It’s always good to know what your competitors are doing. And, according to an article on venturebeat.com, they may be bolstering their market position by cherry picking the best marketing talent.

What will get a marketer (or marketing company) snapped up these days? Article author Dharmesh Shah listed more than a dozen in-demand, “modern” skills that employers are seeking to meet the requirements of marketing today.

Shah, founder and CTO at HubSpot and co-creator of the inbound.org online community for marketers, created the list for job seekers, but it also indicates where marketing is and where marketing dollars are being spent.

His “Most In-Demand Marketing Skills in 2015” include:

– Content creation, especially as it supports inbound marketing

– Web development

– Web design with user experience expertise

– Search engine optimization

– “Agile marketing” that incorporates quick release cycles and an iterative approach

– Social media marketing

– Video production and marketing

– Community management for relationship building

Other “must-haves” on his list include the technical knowledge to put individual tactics in place – a BIG addition to the traditional marketing job description.

So, that may be what the “other guys” are doing, but how about you? Are these marketing skills in your toolbox or at least on your radar?

If not, maybe they, or at least some of them, should be.

It’s something to think about – but not too long. As marketers often have said: “Buy now. Supplies are limited.”

I’m sitting here staring at the back of an Esquire magazine (and not just because the cover shows a rear view of two nude comedians for reasons I neither can nor want to discern).

What has grabbed my attention – as it has in the past – is a Cadillac print ad for its “Dare Greatly” campaign. I love it. I’ve even thought of framing it.

But will it work?

In the past, brands such as Cadillac stuck to the aspirational school of marketing, that is, setting your product up to be something a small segment can afford and a larger segment will desire. The key is that, though it might currently be unattainable, the possibility exists for future ownership.

This new campaign, however, is more inspirational, speaking less to what you could own, but who you are or might want to be – and applauding you, even if you don’t achieve it.

In case you haven’t seen it, the ad (some say shamefully) paraphrases Theodore Roosevelt to read:

It is not the critic who counts:

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.

Who strives valiantly;

Who errs, who comes short again and again;

Who knows great enthusiasms;

Who spends himself in a worthy cause;

Who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement,

And who at the worst,

If he fails,

At least he fails while daring greatly.

General Motors reportedly is giving the controversial campaign a couple of years to gain traction and get cars on the road.

Whether it works or not, “Dare Greatly” is itself a bold effort, tying an upscale car to an emotional message based on inner goals vs. outer signs of prosperity.

And that’s the naked truth.

As early proponents of content marketing, we have been pleased to see it take its place not only among other required tactics but actually replacing some, as more and more organizations are sharing their knowledge to build reputation, business and loyalty.

Think about it on a personal level: Do you blitz past TV ads? Do you remember what that last pop-up was selling? Are you internally wired to be turned off by the hard sell? Do you just love to talk to telemarketers?

If you answered yes, no, yes and no, join the crowd.

This phenomenon has led both B-to-B and B-to-C marketers to look for new ways to cut through the noise. Enter content marketing.

As defined by the Content Marketing Institute (CMI), this marketing technique involves the creation and distribution of “valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and acquire a clearly defined audience – with the objective of driving profitable customer action.”

This content can be white papers, how-to videos, case studies, technical reports, etc., in which companies show and share their expertise.

Content marketing’s strength is that it is non-interruptive. Rather than being assaulted with sales pitches, prospects and customers are given access to useful information. The more times they find or receive that information under your name, the more likely they are to remember you.

As noted by CMI, quality content is part of all forms of marketing, shaping social media, Pay Per Click and SEO strategies; driving inbound traffic and leads; and serving as the foundation of successful public relations efforts based on issues of interest to potential buyers.

If you’re not a believer as yet, consider these survey results from Roper Public Affairs, which reports that:

– 80 percent of business decision makers prefer to get company information in a series of articles versus an advertisement.

– 70 percent say content marketing makes them feel closer to the sponsoring company.

– 60 percent say that company content helps them make better product decisions.

We firmly believe that content marketing is the wave of the future (and present, for that matter).

Will you ride it to success or be left behind?

I lost a friend to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). As she wrote in a blog about her diagnosis: “You know you’re in trouble when you go to the doctor hoping you have MS.”

A young mother of three, she eventually succumbed to pneumonia brought on by the symptoms of this horrible disease.

A talented writer, she also had a wry wit and strong sense of irony, and I’m sure she would have been greatly amused by a fundraising campaign that has people dumping ice water on their heads for the honor of donating to a charity.

Yeah, I know that’s not how it’s supposed to work. Theoretically, what most of us know as “The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge” is an either/or proposition – get iced down or pony up cash. But it has captured the public’s minds and hearts and increased the ALS Association’s coffers by nearly $16 million at last report, for a 767 percent hike over the same period last year.

Let’s face it, from a social media and PR point of view: It’s brilliant.

Naysayers (hereinafter referred to as “party poopers” for the purposes of this document) are calling it a sterling example of how to appeal to the vanity of the Facebook/YouTube-obsessed. Others point to the relatively few people who suffer from this particular disease or the unlikelihood of the fundraising’s sustainability. Still more like to point out that it wasn’t an original idea or, at its nascence, had anything to do with ALS.

Our reply is: So what?

Can’t we just take it for what it is – a viral phenomenon that shows the power of social media to do good and spread the word? And, for our purposes, its place as a necessary component in almost any public outreach effort?

People with ALS eventually lose their ability to speak. This campaign speaks for them in an inclusive way that creates community. Okay, so it may be a flash in the pan, but it shone bright and long enough to raise needed research dollars.

May we all be so successful.

The term Brand Ambassador means different things to different people. In some usages, it’s a corporate position; in others, it’s college kids handing out swag. Often, it means empowering employees to go forth and spread the word. And, increasingly, it means building a power base with a product’s or service’s fans.

In that regard, following are a few ideas to fuel the buzz you need from customers to create excitement for your brand.

1. Know the customers most passionate about your product. Look at the base you have and build from there. Google your company or product and see what’s being said. Then start brainstorming about how to turn comments into       commitment.

2. Create an aura of exclusivity. Not long ago, we talked about Maker’s Mark, a bourbon with an official Ambassador Program. What makes it cool is that it isn’t advertised (at least we haven’t seen it); it’s a word-of-mouth sort of thing that makes Ambassadors feel unique. (Trust me, if you know one, they never shut up about the product and look for it everywhere they go.)

3. Let your employees know what you’re doing and why. Get them excited, as well. You can even provide incentives for bring true Ambassadors on board.

4. Go social. Set up forums for your fans and get conversations started on social media or on your own web site.

5. Encourage your active Ambassadors to invite kindred souls. Remember that you’re not searching so much for quantity as quality when it comes to people who represent your brand.

6. Reward your Ambassadors. Whether with the occasional lagniappe, or insiders’ emails or special status at events or notifications specific to them.

7. Listen! Along the same lines, don’t forget to listen to what your Ambassadors say, acknowledge it and, if appropriate, act on it. There’s no better reward than knowing you’re being heard.

There’s more, of course, but these are some of the basics.

A good place to start is the next time someone says, “I use your product/service all the time.” Instead of thanking them, ask questions as to why. You may find out you already have Ambassadors. You just have to reach out to them to make the most of their enthusiasm.

Need help getting started? You know where we live.

The Next-Mark leadership team often shares stories of brands and companies that have influenced our perception of the marketing industry and shaped the way we do business. Our focus tends to center around the start-ups that beat to different drums, color outside the lines and embrace the unconventional.

In 2007, two buddies were sitting around drinking beer when they decided to go into business together. (Admittedly, it was not the perfect environment for cogent thought, although I’m fairly sure I once “invented” pet insurance under similar conditions.) Anyway, their idea manifested into a retail craft beer store that built so much camaraderie among enthusiasts that it quickly evolved into a Tampa tavern named World of Beer (WOB).

Today, the company has more than 25 outlets in Florida alone, each offering a revolving selection of 500 craft beers. That said, however, WOB’s biggest seller is its sense of community, and behind it is a ploy that would make any marketing person’s heart sing.

Here’s how it works:

When you (pay to) join the WOB Loyalty Club, you get a T-shirt making you an official member. From there, you’re encouraged to drink as many different beers as possible to pile up points and make yourself eligible for more shirts, weekly free beer, glassware, Koozies, special events and your name on the wall.

It’s “Cheers” on steroids because everyone is Norm. And you get to choose your own nickname.

And, while the concept draws people of all ages, it’s absolutely perfect for my generation. Think about it: At WOB, all you have to do in your quest for glory is show up and buy something. No skill required. There’s even an app that keeps track of your beers and your points for you.

It’s genius. I mean, where else would someone go and sport a golf shirt that proudly announces he’d spent thousands of dollars on beer for the privilege of wearing it?

WOB came in early in the craft beer craze, which probably helped, and the corporate office now is making tweaks that include the addition of food and other beverages, so it will be interesting to see what the future will hold. But for right now, it seems to have hit the market – and its target market – just right. Kudos.

IMHO, “perfect” is the new “like” when it comes to over usage. It’s driving me nuts. I spell my name for someone, and he or she says, “Perfect!” Of course, it’s perfect; I know how to spell my own name! I give someone my phone number, which is, of course, “Perfect!” Where exactly is the perfection – in the sheer beauty of the assembled digits or my ability to remember 10 sequential numbers? Grrr.

Anyway, this rant was brought to you courtesy of my initial distrust of a recent Content Marketing article about creating “perfect” content product. It turns out, however, that while perfection may be hyperbole, the piece offered some good guidance, promoting copy that is:

Real-time: Taking advantage of current trends and relevant news stories to remain topical.

Fact-driven: Leveraging creditable statistics and solid information for credibility.

Visual: Remembering that visual content gets processed much (much, much) faster than the written word.

Efficient: Having the right people and right number of people in place to do the job well.

Curated: Using content from others to create useful information for your audiences.

What it boils down to is the thought that has to go into content creation and management, being constantly on alert for news you can announce or share and getting it out there in a form people want to access.

A perfectly good pursuit at all times.