When necessary, eat your salad with a spoon…or knife!

I am just as guilty as the next person in trolling social media for tips and strategies designed to help you map your course through the business world and through life in general. I’m even a contributor or perpetuator at times by posting, sharing, tweeting or dare I say, talking to someone face-to-face.

We have become a society addicted to numbered lists that encapsulate one idea into a tidy, systematic quick read that empower us to plot our way equipped with the right tools and a temporary layer of confidence….or so you’re led to believe they are.

Also, like others, I read these numbered lists as though they were directed only to me and that every word is a potential nugget of valuable knowledge and a steely truth. And then I wake up. Clearly a one size fits all approach is never a good idea nor is it realistic. Life is not always tidy, and it’s not all about following rules and crossing off the items on your lists. There are tons of other variables that can exist, whether they are constants or unexpected curveballs.

Ok, so that brings me to my point. We all need to be adaptable and so does our marketing. Marketing to the masses just doesn’t work. And just because a marketing idea worked once doesn’t mean it is going to work in every situation in the future. In fact, it might not even work on the same audience six months down the road!

Although it’s comfortable to think that we each belong in a specific group with shared likes, interests and passions, there are always things that set us apart from each other, and surprise, these differences also change!

According to research shown in recent HubSpot statistics, 90% of searchers haven’t made their mind up about a brand before starting their search. (Status Labs, 2018). It’s your job to reel them in!

So, do your homework when it comes to your audience.

I encourage you to approach each marketing strategy as if it were the first time you were doing it. Templates are great and make the process more efficient sometimes, so by all means don’t abandon them. But you need to approach your assignment with an open mindset knowing that you may have to adapt to changes in your audience, focus and message.

If you’ve made it this far in my blog…and I hope you have in spite of the absence of numbers…I’m glad you have, and thank you.

We live in a society now that is so dependent on convenience, instant gratification and shortcuts. But sometimes a longer journey toward your goal can actually be quite fun and even more rewarding. And instead of abandoning a project because it didn’t work the first, most efficient way, try it again using a different method.

So, next time you dive into that salad, grab a spoon or knife instead. You might discover that it works just as well, if not better!

As Mark Twain once said, “Life is short, break the rules.” He went on to say, “Forgive quickly, kiss slowly.  Love truly. Laugh uncontrollably and never regret anything that makes you smile.”