Category: Marketing Automation

Every resume has a skills section. It’s an opportunity to highlight your top professional attributes to attract employers. Core competencies serve the same purpose for brands and their customers.

Let’s dive into what exactly a core competency is, why you need it, and how to find it in your brand.

You might be wondering, “Isn’t this a value proposition? ” Not exactly. While both are used to differentiate you from your competitors, competencies are what you leverage to support your value proposition.
For instance, at Uber, their value proposition is “Always on, always available.” What’s their core competency? An easy-to-use app and reliable access to its services at any time of the day.
Establishing your core competencies early on is incredibly valuable, as it can inform your marketing strategy moving forward. You can use them in your messaging to attract your target audience and stand out among your competitors.
If you’re a trailblazing company with a fresh product in an underserved market, then finding your core competency will be easy to spell out.
However, if you’re in a saturated market and struggling to distinguish your brand, working on your core competencies will be key to your success.
The sooner you discover what they are, the quicker you can implement them in your marketing and sales strategies.
From an individual standpoint, everyone has core competencies that they leverage in their professional lives. When you want to land a new job, you list those competencies as skills in your resume, embed them in your LinkedIn bio, and mention them during interviews.
If you don’t know what makes you a valuable asset, you’ll be hard-pressed to convince an organization of that. With this in mind, competencies are valuable both from a personal and broader perspective.

Core Competencies Examples
Clever Marketing from Oatly
There are hundreds of vegan milk options out there. What makes Oatly stand out is its marketing.

Image Source
The brand specializes in self-referential marketing campaigns that make its target audience laugh. Their ads rarely focus on the products and instead poke fun at the ads themselves.
In contrast, one of Oatly’s competitors, Planet Oat, launched a #WeSolvedMilk campaign back in 2021 and released this ad.

Unlike Oatly, they focused on product features – specifically their oat milk’s superior creaminess, then centered the commercial around that.
In a world where most ads take a product-focused approach, companies like Oatly stand out.
Incredible Value from Canva
For many years, those of us who wanted to build brand assets had to rely on products like Adobe InDesign and Sketch.
Not only did they come at a cost but they were also notoriously complex, as they were made with advanced professionals in mind. Then came Canva, a graphic design platform with thousands of free templates made for the everyday user.
Offering high-quality designs at little to no cost became one of their core competencies, stemming from their mission to make graphic design accessible to everyone.
An Innovative User-First Approach from Google
Google might have started as a search engine but it’s evolved into a one-stop-shop to meet all your digital needs – for individuals and businesses alike. From cloud storage and password management to email service and advertising, this is only a sliver of what Google has to offer.
Google’s value proposition is innovation, as evidenced by its wealth of services. Some of their core competencies include inventive products and a dedication to a user-first approach.
How can you determine a core competency?
1. Start with what you already know.
The first place to look when establishing your core competencies is your value proposition. As we mentioned before, that’s the overarching idea from which your competencies will emerge.
It’s also worth reviewing your mission statement. What does your company care about? What are its core values? From there, you can ask yourself, “How does that translate into what we offer our customers?”
2. Look at your competition.
When you’re struggling to figure something out within your brand, it’s always helpful to look across the aisle and see what your competitors are doing.
They’re a great source of information and inspiration. In this case, the question you want to ask is “What do they lack that we offer?”
It can be anything from a personalized customer experience to one-of-a-kind product features. Once you make a list of the differentiators, you’ll get a clearer picture of what
3. Reach out to your customers.
Who better to learn from than your customers?
If you’re unsure what sets you apart from your competitors, ask your customers. You can create a survey and ask questions that get to the bottom of why they chose you.
Questions like “What comes to mind when you think of our brand?” and “What do you love about our brand?” will help you get the answers you’re looking for.
Core competencies are brand differentiators that will help you create a marketing strategy that caters to your target audience and separates you from the rest.

*from submitted by /u/Evergreen16 [link] [comments]

Are you interested in having an amazing and professional logo created for you at an extremely affordable price? Yes you read that right. I will create a custom logo for you at the price of $5. I offer unlimited revisions as well until you are satisfied with the product! The payment will be made through Fiverr. A review would be appreciated as well! If you are interested message me and we can discuss your project! Here is my portfolio: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-IWJvHprCYctSRuqyXil-MoNCl5beTa_h4riSYpacKg/edit submitted by /u/-SaagarD [link] [comments]

submitted by /u/Bloger_OnlineStance [link] [comments]

submitted by /u/Bloger_OnlineStance [link] [comments]

submitted by /u/Evergreen16 [link] [comments]

We’re building a platform that let’s you repurpose your video content quickly and easily: Auto add subtitles to your videos to get more engagement Edit video using text to save time cutting/trimming your video (watch how to) Cut dead space, air, filler words easily Turn them into social media clips easily ​ Grab highlights from your webinars/talking head videos or youtube videos quickly upload transcripts alongside your videos turn them into blogs etc (coming soon) Let me know if you want to try it out, DM me or Google ‘Imvidu’. submitted by /u/doctorjay_ [link] [comments]

Hi all – I’ve been in the marketing automation space (first Eloqua, then SFMC) for the past year and a half. Everything I’ve done and learned has been hands-on as part of my job, and I’d really like to seek out some professional development opportunities this year. I’m curious as to what sort of training, certifications, or courses you all are taking in this space — can you share what you are doing? Right now I’m looking into a privacy certification, but I know there’s a ton more out there that I could pursue. submitted by /u/sisanelizamarsh [link] [comments]

Let’s break down the secrets to success behind The New York Times’ The Morning, and what you can learn from it for your own newsletter.
Some people say newspapers are dead, but The New York Times (NYT) isn’t taking that lying down. It has maintained its classic brand and award-winning content while evolving its product to serve a digital audience. Besides its website that serves as a digital news source for its readers, it has curated one of the most popular daily email newsletters in the world. The newsletter, called The Morning, has garnered over 17 million subscribers.
So, how has The New York Times built a newsletter subscriber list over twice the population of New York City? It took the strengths of its centurial newspaper and adapted them to a new platform. It translated attention-grabbing headlines into subject lines. It adapted award-winning photojournalism into newsletter illustrations. And it turned renowned news stories into a newsletter its subscribers eagerly wait for each morning.
While your organization may not be an iconic newspaper, you can apply many of the same principles The New York Times has used to build your own successful newsletter. That is, a newsletter that is engaging and informative, keeps your readers coming back, and ultimately promotes your brand to a captivated audience.
1. Short, intriguing subject lines
Eye-catching newspaper headlines have been a long-standing tradition in the world of journalism, a skill The New York Times has leveraged in its email newsletter subject lines. The Morning features succinct subject lines with compelling descriptions you can’t help but want to open.
The Morning email subject lines are typically no more than four words following the title of the newsletter. They offer enough for the reader to know what the featured story is about but hold back the details, so the reader has to click to find the resolution.
Don’t worry — even if you don’t have harrowing war stories or political unrest to share in your newsletter, you can still curate eye-catching headlines. Start with determining a distinct perspective or value to share with your readers. From there, isolate the most essential concepts or words and think about the goals of your customer.
For example, if your value proposition is a 50% off sale on summer clothing, don’t just share a deadpan subject line that says, “we have a sale.” Instead, offer your customer the tangible and aspirational value of the sale in your subject line. For example, your subject line could be “50% Off Summer Fashion Statements!” This highlights the savings value as well as the goal they can attain by participating (making a fashion statement).
Source. In this issue of The Morning, the subject line only uses two words (and an abbreviation) following the title of the newsletter. And yet, just those couple of words create a striking image in the mind of the reader.
 
2. Vivid imagery
The first thing you see when you open The Morning is an in-your-face graphic or image. Let’s just say The New York Times definitely takes advantage of its award-winning photojournalists and designers when it comes to producing its newsletter. The image immediately conjures an emotion, making the reader invested right from the start.
The opening graphic in your email newsletter is like the welcome mat to the narrative you create within. Make sure it invites your readers in and tells them what they can expect. Maybe it says, “groundbreaking news” or “innovative ideas.” Or maybe it says, “If you’re pizza, Amazon, or Ryan Gosling, I’m home” (our favorite).
Source. The striking image of grieving loved ones puts a face to the opioid crisis, driving home the individual impact of the headline.
 
3. Clear sections and clean design
The Morning makes it clear what its readers can expect in each section with descriptive section headers and clear dividing lines. The simple black and white print is not only reminiscent of its newspaper roots but also makes its content easily legible.
So maybe a straightforward black-and-white design doesn’t fit your brand or audience but maintaining legibility is still key. This includes taking into account the 49% of users reading email on a mobile device. Are your emails optimized for mobile? Is your content skimmable? Is the contrast between the font and background stark enough that it’s easy to read?
Source. Each The Morning newsletter opens with a header, the author’s name, and then the lead story, separated by a thick dividing line. Similarly, the rest of the newsletter is broken into sections by a thick black line and section title. The sections are divided by news, opinion pieces, books, Times Magazine content, and games, so the reader can easily skip to the sections that interest them the most.
 
4. Timely and comprehensive content
The Morning gives readers everything they need to carry on conversations about culture and world events. It features events that are happening currently but also provides resources to understand upcoming news-worthy topics. The newsletter also explores cultural moments in time such as food, literature, art, and entertainment.
Even if your business is not reporting the news, it’s worth taking a note from The New York Times when it comes to timeliness cultural relevance in your content. This might look like making sure your promotions are in line with current holidays, your event reminders give your audience enough notice to act, and your voice and tone are in line with cultural trends.
Source. The Morning features a headlining story each day that highlights a major current event before moving into the culture and entertainment sections. No need to wonder what everyone is talking about around the water cooler when you get The Morning every … well, morning.
 
5. Authoritative voice and tone
Even the most renowned newspapers in the world have to maintain authority and trust with their readership. Most major news organizations try to distance their journalists from their work to promote the idea of unbiased news. However, The New York Times takes a unique stance in its newsletter by having each one “hosted” by one of its renowned journalists. This builds a personal connection with the reader and establishes trust and credibility by having a respected name on the byline.
In addition to naming the writer, the content is written in a strong authoritative voice and tone. There are no qualifying statements or punches pulled; the writers take a clear stance in every issue.
You may not be a leader in political or cultural opinion, but you do have the opportunity to be an authoritative voice in your industry niche. Own your space, take a stance on industry practices or trends, and challenge the status quo. Make a statement your readers will not only remember you for but come back for.
Source. The New York Times is not above questioning even commonly held beliefs about “science.” No topic or entity is too big for it to address; journalists write with the authority of an organization that leads public opinion.
 
Create your iconic newsletter
You may not be The New York Times, but you can still create unforgettable newsletters that subscribers will come back for and share. Good newsletters can promote their email enough to build a list, but great newsletters will grow themselves. Get started creating yours today with our easy drag-and-drop templates that will make your newsletter stand out in the crowd.
The post What Makes NYT’s “The Morning” Newsletter One of the Most Popular in the World appeared first on Campaign Monitor.

submitted by /u/pointfive [link] [comments]