, viewability, or conversion metrics as well as reporting by day of the week, weeks, and months.
Additionally, the presentations have been developed in a way that they can be easily formatted. Using the "Slide Master" function in PowerPoint, you can apply your organization’s branding—logo, fonts, and colors—to make the presentation your own!
Interested in a full walk-through of our campaign performance presentations? Contact us to set up a demo!
So, you’re one of the millions of people out of work. It’s hard and you’re likely experiencing the stages of grief. It’s emotional, and you are not alone. Our jobs contribute to our personal identities, and when drastic changes happen due to external circumstances, it impacts us in many ways.
The current global situation reminds us that the only constant is change. When you are ready to get back in the game, know that new opportunities await! Everything happens for a reason, and with each door that closes, a new one opens.
How do you find that so-called “open door”–or should I say, the right open door–for you? Review potential questions you may have and answers/ideas to combat the hurdles and uncertainties that may enter your brain as you get back into the job hunt:
“I don’t see any jobs open right now that actually fall into my interests and expertise. What do I do?”
This time is a gift. Use it to boost your resume with online certifications, education, and e-learning. Is there something you’ve been itching to learn more about? Master some Google tools with Google’s Skillshop, or check out Centro’s Digital Media Essentials training here. Self-improvement, one of Centro’s core principles, is a lifelong endeavor. The more skills you showcase, the more appealing you’ll be to recruiters, and the more confident you’ll feel overall.
“I’m interviewing but nobody even wants me. I should just give up.”
Never give up! Keep practicing storytelling, pitching, and articulating your skill set—you can have all the accolades in the world and the most pristine experience on-paper, but you need to be able to weave and tell a compelling personal story! You may be in a tough spot, but do you still showcase a positive attitude? How are you persevering through adversity to leverage your unique skill set? Own YOUR story, make it special, and perfect the way you share it.
“I’ve been out of practice. The thought of interviewing after all this time scares me. How can I get some practice before the “real” thing?”
Interviewing can be scary. You are being evaluated and for lack of a better word, “judged,” based on a piece of paper and first impression. But remember, just as you are being evaluated—you are equally evaluating the employer. This must be a two-way street to ensure compatibility. In order to “dust off the rust” and feel prepped and confident, ask a trusted professional and/or friend to quiz you virtually with questions.
Practice telling your stories and answering questions on-the-fly. Since interviewing will be done virtually for the foreseeable future, this helps you articulate your accomplishments proficiently, via webcam. Don’t forget to also check out interview tips from the pros, such as LinkedIn’s recent article about the “6 Interview Skills that Will Get You Hired” or these remote interviewing tips.
“I’ve gotten an offer, but the pay is way lower than the standard I have set for myself. They said when crisis mode ends, things will change, but how can I trust that’s the case?”
The economy is currently in struggle. Trust that you have worth but remember to look at the opportunity as a whole and not just the salary. Ask questions about health plans and other benefits, work flexibility, mental health support, family programs, growth opportunities, office culture, etc. Take time to sit down and consider what’s most important in your life.
“I’m sending out resumes everywhere but I’m getting no responses.”
Reset your expectations. Don’t abandon career goals, hopes, and dreams. Instead, think about what other jobs fall within your wheelhouse of skills and interests. The job market may not be ideal, but an unlikely opportunity could turn into something you never knew you wanted or push you into learning something new.
“What good does networking do me if the people I’m talking to aren’t in the position to hire someone? Also, how do I network when I’m quarantined…?”
Networking is always your friend. Check out what Goldman Sach’s recruiters have to say about networking and events during uncertain times. Set up networking conversations and manage your time wisely. This is an opportunity to learn more about someone, what they do, the company they are at, etc.
If the conversation goes in a direction that potentially solidifies your desire to work at their company, or in their line of work, it never hurts to ask them to keep you in mind when their company begins hiring.
You can say something similar to, “I know you aren’t hiring currently and I’m fully aware of the challenges companies are facing at this time with COVID-19, but if you hear anything in the industry or at your company about a need to hire someone with my skill set, please do keep me in mind.” A shameless plug can lead to a world of opportunity. After your initial conversation, don’t forget to keep in touch to keep yourself top of mind! A thank you note for their time will go a long way.
Make a list of people in your network. If you’re a recent grad, think about your favorite professors, or any professionals you respect, are comfortable with and look up to. Think of old internship supervisors, old managers, coworkers, pals that are employed, family members, friends, friends of friends of friends, etc.—make a personal goal to reach out to a certain number of people per day.
How does this look virtually? Seek out connections on LinkedIn or reach out via email. Be clear and specific with your ask—why are you reaching out, how are you, connected, and how much time are you asking for? Then, you can Zoom call, Facetime, or call them via phone. We are lucky to have a multitude of ways to connect with people even when it can’t be in-person at the nearest Starbucks. Make it happen!
Looking to explore more interviewing, networking, digital resources, and more? Centro’s here for you! Check out our blog or connect with us via our Centro Prep Facebook Community.
You are going to overcome this challenge, and we are all going to make it to the other side of this pandemic with an amazing story to tell! Take some deep breaths, hang in there, and stay well!