4 Marketers Walk Into A Party ...

Last week, I stepped back to take a look at some approaches to marketing that are still prevalent today and it reminded me of the types of personalities you’d often find at a typical house party (go figure … marketing people made me think of booze). 

You've got the guy who cleans himself up only to go find a comfortable place alone in the corner so he can pretend to have the most interesting text conversation ever. Longing for some interaction, he does make the effort to tell others that if anyone is looking for him, he’ll be in the corner. This is the same “Techie” marketer who paid $50,000 to build a pretty website and decent SEO only to go home wondering why more people didn't walk over to find him.

Beware of the “Yapper”. Everyone has heard his pitch before but still, he covers a room in minutes talking to anyone who will politely listen. His shotgun approach rarely includes a sentence that doesn't start with “I …”. You’ll hear all about how busy he is but only references you when he asks “do you want to hear more about me?”. Nope. Still, he persists by telling you how he tried one campaign last week and another pitch the week before. Something else was posted on social media. “Throw enough lines in the water and a fish has to bite sooner or later, right?” he says.

Next up is the “DIY’er”. She’s clearly very smart because she runs the company’s finance, admin, sales, and marketing divisions. But it's okay she says. “Marketing is easy. Heck, anyone can do it”. After-all last quarter she thought up a clever slogan and using free software it took only minutes to put it on a cute picture of her kitten and post it to Facebook. Sales are down again this month but only because the marketplace is so competitive.

Suddenly you get nervous because another marketer walks towards you. He learned that you were asking about the score of the big game so he hands you his smartphone on which he is live-tracking the game. You engage in a great conversation in which together you discover a way to turn your favourite underperforming team into a dynasty. You introduce him to the others who were also asking about the score. Not surprisingly, his business is booming.

Makes you wonder why more people don't take their marketing more seriously and develop a proper game plan first. Why do so many companies rush to throw pretty pictures and clever slogans anywhere prospective clients might happen to see it? Are you confident you know who your prospective clients are (should be), what appeals to them and how to proactively engage them? It's worth the effort.
After-all, it could create a dynasty.

 Please feel free to contact me via LinkedIn, email ([email protected]) or phone (613) 899-0309. I’d be pleased to have a friendly conversation.    

Mike Marks is an award-winning Marketing Strategist and provider of intelligent marketing solutions to those who believe that just looking good, isn’t good enough. Our team understands that effective marketing requires a proper data-informed marketing strategy, combined with the art of design and content, as well as innovative technology. We are uniquely positioned to deliver all of these elements, creating marketing that both impresses and drives the results you require.

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• 4 Marketers Walk Into A Party …