It’s simple, really. We marketing and PR professionals often get caught up in our toys, terms and tools. Twitter? Check. LinkedIn? Youbetcha. Metrics…vertical strategy…integrated media…webpresencewordofmouthreferralstrategyme diaopportunitycollateralsupport….
Check.
But quiet your mind for just one moment (Yup, I have started meditating. I highly recommend it.). What’s the most important element of any branding/marketing/PR/ad campaign? Well, people.
Ok. That’s not rocket science. But it gets lost in the clutter sometimes. Without knowing people, our marketing won’t be worth the pixels over which it’s spread. Do you know your market? How are they feeling about the economy? Your product? Do you know your customers? What do they need? What do they want to do? Do you know the people who will execute your marketing or PR approach? What are their strengths? Their weaknesses? Do you know what the reporter you’d like to publish your news release wants (and no, the answer is not to promote your product tirelessly…)?
In this brave new business world of the 21st century, we simultaneously loathe yet embrace the touchy-feely stuff. We want quantification, analysis and verification. And we should. But when you really get to know the top execs, you’ll know that only some elements of their decisions are based on numbers. We still do business with our trusted partners. We still seek feedback from our trusted advisors. And I have yet to find a trust metric, although I’m working on it.
Are your networking efforts going well? Many have a little extra time on their hands during this slow winter. A lot..and I mean a LOT…of good professionals and great minds have been set free by previous engagements. Many of them are starting ventures of their own. Some of your competitors may become assets, partners or even customers. Do you know what the leading minds in the industry are up to? It may behoove you and your business to stay on top of that.
The bottom line is that, as challenging as early 2009 appears to be, there are opportunities. Most of them will not bring short-term returns, but they are opportunities nonetheless. I am seeing a lot of networking activity, and that’s for good reason. The title industry can admittedly be knocked for several things, but its collective people skills are not on that list. This group knows, and has always known, that no matter how many e-mails, Tweets, texts, and RSS feeds one may choose to hide behind, business is still a face-to-face proposition. And if you can’t get your arms around that, your marketing, your PR and, most importantly, your results, will reflect it.
