Now, more than ever, marketing teams are pulled in many directions. Multi-channel marketing can provide a greater reach, and the usage of automated tools can increase efficiencies. However, many organizations are still missing out on essential opportunities that will help them be even more effective in their marketing. These include:
 
Not collaborating with other departments.
 
Marketing, Sales, Product and IT teams should regularly collaborate. Unfortunately, most teams don’t join forces like they should. They work together to get a job completed versus helping each other discover the best approaches for achieving common goals. 
 
Examples of projects and processes that benefit from collaboration:
- If your marketing team uses a marketing automation system like HubSpot, Pardot or Marketo, or an email marketing service such as MailChimp or Constant Contact, you may experience better delivery results if you collaborate with your IT team. For example, did you know that if you set up your own DKIM and SPF authentication in Constant Contact or MailChimp, your campaigns may be more likely to arrive in subscriber inboxes than spam or junk folders? This task requires editing your domain’s DNS records and is something that most IT teams are familiar with. 
- CIOs that involve their CMOs in the early stages of a digital transformation strategy may gain a better understanding of what their customer wants and needs since Marketing often owns customer experiences and utilizes big data analytics in their campaigns.
 
Not staying current with social trends.
 
Social media trends, opportunities and algorithms are continuously changing. The exact tactics that you used last year may not be the best ones to use this year. A few updates for 2019 so far include:

• Targeting for certain ads on Facebook is now restricted. For example, housing, employment and credit ads can no longer be targeted by age, race or gender. However, you can still target those who have shown interest in products such as credit, loans and the category of product or service that you may be promoting. 
• Organic reach on social channels continues to decline. It’s more important than ever for people to engage and click on your posts for you to show up on as many people’s newsfeeds as possible. Photos of staff, clients (with their permission) and events that you participate in can help generate engagement. 
• Live streaming and video (under 3 minutes) continue to be the most effective content formats.

 
Not developing meaningful relationships.
 
Digital marketing has allowed organizations to communicate with their customers more than in the past. The problem is that communication is typically one-sided, which doesn’t often create meaningful relationships. Along with digital marketing (emails, social media, etc.), organizations should look for opportunities to build relationships through community outreach, hosted events and other in-person social opportunities. Friendships that are not entirely based online are often the strongest. The same goes for relationships with your customers and community partners.  
 
Not investing in a marketing partner
 
A marketing partner can bring in new insights and innovation with expanded marketing channel expertise. Outsourcing can also trigger internal collaboration. Getting outside marketing support can be a great way to get fresh ideas, gain consistent branding, reach more customers and save costs. A good marketing partner can also help you create an effective marketing strategy and will provide whatever level of marketing support you need – whether it’s acting as your marketing team or performing or handling specific areas of your marketing such as digital marketing.   
  
Have you been missing out on any of the opportunities mentioned above? Contact Break Ice Marketing if you’d like help with your marketing. 
 

I frequently get asked questions about starting and running a business, as well as to share advice with other business leaders. Recently, while responding to a publication’s interview questions for an article, it dawned on me that we all have stories to share. And, from the experiences in our stories, we’re able to give advice to others. Mine happens to involve my business, Break Ice Marketing. It has been a journey worth sharing. So, sit back and enjoy the story.
 
How my story began -
Once upon a time, if you had told me that I’d one day have my own business, I would have replied with, “no way.” It was just not something that I had ever thought about doing. I loved marketing and managing multiple brands. I enjoyed leading projects with the ad agencies that I partnered with, and I appreciated the stability that came from having a corporate job.
 
However, as time went on, my job evolved to leading a corporate marketing team that managed eight brands. In a sense, we had become an internal marketing and branding agency, supporting the various product teams.  I loved the diversity of marketing different brands and products, but I decided that I wanted to broaden the range of what I marketed.  So, I decided to start a marketing and branding agency that would support multiple companies.
 
Leaving the financial security of the "corporate world" was perhaps the scariest thing that I have ever done. Not only did I leave a six-figure income, but in a strange way, I felt that I had also given up a part of my identity. During the two decades leading up to this, there had been many days that I was in the office more than I was at home. Now, I suddenly had no office to go to and the overwhelming task of creating a business and making it a success.
 
Looking back, I realize that I would have never made the "jump" if it hadn't of been for the encouragement of my supportive husband, family and friends. More than that, I feel that it was God who led me to exit the road that I had been on, and guided me to where I am now.
               
While I had years of marketing experience, I was completely stepping out of my comfort zone by doing something that I had never done before. But, it’s amazing what we, humans, are capable of.  Once I had resigned from my prior job, there was no turning back. I had to make this work. So, I prayed, researched and planned.
 
I spent hours researching everything that I needed to know about setting up a business and brainstorming for the perfect company name. I wanted a name that was creative and had meaning. We became Break Ice Marketing.
 
Every business and job, for that matter, has challenges. After I decided to start Break Ice Marketing, my primary concern was getting clients. Although I ended up getting clients relatively quickly, those first few months of preparing and waiting were perhaps the hardest. I would be lying if I said that thoughts of "did I do the right thing?" did not occasionally pass through my mind.

But, luckily, I did not have to wait too long for those first few clients to come in. And, once they started coming, others quickly followed. As a result, my team began to grow, which allowed me to further expand and to better serve my existing clients. 
​
The story continues -
Break Ice Marketing is comprised of a team of talented strategists, designers and developers. We've developed marketing strategies, managed social media, created websites, email campaigns, branding, marketing collateral and much more for a wide-range of industries including; credit unions, insurance, health & fitness, therapy, law, office furniture and dental.
 
While we are known for providing nearly any type of marketing and branding support, our specialty is creative strategy. We thrive on coming up with solutions for nearly any type of challenge and business. This includes helping organizations create strong and effective branding, and developing and executing marketing strategies for companies to increase leads and sales.
 
It’s sometimes a challenge forcing myself to leave the office. I truly love my job, and in a way, it almost feels like a hobby. While sometimes deadlines and pressing "to do's" call me back into the office after-hours, I also enjoy what I do, so I sometimes find myself returning to work at the end of the day or on the occasional weekend because it just "seems like a fun thing to do."

I thank God every day for giving me the courage to start Break Ice Marketing. I love all aspects of my job – my clients, projects, the challenges and opportunities. I’m thankful that I have this story to share.  
 
My advice for all business leaders -
 
Never allow yourself (or business) get too comfortable. Most success happens outside of the comfort zone.
 ​
If you feel strongly about something, find a way to make it happen. That inner voice is more powerful that you think.
 
If something doesn’t “feel” right, then it probably isn’t. Seek the solution – even if it’s hidden.

It’s the week before Christmas and staffs of all levels are hustling and busting to get things wrapped up before year-end.  As hectic as this time of year may be, the holiday season provides a great opportunity for all businesses to prepare themselves for more success in the upcoming months within the New Year. 
 
Below, is some of the season's best business advice.
 
Deck the halls with good, strong branding
During the holidays, your brand may not be forefront on your customers’ minds unless it offers a product or service that coincides with an item on their holiday lists.  But, don’t let this dissuade your team from preparing for the after-season rush when your customers are less distracted and ready to hear from you.  Be courteous and visible to your customers throughout the holiday season.  So, when it’s over, your customers will remain loyal to your joyous brand. ​

Your customers are going online
At the moment, your customers may be spending most of their time online, shopping for the type of gifts that your brand may not offer. Whether they’re going to your website or not, don’t stop giving your digital presence the attention that it deserves.  Use this time to ensure that all web content is current and relevant.  This is also the perfect opportunity to make those back-end site updates that will help improve SEO - and to evaluate and respond to any customer reviews made about your company and brand. ​

The twelve days of selling
Between now and the end of the year, there is actually less than 12 business days available to sell.  But, that shouldn’t stop you from trying to close a few more deals.  Depending on what you’re selling, sales are either at their annual peak or they’re slowing down until the first of the year.  If you’re the case of the latter, this is the time to make sure that your CRM is updated and current so you’re ready when things start to pick back up.  ​