JUNE 2017 SEEDWORLD.COM / 23 THE NAME OF the game when it comes to winning in the business world is being able to motivate and empower employees to work toward a common goal. Motivation is not my area of expertise, but empowering people with the right tools and information is one of the reasons I love what I do. The way I see it, an employee can be asked to perform certain functions but may not have all the information to per- form at the best of his or her ability. It’s kind of like steering blind if you don’t have access to the information that directly impacts your job but are asked to make decisions. The flip side is having too much access – does the user waste time hunting pertinent data and navigating through a lot of system screens to get to the data they need to do their job. That’s where controllable security comes in and the ability to set up role- based user profiles. This allows employees within certain parts of the business to access information that can help them make better business decisions without senior level management having to be concerned about the integrity of the data. In addition, controllable security eliminates the “noise” a user might experi- ence using a system and improves their efficiency. For example, a regional seed company selling seed across multiple states, or even in multiple countries, wants their sales representatives to view grower informa- tion for forecasting and goal purposes. These same sales representatives could also view the inventory database. Plus, they input orders, which updates auto- matically across the entire system. So a sales representative in a different state, or even country, knows what varieties are Controllable Security Gives Peace of Mind MIKE DORRIS CULTURA SEED SOLUTIONS SALES AND OPERATIONS MANAGER @mikedorris1 • mike.dorris@culturatech.com • Seed.Culturatech.com plentiful or if there might be a problem filling an order. However, upper manage- ment doesn’t want the sales force to see the actual inventory costs and can, there- fore, set up permissions to restrict access. Being able to empower employees, while maintaining the integrity of the data and keeping proprietary informa- tion confidential gives piece of mind to senior management. And, piece of mind is everything; there’s enough other stuff to worry about. Every company is a little different. Some companies want their dealers to see when orders are placed and where product is in the pipeline. Has it been shipped? Has it been delivered? Just as each company has a different setup and a different way of doing business, role- based user profiles can be tailored to meet those unique needs. THERE IS NO “set it and forget it” men- tality when it comes to content marketing. Just like you wouldn’t leave an auto-steer vehicle unmanned, you shouldn’t leave your content marketing unmanned. With content marketing, you must be present to make adjustments, fine tune your offering and respond to alerts and warnings as they arise. Experts describe the content market- ing cycle in different ways, with different steps, but in simple terms, it’s: 1. Creating content. 2. Sharing your content. 3. Monitoring how it was received. 4. Learning from your audience. 5. Starting over again. The important takeaway is that with your newfound knowledge, you will create better content for your audience. By being receptive to your audience, you create a better content experience. And the happier your audience is, the more likely their satisfaction will continue after they buy. The plus to this is that they may even become an advocate for your brand with people they know. When you create loyal, happy cus- tomers, your engagement level rises. Maybe they post to and comment on your social accounts, share your articles and tag your brand in their posts. This is great, but don’t stop there. Your customers want a response from you. They want to know you appreciate their Don’t Leave Your Content Marketing Unmanned LINDSAY HOFFMAN CREATE BY ISSUES INK VICE PRESIDENT, CLIENT SERVICES @IssuesInk • lhoffman@IssuesInk.com • IssuesInk.com comments enough to engage with them. This can be a great opportunity to lever- age content in your responses. Here are some ideas: • Share a related article or helpful website on the topic. • Ask a question and keep the con- versation going. • Respond with images or videos even if just for entertainment. • Invite them to join you at an event or to continue the conversation. When you are listening to your cus- tomers, you will encounter a wealth of feedback and opportunities for engage- ment. Watch for catch phrases such as “Can this,” “I wish,” or “I’d like,” in posts and comments from your audience. These are great cues your company can use to evolve processes, products, and services. They are also great ideas for future content. THE CONTENT MARKETING CYCLE CREATE (A LOT) PAY ATTENTION SHARE LEARN CREATE (BETTER) SHARE (AGAIN) LEARN (MORE)