6 lessons from the “The Walking Dead” series for the effectiveness of your marketing team
For decades, people take leadership examples and learn life from films. From sports and military films to detectives and comedies, we see characters who make serious decisions, lead their teams to victory and support them during defeats.
In apocalyptic stories you can often see very interesting and dynamic characters. In order to survive in such circumstances, they often learn such important lessons that we do not think about and do not encounter in our daily life. Depriving the characters of the films of modern comfort and social security, you can quickly see who they really are, as individuals.
And although the office does not need to make decisions on which life depends, we can learn valuable lessons from the decisions that these characters make.
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Fans of the “Walking Dead” like me already know that, finally, season 6 has come out. To celebrate this, I found 6 lessons that marketing team leaders can take from the film and apply in their work.
“You are not safe. It does not matter whether there are many people around, or it is a deserted place. It doesn't matter what they say, it doesn't matter what they think. You are not safe. It only takes a moment. A moment, and it's over. Never lose your vigilance. Never. I want you to promise me that. ” Rick Grimes, Season 5.
You ask what it has to do with marketing. Replace “you” in the quote “on the pages of your site” and the word “safety” with “bullet-proof vest”. Your webpage is not a bulletproof vest.
When Rick said these words to his son Carl, they had been living for almost 2 years surrounded by zombies (or “walkers,” as they are called in the film). Obviously, Karl already knew about this dangerous and changeable world, but it was important to remember that the situation could change at any second.
Although it may be more than a second to change your successful web page, only one factor can lead to this.
The initial test can determine the solution that worked best, for example, in March, but circumstances have changed, the audience has become smarter, and the market has begun to fever. Accordingly, the effectiveness of your page has changed due to these factors.
Continuous testing shows how well your landing pages, registration processes, email, etc. are in the best interest of customers.
“Get out of the farm now! Maggie, she's lost! ”Glenn Ree, Season 2
This lesson is consonant with the previous one. Sometimes it is easier for people in a company to say, “We always did it like this,” or “That's all we know.” However, the marketing industry is changing, especially in technology and customer expectations. You must be ready to adapt to new processes, new appeals, and sometimes even new products.
This means that you must also be ready to get rid of your usual ideas.
For nearly three months in the film, Maggie and her family were able to survive the beginning of the destruction of the world and the attacks of zombies on the farm. The ability to stay in a familiar environment - in a childhood home - helped to survive in this crazy world.
How often do we stick to any design or message on the landing page, especially if that’s all we know or when we’ve designed this page?
Testing is the only way to improve conversion. You can clearly say, "This new version works X% better than the previous one."
When it comes time to get rid of obsolete products or pages, it is important to remember that this is done, first of all, for customers. Your products, web pages and email should serve their needs, this is where you will succeed.
"How many walkers did you kill?" How many people did you kill? Why? ”Rick Grimes, Season 4
Creating a team is the key to success, no matter whether you are in the world of zombies or among American entrepreneurs. Even if a person has the right skills, he will not necessarily be the team member you need.
For Rick, the answers to these questions were very important when he chose new associates for himself. The first two questions could be answered for a long time, and the question “why” immerses them in the context of the situation, draws a real portrait of these people and what they could give to the team.
Do you have a list of questions that will help to win the position of a potential team member? What is the key quality you are looking for in an employee? If you select an employee who does not fit not only the corporate culture, but the team atmosphere, then you run the risk of encountering problems in future work.
For example, your team spends a lot of time discussing a project and gradually implements it. An independent person who is independently used to leading the entire project from design to implementation may simply not fit into the work of your team.
As a team leader, you must identify the key qualities of the candidate and build the interview in such a way as to identify these qualities and decide if it suits you. If you hire people without a clear goal, you will not be able to assemble a wonderful puzzle, because its parts may not be suitable for each other.
“Today we will talk about knives. How to own them, how to be safe with them and how they can save your life "Carol Peletie, Season 4
After Carol lost her daughter in Season 2, she did not see the benefit in the constant care of the children. Unforeseen situations and extraordinary circumstances can force children to protect themselves. They will not be able to do this without proper training.
As well as your team needs training to overcome various unplanned situations and increased load. Cross-training your team protects the health and well-being of your team, department and company.
It is dangerous to have a specialist who alone has knowledge of certain processes. If such workers leave the company or fall ill, what will you do in this case?
However, cross-training gives more advantages than the ability to survive without interruption. According to an article published in Forbes, such training contributes to the professional development of employees, increases the efficiency of the team and teamwork. Understanding the different roles in a team allows employees to see a broader picture of how the team works for the overall result.
Laurie: "Are you a doctor?"
Herschel: “Yes, ma'am, of course. Vet. "
Laurie: “Veteran? Military doctor?"
Herschel: "Veterinary." Season 2
When Karl was accidentally shot down by a deer hunter, luck was on his side. Herschel, who lived on the farm, was a veterinarian before attacking zombies. Of course, he was not trained in the treatment of bullet wounds in humans, but the general knowledge was the same.
When teams are small and budgets are modest, you have to think about how to apply different skills. Marketers often perform different roles in large and small companies, in commercial and non-profit enterprises.
At the heart of all of this is knowledge of your customers and an understanding of their needs, which you can also use in other areas of marketing. You can only have experience in email marketing, but you can also use these skills in copywriting and the ability to tell stories in other media - from social. networks to landing pages.
Even if you don’t work in a company where a jack of all trades is required, you still need to know and apply all the technologies that modern marketing relies on. Only 10 years ago there was no SMM specialist. However, communication technologies between people and companies are changing. If you cannot adapt to these changes, you will quickly find yourself on the sidelines.
"We are friends with a girl with a sword and a guy in a hat"
Carol Peletie, Season 5
"Archer. I respect that. If you see a man with a rifle, then, most likely, he was a photographer in the past or a football coach. But the archer is a real archer. ”
Joe, Season 4
Michon is known as the “maid with the sword,” and Daryl is an archer. In a world where weapons are worth their weight in gold, possession of a bow or sword is a great advantage. You cannot use bullets several times; if they flew away, they flew away forever.
The arrows can be re-used if you have time to pick them up. The sword is a self-sufficient weapon.
Using modern technology is pretty easy.
However, if you do not have the correct message to customers or you do not understand their needs, you will shoot blank cartridges.
Suppose you want to write a message and share a publication. There are many formats that can be used. Do you use a mobile application or other fashionable software? Maybe your audience will be more effective information in an old-fashioned PDF format?
Sometimes the basic tools are the best. It's all about understanding your audience.
In apocalyptic stories you can often see very interesting and dynamic characters. In order to survive in such circumstances, they often learn such important lessons that we do not think about and do not encounter in our daily life. Depriving the characters of the films of modern comfort and social security, you can quickly see who they really are, as individuals.
And although the office does not need to make decisions on which life depends, we can learn valuable lessons from the decisions that these characters make.
')
Fans of the “Walking Dead” like me already know that, finally, season 6 has come out. To celebrate this, I found 6 lessons that marketing team leaders can take from the film and apply in their work.
Lesson number 1. Stay alert (and keep testing)
“You are not safe. It does not matter whether there are many people around, or it is a deserted place. It doesn't matter what they say, it doesn't matter what they think. You are not safe. It only takes a moment. A moment, and it's over. Never lose your vigilance. Never. I want you to promise me that. ” Rick Grimes, Season 5.
You ask what it has to do with marketing. Replace “you” in the quote “on the pages of your site” and the word “safety” with “bullet-proof vest”. Your webpage is not a bulletproof vest.
When Rick said these words to his son Carl, they had been living for almost 2 years surrounded by zombies (or “walkers,” as they are called in the film). Obviously, Karl already knew about this dangerous and changeable world, but it was important to remember that the situation could change at any second.
Although it may be more than a second to change your successful web page, only one factor can lead to this.
The initial test can determine the solution that worked best, for example, in March, but circumstances have changed, the audience has become smarter, and the market has begun to fever. Accordingly, the effectiveness of your page has changed due to these factors.
Continuous testing shows how well your landing pages, registration processes, email, etc. are in the best interest of customers.
Lesson number 2. Be prepared to get rid of obsolete ideas.
“Get out of the farm now! Maggie, she's lost! ”Glenn Ree, Season 2
This lesson is consonant with the previous one. Sometimes it is easier for people in a company to say, “We always did it like this,” or “That's all we know.” However, the marketing industry is changing, especially in technology and customer expectations. You must be ready to adapt to new processes, new appeals, and sometimes even new products.
This means that you must also be ready to get rid of your usual ideas.
For nearly three months in the film, Maggie and her family were able to survive the beginning of the destruction of the world and the attacks of zombies on the farm. The ability to stay in a familiar environment - in a childhood home - helped to survive in this crazy world.
How often do we stick to any design or message on the landing page, especially if that’s all we know or when we’ve designed this page?
Testing is the only way to improve conversion. You can clearly say, "This new version works X% better than the previous one."
When it comes time to get rid of obsolete products or pages, it is important to remember that this is done, first of all, for customers. Your products, web pages and email should serve their needs, this is where you will succeed.
Lesson number 3. Keep your target when creating your team
"How many walkers did you kill?" How many people did you kill? Why? ”Rick Grimes, Season 4
Creating a team is the key to success, no matter whether you are in the world of zombies or among American entrepreneurs. Even if a person has the right skills, he will not necessarily be the team member you need.
For Rick, the answers to these questions were very important when he chose new associates for himself. The first two questions could be answered for a long time, and the question “why” immerses them in the context of the situation, draws a real portrait of these people and what they could give to the team.
Do you have a list of questions that will help to win the position of a potential team member? What is the key quality you are looking for in an employee? If you select an employee who does not fit not only the corporate culture, but the team atmosphere, then you run the risk of encountering problems in future work.
For example, your team spends a lot of time discussing a project and gradually implements it. An independent person who is independently used to leading the entire project from design to implementation may simply not fit into the work of your team.
As a team leader, you must identify the key qualities of the candidate and build the interview in such a way as to identify these qualities and decide if it suits you. If you hire people without a clear goal, you will not be able to assemble a wonderful puzzle, because its parts may not be suitable for each other.
Lesson number 4. Prepare your team for unexpected situations.
“Today we will talk about knives. How to own them, how to be safe with them and how they can save your life "Carol Peletie, Season 4
After Carol lost her daughter in Season 2, she did not see the benefit in the constant care of the children. Unforeseen situations and extraordinary circumstances can force children to protect themselves. They will not be able to do this without proper training.
As well as your team needs training to overcome various unplanned situations and increased load. Cross-training your team protects the health and well-being of your team, department and company.
It is dangerous to have a specialist who alone has knowledge of certain processes. If such workers leave the company or fall ill, what will you do in this case?
However, cross-training gives more advantages than the ability to survive without interruption. According to an article published in Forbes, such training contributes to the professional development of employees, increases the efficiency of the team and teamwork. Understanding the different roles in a team allows employees to see a broader picture of how the team works for the overall result.
Lesson number 5. Be universal
Laurie: "Are you a doctor?"
Herschel: “Yes, ma'am, of course. Vet. "
Laurie: “Veteran? Military doctor?"
Herschel: "Veterinary." Season 2
When Karl was accidentally shot down by a deer hunter, luck was on his side. Herschel, who lived on the farm, was a veterinarian before attacking zombies. Of course, he was not trained in the treatment of bullet wounds in humans, but the general knowledge was the same.
When teams are small and budgets are modest, you have to think about how to apply different skills. Marketers often perform different roles in large and small companies, in commercial and non-profit enterprises.
At the heart of all of this is knowledge of your customers and an understanding of their needs, which you can also use in other areas of marketing. You can only have experience in email marketing, but you can also use these skills in copywriting and the ability to tell stories in other media - from social. networks to landing pages.
Even if you don’t work in a company where a jack of all trades is required, you still need to know and apply all the technologies that modern marketing relies on. Only 10 years ago there was no SMM specialist. However, communication technologies between people and companies are changing. If you cannot adapt to these changes, you will quickly find yourself on the sidelines.
Lesson number 6. Basic things can be effective
"We are friends with a girl with a sword and a guy in a hat"
Carol Peletie, Season 5
"Archer. I respect that. If you see a man with a rifle, then, most likely, he was a photographer in the past or a football coach. But the archer is a real archer. ”
Joe, Season 4
Michon is known as the “maid with the sword,” and Daryl is an archer. In a world where weapons are worth their weight in gold, possession of a bow or sword is a great advantage. You cannot use bullets several times; if they flew away, they flew away forever.
The arrows can be re-used if you have time to pick them up. The sword is a self-sufficient weapon.
Using modern technology is pretty easy.
However, if you do not have the correct message to customers or you do not understand their needs, you will shoot blank cartridges.
Suppose you want to write a message and share a publication. There are many formats that can be used. Do you use a mobile application or other fashionable software? Maybe your audience will be more effective information in an old-fashioned PDF format?
Sometimes the basic tools are the best. It's all about understanding your audience.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/296892/
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