Marketers need to fill the gap between the past and the future, and find those moments that capture the greatest number of conversions, conversations, and connections. This happens over, and over, and over again. Data, innovations, information – they’re only part of the story. Marketers must spin data into gold, and, as a recent PandoDaily story pointed out, not all marketers are capable of doing so.

PandoDaily calls attention to a recent Contently’s The State of Content Marketing Measurement report. Contently surveyed 302 marketers and found some depressing statistics: 91 percent of marketers surveyed were uncertain whether the content performance analytics they used were helpful.

That stings. For more than a decade, marketers have prided themselves on their data acumen. They’ve touted data as a way to prove ROI. This report shows that over 90 percent of marketers are unsure of data measuring one of the biggest marketing tools: Content. Unfortunately, we’re not surprised.

“Paralysis by analysis” is a fatal marketer disease. It’s a challenge we’ve all faced for years. It’s why so many companies build customer dashboards and analysis toolsets. All these new tools have yet to marry to strong interpretive techniques that clear away the data ‘cobwebs’ and get to what matters: the next action.

The post Marketers Dying By A Thousand Data Points appeared first on Portent.

These investments are increasingly putting pressure on legacy ad businesses, and in one way or another, have and will continue to pull at the purse strings of the $500 billion ad market. Furthermore, consumers are spending more time logging in than tuning in, with Google’s digital audience to soon eclipse TV viewing, especially as the ad-driven company continues to expand into mobile and the “Internet of Things.”

It won’t be long until Hollywood and other premium content providers take a digital-first distribution model, as in the case with Netflix’s House of Cards. The entertainment industry has been handcuffed to old business models, but that is beginning to change.

For the last three years, the National Football League has pushed into digital by streaming games, including the Super Bowl. It is also exploring new TV deals for Thursday night games, though it does not appear Google or Netflix will be offered streaming rights to any games as a part of this package for now.

But even Super Bowl ads, such as Apple’s ‘1984’ commercial, don’t have the same return today. Even with more than 100 million viewers tuning into the big game, brands that have run iconic Super Bowl commercials are already beginning to take a digital-first approach to advertising.

Rich Muhlstock, senior vice president of branding and acquisition at E-Trade, says the company wants to focus less on TV when asked about the decision to not run ads during this year’s big game. He went on to say that, “we will leverage other media, especially digital, social and mobile channels.”

Trudy Hardy, vice president of marketing for BMW North America at the Automotive News World Congress, also sees a digital-first future. “If our agency comes with a TV spot first, that’s the wrong way to go,” he says. “They have to show us the digital ideas first and the TV comes at the end — supplementary.”

But a digital-first approach to advertising faces a fast moving environment, with new innovations and regulation changes such as blows to net neutrality. Brands that can quickly embrace a digital-first approach to marketing and adapt to these rapid changes will have more opportunities to expand their market share. These changes present huge opportunities for smaller, more nimble digital agencies that can keep up with the pace of the times.

This article first appeared on Entrepreneur.com.

The post Advertising Will Soon Reach a Digital Tipping Point appeared first on Portent.

We’ve all seen it happen. An employee is doing killer work, initiating great ideas, and displaying a willingness to take on larger projects. The employee is quickly promoted to a manager position.

But while this top employee has excelled at the tactical parts of the job, he or she has never managed a team before. Letting these employees just sink or swim will be chaos – for you, the new manager, and for his or her team.

For growing companies like Portent, it’s important to guide even the smartest, hardest working employees as they transition into management roles.

As president, my role is to help new managers fully understand their roles and teach them how to manage teams properly. New managers bring a unique challenge, but with the right structure and procedures, they can succeed in their positions.

The key to setting your account teams up for success is to manage stuff and lead people.

Don’t treat your employees like products.

As your new managers wade into unchartered waters, they’re bound to ask questions and sometimes fail. If you see these challenges as problems that can be addressed and forgotten, you’re in for a bumpy ride.

Employees aren’t products; you can’t make one tweak or correct one problem and assume your work is done. Transitioning your team from workers to leaders is an ongoing process that takes patience. Even your more experienced managers may stumble along the way because some things are best learned through experience.

It’s all part of the process, but if you are there to answer questions and provide management council, your teams will be successful.

Help people find what they’re great at.

Great managers sit down with their employees to discuss their long-term career goals. If this initiative starts from the top – such as the president sitting down with a VP to set goals—it will trickle down and set an example for your new managers.

If you never ask what your employees are interested in, you may never know that your best copywriter has always been interested in developing client strategy. As managers, it’s important to set goals for personal and team growth and recognize the little things that show your employees progressing.

Motivate them to continue growing.

When great employees start at a company, they are motivated by the light at the end of the tunnel, which is often a managerial role. But oftentimes after they step into the manager position, they can feel as though they’ve hit a ceiling and lose sight of next steps for growth.

The president must find ways to encourage and motivate employees to continue to progress – otherwise they’ll find a new job where they see clear growth opportunities and feel appreciated.

Promote team culture and employee dedication.

As Portent grows, the people grow with it. Our employees know we’re loyal to our people. If we see an employee with potential, we take the extra time to help them excel and grow into a new position.

If a position opens up, our team members are considered first. If our employee is evenly matched with a potential outside hire, they’ll win the job every time.

Sometimes hiring outside the company is necessary, but we do our best to reward our loyal, hardworking employees.  We know our team is talented and when given appropriate coaching, they’ll succeed.

Companies that provide employees with room for growth and exciting new challenges have more to offer than a salary and a cubicle.  They offer achievement and goals, which are the building blocks for success.

The post Manage Stuff, Lead People: How to Turn Workers into Leaders appeared first on Portent.

When the opportunity came to collaborate with him (them) this past fall as a business consultant, I was thrilled.  Unexpectedly, after a couple months of working closely with the team, a personal opportunity arose to join Portent as a Partner and act as its President to help lead it to new heights.  And to, as I like to say, move it from “success to significance”.  This is a unique opportunity with a unique, industry-leading company & CEO and one I couldn’t resist.

Joining Portent

So, as I reflect on entering into this change for me and my family, one thing I learned is to stop trying to determine every move in advance and start to enjoy the journey, because it leads to places never imagined.  My journey to Portent was as unexpected as the opportunity itself…

Last Spring I decided to venture out and launch my own consulting firm.  I left a television station I’d spent the previous five+ years rebuilding (and an industry I’d spent 15+  years selling great products and leading great people) and achieved much of what I had hoped.  So, trust me when I say, not everyone agreed with my decision to leave for something “more” and “unknown”.  To most people, it didn’t make sense.

“Was I crazy or just an idealist?” they asked.  Well, maybe both and I got it; at that point I was a Vice President in a Fortune 200 media company, running a successful operation and sales department.  But, beyond that, in my heart, I knew I was a builder and not simply a caretaker, which that position had become for any number of reasons.  I discovered that I get energy from having real impact and influence, not to mention, I also visioned the next 20 years of media and marketing and it was plain to see where the impact and influence were headed.  And that is the belief that set me on my journey.

So, this particular blog entry is a bit of a memoir, but what seems important, as I step into this opportunity with Portent, is that amazing &  unexpected things can happen when you are open to them and have the courage to pursue .

The post Why Portent and Why Me? appeared first on Portent.