Natural Selection and Marketing… will your business survive?

Afternoon All…

Hope you are having a super week.

I was recently chatting to my housemate about the theory around Darwin’s Natural Selection… where basically only the “strong survive”… this can be in reference to the animal kingdom, fuana and flora, human evolution…. and I was referencing dating – crazy but it does actually work.

You see, both myself and my housemate are single – and as you know I have recently been embarking on the online dating “thing”… so many conversations have been had about “what a man wants?” vs “what are we?”  So I started thinking that Darwin’s theory can be likened to dating… only the strong will survive and make it through… because you need a lot of perseverance in the dating game.  Is this the same for small business? absolutely….

As a small business owner, you are constantly up against the “big guys”… think of your local green grocer and Coles or Woolworths… it’s an ongoing battle that will never die down.  Why?  Simple… Coles and Woolworths have found the secret formula that ensures that their strength will always float to the top in the minds of consumers – but does this mean that the small green grocer should give up?  Absolutely not!

Many small businesses almost wear a “badge of honour” stating that they are proud of the fact that they don’t do any marketing, that they are a “referral only business”… I hear all the time “I feel that we are doing a better job because we are growing organically – people know us by reputation and therefore we don’t need to market!”.  Reality is, that is one whopping big cop out for someone not wanting to understand marketing and possibly a little fearful of failing in the subject.

If the “big guys” still feel they need to market – then what on earth makes you think that you can compete with them with absolutely no marketing at all – and only run a business off referrals… that would be like dating only in your circle of friends… the pool gets kinda small that way (and a little incestuous)!

If you are ready to be one of the strong who survives… and survives well… then you need to be able to put your best foot forward – be part of the evolution, not the history of evolution!

I am more than confident that simply acknowledging that your business needs to grow in a way that is proactive makes you part of the strong… then acting on that acknowledgement will make you and your business BE the strong.  It’s time to stand up to the “big guys”… show how fearless you can be and create something magical.

Have a great week all.

oh… and my housemate and I have decided that we will BE the strong in the dating game… and we definitely won’t die out!

Cheers

N

Internet dating… its just like marketing – only lazy

Morning All…

Recently I embarked on the trials and tribulations of internet dating… can’t believe I am actually blogging about it … but ah well! lol – hopefully this is a judgement free zone?!?! yeah right! lol…  Anyway, I joined up at the same time as a friend of mine and so we have been “doing this thing” together which has been great.  I have started to the notice the similarities with internet dating and some approaches to marketing.

You see, I am all about conversion rates and getting the best possible outcome for your efforts… for example, the best marketing conversion rate I have seen (consistently) is our offline marketing campaigns which returns anywhere from 10-30% (big in terms of marketing)… so I spend most of my time finding ways to make these campaigns for our clients – then there are other marketing efforts… like the ones that information and internets marketers teach that convert only about 0.5-2%- ho hum!

So how does this relate to internet dating… well… when I first joined the service I was absolutely bomabarded (pretty sure all girls are… not just me) with flirts or kisses or whatever you want to call them… so then came the fine art of tactfully, and respecfully rejecting these people that clearly have not read my profile…. or that I just don’t think it will work with.  Then finally we have a list “or database” of a select group of potentials that I may see some similarities with – so starts the communication trail… first build rapport, a connection, then maybe start texting and speaking on the phone, and then maybe… when I’m are ready – I will meet with them.

During that meeting, it is obvious from the outset whether there is a connection or not… More often than not there may be a slight connection but there is something missing… and for me that thing that is missing are those moments of getting to know someone consistently – and coming together because of a common interest or goal.  The it makes me think, whether the people on internet dating sites are purely just not understanding how to market… because of hundred and thousands of people that are dating over the internet, how many are successful?  I only know of a handful.. so what that as a conversion rate I wonder?

So I do know that  internet dating can be successful (or at least I am told… haven’t discovered it myself yet) – but how is it successful – how do the handful of people I know that have made it work gone about their approach to internet dating?  You need to be on it consistantly, otherwise you rank further down than other girls, you need to communicate often (they even measure your communication rate), you need to be really really specific about what you want don’t want, and you have to be willing to take a few risks.

How is this not EXACTLY like marketing?

If you are struggling with your marketing (or finding that special someone online), then maybe have a look at how consistent your marketing efforts are, look at your target market, are you being specific enough, and most importantly are you taking calculated risks to ensure you are trying something new. If not…. that could be the problem… for both your marketing and dating efforts!

As soon as you don’t have all the elements above in your marketing (and dating) plans then you are moving into “lazy marketing”… this means that you are more than likely throwing mud up against a wall and hoping it will stick!.. very rarely will this work.

So ditch the mud throwing… and try planning consistancy… you never know what you mind find… a great new customer – or maybe even love!

Cheers

N