Survival Guide

We’re always in search of new territory - some place that no one’s been before. The first one to stake a claim on “what’s next.” It’s in our DNA. Our culture has thrived on it. I liken it to the great western expansion of the 1800’s - the question is whether we will ever run out of land to explore - the pacific ocean of the interactive space if you will - and the answer is that we won’t. So where does that leave those that are not blazing trails and discovering new territory? How do we handle the influx of “what’s next” when some of us haven’t even figured out what to do with what’s old. The answer may surprise you. The answer is don’t worry about it. Don’t get caught up into it.

Most of us don’t need to worry about inventing a new this or that - it’s our job to understand what to do with what we have. That’s a big enough task as it is. But it’s not nearly as daunting as some may think. What to do with the internet as part of our marketing mix starts in the same place as everything else: understand the target. Take that knowledge, garner some insight from it and know what tools are available to us. That sounds so yesterday, old school, simple - but it’s true. I see very smart marketers throw up their hands when the conversation turns to on line. (Or worse yet - not even know the conversation has turned in that direction.) Sure the numbers and kinds of toys in the sandbox available for on line marketing is ever increasing - but many people, brands, marketers just need to understand the basics - and you cannot go wrong when you go back to the target. Who are they? What are they doing, when are they doing it why are they doing it on line. That will lead you to questions about what it is we can do to reach them - but that’s a good place to be - and some answers will become very apparent when you understand the target. “What will we find when we get there?” It will be different for everyone - I can only suggest that you go. Start with the target and learn from those that have gone before. Remember, even Lewis and Clark had Sacagawea.