Business owners know that marketing is essential, but some consider it to be a “necessary evil.” Why is that?
Part of the reason is that marketing encompasses so many different things – print ads, mailings, traditional media, websites, social media in all its forms, emails…the list goes on and on! But sadly, part of the reason that marketing scares people is that they’ve heard false promises and invested time and money into marketing strategies that have yielded nothing but disappointment.
Our past experiences may greatly influence our ability to make decisions in the here and now. Our decisions may then limit our future growth as a business.
Wait…that sounds a lot like life, doesn’t it? Our past experiences with relationships, family, education, and society influence our decisions. An unhealed negative experience may limit our growth.
When I first came to work with 100th Monkey, I was also working as a family therapist in several inpatient Behavioral Health units in a hospital – a job I enjoyed for over a decade. I had the privilege of sitting with individuals and families of all ages as they sought help for a variety of disorders, substance abuse issues, and life crises. You might think that a career in digital marketing and social media would be too big of a leap. However, I soon found that so many of the skills I had learned and developed were transferable to this new world.
In a nutshell, I found that understanding people is at the heart of marketing. How do people want to receive a message? How do they make decisions? What will they share? What will take a person down the path from seeing a post or an ad to purchasing a product or service?
Don’t get me wrong – I’m not making light of real therapy with people experiencing emotional and mental pain! Therapy is a serious, vital, and amazing tool.
We at 100th Monkey want to share some insights we’ve found over our years of marketing experience – these insights may help business owners better understand the world of marketing and assist them in making strong, informed decisions that will grow their business (not just their marketing budget). I look forward to talking to you about your marketing world, why things may not be working as you planned, and how we can help.
Author: Jill Lee