Why don’t more smaller companies use project management, or some derivation of PM, to make the project creation easier on them? I think there is a fear of the formality, that their staff will shy away from the work involved because it may take them away from how they manage their other responsibilities. Their own way of managing their work may be quite casual, and self-chosen based on their preferred way to move about their day. Project management has the stigma, and rightly so, that there are steps, check-ins, milestones, processes, and deadlines that are required in order for each team member to fulfill their responsibilities within the project. But what is forgotten by those who shrug off the idea of PM is they will more likely see greater, and more visible, return on their investment of time and work, and even better, they will see how their own contributions made a difference on the success of the project.

Bottom line is that Project Management isn’t an obstacle in the creative process. Project Management can enable the creative process to be realized in the form of successful outcomes from what otherwise may just be a handful of good ideas. That lack of organization and cohesion can make the project merely run in place. Any company can use PM to increase their rate of success in the delivery of projects.

As I pursue “project manager” employment at companies that leverage my online marketing background, I find that creative agencies, in particular, have grasped the project manager role as an essential member of their client marketing deliveries. Only, the PM (project manager) is not merely a paper-pusher as perhaps they once were defined. In the agency environment, the PM is the point-person within the team of cross-discipline members, managing timelines, budgets, and balancing client expectations with internal work. But more than that, the PM is a participant in the upfront brainstorm and scoping meetings, interfacing with the client to manage their ideas with those of the marketing expertise the client has hired the agency to leverage for them. Today, the project manager is an exciting role, and (non-agency) corporations, from small to large, would be smart to utilize the PM in a similar fashion: team leader as well as creative thinker.

The ideal project manager in any organization offers these 5 qualities:

1. Superior Organization Skills
2. Ability to Lead with Passion
3. Multi-Tasker to the Highest Degree
4. Creative, Quick Thinker
5. Unafraid to Press the Team Members to Meet Expectations

Any company can use these skills in a team leader, and even if formal project management tools are not being used, I’d urge any company to select or hire a team member who possesses these qualities to guide their projects. Don’t just hand off a project to a couple people and ask them to meet the objective. There’s a lot between “start” and “finish” that can arise to throw the project off course, in which case you’ve invested a lot of man-hours into a project that will either go nowhere or not deliver on the objectives.

I won’t hold you in suspense. No, websites do not have to look marvelous to be marvelous. Long gone are the days when it was common to land on a site that obviously put 90% of their effort into the design. And, at some point, they’d add some good content little by little. For the visual thinkers out there, sometimes it’s easier to see the design to conceptualize their content and how it might flow from page to page.

Or, are those days really long gone?

I have encountered many small to mid-size businesses that report they need a new “website design.” While they may not intend only for a new design, that term seems to be pretty on-target with what they really do intend. A new design at least gives their company a facelift, they think, and when they have that done it will be easy to post text to the pages as time allows. The problem is that the time never does allow, the content never seems to get its due attention, and what lingers out there for the world to see is a site that is merely a sign on the front of their door. When their potential customers walk inside, there’s not much there at all.

So, what I am saying is that an effective website needs a balance of both good design and good content. And if either of the two has to be sacrificed for any reason, I say that design should take a bit of a hit in that battle for your attention. Ultimately, what your site visitors have come to your site for is to learn about something, consider your products and services, and come away with a perspective on your site’s topic that has been enhanced in some way. A good-looking structure and design around that content is key, of course. Design should serve to draw in the visitor, to give off a sense of what the brand is all about.

However, especially in this era of the more discerning, web-savvy consumer, content is king. A company or individual responsible for “designing” a website should take content into greater consideration earlier on in the design than in the last stretch of the marathon.

Here is the Subway Rewards program, in a nutshell:

1. Pick up a card at any participating Subway restaurant
2. Register the card online by signing in at mysubwaycard.com
3. Get the card swiped whenever you make a purchase at Subway
4. Collect points for each purchase
5. As you accumulate points, use them for future purchases.

Here are the flaws in the Subway Rewards program:

1. There is no easy way to identify what your card balance equates to in food items, The only place I’ve found that information is in their FAQ on their mysubwaycard.com site.
2. Right away, upon logging in, I expect to see my current rewards balance and what food items I’ve earned. Instead, what I see is my card number, and a number that must be my rewards balance. I can click that card number, but nothing informative appears, like what food items I can get for free in exchange for my past loyalty.
3. I shouldn’t have to log in with an email address and password to check my balance. Subway makes me log in to see my card balance, just like Starbucks does on their site. But I prefer the Barnes & Noble experience for balance-checking. All a card holder should need to do is type in the card number and maybe the PIN.
4. How about giving the option for a keychain tag, instead of the card that is adding to my wallet’s double-digit weight (picture George Costanza’s exploding wallet!).

Finally, I don’t believe that your Rewards balance appears on your receipt after the Subway sandwich artist swipes your card. I will confirm that today, when I show my loyalty again to my nearby Subway.

UPDATE:  I checked my Subway receipt today, and I can give some kudos back to Subway for putting my rewards card balance on the receipt.

The truth of it all is this: Your CEO would be more apt to say “yes” if your ideas were more well-formed, and based on filling an existing need instead of enhancing what already is working well. The reason they say “no” is, way too often, your ideas are one-dimensional. They are a band-aid to one problem that won’t really have an effect on the bottomline.

I think the winning approach to presenting a new idea is, well… don’t present it. At least, not until you can expand that idea into more than one area of the business that could benefit from your solution to a problem. What I’m getting at is that we are too eager to jump for joy around the office and fire away that email to our boss, or the CEO, and expect a blue ribbon to be slapped on our chest. We don’t “bake” our ideas in a metaphorical kiln. Would you rather present an idea in “concept” or in real, practical terms? What version is going to get the CEO’s attention more? I don’t know about you, but I’d rather drink out of a cup that’s been through the kiln instead of one that is still mushy and liable to fall apart.

Even if your CEO still says “no” to those ideas that have been well-thought-out, baked, and planned and presented in a thorough way, you will gain the reputation of one who doesn’t fire without aiming, who doesn’t spout off ideas with no basis in any real business need. And that solid reputation will earn you more attention from your CEO, who will more likely say “YES” to your idea some day than if you gave him raw, uncooked ideas time and time again.

Value: If the content you are posting is not of value to your community, then it’s not worth posting at all. Likely, if it doesn’t have value to your community, it’s probably something only YOU care about. The content doesn’t have to have an impact on everyone in your community, but definitely for a large portion. Be educational, be insightful, share insider tips, and provide exclusive content that only your community can access.

Varied: Change up your content all the time. Putting out the same type of content, like special offers or posts about only one subject, will make you predictable and boring. It just takes some consideration of what your community really wants to know, and asking why they are following or liking you. Did you promise content that you aren’t delivering? There’s a good chance you have content in your arsenal that you haven’t considered posting. You can even come up with weekly posts around the same subject, like Tuesday Tips for Teeth (if you’re a dentist).

Viral: Does your content have good potential to be spread out beyond your community? Ideally, there are friends and followers of the people in your community who haven’t discovered you, and that viral content can catch their attention if shared by members of your community. It just needs to have  the legs to move 2, 3, 4 degrees out beyond your peeps. Videos are great viral content, as are how-to’s and special offers to community members. I will caution you not to be focused on making ALL of your content viral. Doing so will cause your content to lean too far to the promotional angle, which is okay in small doses, but not constantly.

Most of all, as social content managers, you want to share your expertise, information, and tips from which you have a unique perspective to share. You want your community to always be paying attention, and to do so you need those followers and fans to expect value, to see varied topics and content, and to see occasional posts that your community members can share with their friends in order to share that value.

Pick a few topics or issues that are key in your industry, that meet these criteria:

1. Current hot-buttons that your customers face

2. General appeal or applicable to a wide audience

3. Easy to explain and present (primarily non-technical)

4. Can use real-world examples that your product or service can solve

Read up on webinars, such as from Webex or GoToMeeting. For a small investment in one of these services, you can schedule free or paid audio/video sessions with people interested in the topics you present. Has your email list become stagnate? There’s a good chance you can revitalize those lists by offering an educational session about a topic in your industry, or common questions or concerns that people face when evaluating the products and services you sell. Only at the end of the webinar should you mention how to get in touch with you to learn more about your company.

For instance, a financial service company may want to offer a series of webinars on mortgage issues. Or, a web agency could present some how-to’s on selecting the right web design or SEO company. By inviting people to attend your webinars, you show that you care about more than getting their business, and in doing so they will think of you when they are ready to buy because you have shown that you are a leader in your field. Being an educator puts you ahead of the pack of those who just sell, sell, and sell.

To start, create a Powerpoint presentation on the topic you want to present in your webinar. Don’t try to fit in too much. A succinct presentation, though it may cover a small portion of what you really want to present, will go over much better than one that is overloaded with information that will bury them. Next, decide who in your company will present the webinar. This should be someone who is well-spoken and can answer questions with authority. Once you have signed up with your webinar provider, schedule the webinar and send an invitation to your lists. Plaster the webinar details in every social network, direct mail, or any other channel you have at your disposal. Ultimately, you not only want to re-invigorate your existing list but gain NEW people who may be future customers. Finally, once you host your webinar, be sure to record it in a file that people can download at a later time. You may even choose to offer it as a free download. Depending on your industry, it may make more sense for you to offer both the live webinar and the recording for a reasonable price. Gauge the interest of the topic and price it accordingly.

I hope this idea becomes a key channel for you to gain new potential customers and a new way for your brand to gain a reputation as a leader in your industry.

If you need any more detail or guidance on how to set up your webinars, and some best practices, contact me.

I love being Mr. Mom, and if it paid as well in money as it did in the abundant satisfaction of being a parent to an 8 month old boy, I would not be looking for a new career opportunity. Being Mr. Mom is a FULL-TIME, RIGOROUS position, one that no husband of a wife who watches kids every day should take for granted. But I digress…

The topic of this post is “not pooping out on your job search,” and I can speak from experience on that. At various times during the last two months, I’ve wanted to just remove myself from the battle and get out of town for a day to get a breath. It sure would be relaxing and rejuvenating to get a quick change of scenery, put aside the computer, the cell phone, and not think about THE SEARCH for 24 hours. However, to do that would be to expose any chinks in my armor, and I absolutely don’t wan to do that. There’s some saying about allowing your nemesis to see your wounds, that it gives them a leg up in the battle. Well, if I have any wounds (I’m not admitting to any!), Mr. Unemployment isn’t going to see them.

You also can’t let your kid(s) see that they are getting the better of you while you focus on your job search. They may be too young to know why daddy is suddenly home and caring for them every day when mommy did it for so long. “So, since daddy is home with me, I should be his only focus!” Sorry, kid, you’re top priority, but daddy has to find himself a job, and a darn good one to pay for all of those cans of formula, toys, diapers, the roof over our head, and on and on and on…

The first reminder for you, and the biggest one of all, is to have Perspective. Do what you have to do to care for your kid(s), but when there’s an important phone call or event related to your job search, ask your family and friends to babysit. It’s too easy to go about your day and realize you did nothing to further your job search because the needs of your kid took up all your time — which it should in the perfect world! But really, if you think about your day, there is always time to multi-task. You don’t have to hold your baby 24/7. A plan for each day helps you focus, and if you only accomplish half of what you set out to do, at least you completed half of what you set out to do!

Like right now — my kid is fussing while I’m writing this sentence. I am looking over to him in his excersaucer, and although it sounds like he’s fussing, he’s having a good time, and a quick few minutes to focus on him, then back to writing this post, is all it takes. Perspective on your day is ESSENTIAL to getting your job search movin’.

Also, Perspective will give you Patience. Knowing what your priorities are each day will allow you to tell yourself, “Hey, I have these things to do, and if unforeseen things pop up, I will have time later to accomplish my plans.” Take a deep breath!

Be Positive. Smile, even when you don’t feel particularly happy. Get out of the house, even if you have nowhere particular to go. Reach out to your network of professional contacts for advice and help, even if you think they are too busy to respond.

Be Professional. I’ll admit to you that I conducted a phone meeting related to my freelance business recently while my kid was fussy. I asked the person I was talking to if I could delay our talk for another time. But she said she didn’t mind talking if I didn’t. We continued out talk, but what I should have done was just politely delay our call.

Uh oh, the kid is crying, so it’s a good time to end this post. You see? Perspective!

In this two-part post, I am going to point out the first steps of how to care and feed your website for it to be a success, regardless of your topic, business, or goals. Next week, in Part 2, I will talk about what’s needed for your site to thrive beyond the big site launch.

• Content: Content is the most important element of any website. If you can’t find a way to communicate in clear and concise way, then stop right where you are and don’t even design your site yet. In fact, write out all of your copy in Microsoft Word before you look at designs. You can fine-tune copy later. What’s important is that you are very direct about what you want to say about your company, service, topics, what have you. Embellishing or indulging yourself with fluff does nothing but turn away people who just want the facts, brief descriptions, and in the end, how to contact you if they need your product or service. Each page should answer questions such as, What is the service or product? Why am I different or what are my differentiating qualities? How can the customer benefit from me? How can the customer contact or engage with me? What is the next step or page I want the customer to take? Also key in your content is the frequent use of keywords that relate to your products or services. If your writing flows naturally and is authentic, those keywords will appear naturally as well.

• User Flow and Layout: Paying close attention to how you want your visitors to traverse your website, rather than just tossing up a series of pages that have no clear flow or relation, can be a huge detriment to your user experience and traffic. Using a simple tool like Powerpoint or Word, or a more advanced tool for user flows and wireframes, will allow you to be sure you have the right approach to your web design. It’s so easy to dive into the design because that’s what tends to be the more exciting step in the process. but it’s dangerous to jump to early into that. Starting with the homepage, plot out the pieces of content you absolutely want to be included. Then, do the same for the first-level pages and so on, until you are comfortable with at least the first pass at content and flow. Nothing is set in stone, of course, but starting with a foundation of logic, rather than design before user flow and layout, will likely shave weeks off your project schedule in the long run and save you some energy you’d be smarter to direct toward design work later.

• Design: Whether you are working with an internal designer or have hired an agency that is well-versed in web design, you will want to look at multiple concepts before you decide on the final design. Any designer worth his/her salt will offer multiple options and be able to share the pros and cons of each, and you will need to balance the innate need to find a visually appealing design with the practical need for a fully-functional and logical design. I’ve seen so often how people drool over breath-taking design concepts, yet when the work is underway and the content gets populated into that design, they wish they could start over and use the more practical design that better accommodates their content. So, when you do select your design, work closely with your designer every step of the way on how things are shaping up. With all due respect to designers, they don’t know your business or the nature of your copy/content as well as you do, so keeping them on track will, again, save you time in the long run. Don’t be shy about being a pest!

These aren’t new ideas by any means, but keeping them in mind will help you approach any web design project will make you happy with the final result. More next week!

I find myself, most days while my wife is at work, praying for my son to go down for a nap, so I can invest 30-45 minutes of solid searching – networking – calling – emailing time without worry of interruption. Check that… he’s not an interruption, don’t get me wrong, but even as I write this post he’s napping in the next room and I feel like I’m “on the clock” to finish before he stirs. How does one effectively manage their job search while wanting nothing more than to be a good, attentive dad or mom?

I’ve tried asking our baby, “Can Daddy have 10 minutes to get this done?” His answer: “Baa Boo”. I took that as a “no.” I’ve even tried, desperately, to sing to him while I work so that he focuses on something other than Daddy staring at his computer. Sometimes that works… well… for a few minutes, then it’s back to needing Daddy (which I do love).

So, how to juggle? Well, you can’t ever make a plan to make X number of calls or send Y number of emails. You just can’t, and if you try, you’ll only be disappointed when you look back on your activity that day. But what you CAN do is be cognizant of every moment you CAN get away while your kids nap or play on their own, and USE YOUR TIME WISELY. If you make just ONE goal per day, and make that goal your highest priority (next to caring for your kids), you’ll feel more accomplished than if you stare at a long list of goals and feel defeated even before 8am. And, in my experience, if you can add to your daily goals a weekly goal of attending at least one networking event, conference, seminar, etc, that gets you out of the house and among people of like-interests who are looking for work, too, you will feel a lot better about your efforts on the whole.

Case in point: Today, I attended a special interest group hosted by the American Marketing Association. While I did not go there expecting more than one or two potential leads on job opportunities, because the main point of the meeting was to talk about interactive marketing, actually I came away with FIVE potential leads on permanent jobs and/or consulting jobs. My point here is to pick your activity wisely. If you feel confident that one or two particular activities will be useful to you, then attend those and only those. Don’t waste your time with the “iffy” events or activities.

I’ve rambled a bit, but I hope these tips are useful to others in my position as Mr. Mom and Mr. Perfect Hire. I love my dual role, but it’s not without its challenges. Just be strategic about how you use your time.