The gates are down. The lights are flashing. But there is no train coming. Meanwhile you sit in your car, the windows rolled up as your lips are turning blue.
What worked then does not work now. Once relevant. Now ignored. Too often we start off totally in touch with "what is going on". Make up these great plans and go heads down on execution not realizing the hypothesis is no longer valid. Marketing is two way communications. And if you don't like to listen, to respond, and don't have a passion for what you are doing, you are in trouble.
The trick here is communicating in whatever means your market is comfortable in using. Could be blogs, could be email, maybe trade shows (they still exist, don't they). And listening. And responding no matter how uncomfortable the topic. Because if your market respects you, they will talk to you. And if you act upon what they are telling you (sometimes between the lines), they will continue to talk to you.
Sam talked about some good tools to see what is being said. He was writing to journalists, but it helps give insight.
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