Marketing is routinely ignored these days. If marketing has traditionally been the customer department where budgets were hardest fought, not being able to deliver any meaningful return is the anvil constantly hanging over our (and their) heads, and most everything published right now points to the hollowness of our collective efforts and a nose-diving ability to achieve any meaningful reach. It’s a dire situation being masked by sustained but seemingly eroding economic prosperity, and when the economy does inevitably correct, the budget dollars assigned to marketing will once again come into question, and ours is often the budget line deletion du jour and the same hard decisions made by our buyers just might claw us back to 2008.
What’s a Brand to do?
Research points to the need for Brands to develop relationships on an individual consumer level. It’s a tall order, one most Brands are just waking up to.
It’s as if the entire marketing discipline is being turned on its head right in front of us. New winners will emerge in the process. Should our marketplace present innovative ways for our buyers to make good on this need, we create an opportunity to increase the value of our medium in competition with other ad spend by first mover advantage.
Consider, then, the need for a strong understanding of your dream consumer and a process to find, speak to, and serve them in a value-added and authentic way. Even if you know who they are, regardless of knowing where they hang out and the language they use, if what you’re doing doesn’t somehow connect with this specific value they’re seeking, you lose. But, should you hit on a strong value-add, your ability to connect them in a personal and meaningful way represents rocket fuel for your sales efforts.
Purpose.
Purpose may not be the sole avenue to value-add in personal marketing , and purpose is not capable of being marked-down for quick sale, but purpose does present an authentic and meaningful way to present your value, and increasingly, more and more consumers express an interest in connecting with Brands intent on making the world a better place.
Don’t waste time trying to convince people your Brand deserves their money. Show them why spending money with you makes someone, something, or someplace better. Hire people and insist they bring their own heads, hands, and hearts to the effort. Find vendors to do the same. Make it part of your day, week, month and quarter. Find ways to make memorable experiences for people as part of this effort to make the world a better place, document the stories that happen in the process and watch what happens.
It’s then, in those moments captured, in those experiences created, the good done on behalf of the world will beget the conversations with consumers you’re desperate to find. Better still, the conversations start from a place of mutual belief about your shared vision of the world and in the process that which you stand for will be revealed.
I’ve chosen to make this the foundational principle behind my business efforts from this point forward, and welcome the chance to work with as many other people sharing this belief I can find.
It’s time to decide what your Brand stands for. Your people want it. The C-suite wants it. Your shareholders want it and most importantly, your customers will be waiting for you once you decide.
Roger has spent 20+ years making complex concepts more understandable for both buyers and sellers alike, and has devoted the majority of his recent career to writing and executing sales and marketing plans for early and mid-stage businesses. He is a student of organizational behavior and the disciplines successful selling organizations use to achieve the greatest reach, even in instances of scarce resources. He loves the outdoors and seeks memorable experiences whenever possible. Contact Roger at roger@branded-logistics.com or 810-986-5369