August 19, 2019 marks Jet Marketing’s 10th year anniversary. So, of course, it’s a time of reflection for me (and Erin, who has worked at Jet the entire 10 years) and an opportunity to look forward to the next 10. It’s also a good time to talk about 10 lessons learned or reinforced during our first 10 years.
Jet’s 10th Anniversary Lessons Learned:
#1 – Facebook is a free platform. The correct strategy and the time to implement that strategy with a regular frequency is most definitely not free. If you can’t do it well, you might as well skip the effort altogether.
#2 – Websites are never done. We’ve had at least four versions of the Jet website. It’s a little like cleaning a closet. Every once in a while, you have to take everything out and decide how to best put it back together, and if you have anything to add or delete. Be sure to check out our most recent site — if you have feedback, please share.
#3 – People like choices. This goes for our clients liking several ideas for the cover of that new brochure. It goes for consumers too; we enjoy having choices and a “say” in the matter. Too many choices is too many – so once again, know your audience.
#4 – Employees who are dedicated, willing to learn and are overall just great people are hard to find, but well worth the wait. We’ve had so many great people be part of the Jet family and embrace the values we have tried to live and die by. I’m especially fond of our current team.
#5 – Clients who don’t just want marketing, but value the process and their role in the process, make for the best clients and best outcomes. It’s an interactive sport in a way. You need good communication and both parties need to be actively involved to play the game. I can’t express how much Jet values our clients, especially those who have been with us a significant amount of time – you know who you are. We care about you professionally and personally. However, when your kids graduate from high school, it makes me feel old.
#6 – Everything is better with. . . . coffee, stand-up desks, a weekly Jet Wellness hour and the cloud.
#7 – Who needs weekends . . . or what else would I be doing? I personally love what I do, so much so that I procrastinate and do the paperwork on the weekends. I’ll get better at that over the next 10 years.
#8 – Jet has been fortunate to have some really solid vendors — people we can really count on. They all gave me a chance from day one and I’ve been fortunate enough to come through on my promise (to pay the bill in a timely fashion). I appreciate their vote of confidence and hopefully they appreciate the loyalty we show in return.
#9 – If you can help it, always make an oversized postcard 5.5 x 8.5” – it’s the most efficient size to print. (A former employer drilled this into to me. I also learned a lot from that former employer – so some heartfelt thanks here to her and other smart people we learn from every day.)
#10 – Overall, surrounding yourself with clients that fit, hardworking employees and dependable vendors make for a good formula. We’re big enough, but small enough, and that’s just how I like it.
Jackie O’Hara, Boss Lady
Jackie loves getting to know a company personally during the process of crafting or updating its brand. Always looking for unique ideas, she finds the most simple and honest ideas are often the most effective.
