Debbie Laskey's Expert Insights On Marketing and Leadership

Debbie Laskey is one of my go-to experts when I seek advice about a number of business topics, including marketing, social media, and nonprofit marketing and leadership.

So, it's my privilege to share today some of Debbie's insights on all these topics. However, before you read the answers to my questions to Debbie, we'll set the stage with her background:

Debbie has an MBA Degree and 17 years of marketing experience in the high-tech industry, Consumer Marketing Department at Disneyland Paris in France, insurance industry, and nonprofit sector. She’s created and implemented successful marketing and branding initiatives for nonprofits including the Foundation for the Junior Blind, Exceptional Children’s Foundation, League of Women Voters of Los Angeles, and Brides for Good; and in the B2B financial sector for an insurance company and CPA firm.
Currently, she works with the Nonprofit Communications and Media Network and Special Olympics Southern California.
She’s served as a judge for the Web Marketing Association’s annual web award competition since 2002, and been recognized as one of the "Top 100 Branding Experts" to follow on Twitter @DebbieLaskeyMBA.
Her website is www.brandingandmore.net.

Question: For a nonprofit that has a limited marketing budget and that is thinly staffed, what are the couple or few things you recommend they do for their marketing plan?

Debbie: Too often, small and medium nonprofits have communications plans. If they do, they need to enter the 21st century and understand that the communications specialty is just one aspect of an overall marketing plan. There's public relations, media outreach, advertising, content marketing, website development, social media, tradeshows, special events, webinars, corporate collateral, internal communications, partnerships, and more. Therefore, if a nonprofit uses the term "communications," it not only limits its outreach but shows that it has not joined the modern era.

That said, nonprofits that have to do more with less should have a written marketing plan. Once strategies are written down, it's amazing to see who can take on various tasks. There might be a member of another department that, with appropriate training, could take on the social media role. Someone in accounting might be a fit to be a blogger. Also, a marketing plan is important because it is a living, breathing document that evolves over time, so it is meant to change.

So, after the marketing plan is written, it must be shared with all departments and team members. In the social era, social media should be part of the marketing outreach because many potential donors will learn about a nonprofit via its Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram page. If there is no digital footprint, the potential donor will question the nonprofit's validity. Also, nonprofits with limited budgets and small staffs should research strategic partnerships. There might be other nonprofits or corporate sponsors that would be good fits for special events or other forms of outreach.

Question: What is the difference you have seen in the leaders at for-profit versus not-for-profit organizations who you have worked for and with? Why are there these differences?

Debbie: Nonprofit leaders are constrained by small budgets and limited staff. But the excuse that "we've always done it this way" should be swept out with yesterday's trash. Just look at how Facebook and YouTube have changed marketing. Leaders in the nonprofit arena should think like their counterparts in the for-profit arena:

Leaders must be open to listening, really listening to the experts throughout the organization
Leaders must be open to trying new ideas
Leaders must be open to all forms of metrics - not just the obvious ones

Question: In addition to having a website, what is the single best social media channel a business should use if they can only choose one? And, why do you recommend this channel?

Debbie: In today's visual world, Instagram is the standout social platform to provide photos and quick videos. Nonprofits and businesses can create pages and utilize hashtags for a variety of content and easily engage their audiences. My favorite accounts are Sherwin Williams, Tiffany & Co, ABC7LA, Oreo, American Cancer Society, Make A Wish America, and the Empire State Building.

Question: Please finish the following two sentences:

Debbie: I would like to complete the following two sentences based on conversations with marketing colleagues across the country - these are the two most common responses:

My best supervisor...provided the tools for me to do my job and then got out of the way.
My worst supervisor... micromanaged, ultimately doing my job for me.

Question: When interviewing for a job, what do you do to determine if the leader of the company/organization is a person you believe you would like to work for?

Debbie: I always ask some key questions, and the responses speak volumes. They are:

Where do you see the company/nonprofit in five years? Too often, people will simply say, "That's a good question" and not answer it. No answer shows that they have no vision, thus, not a good fit.
What are three things you've seen change or improve since you joined the company/nonprofit? This shows a person's history with an employer.
What makes your flame grow? In other words, what is the person passionate about? I like to know what makes the person tick before joining a team.

Finally, I'd like to end with a quote from Heather Coleman Voss' Instagram page:

"When I talk to managers, I get the feeling they are important. When I talk to leaders, I get the feeling I am important." -Alexander Den Heijer

Thank you Debbie. I am always learning from you!

Comments

6 Ways To Seek Feedback To Improve Your Performance In The Workplace

Getting feedback is an important way to improve performance at work. But sometimes, it can be hard to seek out, and even harder to hear. “Feedback is all around you. Your job is to find it, both through asking directly and observing it,” says David L. Van Rooy, author of the new book, Trajectory: 7 Career Strategies to Take You From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be . As today's guest post, Van Rooy offers these six tips for how to get the feedback you need to improve performance at work . Guest Post By David L. Van Rooy 1. Don’t forget to as k : One of the biggest mistakes people make is assuming things are going perfectly (until they make a catastrophic mistake). By not asking, you’re missing out on opportunities for deep feedback: the difficult, critical feedback that gives you constructive ways to improve. 2. Make sure you listen : Remember, getting fee...

Sample Of Solid Business Guiding Principles

I really like these 10 guiding business principles that San Antonio, TX headquartered insurance company USAA has lived by: Exceed customer expectations Live the Golden Rule (treat others with courtesy and respect) Be a leader Participate and contribute Pursue excellence Work as a team Share knowledge Keep it simple (make it easy for customers to do business with us and for us to work together) Listen and communicate Have fun Too many companies don't make it simple for their customers to do business with them. Is it easy for your customers to: Buy from you? Make returns? Get pricing and terms? Receive timely responses to their e-mails? Quickly get answers when phoning your company? You can find more examples of companies with impressive guiding principles in the book, 1001 Ways To Energize Employee s .

Effective Listening: Do's And Don'ts

Here are some great tips from Michelle Tillis Lederman's book, The 11 Laws of Likability . They are all about: what to do and what not to do to be a leader who's an effective listener : Do : Maintain eye contact Limit your talking Focus on the speaker Ask questions Manage your emotions Listen with your eyes and ears Listen for ideas and opportunities Remain open to the conversation Confirm understanding, paraphrase Give nonverbal messages that you are listening (nod, smile) Ignore distractions Don't : Interrupt Show signs of impatience Judge or argue mentally Multitask during a conversation Project your ideas Think about what to say next Have expectations or preconceived ideas Become defensive or assume you are being attacked Use condescending, aggressive, or closed body language Listen with biases or closed to new ideas Jump to conclusions or finish someone's sentences

The Benefits Of When Everyone Leads

It’s only January and the new book, When Everyone Leads , could likely be my pick for the best new leadership book of 2023. It’s that good. There’s still nearly a whole year ahead of us so we’ll see what other books debut. In the meantime, add this book to your must-read list. You’ll learn that: Leadership is an activity, not a position. Leadership is mobilizing others to make progress on the most important challenges. Leadership is interactive, risky and experimental. Leadership comes in moments. Leadership is always about change. When Everyone Leads , by Ed O’Malley and Julia Fabris McBride , presents a revolutionary approach to leadership; not based on position or authority, but an activity that anybody can undertake by learning to spot opportunities for improvement and taking the initiative to engage others. “It can be unfamiliar and uncomfortable, but in a culture where everyone leads, organizations start to make progress on their most difficult proble...

Good Sample Business Principles

I really like these 10 guiding business principles that San Antonio, TX headquartered insurance company USAA lives by: Exceed customer expectations Live the Golden Rule (treat others with courtesy and respect) Be a leader Participate and contribute Pursue excellence Work as a team Share knowledge Keep it simple (make it easy for customers to do business with us and for us to work together) Listen and communicate Have fun Too many companies don't make it simple for their customers to do business with them. Is it easy for your customers to: Buy from you? Make returns? Get pricing and terms? Receive timely responses to their e-mails? Quickly get answers when phoning your company? You can find more examples of companies with impressive guiding principles in the book, 1001 Ways To Energize Employees .

5 Tips For Generating Ideas From Employees

Your employees have lots of ideas. So, be sure you provide the forums and mechanisms for your employees to share their ideas with you. Hold at least a few brainstorming sessions each year, as well. And, when you are brainstorming with your employees, try these five tips: Encourage ALL ideas. Don't evaluate or criticize ideas when they are first suggested. Ask for wild ideas. Often, the craziest ideas end up being the most useful. Shoot for quantity not quality during brainstorming. Encourage everyone to offer new combinations and improvements of old ideas.

Use A Board Of Advisors

David Burkus often provides valuable comments to my various Blog postings, and he's a person who effectively uses a board of advisors, instead of mentors, to help him achieve success. "I've found that in my life, it was easier and more effective to set up a board of advisors," said Burkus, the editor of LeaderLab . "This is a group of people, three to five, that have rotated into my life at various times and that speak into it and help me grow. I benefit from the variety of experience these people have." LeaderLab is an online community of resources dedicated to promoting the practice of leadership theory. Its contributors include consultants and professors who present leadership theory in a practitioner-friendly format that provides easy-to-follow explanations on how to apply the best of leadership theory. Community users can download a variety of research reports and presentations about leadership and leadership versus management. For example, a pr...

Top Five Factors That Drive Employee Loyalty

A 2010 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management shows that job security is what matters most to employees. And, having that job security helps to keep employees loyal. Okay, that's really not too surprising during these times of high unemployment. Next on the list is benefits . The unstable economy, coupled with rising health care costs, make employer offered benefits more important than ever. Third on the top five list is an employee's opportunity to use his/her skills . When employees feel good about their jobs and their abilities, and clearly know they are contributing to their organization they remain engaged and loyal. In fourth place is an organization's financial stability . Compensation came in fifth on the top five list. Employee pay often is not the most important driver for employee retention. Despite study after study that shows pay is not the top reason employees stay with a company, research results like these often surpris...

Resolve To Find A Mentor In 2011

Having a mentor is one of the best things you can do to advance your career as a leader. So, decide today to secure a mentor who will work with you during 2011. Make that one of your New Year’s resolutions. A mentor can benefit leaders new to their leadership role and they can benefit experienced and seasoned leaders, as well. A strong mentoring relationship allows the mentor and the mentee to develop new skills and talents, to build confidence, and to build self-awareness. Proper mentoring takes a commitment from both parties and it takes time to develop and to reap the rewards of the relationship. Plan to work with your mentor for no less than three months, and ideally for six months or longer. When seeking out a mentor, think about these questions: 1. Will the relationship have good personal chemistry? 2. Can this person guide me, particularly in the areas where I am weakest? 3. Will this person take a genuine interest in me? 4. Does this person ha...

How To Avoid 8 Common Performance Evaluation Pitfalls

As the year comes to a close it's likely time for many business leaders to tackle the annual performance appraisal process. So, here is a good reminder from author Sharon Armstrong about how to avoid eight performance evaluation pitfalls . These are in what I consider is the best chapter of the book The Essential HR Handbook , that she co-authored with Barbara Mitchell. 1. Clustering everyone in the middle performance-rating categories 2. Overlooking flaws or exaggerating the achievements of favored employees 3. Excusing substandard performance or behavior because it is widespread 4. Letting one characteristic - positive or negative - affect your overall assessment 5. Rating someone based on the company he or she keeps 6. Rating someone based on a grudge you are holding 7. Rating someone based on a short time period instead of the entire evaluation period 8. Rating everyone high, to make you look good There's ot...

Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

Search This Blog