Sonic Branding: What Is It & Why Is It Important?

Sonic Branding: What Is It & Why Is It Important?

Sound has an amazing effect on our life. It evokes memories, emotions, and other strong physiological reactions. During the pandemic, many experienced difficult emotions of stress, isolation, boredom, and even anger. People responded by taking to their balconies, windows, and even rooftops all over the world to sing. The reaction was immediate: a happy switch flipped on, spirits lifted, and neighbors cheered and clapped their hands.

The power of sound connects, uplifts, inspires, and transcends cultures, languages, and even the visual world. Let’s take a look at what sonic branding is, why you should use it, how to incorporate it into your brand experience, and how to develop a strategy.

What Is Sonic Branding?

Woman with hearing aid hears sound waves

Did you know that we react to sound in 0.146 seconds? Sound affects every aspect of our lives. It’s not surprising then, that sound has a powerful emotional effect on us.

Sonic branding is a holistic and strategic approach to using sound and audio elements, ensuring your brand is heard as well as seen. It includes voice, jingles, songs, and identifiers that build an emotional connection with your consumers. It’s the creation of a comprehensive audio brand architecture. Some of the best and most iconic examples include NBC chimes which have endured for 90 years and were the first trademarked sound, Intel’s audio logo that’s said to be played somewhere in the world every five minutes, McDonald’s I’m Lovin It “ba da ba ba ba” ditty, Mastercard’s priceless music album that is available on Spotify with songs by 10 artists, and the 1-877 Kars4Kids song which has taken on a life of its own, becoming a force for good nationwide. Source.

Sonic branding creates a memorable brand experience, engaging consumers across every possible brand touchpoint.

Why Should You Incorporate Sonic Branding?

Mom and son listen to music together

To stand out from the competition, it’s critical to find innovative ways to connect with consumers. By incorporating sonic branding into your strategy, you will be adding to the overall consumer experience while building closer relationships.

Here are a number of reasons why you should consider investing in sonic branding so your brand can truly stand out:

  • 74% of young adults feel emotionally connected to brands, thanks to music
  • Music improves brand recognition by 46%
  • 40% of businesses are integrating voice branding into their marketing efforts
  • Brands that use music are 96% more likely to be remembered by consumers
  • Audio ads are 2x more likely to lift purchase intent and information intent than display ads
  • Music and the pace of it can influence customer behavior (slower music increased sales at a U.S. supermarket chain by 39.2%)

(Sources: Writer’s Block Live, Modev Blog, and Audiodraft)

If this hasn’t convinced you that your company needs sonic branding, then check out these 10 reasons why:

  • First to market advantage in your niche
  • Increases brand recognition
  • Creates brand consistency
  • Helps differentiation
  • Increases emotional recall
  • Positively alters perception
  • Changes how we feel
  • Reminds us of something important
  • Convinces us to act
  • Boosts brand personality

How To Use Sonic Branding

Woman in music studio smokes

There are different types of audio content to integrate into your branding strategy. Before you dive in, here is a list of 13 to consider:

  • Audio Logos: MGM’s iconic lion roar with their audio logo as an example
  • Audio Names: LinkedIn’s use of your name in audio form
  • Audio or Video Content:
    • Social Media: Elf commissioned a branded song, “Eyes Lips Face” with thousands of celebrities, influencers, and content creators like Brittany Broski, joining in on the lip sync and makeup tutorial trend.
    • TV: The popular Law and Order television franchise is known for its iconic “doink-doink” as well as their “da, da, da, da, dong.” These have become their hallmark sounds, being included in their ad campaign.
    • Radio: Danmark Radio needed to be more present as the mother brand. So it introduced sonic branding across its radio stations, TV channels, numerous websites, and streaming services.
    • Streaming Audio and Video: Pandora has developed their own signature sound.
  • Podcast or Vlog: Consider using music or jingles in your podcast/vlog. Ensure the volume is not too high so as to distract from what you are presenting or too low so as to not create the mood you want. Jingles and audio logos are other options to help round out the overall experience.
  • Audio Advertisements: Salesforce Customer 360 Product ad starts with a soothing woman’s voice and soothing sound effects telling you to relax and take a break while they take care of the stressful details of your work.
  • Website Interactions or Button Clicks.
  • Script Writing and Voice Artistry.
  • Curated Playlists: Herbal Essences released a playlist of “songs to sing in the shower.”
  • Audio Manufactured Devices (i.e., computers, cell phones, computer games, appliances, etc): Apple has been ahead of its time in sonic branding, creating a song, “Start Up” that has been around for over 45 years. Whether you are using Apple Computer, Apple Phone, Apple Pay, or AirPods, the song offers emotional cues and expectations of the consumer for each interaction.
  • Audiobooks: A signature page transition or audiobook introduction.
  • Customer Service: Hold music when customers contact the customer service center. Cisco’s hold music has been trending for some time and is quite catchy, worth calling just for a listen.
  • In-Person Experiences: Music plays when consumers visit your brick-and-mortar store, events, conferences, trade shows, fairs, etc. AT&T has a retail flagship store in San Francisco. As you take the escalator to the second floor, a piece of music with a low-volume instrumental track, piquing consumers’ interest, draws them in, with the music reaching a crescendo as they enter the second floor.
  • Product Sounds and Design.

Develop A Sonic Branding Strategy

music/sound mixer and equipment

Let’s start by developing your sonic brand strategy. Here are four steps to keep in mind as you create a strategy that builds your sound identity.

1. Research & Insights

  • Know Your Target Audience: Here are some questions to consider before you begin developing your sonic brand strategy.
    • The age of your customer
    • What are your customers looking for from you
    • What brand sounds are resonating with consumers
    • What do you want your sound to convey to your customers: dramatic, exciting, gentle, welcoming, fun, carefree, family friendly, romantic, seductive
    • How do you want your customers to feel when they hear your sound
    • What sounds will appeal to your customers
  • Conduct Competitive Analysis: Get insights into the experiences other companies are creating with their audio branding strategy.

2. Align With Your Brand Identity: As you create your sonic brand strategy, ensure that it is aligned with your overall brand identity.

3. Develop Your Sound: You can leverage sound experts to manufacture your sonic branding or use services like Cloud Cover which provide instant access to fully licensed sounds, jingles, and songs.

4. Create Consistency: Ensure your sonic branding is consistent across all consumer touchpoints and with every aspect of your brand voice.

Now is the time to consider sonic branding for your brand strategy. Music, jingles, voice, and melodies are all great ways to enhance your customer’s experience, helping your brand stand out above the competition. Start building your brand leadership today. You’ve got this!

Executive Spotlight: The Hottest (And Most Valuable) Skill Set In Your Industry Right Now

Executive Spotlight: The Hottest (And Most Valuable) Skill Set In Your Industry Right Now

If you want to stay relevant in your industry, you need to constantly think about the value you provide as a business-of-one. Do you have the expertise required to do your job, and do it well—better than almost everyone else? You also need to make sure you’re developing your skills so you don’t fall behind and get pushed out by someone more qualified. But what skills are the most valuable (and in demand)?

We recently asked our leading executives what the hottest skill set in their industry is right now, so you can get a competitive advantage.

Here are their responses…

Percy Leon, Digital Media Content Executive

content creation concept

The hottest skill set right now in my industry is professional content creation. This is because employers are increasingly looking for people who can produce high-quality content that is engaging and informative.

Content creators who can consistently produce great work are in high demand, as they can help companies to reach a wider audience and build a strong online presence.

Additionally, professional content creators often have a deep understanding of their industry and are up to date on the latest trends. This makes them valuable assets to any company, as they can provide insights that other employees may not be aware of.

For content creators, the ability to produce great work is often accompanied by a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment. This is because they can use their skills to make a positive impact on the world. Additionally, many content creators feel a deep sense of connection to their audience and enjoy being able to connect with people from all over the globe.

Finally, content creation often allows creators to work from home, which gives them more flexibility and freedom when it comes to scheduling and family life. For all these reasons, professional content creation is a highly sought-after skill set in today’s job market.

Percy Leon is a digital media content producer specializing in educational technology and entertainment. He is interested in web3, metaverse, and the use of virtual reality for storytelling.

Lisa Perry, Global Marketing Executive

Marketing professional makes a presentation at work

If you’ve been in marketing for a while, you know that marketers constantly reinvent themselves ensuring they are in demand. Here are three marketing skills that are in demand right now:

Digital Marketing: Half of the top 10 jobs posted on LinkedIn are in the digital space. The existence of digital marketing is focused on company growth which includes driving brand awareness, promoting products/services, creating customer leads, driving conversions, and ensuring ROI.

Analytical Thinking: It’s your ability to use logical reasoning, make informed decisions, and solve problems. Are you able to review the impact of your work, (i.e., is this campaign working?) and adjust accordingly? Can you find market trends and translate them into concise, actionable insights?

Strong Communication Skills: Successful marketing communication requires understanding your audience, communicating in a way that encourages meaningful conversations, and determining the optimal combination of platforms that drives engagement. If done right, your brand could see increased brand awareness, leads, and conversions.

Lisa Perry helps companies build leadership brands, driving loyal customers & delivering profitability. She does this through a process that builds brands consumers love. Her goal is to help companies develop, monetize, and grow their brands.

Sarita Kincaid, Tech Media Executive

Communications and business professionals look at data during a work meeting

The job market is getting more competitive for corporate communications professionals, so what one skill will make candidates stand out from the field in 2022? It’s not the ability to pitch and place articles in the media, to drive awareness through social media, nor to create and drive successful brand preference campaigns—those skills are table stakes.

The most important differentiator making communications candidates stand out with employers is the ability to source, interpret, and act on findings from data. But, what does data have to do with public relations, analyst relations, and employee relations? Everything!

Savvy comms professionals are leveraging data generated from AI-enabled software to help determine sentiment analysis, utilize analytics to determine the likelihood of article and report placement, link outbound programs to ROI/revenue, test crisis comms language, and coach spokespersons.

Being able to demonstrate how you have leveraged data to drive quantifiable results and ROI/revenue, will make any communications professional stand out in a very competitive job market.

Sarita Kincaid is a tech media executive with a demonstrated ability to build and grow award-winning programs. She brings a data-driven approach to influencer relations with a focus on developing strong brand advocates and aligning them with sales programs.

What’s the hottest skill set in your industry right now? Join the conversation inside Work It Daily’s Executive Program.

How To Decline A Job Offer

How To Decline A Job Offer

It’s easy to get excited when an employer is interested in you, especially when you haven’t had any luck getting interviews or job offers. But what if the job proposal isn’t a good fit for you? How do you decline a job offer?

Some of you might be thinking, “Decline a job offer? Why would I do that?”

Here are some of the reasons why you should reject potential employment:

Reason #1: It Doesn’t Feel Right

“You are a company,” says professional development coach and facilitator Henrieta Riesco. When you’re looking for a job or being offered a job, what the company is looking for is what Riesco calls, a mutual benefit.

For companies, it’s important to find ways to be a better company, and as a job seeker, you have to adapt to that same mindset.

The ultimate goal for your “company” (you) is to thrive and excel at your professional talents. If the job description doesn’t make you feel like your company can progress, then it probably isn’t a good idea to take the job.

Reason #2: Your Values Don’t Align With The Company

Serious man thinks about declining a job offer

It’s one thing to say a job position doesn’t feel right. It’s another thing entirely when your professional values are not in line with the company at all.

Riesco uses the following analogy when describing why having mutual values with a company matters.

Let’s say you’re a person who’s an advocate for preserving the environment and the company that’s really interested in you is an oil company. That probably doesn’t align with your values if you’re an environmentalist. In fact, you probably never should’ve applied for the job in the first place, and you could have avoided wasting time on this employer if you had made an interview bucket list.

“You have to look at the bigger picture of the company and really find out if you want to support that,” says Riesco.

Reason #3: The Employer Wants To Exploit Your Skills

Hiring manager talks to a job candidate during a job interview

This might be a no-brainer for some, but it’s important to point out because when an employer wants to exploit your skills, rather than use them in a way where you’re still comfortable practicing those skills and enjoying them, then the job is no longer about how you can benefit yourself and the company with your professional abilities.

Rather, the job becomes something only your employer controls, and exploiting your talents is how they choose to use your expertise.

Declining The Job Offer

Serious man on laptop holds his phone as he declines a job offer

So, how does one reject an unwanted job offer?

Riesco states that when it comes to rejecting a position, you have to think about that mutual benefit between yourself and the employer.

“Tell the employer why you don’t see a match,” says Riesco. “State the possibilities, areas, and interests you have right now,” and explain why it doesn’t match with their company.

By talking about the things you have to offer, you allow the employer to get a clearer sense of who you are as a professional and what you can provide for the company.

It also clears up any misunderstandings about the position. By highlighting your concerns, the employer could clear things up in case you got the wrong idea.

In addition, crafting a rejection that allows an employer to respond is also key when declining a job offer. It shows that you don’t want to burn any bridges.

We can do this by saying the things we would want to hear from an employer when rejecting us for a position. “Treat others how you want to be treated,” says Riesco.

Nowadays, a lot of employers who aren’t interested in certain candidates don’t even take the time to respond to them. This is not the way you want to handle your rejections. Really think about the things you want to express about the position and why you feel it isn’t a good fit.

Be honest and authentic.

Emphasizing that the position isn’t right for you at this time is also something you want to make sure you include in your rejection.

“I would love to keep in touch with you and would love to know what other opportunities you would have in the future,” are some good things to say to keep that connection with the employer, according to Riesco.

This shows that you’re not rejecting the company entirely by declining the position, and hopefully, sometime in the future, you could contact that employer and see if you’d be a better fit for the company at that point in time.

It’s never an easy decision to decline a job offer, especially when you’ve been struggling to get hired. By following these tips, you’ll make sure you don’t accept a job offer for a position you don’t really want.

Nothing is worse than accepting a job offer and then realizing a few weeks in that you’ve made a huge mistake!

When the job feels right, you’ll know.

Need more help with your job search?

We’d love it if you signed up for Work It Daily’s Power Hour Event Subscription! Get your career questions answered in our next live event!

This article was originally published at an earlier date.

5 Things To Do Before Your Next Job Interview

5 Things To Do Before Your Next Job Interview

Congrats! You landed a job interview. Now, how are you going to ace it and move on in the hiring process?

There are a few things that are absolutely CRITICAL to interview success. If you want to get a job offer, you’ve got to do these things before an interview.

Research The Company

Before you go into an interview, whether it’s a phone screen, in-person, group, panel, or virtual interview, you MUST do your homework on the company. You want to understand the companies to which you’re applying BEFORE the interview. That way, when they ask, “So, what do you know about us?” you’ll have a solid answer and won’t be flustered. (P.S. The last thing you want to say is, “Oh, not much. I was hoping you’d tell me!”)

Understand What Salary Range Is Competitive

Woman smiles during her job interview

Always, always, always understand what’s the going rate for your position in your industry. The hard truth is you might not make the same salary as your last job. You need to understand what’s a competitive salary BEFORE you apply for a job (and especially before you get into the interview process). Otherwise, you risk pricing yourself out of the job right off the bat, or worse, selling yourself short.

Know What You Bring To The Table

Young job candidate talking about what he can bring to the company during a job interview.

Know exactly what you bring to the table in terms of value. Why are you going to be an asset to this company? What problem are you going to solve and how will you solve it better than the ‘other guy’? You need to understand this inside and out. Otherwise, you’re going to have a hard time selling yourself to the interviewer.

Prepare Some Examples Of Your Wins

Man writes down his answers to interview questions

Examples help you back up your claims. They’re proof that you’ve been there, done that, and did it well. Prepare some relevant, quantifiable accomplishments that you can bring up during the interview to reinforce your skill sets.

Practice Your Delivery

Young woman practicing her delivery with two co-workers before her next job interview.

Practice makes perfect! The more you practice, the more comfortable you’ll be when you’re in the interview. You’ll look calm, focused, and confident. Consider doing a mock interview with a friend or a career coach beforehand to get you warmed up for the real thing!

By doing these key things, you’ll be one step closer to acing your next job interview and getting an offer. Good luck!

Need more help with your job search?

We’d love it if you signed up for Work It Daily’s Power Hour Event Subscription! Get your career questions answered in our next live event!

This article was originally published at an earlier date.

How To Conduct IT Training The Army Way

How To Conduct IT Training The Army Way

As a young man, I experienced military training. Twenty years later, I started my career as an IT trainer and came across “EDIP,” a methodology used by the British Army for weapons training.

“EDIP” is an acronym for “explain, demonstrate, imitate, and practice.”

I reasoned that a machine gun is a piece of technology, and so is a computer program. Why not use the same approach to train people to use software?

Here are the steps:

Explain

Manager explains something to his employees

The first stage is to explain what the software is for, what outputs it produces, and, at a high level, how it works.

The rule is “hands off keyboards and mice.” Everyone’s attention should be focused on the trainer.

They will know what they are going to learn, what it means for them, and how they can tell that the system is working correctly.

Demonstrate

Man demonstrates a new technology for his coworker

You will demonstrate the main workflow step by step on your presentation computer.

The rule is still “hands off keyboards and mice.”

Your audience should concentrate on the workflow and not be distracted by trying to follow it on their computers or take notes.

Depending on the complexity and the number of variations, you may need to go through the workflow multiple times.

Let your trainees ask as many questions as they would like. This helps them to feel more comfortable with the content.

If possible, give each trainee a quick reference guide with the list of the steps so they don’t have to take notes.

Imitate

Employees attend an IT training session

You will go through the workflow again, step by step.

As you complete each step, your trainees will complete the same step on their computers and imitate your every move.

Help them if they have problems. Do not move on to the next step until everyone has finished the previous step.

Make sure that the steps are clear and easy to understand. Make sure your steps are the same as those in the quick reference guide or documentation.

Give your trainees the chance to ask questions or ask for clarification.

Produce

Man attends a remote IT training class

Ask your trainees to go through the workflow three or four times at their own pace and produce the required outputs. Give them initial parameters (e.g., date ranges, user names, etc.) so they produce workflows you can check easily by looking at the parameters on the screen.

If possible, look at your trainees’ screens and check that what you see on the screen is what you expect to see on the screen.

If you’re training remotely, ask them to tell you what is in various fields so that you can see if they contain the expected values. If there are any issues, ask the person to share their screen. This will help you to solve problems that they may have and demonstrate that you are working closely with them, even if it is remote. That will give them confidence.

This part of the training session will seem rather chaotic. As long as your trainees are learning and completing the tasks, then your training session will be successful.

If you have “mixed ability classes,” where some people are better at using the system than others, then put your trainees into groups. Build each group around one of the “stars.”

They can help the slower trainees when they get stuck. This will reduce your workload as a trainer and help you deliver the assistance they need, even in a remote situation.

Summing Up

Technology training concept

​I have used this many times in both remote and face-to-face situations, including training 25 contact center supervisors with an interpreter. It always worked!

If you do try it out, contact me and let me know how you got on!

Further reading…

Here is my article about explaining how things work (this might be useful for planning your “input” session): Explaining How Things Work: How To Do It And Why It Matters

How To Sell Yourself In An Interview With Confidence

How To Sell Yourself In An Interview With Confidence

Do your spirit get the best regarding you during job interview? Do you feel ashamed if you talk regarding your accomplishments to other people? In that case, we’re here for you to show the ways to help sell yourself within an meeting with confidence!

Job search is usually challenging enough already, nevertheless when you don’t have got confidence in yourself like a job candidate, it can make it even harder towards sell yourself for possibilities.

Confidence is definitely critical when it arrives to getting a job. A person might not even Understand that you have low self confidence that’s sabotaging your achievement. In case you can’t BANISH this particular innocent, yet destructive way of thinking with regards to marketing yourself throughout the interview process, you’re going to fall in to a longer, more annoying situation than you’re inside right this moment. That’s why it’s critical to get the mindset in the proper place if you want that will find a job.

In this coaching, you’ll learn how so that you can:

  • Determine what’s impacting your employment interview confidence
  • Enhance your mindset before (and during) a job appointment
  • Sell your self in an interview along with confidence

Join our TOP DOG, J. T. O’Donnell, plus Director to train Advancement & Coaching, Christina Burgio, for this live occasion on Wednesday, September seventh at 12 pm AINSI QUE.

CAN’T ATTEND LIVE? That’s okay. You will have access to the documenting and the workbook right after the session!

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How To Choose The Right Skills To Include On Your Resume

How To Choose The Right Skills To Include On Your Resume

When you begin the job application process, you need to make sure your resume is optimized and ready to be sent out to employers. The struggle isn’t so much finding enough things to include on your resume. Rather, it’s choosing what skills, experiences, and accomplishments to include on your resume to boost your likelihood of landing an interview.

Choosing the right skills to include on your resume is easier said than done. What skills will really stand out to recruiters and hiring managers? What skills demonstrate why you’d be a great fit for the position? What skills best represent what you bring to the table?

Fortunately, there’s an easy process you can follow to ensure you’re answering these questions and setting yourself up for job opportunities.

Here are four steps for choosing the right skills to include on your resume:

1. Decode Job Descriptions

Before you hit “apply” on a job posting, it’s important to read through the job description and understand what the job actually entails.

You have to analyze the job description, then think about how you would fit into this “mold” of an employee that they have in mind for the position. Start to think about the core responsibilities you’ve had in your previous jobs.

Do your previous core responsibilities translate into skills that this job posting is asking for—skills that would make you a great fit for the position?

2. Ask Yourself “Can I Quantify That?”

Man thinks about which skills to include on his resume

Once you’ve decoded the job description and determined if you have the skills the employer is asking for, it’s time to think about which skills you should include on your resume (because you can’t include them all).

The key to getting your resume past the ATS is to include only hard skills on your resume.

Hard skills (skills that tie directly to core responsibilities) are what applicant tracking systems (ATS) and hiring managers want to see. They’re quantifiable. If you can’t quantify it, it’s probably a soft skill. Soft skills DO NOT belong on your resume.

So, when deciding what skills you should include on your resume, ask yourself, “Can I quantify that?” If you can, it’s a hard skill, and it belongs on your resume.

Both industry-specific and transferable hard skills can go on your resume. After decoding the job description, you will know which hard skills the employer is looking for.

3. Think About Your Brand

Woman on laptop thinks about her personal brand

The next step in deciding which skills should go on your resume deals with personal branding. You want to make sure you are “branding” yourself correctly for job opportunities.

By that, we mean knowing what type of service you provide for a company—and what skill sets support that service.

After all, here at Work It Daily, we know every job seeker is a business-of-one. Are you branding your business (yourself) correctly in order to attract customers (employers looking to invest in you)?

Know your brand, and own it!

4. Customize, Customize, Customize

Man on laptop customizes his resume

The last step in deciding which skills should go on your resume is customization.

Customizing your resume is very important. You’ll probably have to highlight different skills for the different jobs you apply for. That means customizing your resume for each job application.

  • What projects did you work on?
  • What expertise did you gain?
  • What skills should you be emphasizing?

If you ask yourself these questions for each job you apply for, your answers will most likely differ. That’s how you’ll know you’re customizing your resume correctly and giving yourself the best chance to land an interview.

As you’re thinking about your resume, remember you have more skills than you realize. Your job is to make it easy for employers to see the connection between your skill sets and the skill sets needed to do the job. When in doubt, ask yourself, “Can I quantify that?”

The goal at this stage in the job search process is to get an interview. You can only worry about getting the job after you know you’re in the running. What skills are going to get you in the door?

Need more help with your job search?

We’d love it if you signed up for Work It Daily’s Power Hour Event Subscription! Get your career questions answered in our next live event!

This article was originally published at an earlier date.

As you’re thinking about your resume, remember you have more skills than you realize. Your job is to make it easy for employers to see the connection between your skill sets and the skill sets needed to do the job. When in doubt, ask yourself, “Can I quantify that?”

The goal at this stage in the job search process is to get an interview. You can only worry about getting the job after you know you’re in the running. What’s going to get you in the door?

17 Good Questions To Ask A Recruiter In 2022

17 Good Questions To Ask A Recruiter In 2022

Knowing the best questions to ask recruiters can make your job search simpler and save time for everyone involved. But a lot of job-seekers aren’t sure how to approach recruiters when it comes to finding out information about a company or position. Fortunately, we’ve put together this list of questions to make the process easy. […]

The post 17 Good Questions To Ask A Recruiter In 2022 appeared first on Career Sherpa.

Top 5 Questions To Answer To Get Your Data Strategy Just Right

Top 5 Questions To Answer To Get Your Data Strategy Just Right

We live in an age where data is leveraged more than ever to make decisions. Yet many firms have an incomplete data strategy that prevents them from taking advantage of all available data to impact decisions. The solution lies in formulating a business-driven data strategy by answering some key questions.

Current data strategies focus on specific use cases, for example, regulatory compliance versus a holistic portfolio of requirements allowing firms to take full advantage of their data assets. This edition outlines five unanswered questions that help chief data analytics officers (CDAOs) get their data strategy over the line.

Defining The Problem…

Data analysts look at data

CEOs have been demanding more organizational efficiency and effectiveness from CDAOs, struggling to meet the firm’s business needs, especially in value creation. CDAOs often meet challenges and obstacles, perceiving that data is not contributing the value and ROI that is believed possible. Currently, many CDAOs struggle to align the existing data approach to focus on corporate priorities by laying out a fine-tuned data strategy. Firms often skip many essential steps to creating a data strategy, favoring quick wins, charters, and pilots to show data team progress rather than creating a holistic and integrated vision and strategy for data. According to Insider Magazine, 82% of organizations are inhibited by data silos and aren’t taking advantage of the correct data for their business problems.* Practices many believed were in place and fully mature, such as creating one version of the truth or a 360 view of the customer, remain incomplete.

  • Only a small percentage of organizations excel at delivering on their data strategy. In a recent MIT Technology Review, only 13% of organizations are considered “high achievers” at showing measurable business results from their data strategy. Issues such as data duplication, democratization, and processing data in real-time are just some of the gaps identified in the data strategy which need to be addressed.**
  • Test and learn can help the firm learn faster and complete the data vision and strategy. Many CDAOs prefer to take an incremental approach to data strategy development. Randy Bean, in his new book Fail Fast, Learn Faster: Lessons in Data-Driven Leadership in an Age of Disruption, Big Data, and AI, provides some of the best case studies and perspectives on how firms can improve their approach to their data strategy.***

Answer 5 Questions To Advance Your Data Strategy

Woman with question mark

CDAOs need a new approach to formulating a business-driven data strategy. The five questions below provide a more holistic integrated approach when formulating a data strategy that ensures stakeholder buy-in and corporate priorities are accounted for. A collaborative approach for seeking input from the right stakeholders is best made through a blueprinting process and a road map. CDAOs must not skip such a process in favor of tactical quick wins or pressure from other execs to draw up the data strategy in a vacuum, for example, by the data team alone.

Answer the five questions by conducting a collaborative blueprinting process which is key to ensuring that business priorities and their requisite fit-for-purpose data can be harnessed for impact and monetization in the data strategy. Establishing the proper engagement and governance model for the blueprint is key to ensuring business partner needs and priorities are fully baked into the firm’s data strategy. The questions to be addressed and action steps are:

1. Undefined Business Problems: What Business Pain Points Need A Solution?

Business people look at data in a work meeting

Without understanding business pain points, the data analytics team will be challenged to find the appropriate solutions to support business partners. Engage with partners to determine their strategic priorities via a blueprinting process. We have underestimated the value of stakeholder input (pain points and gap assessment) to help prioritize critical data initiatives based on business impact.

A collaborative process is established via the blueprint to seek stakeholder input. Define the stakeholders who should participate and actively engage in the blueprinting process. Define decision rights and roles in guiding the information into the strategy. Set the guiding principles and high-level work streams based on the vision and scope defined by the CDAO and sponsors.

Business problems are framed by looking at the current situation(s) and problems and gapping them to the future vision for data. This gap assessment helps the firm define and prioritize initiatives based on key success metrics. For example, one focus area for a data strategy is data latency (real-time versus batch) or the speed at which data gets updated, especially for digital customer experience. Marketing and digital are good starting points as they facilitate better customer experiences and broader enterprise applicability, such as for risk and CX. Customers searching for a product on the firm’s website provide digital signals and buying intent of the data and customer conversations. When captured in real time, signals are more likely to lead to sales. For example, the potential inclusion in the strategy of a real-time data application raises an issue for clarification: how much real-time data needs to be available via a modern data platform that may include streaming analytics among the tactical choices.

2. Data Coverage: What Data Is Needed To Solve The Business Needs, And Where Is That Data

Data map/network concept

The blueprinting process helps to create an inventory of the firm’s data sources and where that data is located. Depending on how data is used (and by whom), different platforms would be defined for housing the volume of identified data and the critical tools required. Other considerations include data quality, models, standardization, and consistency.

A data coverage map or inventory helps to identify not only what data is needed to solve the problems but also where that data is located and what it takes to access it. Depending on the use case, the firm can often decide if it wants to move all the data or be more laser-focused on what data it moves and stores. The firm needs to determine if the data needs to be moved to a data lake or accessed at the authoritative source. Some data might be included in the single source of truth (SST) and some in other applications.

Hiding behind our ability to take all the data into a big data platform and allegedly figure it all out later will not highlight when we can extract value from which data in what context. So, we may be engineering superstars; however, are we generating business value? In the initial phases of BI, we called this a dump and run where all the data was poured into a physical layer without being well organized or having a logical layer via a star schema or a data strategy. Sound familiar? The more you stay in a field the more you realize how some things change and some things stay the same and repeat or are rebranded in a more modern way with the same problem sets.

One of the questions which need to be answered is whether the firm needs a single source of truth (SST) versus multiple versions of the truth (MVT). This also begins to define what it means to adhere to the data strategy. For example, one strategic consideration: can any analyst take data directly from the source system, or do they go to the data lake?

3. Privacy And Information Security: Who Should Be Able To Access And Use Data

Data privacy concept

Define the number of unique identifiers within the data environment. Specify who has access to confidential and restricted information to comply with privacy regulations. Create highly secured data zones. Ensure algorithms are privacy protected. Define self-service tools for data access.

4. Data Analytics Organization And Partners: What Roles Are Needed?

Data roles/analysts

Define the organization model for the data and analytics team and the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders. In some organizations, there is a lack of role clarity and confusion over responsibilities—data engineers report to business partners rather than the practice. Defining the organization and reporting structure adds transparency to the workflow and improves speed to impact. Define a talent architecture to increase the transparency of spans, layers, and job definitions.

5. Data Monetization: How Will The Business Leverage The Data

Data monetization concept

Data monetization is a process: you must design a use case and test plan with your business partners and execute and measure a pilot. Based on these inputs, you will build a business case including success metrics for the pilot, which should include a definition of done.

Blueprinting Your Way To A Successful Data Strategy

Data analysts creating a strategy blueprint

Arrive at a business-focused data strategy through a blueprint and a roadmap. The blueprint is needed to enable stakeholders to buy in and to correctly identify business problems to be solved, critical data, and the structure and deployment of data for maximum impact and lowest risk. It is not an academic exercise recommended by consultants and researchers if concrete execution steps via the roadmap and business case/ROI are part of the outcome. The CDAO must have the experience and gravitas to demand more investment upfront during the planning and resourcing phase.

Actualize your data strategy through a comprehensive blueprint that leads to a set of guiding principles for your data program and a business case for your CEO and board of directors.

  • Formulating the Plan: The data strategy blueprinting phase helps to answer the five unanswered questions. Taking three to six months to engage business partners in an inclusive formulation of the data strategy can lead to increased support for data programs across the organization. This support from business partners will lead to faster adoption of data initiatives and remove roadblocks to initiatives like data governance going forward. Stakeholders’ buy-in leads to speed-to-maturity and achieving ROI and impacts outlined in the business case.
  • Socializing the Strategy: Once the data strategy is endorsed and fit for the purpose, take it on a roadshow through the organization. Host summits, lunch and learns, and other innovative vehicles such as webinars, gamification, and new learning methods to socialize the data strategy. Time spent bringing the stakeholders along the journey by sharing what was agreed to in the data strategy can go a long way in engendering trust and cooperation along the implementation journey.
  • Future Proofing Your Strategy: To ensure that your data strategy stays relevant to deliver next-generation data analytics capabilities, it is imperative that the strategy be revisited on an ongoing basis but at a minimum once a year. Data strategy review sessions should occur in the data committee or data governance committee, where progress can be discussed with senior management and calibration to best practices appear. This check-in ensures you have a living, breathing dynamic strategy that delivers desired impacts and uplifts maturity.

In conclusion, by answering these five questions, your data strategy will support your organization’s growth efforts and value creation. Further, these answers help CDAOs set the priorities and scope of work during the implementation phase, including standing up for data governance and management. A collaborative blueprint ensures stakeholder buy-in and a fit-for-purpose, business-aligned, winning data strategy.

Reference List:

* Insider Magazine. Why Your Data Strategy Probably Needs an Overhaul. (2022, August 9)

** Denis McCauley. MIT Technology Review: Insights report. (August 2022)

*** Randy Bean. Fail Fast, Learn Faster: Lessons in Data-Driven Leadership in an Age of Disruption, Big Data, and AI (August 31; Wiley)

The Best LinkedIn Tip You’ve NEVER Heard Before

The Best LinkedIn Tip You’ve NEVER Heard Before

We guarantee you’ve never noticed this LinkedIn tip prior to. You might realize that interviewers get on LinkedIn to consider candidates, and they uncover the right candidates by simply searching specific keywords. Today, if you have individuals keywords in your head line, you may rank higher around their search results. That is where this tip is available in…

Up-to-date Your LinkedIn Headline Each 2 Weeks

@j. t. odonnell 1 Tip Might NEVER Heard About Making use of LinkedIn! #linkedintips #linkedinprofile #linkedin #careeradvice #careertips #jobsearchtips #jobsearch #careertok #edutok #careerchange #recruiter ♬ original sound — J. T. O’Donnell

If you have the correct keywords in your acte, you’re telling recruiters and even hiring managers you might have those skills together with that’s where your knowledge is. But did anyone know that every 2 weeks you need to go in to LinkedIn and upgrade the couple of keywords on your headline?

You should keep track of LinkedIn headline every single two weeks because the particular algorithm is always seeking at people who have got recently updated their report. The very first time you update the profile, you’ll notice a new lot of activity, much more profile views. Then you are going to notice it starts for you to drop off because if you’re not ranking as full of search results anymore. Yet if every two several weeks you go in and additionally swap something out during that headline and strike “Save, ” it activates the algorithm to position your profile higher.

And that’s exactly how you consistently get employers to look at your own personal profile.

This particular is one of the numerous tips of which I teach in Exactly how To Navigate LinkedIn Effectively . It’s an hour-long workshop that I’m training this week. You acquire a workbook, and also you find the recording. If people can, attend live. If you’re going to learn the biggest launch of the century to get more interviewers to contact you in LinkedIn.

Need more help together with your career?

I’d love that if you subscribed to Function It Daily’s Power Hr Event Subscription ! I actually look forward to responding to all of your career questions for our next live occasion!

Test-Teach-Test: A Quick And Effective Way To Plan Training

Test-Teach-Test: A Quick And Effective Way To Plan Training

Introducing new technology is part of a change management process. Change management coordinates technical implementation with awareness raising and training activities to prepare people to use the technology effectively.

Large companies can afford to run full-blown change management projects.

Smaller and medium-sized companies do not have these resources.

They buy the technology and let managers train their staff to use it.

Now you’re the manager. Someone has sat down and shown you the basic workflow. You have to get your team trained by lunchtime. How do you plan it? How do you make sure that your staff are engaged and that the training is successful?

Inputs And Outputs

Woman trains employees a new technology

A good training session requires “inputs” and “outputs.”

“Inputs” are where knowledge is passed from the trainer to the trainee.

“Outputs” are where trainees demonstrate that they have absorbed, understood, and can use this knowledge.

The “outputs” are often more important than the “inputs” because a good training plan is designed to prepare trainees to successfully complete the “outputs,” while the “outputs” demonstrate that trainees have achieved their learning objectives.

Some people might call these “outputs” “tests.”

A good trainer sees this as a test, but not of the trainee, but of him/herself. If trainees fail to complete the “output” activity successfully, then is it the trainees’ or the trainer’s fault?

Why “Test, Teach, Test”?

Manager teaches her employee a new technology

​The “teach” is the “input” while the “test” is the “output.”

The first “test” is where we run the “output” or test before we have trained the trainees.

It might seem like a strange idea, but there are two good reasons for doing this:

  1. To get trainees’ attention. Your trainees may think they know everything because it is a refresher course or because they are very confident teenagers. Give them the completion test first and let them fail. That will show them that they have something to learn.
  2. You may not know your trainees’ level of knowledge. This often happens in business. Training is often hastily organized. Some trainees may need to learn everything from the beginning, while others only need to brush up on their knowledge.

How Should We “Test” Our Trainees?

Man trains his employees a new technology

​This depends on the content, and how much time you have to plan and conduct your training.

If you are training staff to follow a workflow, then the obvious test is to have them follow this workflow on their own computers, or describe it in some way, or answer questions on it.

If you are training staff to follow new rules, then you can present them with cases and get them to explain how the rules apply, or have them answer questions on the rules.

Where we are talking about a “refresher” training session, then the work sample, description exercise or test questions will reflect the new version of knowledge. The test could include a request to describe the main differences between the old version of the workflow/rules and the new one, to ensure that they understand the difference.

How Would I Plan This In Real Life?

Woman leads a training at work

Let’s say that there has been a change to a workflow your team uses on an IT system. The cutover to the new system is next Wednesday.

Your training objective is to train them to follow the updated workflow. Follow the steps below:

  1. Master the workflow yourself and find out both the main route and the likely “diversions.” (e.g., What happens if a customer forgets his membership number?)
  2. Decide how you are going to test how they follow the new workflow. (e.g., They log into the training environment and follow the workflow by role-playing with a colleague.)
  3. Decide how you are going to train them to follow the workflow. (e.g., You will do a step-by-step demo backed up with a step-by-step written description. This “input” session should take no longer than 20 minutes.)
  4. Book the room, test the computers, and conduct the training. Deliver the “test” first, telling them you want to see how much they already know, then “teach” the content, then deliver the “test” again and see how the results have changed.

Over To You!

Professionals attend a business training at work

No doubt you will be providing a “knowledge transfer,” training a new team member, or giving your staff a “refresher” on some new rule or technology “upgrade.” Try using this method to plan your training! Let me know how you get on!

Further reading…

If you’re training your staff to use a computer system, then you might find this article interesting: Explaining How Things Work: How To Do It And Why It Matters

Summary Sunday: Issue #484

Summary Sunday: Issue #484

This week’ ersus summary calls out this mix of concerns companies face and how these people are responding. It likewise addresses things you may do to higher prepare with regard to a job search. I actually don’ t want an individual to panic about what’ s going on inside the workforce. I would like you to be ready and take the required actions. I […]

The particular post Summary Sunday: Problem #484 made an appearance first on Career Sherpa .