Thirty-five years is a long time. That’s how long I’ve been running my company, Mid-Hudson Marketing. That’s long enough to have seen all kinds of economic climates. Fortunately, in each of them, marketing has continued to provide a thriving livelihood.
Economies rise and fall, twist and turn, but marketing is a discipline practiced by the most successful companies. Marketing is one of those professions that is related to innovative thinking, creativity and psychological manipulation. Using such techniques, the savvy salesperson finds ways around obstacles such as the scare tactics used by some of the media in an economic downturn. When the masses are convinced that the end is near, the savvy salesman seizes it as an opportunity to provide exactly what is needed: a way to restore life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
One way to do this is to ignore the storm of media negativity and remain steadfast in your commitment to the product or service you offer. While you may have seen a drop in demand for whatever it is you sell, you know that you still offer something that is needed, whether your market prefers to buy it right now or not. The trick is to present your availability in a fresh and new way, catching intimidated markets off guard. This is where creativity and innovation come into play. Some may call it guerilla marketing, but I like to think of it as a new level of appeal. If they want it enough (translate: if you make it desirable enough), they’ll buy it!
One of my clients called me the other day to tell me that marketing has changed. As a result of his annual dental marketing seminar, he now knows that social marketing is the new commercial marketing technique. of the day but with a big one caveat. He said you need to address your vulnerability to competitors posting negative comments about you, the results over which you will have no control.
Another of my clients enjoys the rewards of Google’s ubiquitous dominance over Internet commerce. Having followed Google’s recipes for success, my client’s website appears at the top of multiple search results, giving him an edge over the global competition he never dreamed possible.
Oh yeah. We live in an age where a sole proprietorship can compete on equal footing with an international giant if one’s marketing is truly inspired. Is it possible to be part of today’s global business culture and yet still be objective enough to take a step back and see the forest for the trees? Can a marketer draw on the wisdom of his experience by devising new strategies for recognition in uncharted waters?
One only has to look at the success of such incredible entrepreneurs as Larry Page and Sergey Brin, co-founders of Google; Evan Williams and Biz Stone, co-founders of Twitter; or, Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim, who created Youtube; without forgetting many others, such as AppleSteve Jobs and Steven Wozniak; Microsoftof Bill Gates and Paul Allen; Amazonby Jeff Bezos; Prayed ebayby Pierre Omidyar. All of these people had a vision to create entities to fill a need in an emerging culture. In fact, some might say that they created, rather than filled, a need within the culture through brilliant marketing and amazing business acumen. While all of these businesses continue to evolve as times change, how can we as members of this society not respect the audacity of their successes?
Amazingly, each of them navigated uncharted waters and discovered new horizons of technological excellence in the process. Once again, I ask, can the humble business owner be inspired by such geniuses to raise his own trade to a level of continued prosperity despite economic uncertainty? I say anything is possible because we are perpetually in a state of economic uncertainty, whether it is 1975, 1995, or 2015. All it takes is the belief that there are no limits to one’s creativity and that self-confidence is the most powerful force. in achieving the impossible. “Be true to yourself…” – Shakespeare, Village