It intrigues me how audience sizes and raw numbers are interpreted as justification or evidence in our current environment. While the sentiment that “the market (or audience) is right” may be accurate in a sense, that is not evidence of truth. You get to define success for where you invest your time and energy. Usually, counting those who follow (or “agree with you”) is not the best measure.
We expend a lot of effort trying to “fix” things external to us, but as Hyams noted, we usually only affect current circumstances if anything at all. Oftentimes, this leads to frustration for us and our responses get expressed in unproductive ways.
It is a common self-centered perception that “the problem” is external to us. Whether it be on the roadways, in our businesses, or within our day-to-day relationships, human nature is quick to assess blame “to them”.
One of the biggest challenges that I think many have recently felt is a conflation of message and messenger. When we allow messengers to overtake the message, it too often negatively impacts both (and our voice as well).
Many Americans have had enough of pre-assessed blame and reactions to events that not surprisingly mirror pre-held biases and political opinions.
Going forward, let’s agree that we FIRST address the situations and problems before descending into political gamesmanship and blame.
We will all be happier for it!
There is nothing wrong with competing and comparing, but there is a limit to what you can achieve by targeting and measuring against other businesses in your niche. To truly create margins for consistent growth, we need to identify unserved (or underserved) prospects and find ways to meet their wants & needs. If you truly want to build consistent growth, it is just as important to develop new market space (what they label their “blue ocean strategy”) as it is to mirror (and improve on) your competitors.
There is an inherent distrust with advertising (and most business messaging). The proverbial Cookware Salesman whom the prospect realizes does not know how to cook will struggle to sell the product! Alternatively, Emeril sells millions of dollars of cookware & cooking tools per year never leaving his studio! If your market sees you as a member and participant of their group (as opposed to someone selling to it), they will seek you and look for the value that you can bring to them
It is through marketing & messaging via a medium that we attract our prospect’s attention their attention and trigger a response from them. By speaking about things important to them & answering their needs (or wants), we opened the door to a relationship with them. If you are not getting the results that you expect or need, think about what you need to do differently and that often involves your marketing strategies for getting attention & build engagement.
With all due respect to the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order, we all have limitations. I would prefer to work with someone willing to try than someone who immediately limits themselves by what they “can’t” do.
You are much better off focusing on what you can accomplish and what steps you must follow to achieve it than focusing on the obstacles hindering your path.
Culturally & politically, there is more disagreement and disruption still to come. How we interact and build relationships in this new environment is at its infancy! While the change seems monumental when viewed through the lens of “where we were”, these are just the earliest stages when considered for “where we could be”.
