Look up, see more

We all have a perspective. But how broad is yours?

Necessarily, our day to day professional existence is shaped and guided by what we know to be true. We draw on valid assumptions, deploy proven tactics, and rely on familiar processes. To do so is to be efficient (doing things right) and – assuming you’ve adequately completed your market diagnosis and nailed your strategy – effective (doing the right things).

Pause, though, to look around you. Raise your eyes. Look beyond your inbox / LinkedIn feed / digital dashboard. The world is full of other things, other ways, differing decisions playing out in different ways for other individuals and organisations.

While we have settled on a blend of actions and activities to meet our own objectives, others have chosen alternatives, and evidently those alternatives are appropriate. It’s true their needs likely differ (are they chasing market share, say, or growing revenue per customer?) and yet the sheer variety of different ways that companies go to market suggests other ideas and approaches have real value.

Don't get left behind

If we ignore these other ways, we risk our own marketing plans becoming malnourished. Withering, for want of better, more effective choices, as the needs of our customers and the organisation evolve. As the market and competitor landscapes change around us, we must be ready and capable of adapting.

So look further. Broaden your perspective. Fill your boots with ideas and alternatives and inspiration. Sign up for that webinar, go to that networking event, grab a coffee with friends or peers who work for other companies, doing different roles. Read long-form articles by respected commentators. Check out effectiveness case studies. Attend industry events.

Avoid self-reference criterion

Even better, look beyond marketing. How do other professions stay fresh? What ideas can you transplant to your own business that will re-energise your marketing plans and reinvigorate your tactical effectiveness?

I’m a big fan of corporate plagiarism, as a way to stimulate conversation when informing and developing your own strategic choices and tactical mixes. I’m not saying you should blindly copy others; I am saying you are likely to improve the quality of your choices by being more aware of what other organisations choose to do. It’s not a secret, either – their own strategic and tactical decisions are literally playing out in front of you, should you choose to look.

Coffee?

I regularly catch up with peers in person – yes, that fabled ‘let’s grab a coffee’ – and deliberately let the conversation wander away from what I know to the other things. What are the challenges of running your own agency? How do you manage business accounts? What does social media look like for a freelancer? Let others share their perspectives with you. Listen, question, understand.

Blinkers serve a purpose. Avoiding distractions helps us to better focus on the matter in hand. Yet we should take care to remember that being distracted by those other things also makes us better at our jobs.

So look up, see more. Be better.