Are you untouchable?

I’ve been reading an article in the New York Times titled “The Untouchables”  which basically talks about how you must stay ahead of the curve to remain competitive in the labour market. So what differentiates you from others in your industry or workplace? Are you easily substitutable or irreplaceable?

The same principle could be applied to your company’s products and services. Is your offering any different from a competitor’s? How are you positioned in the marketplace? Is your marketing strategy differentiated and sustainable?

Many organizations have sought to answer that question by employing social media along with traditional marketing.

Social media is redefining the way we market to customers and business prospects. Major brands are increasingly using blogs, Facebook, Twitter and other online tools to reach customers in a deeper, more engaging and cost-effective manner than traditional advertising allows. How are you embracing social media?

Are you effectively communicating your message across both traditional and social media?

To help you answer these questions, here is some advice.

  • Continuously improve your knowledge, skills and abilities
  • Differentiate your product or service to ensure you have a sustainable competitive advantage
  • Your message should be focused, compelling, credible, engaging and relevant to your target audience and not just wallpaper
  • Embrace new media; the world is going digital faster that you imagine

In these challenging times, we ought to evaluate what would help us survive and rise above the rest. So what’s your one thing? Could you summarize your personal brand or say what you do in 30 seconds or less?

7 Comments
  • aisha

    27 October, 2009, 8:30 am

    'Continuously improve your knowledge, skills and abilities' is so so important. I remember in NY someone telling me that we had to keep running at top speed just to stay in one place. That was so so true of living in NY, but it applies so much to working in a digital realm. I have to spend about a fifth of my time learning…

  • aisha

    27 October, 2009, 3:30 pm

    ‘Continuously improve your knowledge, skills and abilities’ is so so important. I remember in NY someone telling me that we had to keep running at top speed just to stay in one place. That was so so true of living in NY, but it applies so much to working in a digital realm. I have to spend about a fifth of my time learning…

  • Liliana

    27 October, 2009, 7:11 pm

    especially with new technology, tools and social media, the pace of development is so rapid you have to always keep learning!

  • Liliana

    28 October, 2009, 2:11 am

    especially with new technology, tools and social media, the pace of development is so rapid you have to always keep learning!

  • dennisramdeen

    8 November, 2009, 12:03 pm

    Aisha, that's why we need to free you up from pepper traditional. Pepper Digital needs to be a University as much as it is a Shop, dr

  • Anonymous

    8 November, 2009, 8:03 pm

    Aisha, that’s why we need to free you up from pepper traditional. Pepper Digital needs to be a University as much as it is a Shop, dr

  • dennisramdeen

    8 November, 2009, 8:03 pm

    Aisha, that's why we need to free you up from pepper traditional. Pepper Digital needs to be a University as much as it is a Shop, dr