Business Improvement and Social media

Don't you wish marketing were as easy as waving a magic wand? Unfortunately, marketers must create their own magic to drive sales, raise awareness and generate qualified leads, in the face of ever changing customer needs and expectations.

In order to capture, cater to, and retain a customer's interest, CMOs and entrepreneurs need to make it more rewarding to choose their company. In the words of Hilton Chief Marketing Officer Geraldine Calpin, "We have to get customers really engaged and addicted to what we as a brand stand for. The way you get brand loyalty, love and stickiness, is through world class hospitality and technology. Simple, beautiful, useful technology makes travel easier."

Via The Learning Factor

Charlie Pabst is a graphic designer. Before going freelance, he had a full-time day job where he designed coffee shops all around the world. But each night, Pabst would come home and mock up logos and websites for fictional companies. At first, it was just a creative outlet. Then he started posting some of his designs online.

 

The initial response was positive. For the first time, he says, "in the back of my mind I thought maybe I could actually make a go of it." Pabst started hunting around for freelance work and eventually got hired to design a book cover for a connected client. The client was pleased, and promoted Pabst's work on his website, which reaches a few hundred thousand people.

 

Many are taking up side gigs because they need to and not because they want to, [but] it's clear that money is far from the only motivator.

It jump-started Pabst's freelance career. He quit his job, accepting lower pay at first in exchange for freedom and flexibility.

Via The Learning Factor