Marketing…it’s both exhausting and confusing (and, often, expensive, whether in your valuable time or dollars). But what if I told you it didn’t have to be that way? Who said making an impact had to be so difficult and costly? Marketing isn’t about reaching everyone; but, rather, reaching your right someones. When we look at it this way, making an impact doesn’t seem as daunting. It just might be more realistic and reachable. But, where do you start?
Believe it or not, nature! Yeah, you heard me, nature.
If we just look around, we can see impact everyday in nature. It rarely happens all at once (except maybe with the Big Bang)! Instead, in nature, it starts with one intentional event:
- A planted seed that is watered grows into a vibrant flower or sturdy tree.
- A caterpillar that goes into a cocoon emerges as a beautiful butterfly.
- A gust of wind that comes across a lake or ocean creates a wave.
This one intention – watering the plant, forming a cocoon, blowing wind near water – creates the circumstances for the impactful outcome to occur.
Effective marketing is no different. It begins with one intentional event. I call this event, Discovering Your Spark.
You see, intentional marketing doesn’t begin with an external action, e.g., social ads, live streams, direct mail, etc. It begins with a more natural act – tapping into your own authenticity. Your unique spark is your Authentic Brand. It’s beyond what you do or sell and more about how and why you do it. It’s what drove you to start your business to begin with and it’s what sets you apart from other businesses (even those in your same industry). Only by beginning with this one intentional event can you set in motion the most impactful marketing and sustainable growth for your business.
A spark is essential. But that spark alone will not make a complete impact unless it can create a fire. The Ignition Point is found when you can connect your Authentic Brand with the real why of your customers. This connection and alignment of your shared values and purpose are what ignite the fire to create the measurable impact of your marketing.
We often look for the fireworks and spectacle with our marketing. These are typically big spend or time-consuming initiatives. It’s not to say there isn’t a place for these; but, they can’t stand alone and this isn’t where you start. Why? Because fireworks make for a quick show and most people won’t stick around afterwards.
Instead, your real goal to create the impact you desire, is to build a camp (aka community) around your fire (aka authentic connection between you and your clients) where they want to interact and continue doing business with you. Then, when you are ready to put on a fireworks show, they’ll be there and they’ll invite their friends too!
It’s simple as nature. Build your brand, your base and reach your inflection point!
