by Fronetics | May 9, 2017 | Blog, Leadership, Talent
Employers that can reduce stresses surrounding childcare increase their chances of retaining their most talented employees.
Many companies struggle with attracting and, more importantly, retaining their best employees. There are many reasons why, of course. But one of them that we don’t talk enough about in the supply chain — though it’s been gaining national attention lately — is the issue of childcare.
This is a very personal matter to me, a working mother who struggled to find a balance between the cost of childcare and the price of my employment. And that doesn’t even cover the emotional, physical, and logistical challenges of finding somewhere to deposit young children for a good portion of the day while you earn a paycheck. But I digress…
The staggering cost of childcare
According to Care.com, the national average for at-home care is $28,354 per year, while in-center care is $8,589 per year. These numbers are often staggering to parents, who are not physically or emotionally ready to part with their newborns after a short, and for most, unpaid maternity or paternity leave.
It’s Working Project and Forty Weeks founder Julia Beck recently wrote about concerns parents consistently face when heading back to work after having a baby. At the top of the list is childcare and a general lack of support from the workplace. “Support from employers makes or breaks the deal, creating either a manageable new reality or the need for a backup plan (or even an exit),” she writes.
Don’t believe that’s true? Take a look at this statistic: 83% of millennials would leave their jobs for one with better family care benefits. As millennials represent an increasing percentage of the supply chain fabric, it’s a concern that should increasingly matter to employers.
Here’s the good news: Every challenge employees face is an opportunity for employers to gain a leg up on their competition for talent. Easing the stresses surrounding childcare can be a simple yet significant way that companies can support their most talented employees, who also happen to be working parents.
How employers can ease childcare stresses for working parents
So what can your company do to help make work/life balance more obtainable for your employees? Here are three practical suggestions that are fairly simple for employers to implement but that might make a world of difference for working parents.
1) Make schedules predictable.
When a parent learns of a last-minute, late-afternoon meeting, they must scramble to find someone to pick up their son or daughter from daycare, miss a long-anticipated school or sporting event, or otherwise come up short on time promised to their families. Setting rules around scheduling meetings can help avoid this additional stress on parents.
For example, some organizations have a policy that no meetings can start before 9:30am or after 4:30pm, so parents don’t have to worry about drop-off or pick-up with daycare facilities. Allowing parents to focus on work and not worrying about running late for soccer practice makes them more productive employees.
2) Offer flexibility.
BirchBox’s VP of People and Culture, Melissa Enbar, explains that her organization offers flexibility around the hours employees work and the location they work from.
Nowadays most jobs can be effectively performed from home or another location. This is a luxury that makes sense for working parents — and it’s an opportunity for companies to offer an extra benefit for employees who want or need to set their schedules around their families.
3) Aid in childcare options.
Whether your company offers on-site care or not, you can still help ease the stress of finding reliable and affordable childcare for your employees.
A good starting point is creating resources for new parents beginning their childcare search. This can be as simple as posting a list of childcare facilities recommended by other employees or as in depth as offering backup childcare options for emergency situations. Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, for example, offers a reduced rate for six days of emergency care at home through Care.com, plus access to a backup child care center, according to one employee.
Let’s face it, securing a safe, nurturing childcare option is a challenge for all working parents. When they are plagued by related stresses — such as an unforeseen late meeting, illness, or other everyday concern — parents aren’t able to give their full attention to their job. This comes at a cost to the employee and ultimately, the business.
There are things you, as an employer, can do to make working for your company more appealing to parents. Helping employees navigate childcare stresses will be benefit not only the individual, but the company as well, in terms of employee retention. After all, a flexible-hours or no-4 p.m.-meetings policy may be the differentiator that keeps your talent working for you rather than your competitors.
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by Fronetics | May 8, 2017 | Blog, Content Marketing, Marketing
Research shows that marketers are wasting valuable time and resources reinventing the wheel when it comes to email marketing.
Email marketing can be a challenge — to say the least. The constantly changing email landscape, marketing trends, and privacy regulations can make staying on top of your email game very tough.
The Litmus 2017 State of Email Report looks at trends in email marketing over the last year. One interesting takeaway: The definition of ‘spam’ email is changing at lightning speed. Consumers are quick to label unwanted or uninteresting emails as spam. That means it’s more likely the content you’re creating won’t make it to your audience’s inbox.
So marketers should spend more time and resources creating better emails, right? Not necessarily. The study shows that many aren’t using their resources wisely when it comes to marketing emails.
One thing is clear: Companies have to drive relevant and timely email communications that align with subscribers’ interests to stand out. But spending more time on different designs and reinventing the wheel when it comes to copy aren’t necessarily the way to go about that.
Take a look at these 4 statistics from the report and why streamlining and automating certain aspects of your email marketing program might free you up to focus on factors that can make a difference.
4 takeaways from the Litmus 2017 State of Email Report
1) 41.5% of companies have 1-5 emails in production at any given time (from conception to send).
That is a lot of emails. If you’re working on 5 emails at a time, it’s important that you have a process for turning them over quickly. But Litmus found that companies are spending way too much unnecessary time thinking about, creating and producing emails.
Why start from scratch with every one? Email templates are an excellent way to streamline your production process. It’s also easier to concept an email when you have certain standard elements that you have to come up with each time. You can still swap out messaging and images while keeping brand-specific pieces in place. It’s a time-saver for all involved.
2) Only 31.6% of companies spend less than a week to produce a single email.
So over 68% of companies are spending a week or more on ONE email. If most marketers send out 1-3 emails a month, imagine how those weeks add up! How does anyone have any time to do anything else?
This means too many marketers are spending too much time on each email. Automating certain parts of your process can be a beautiful thing — saving you time, money, and, ultimately, your sanity.
3) Only 6.7% of marketers use task runners as a part of their email production flow.
Task runners automate repetitive tasks, such as inlining CSS and sending out test emails. The biggest benefit to using a task runner is the ability to save time. Using Grunt, a popular task runner, not only adds to efficiency, but also builds consistency, increases effectiveness, and offers task flexibility.
4) Only 5% of marketers are using static site generators as a part of their email production workflow.
Static site generators are build systems for flat files that allow you to create templates and break down email elements. For all of us non-coders, this means that when someone visits your webpage, the user sees exactly what is stored, in contrast to a dynamic webpage that is generated through an application. Using static site generators can save marketers time, improve reliability, and increase security.
So what does all this mean for you and your company? Time is money, and that’s especially true when it comes to your email marketing program. The concept of streamlining workflows and utilizing technology to cut down on time is imperative to your company’s success.
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by Fronetics | May 4, 2017 | Blog, Marketing, Social Media
Show that your company cares about its customers by responding in a complete and timely manner to negative comments on social media.
I was recently talking with a client who works in a sector known for negative online reviews. Customers tend to air their grievances in public forums — especially on social media — as a means of resolving issues that could be handled offline with a quick phone call to customer service. Some are just looking for discounts and know that a thorough online bashing will usually do the trick. Either way, the client did not see the point of engaging in an unwinnable argument.
I totally get it. But, unfortunately, not a good idea.
It’s really important to respond to negative comments for many reasons. Let’s walk through a few.
You are not a robot.
More and more, people turn to social media and other online forums to complain. It’s so easy to do! You don’t even have to face the consequences — or a real live person!
Don’t give them that satisfaction. Or, maybe I should say, prove them wrong. Give a voice to your business. Show them that someone is listening, that an actual human is reading their words. They’re not just complaining in a vacuum.
An always-respond policy will discourage commenters who don’t have a real issue that needs solving. Of course, it won’t stop people looking for a fight, but at least it shows that you’re not a robot, and that they should think twice before bashing you for all the world to see.
That brings up another critical point.
Everyone’s watching.
When you don’t respond to negative comments on social media, all of your followers and all of the people that come across your page see that. They get only one side of the story — and it ain’t pretty. They see that you didn’t care enough/have the time/[insert other bad assumption here] to respond to customer concerns. Imagine how that reflects on your business.
But when you do take the time to respond to comments, people see that, too. They see you making an effort to improve your customers’ experiences. Even if they have no context for the complaint, they have the opportunity to form a favorable opinion of your business because you care enough to respond.
Maybe you’re wrong.
Maybe there was a real lapse in service. Maybe the product isn’t meeting customer expectations because something’s wrong with it. Or, maybe that person you think is complaining to get a discount is really looking for a legitimate answer to a problem. Any way you spin it, that person deserves a chance.
Even on platforms where you can choose whether or not to enable comments, opening the comments feature indicates that your business is interested in hearing from customers and engaging with them in meaningful dialogue. And while you’ll inevitably receive some negative feedback, you will most certainly learn about problems that you would never have known about otherwise. You may even win back customers if you handle things correctly.
It’s discouraging to receive even one negative comment, let alone more. But by quickly responding to them and genuinely trying to solve any problems, you deliver on a promise of transparency, openness, and customer service. You become a company people would like to do business with, no matter what the haters are saying.
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by Fronetics | May 3, 2017 | Blog, Content Marketing, Logistics, Marketing, Social Media, Supply Chain
There’s never been a better time for supply chain and logistics businesses to implement a content marketing strategy — except for maybe yesterday.
Content marketing is a form of inbound marketing in which vendors publish digital content to attract customers who are searching for products and services like theirs. If done right, it is highly effective in growing brand awareness, generating and converting leads, and driving sales and repeat business.
Think content marketing isn’t for supply chain and logistics businesses? Guess again. Here are five reasons why companies in these industries should use content marketing.
5 reasons to use content marketing
1. Buyers use content to make purchasing decisions.
The B2B buying landscape has shifted dramatically in the last 10 years. Buyers no longer rely on sales reps to make purchasing decisions; they turn to the internet. Companies must shift to accommodate buyers at various levels of self-sufficiency in the purchasing process.
The reality is that 94% of B2B buyers use online research. That means they’re judging whether or not to buy from your business based on the kind of digital content you publish (or do not publish, as the case may be). Consider these stats:
- 95% of B2B buyers are willing to consider vendor-related content as trustworthy.
- 51% more B2B buyers rely on content to make purchasing decisions than they did last year.
- 47% of B2B buyers consume 3 to 5 pieces of content before engaging with a sales person.
2. Control the conversation in your favor.
Customers go online to discuss their buying experiences — both positive and negative. If a potential buyer googles your business’ name, what will they find?
Content marketing puts you in the driver’s seat of reputation control. If you publish thought-provoking blog posts about industry trends, you can earn a reputation as a thought leader in the space. If you curate the latest articles about relevant happenings, people will begin to view your social media accounts as a resource for industry news. Be professional, quirky, clever, ahead of your time, youthful, wise, funny, off-color — whatever your brand is, you can set that reputation by what you publish online.
3. Present yourself as a solution.
When prospects go online they are looking for information and for answers. Position yourself as an expert who fully understands their problems and how to solve them by publishing content that anticipates their pain points. Quickly and fully respond to customer queries on social media. Use content marketing as an opportunity to be the solution prospects are looking for, right when they need it most.
4. Content marketing is more effective than traditional marketing.
Companies in the supply chain and logistics space have a lot to gain by modernizing their marketing tactics. We see this every day with our clients. With the evolving B2B buying landscape, ads in industry publications no longer cut it as a “marketing strategy.”
Take two examples under consideration. How about TotalTrax, a warehousing technology company that grew new business by 30% with content marketing? Or 3PL Cerasis, who gained 98 customers from its content marketing efforts? Content marketing works, and that’s been proven time and again with logistics and supply chain businesses.
5. Your competitors are doing it.
Content marketing is already a widespread practice within the supply chain and logistics industries. If you’re not producing content to attract prospects and retain customers, you’re missing out.
This year, 75% of marketers are increasing their investments in content marketing. Why? Because it works. Successful content marketers experience drastically more site growth than their competitors. In fact, content marketing leaders experience 7.8 times more site traffic than their competitors.
In sum, content = customers. If you’re not using content marketing as part of your marketing program, you’re going to get left behind, if you’re not already.
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by Fronetics | May 2, 2017 | Blog, Content Marketing, Marketing, Social Media
YouTube creators focus on audience engagement, as opposed to branding, which helps them organically grow an authentic loyal following.
I recently watched a video from Truly Social President and Founder Tara Hunt about the genius of YouTube creators. She offers truly valuable insight into why people with little technology and resources have been more successful in growing a loyal audience with video than corporate campaigns with all the money and creativity in the world.
Perhaps it’s worth saying first: Yes, video can work for the supply chain. And YouTube, in particular, can be very worthwhile as part of your larger social marketing strategy. The decade-old video platform has over 1.3 billion users. 1.3 BILLION! And that’s not all: Users watch over 5 billion videos on YouTube every single day, and upload 300 hours of video every minute.
This presents a huge opportunity for your company to reach prospects in a new way. It also means that your videos really need to stand out to make an impact and avoid getting lost in the shuffle. After all, approximately 20% of people who start a video will leave after the first 10 seconds.
So how are creators attracting viewers while corporate brands aren’t?
5 ways creators are out-YouTubing brands
1. Consistency
Creators know the success behind their YouTube channels is a constant stream of content. This be can new content or simply responding to their followers, but they are active every day, around the clock. Brands tend to spend a lot of time and energy on content but are inconsistent in their posting, often abandoning their YouTube channels for days or weeks at a time. Their followers become bored with their lack of attention and move on.
2. Community
The foundation of YouTube — and most social media platforms, actually — is community and the resulting two-way dialogue between creators and their followers. The intent of a creator’s video is to engage their audience and build a relationship that is beneficial to both parties. On the other hand, brands tend to be overly focused on the attention their content stirs up, the “buzz” they are able to draw, neglecting the important process of creating and nurturing a relationship with their followers.
3. Interaction
Companies often focus on pushing their “messaging” on one (or just a few) social media platform(s). They spend an enormous amount of time and money perfecting content that reflects this messaging, hoping their followers will engage with it.
Contrarily, YouTube creators focus on interaction. They interact on multiple platforms, reaching out to their audience and taking full advantage of every opportunity to connect with their followers. What’s more, successful YouTubers don’t merely expect engagement — they ask for it. They promote hashtags, solicit video responses from viewers, and encourage feedback via social media interactions. Calls-to-action can stimulate subscriptions, shares and cross-pollination with other platforms.
4. Connection
Gone are the days of expensive and lengthy productions. Creators have captivated their audiences by creating organic, raw material that focuses on the emotional connect. The polished and professional content that brands create are void of vulnerability and lack the connection today’s followers are seeking.
5. Collaboration
Creators root for one another; they follow one another; they promote one another. YouTube creators seek the opportunity to expand their audience by collaborating with other creators who focus on the same topics and interests. Through the power of collaboration, creators expand the exposure of their content to different audiences, gaining subscribers and views.
Brands see other brands as competition. In a time when audiences prefer engagement and social awareness, this competitive attitude hurts brands’ likability and ultimately diminishes their viewership.
If companies were to focus more on audience engagement in these ways, they would have a better chance at mimicking the wild success of YouTube creators who have amassed a loyal following.
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by Fronetics | May 1, 2017 | Blog, Leadership, Strategy
Companies usually try to understand failure, but what could they learn from analyzing their successes, too?
“Success is going from one failure to another without loss of enthusiasm.” Winston Churchill
Failure is said to be inevitable, and we all know it to be true. Any new venture is built on the hope of success. But accepting and managing failure is key to actually obtaining success.
Companies have a responsibility to ask the tough questions when things go awry. We have all been in these meetings: we diagnose failures, and we dissect the process, tools and staff involved to get to the root of the problem. Unfortunately, most companies only step back and really dive into what happened when something bad happens.
But what if companies took the same approach when something went right?
Focusing on the lessons in success
Companies are all a work in process. We learn as we go, and that learning should include understanding our successes. Shifting the focus from ‘what went wrong’ to ‘what went right’ creates a foundation for being able to recreate success in your organization.
Identifying and analyzing the components of a successful process can be the first step in moving into this new mindset. Paul Michelman, editor in chief of the MIT Sloan Management Review, experimented with dissecting his the publication’s successes and quickly discovered that their best processes start with transparency. Michelman wrote:
We plan a pipeline of content that is stored in a document accessible by the key participants. We track each content item’s progress on a shared project management platform. The few times we encounter bumps, a lack of information sharing is almost always at fault.
Though Michelman admits his research is unscientific, the key factors he has identified in their success stories has helped his business focus on what’s working, instead of waiting to dissect failure.
Technology can help
In today’s world, there is no end to the amount of data you can collect on your business. Your company’s digital presence is an easy place to start.
Tools like Google Analytics can give you advanced insight into how prospects are interacting with your company online. You can analyze how people are finding your business, and how they’re moving through your website all the way to making purchases. In other words, you can begin to analyze all of the little successes that make your business turn. How can you replicate that success on new projects and processes?
When things are going well, most companies don’t see the need to reflect on what happened, what went right. But don’t let this opportunity slip by. You should examine failures, but you should also look closely at successes. Take the time to brainstorm with your team on what you’re doing well and how you can keep up that success while you plan for future growth. —
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