In Which Owl Revisits Service Marketing

Our intrepid group of researchers has a huge internal marketing opportunity. While we focus on one-on-one training, group orientations, occasional "brown bag" lunches and daily mailings, we need to bust out in terms of both marketing format and frequency. With the turnover rate of employees in both Creative Services and Client Relations, there seems to be an amnesia pandemic when it comes to what our department offers.

The key is to market ourselves simply by showing how our efforts apply to the company's goals. It usually only takes one instance of working with Information Services for employees to say "I get it" and appreciate what we bring to the table.

But that offering is broader than people know, and often comes too late in the game, and that is OUR FAULT. Pushing harder for inclusion at the proposal stage, a willingness to promote our information management as well as information provision capabilities, and a willingness to explore the initial request deeply (the reference interview further dimensionalized) would all serve to narrow the gap between what we offer and the people to whom we offer it.

So many basic business operational issues come down to communication. It's easier to be lazy and assume that someone will figure it out. Tedious as it may seem for those around the table, the earlier the hard questions are asked, the better.