Author: Jess Seilheimer

My name is Jess Seilheimer. I run a consultancy called Cretegic- we accelerate strategic planning into actionable ideas & marketing for brands and startups. I am also the Strategy & Marketing lead for a startup Birdi. Prior I was the SVP of Digital Innovation and Strategic Planning at Havas.

2014: Trends in Social Marketing

Posted on by Jess Seilheimer

The year social matured.

The entire industry continues to recalibrate their mindset on social. Is it tactical, is is about community management and customer service or is it really about real time insights? All of the above (plus, 100 other things). But, social has matured and is now  a core function or marketing — not a “really fun, cool add on.” We live in a social world, and here’s the reality of how social has matured.

Existing social platform use has steadied amongst consumers — leaving room for emerging platforms of course, but I’m not certain we’ll see the hockey stick growth patterns of years past. Because of that, brands will be able to take a time out, recount the successes/failures of their pilots from 2013, get their footing, and most importantly the appropriate BUDGET according to a survey from CMO.org.

I think we’ll see:

  1. Investment in customer insights and analytic software
  2. Social diversification: matching content and cost to the right platforms/consumers
  3. Marketing leaders will gain additional headcount, and hire talented individuals (vs. interns) and integrate social into their discipline
  4. Measuring (and making sense of) quality engagement metrics vs. only quantitative ones

The winners will be the ones who invest in quality talent, to collect the right insights to keep their audiences engaged across multiple platforms (desktop mobile, tablet). Want more stats? There’s expanded reading on it from the Altimeter Group here and the Harvard Business Review: What’s the End Game for Social?

The trend: Building marketing efforts around shifting and sometimes transient customer behaviors  — “Marketing For a Social World”.

Interested in learning more about trends in social media? Join us at at Social Media Week New York February 17-21 at the Highline Stages.

 
Jess Seilheimer runs a consultancy called Cretegic– your insight-driven partner for a digital world. We accelerate strategic planning into actionable ideas & marketing for brands and startups. She is also the Strategy & Marketing lead for a startup Birdi. Prior, she was the SVP of Digital Innovation and Strategic Planning at Havas.

Image courtesy Engagor.

Social Matchmaking for Startups & Job Seekers

Posted on by Jess Seilheimer

Social technology startups are one of the highest growth verticals in the emerging technology space. So, it’s no wonder there’s a larger focus on startups at SMW this year than we’ve seen in the past.

Companies are looking for the right match of talent and personality. Job seekers are looking for the right blend of security and “Awesome Sauce.” There is no Tinder for job seekers…..yet. But it’s coming. Until then, how can social startups + job seekers = match made in heaven?

If you’re a job seeker, you might love these SMW sessions

Beyond LinkedIn: Using Niche Social Media Platforms in the Job Hunt
Sure, Twitter and LinkedIn are the go-to platforms for keeping up with news and staying in touch with professional contacts, but have you considered using niche social media platforms to help you get a job?

Startups to Watch in 2014 presented by Entrepreneur.com

It’s imperative to stay on top of new social technologies and startups who are redefining communication. Social Media Week and Entrepreneur.com are bringing together a carefully selected group of startups that show the greatest potentially to break through to the mainstream in 2014.

Where else you can look for credible startup jobs

Aside from attending Social Media Week for panels, POVS, and networking opportunities where and how can you endure your plan beyond the business card/handshake game….which if you’re a social start up, Twitter IS your business card and virtual handshake. In addition to platforms we’ve all come to know and love (i.e., LinkedIn), where else can you find startup job opportunities?

There are hundreds of job postings to read and Meetups to attend, but the most credible early stage startups are on AngelList, whereas more of the mid-full funded startup opportunities are listed opportunities on VentureLoop (syndicated from multiple sources). These sites have company history so you can vet their history, funding status, financial stability, and other team members.

You can also vet these companies via CrunchBase. Any legit startup will be listed on CrunchBase and AngelList— Google them– what kind of press coverage do they have and what’s the general POV on them?

How to get a job at a startup
  1. Startups hire inspired, energetic, creative, and personable individuals.
    Be creative and concise in your attempt to gain their attention (no one has time/or wants to read a traditional CV). Vanilla need not apply
  2. Use data visualization to your advantage
    Create an infographic, one-page scroll website, a custom FB page, or Pinterest board. Or make a video about who you are, your skills, and your experience. Be Different. DO YOUR HOMEWORK, and personalize it each startup you’re approaching. Attach a POV on what you’ve gleaned and what you can bring to the table to optimize their existing efforts and team.
  3. Make sure you have relevant case studies/experience to share on demand.
  4. Be discoverable across social platforms, and make sure your “personal brand” is well represented.
    Most startup founders are active across all social channels. Opening a dialogue with them that way is a GREAT first impression — just be careful what you openly share and be mindful of embargoes
  5. Most importantly: be active in the startup community in your city.
    Set up a Google Alerts for the list of startups your interested in, and pay attention if they are speaking at an event or Meetup. GO THERE! Meet them. Get in front of them and show your personality. Team/personality chemistry is everything.

So if you’re a job seeker, make sure to join SMW and get more tips!

 
Jess Seilheimer runs a consultancy called Cretegic– your insight-driven partner for a digital world. We accelerate strategic planning into actionable ideas & marketing for brands and startups. She is also the Strategy & Marketing lead for a startup Birdi. Prior, she was the SVP of Digital Innovation and Strategic Planning at Havas.

Pitch it to me!

Posted on by Jess Seilheimer

The art of “the pitch” has gone from a 60-minute opportunity to 3-minute opportunity for startups. While many accelerators, like 500 Startups and TechStars, include fast pitch and media training in their programs, some startups don’t have mentors to help perfect their pitches. Enter the agency pitch experts.

Agencies have been taught to say more with less and get to the value proposition within five seconds, or else risk losing their audiences. Agencies do this for myriad scenarios: AOR accounts, strategic roadmaps, tactical plans, and/or singular social tactics….just to give context to the range of things we pitch at any given time. So, the idea of pairing agencies + startups together makes perfect sense to me, given my background in strategy at agencies for 12+yrs.

The art of pitching is one that does not come easily.
Tenured agency folks are well-honed pitch ponies. We are. It’s the truth. 50%+ of our time is spent pitching ideas to clients, existing ones and new. We have been taught to Get. To. The. Point.

Specifically:

  • + Say how it solves a problem
  • + Say what it is
  • + Say what it does
  • + Say how/why it’s applicable for the brand you’re pitching to (most important)
  • + The less buzz words you use in this approach, the better off you’ll be

Considering most people (clients/investors, etc) allocate one minute to understanding your core idea before they float off into the world of “wait— what did she just say?” and stop listening to the remainder of your pitch because they’re still trying to figure out what you just said— the art of perfecting your pitch is of great importance for every startup to master.

It doesn’t surprise me that KITE has engineered a great session for SMW, titled A Visit from the Startup Pitch Doctors<, where they secured a few impressive agency executives (ie: the pitch doctors) to listen to, and evaluate three startup’s pitches. It’s a brilliant pairing. The Pitch Doctors:

  • + Gemma Craven, Exec Director, Head of Social Customer Engagement at OgilvyOne WorldWide, @gemsie
  • + David Berkowitz, CMO of MRY, @dberkowitz
  • + Jason Newport, SVP, Head of Mobile Strategy, Aegis Media

The Startups

In prep for the session, each pitch doctor is paired up with a startup to evaluate and give feedback on its pitch. The startups proceed to improve their presentations, based on that input, and will present 3-minute pitches during the session.

It will surely lead to a vibrant conversation and Q&A about the process and lessons learned after the pitches, moderated by Tarah Feinberg, CMO of KITE (@TarahFO). This type of collaboration is a real-world version of KITE’s platform, which fosters innovation within brands and agencies by helping them to discover, evaluate and partner with startups that align with their strategies.

A must attend-event for anyone in business development or at an agency or startup — secure your pitch perfecting spot here, and if you have a Campus Pass, join our 7×7 Mentor Session: Industry Leaders Share Career Advice on Getting Ahead.

 
Jess Seilheimer runs a consultancy called Cretegic– your insight-driven partner for a digital world. We accelerate strategic planning into actionable ideas & marketing for brands and startups. She is also the Strategy & Marketing lead for a startup Birdi. Prior, she was the SVP of Digital Innovation and Strategic Planning at Havas.