Best way to market your business? Feature your customers in your ads

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Ryan Bonnici has some unconventional views on leadership, and he’s not afraid to talk about them. He openly discusses, and writes about, his mental health and why that openness makes him a better boss. An op-ed he penned for Harvard Business Review recommending that leaders encourage their best employees look for new jobs went viral.

Bonnici isn’t a leadership guru or consultant. He’s the chief marketing officer of G2, a business software and services review platform, but he’s taken a keen interest in how he can be a better manager and in helping others do the same. I wanted to see what tips he’d have for small business owners in managing their teams and what trends he’s watching this coming year in the marketing world. Below is an excerpt from our conversation. Be sure to keep scrolling to see what other news I’m watching this week.

You’ve written extensively about leading a team. What peaked your interest in how people are managed?

I thought I was a good manager early on in my career and it wasn’t until I got a bigger team that I realized I wasn’t doing the best job I could because I was still super in the weeds. I was delegating, I was micromanaging. I realized all of the things I hoped I would be as a manager, I wasn’t. Luckily, I was at a great company and they paid for me to get an executive coach once a week, and that changed my whole view on a manager’s role, how to give feedback and even how to coach people.

One article about encouraging your best people to look for new jobs garnered quite a bit of attention. It seems counterintuitive. Why is that your recommendation?

I always want to work with the best people—that’s how you achieve your goals. I have a philosophy that I prefer to hire someone who is going to have an amazing two years and leave versus someone who will give me ten mediocre years. You will get far more out of those two years than the ten. Naturally, I will do everything in power to retain those high-potential employees, but I think it’s really important to find out why they are interested in other offers. Are they taking calls because they’re not being challenged enough at work, or do they feel they deserve more money? One example is I had an employee leave because they were working for a business-to-business company and they wanted business-to-consumer experience. I wanted to help them find the best job possible because they’ll be a great advocator and lead for us in finding new candidates. I also think it’s important because as a leader, you’re less surprised if you part of the process. 

Any go-to interview questions to help suss out what kind of a performer someone will be?

I always ask them “what were you brought into company X to impact?”. What I’m looking for is to better understand the problem or challenge they were hired to fix, did they fix it and how did they go about doing so? That helps me determine if they are the right person for whatever role I’m trying to fill.

Let’s switch gears. What’s your top advice to owners in growing their businesses?

Content marketing is here to stay and I think people have gotten better at it over the last few years. That’s definitely something business owners should still be doing, regardless of their size. Another is being aware of your competitive edge. More companies are starting to realize that creating an amazing product or service that is different in the competitive space doesn’t necessarily mean it’s more innovative. It could be available at a lower cost or easier to use. Another is we have better feedback loops for how to evolve the product. If you’re a restaurant, you should be reading your reviews on Yelp or Google to see what it is that people love. Ask your customers what products or features they want.

Any trends to watch for marketing a business or a product?

Just as you leverage your customers who love a product or service as a feedback loop, you can also market those same people. It’s taking word-of-mouth to a whole new level. I’m seeing more ads where companies are showcasing their users and putting the customer at the center of the advertisement. It’s one of the most authentic ways of driving demand today. If you look at Salesforce, they don’t have photos of employees in their ads. They have photos of their biggest customers and how they use the product. We’re going into this peak moment where marketers are realizing that people aren’t likely to trust what they have to say so a way around that is to put the customer at the center of your marketing. 

What do you make of this trend? Have you tried using your customers in your ads or marketing materials? What else has worked for you in generating more demand for your business?

Other news I’m reading:

Small cities that are thriving

While cities like Seattle and San Francisco are often in the spotlight for their booming job markets, there are some under-the-radar places that are doing great, as well. Economic firm Emsi ranked every county in the U.S. based on factors it claims attracts jobseekers: job growth, migration, education and job openings for skilled work. Among bigger cities, Jacksonville, Florida; Phoenix and Las Vegas came out on top. Of cities with fewer than 100,000 people, Lake Charles, Louisiana; Macon and Waynesboro, Georgia, were top-ranked. | Here's what people are saying

Paths for veterans post-military

The unemployment rate among military veterans has improved in recent years, but research shows they still face bias and challenges while job searching. New LinkedIn data shows many military veterans are underemployed, for example, meaning they can’t find enough paid work or work that matches their skills. Additionally, a recent study showed hiring managers mistakenly believe veterans are not suited for jobs that require a high level of social or emotional skills. Is this one of the factors behind why veterans make up more than 8 percent of small business owners? | Here's what people are saying