Brian de Haaff's Blog, page 11

Marketing Teams Need Strategy Too

Marketers have heard it all. User-generated content is king. Chatbots are the future. Influencer marketing delivers the most ROI. And what about micro-moments? This latest addition to the marketing lexicon refers to the idea that you have mere nanoseconds to capture your audience’s attention. However, for all the trends and buzzwords, the best marketers know the real not-so-secret sauce behind breakthrough campaigns.

Combining creative and data is essential to campaign success — but it all st...

5 Types of Marketers Your Company Needs

Have you ever prepared a meal with a group of people? Each person tends to gravitate towards what they do best. Some folks have impressive knife skills and some love to precisely measure out ingredients. Others shy away from the cooking altogether, preferring to lay out place settings instead. No matter the role, the goal is shared — an enjoyable meal.

It is not so different from being on a marketing team — you lean on your best skills to cook up a successful outcome.

As a marketer, you kno...

The Founder’s Paradox: How to Prioritize What Others Need When Everyone Is Focused on You

Gravity is what holds our world together. It is the force that draws objects together — literally bringing us down to Earth. But the word gravity can also be used to describe seriousness and importance. By either definition, it is a word that carries weight.

The magnitude of being a grounding force is something I think about frequently as a company founder.

Because while everyone is focused on you and what you need from them, you have the significant challenge of prioritizing what they need...

The Product Manager’s Launch Checklist

The countdown to a major product launch. There is always anticipation. Excitement, maybe even a little anxiety. It can be a bit of all three if you are a product manager. You need to get the team and all the details in order. And the coordinated launch needs to happen in five, four, three…

You need a plan for how the work will get done — you need a product launch checklist.

Of course, product launches are complicated and successful ones depend on many cross-functional teams working well toget...

2019 Is the Year to Go Boldly

What does it mean if someone calls you “bold”? It could be that your actions seem courageous. Or that you take risks and have a certain fearlessness to your character. But it does not necessarily mean you are thoughtful. Although it should. Because boldness requires listening and openness too — traits that are sorely needed today.

To create something positive and lasting always requires you to be bold. This is especially true in our increasingly fractured world.

There is no guide. But courag...

The Hidden Challenges of Agile Marketing (and 7 Solutions)

How many times have you felt the pressure to go faster at work? If you work in marketing, it might feel like this happens all the time. You are continually pushed to make quick decisions, meet deadlines, and react to new priorities that no one talked with you about. You are working as fast as you can — but it is not always clear if your work is making a difference or appreciated.

Speed will only get you so far. Marketing teams also need to understand where they are going and why.

Some teams a...

13 Product and Marketing Experts Reveal Their Secrets to a Winning Launch Plan

It was your last great product launch. Maybe you would even call it “brilliant.” I can bet I know why it went so well — all the pieces came together seamlessly. And so did all the players. Breakthrough launches happen when teammates work together. This is especially true for two teams in particular.

A successful launch hedges on both product and marketing. Sure, the rest of the organization is critical too, but these two groups power great launches.

I began thinking about this recently when...

How Our Company Saves $1,200,000 a Year and Pays Profit Sharing Instead

Profit sharing is not common in most privately held tech companies. Why? Well, it is pretty simple. For starters, most of these companies are not making any profit. (It is hard to share what you do not have.) And many are backed by venture capitalists who are expecting a big return on their investment within a few years. Generously giving back to employees is not exactly a priority. However, there is a way to grow quickly and put people first.

Celebrating the team at the end of the year thr...

Get Hired at Aha! — And Then Expect This

The first day of work can feel a lot like the first day of school. You are filled with excitement — ready to take on a new challenge and meet new people. But if you are joining an entirely distributed company, you might wonder what that first day will be like. Is that first day of working remotely like walking into an empty classroom?

You may start your first day solo — but that alone feeling should not last for long.

Our team at Aha! cultivates a sense of belonging as soon as someone decides...

The VP of Product vs. the VP of Marketing

Powerful people do not work well together. At least, that is what one study suggests. Researchers concluded that when working in a group, powerful people underperform and fight over status and decision-making authority. To which I say: If key leaders cannot cooperate, how can they expect the broader team to create anything meaningful together?

When it comes to collaboration between teams, senior-level leaders must always lead by example.

Take product management and marketing. The vice preside...