If Churchhill Were A Marketer . . .

"Never, Never, Never Give Up."

"If you're going through hell, keep going."

- Winston Churchhill

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November 30th is Winston Churchhill's birthday!  Churchhill lived and survived during much darker days than we are currently experiencing. He was a master at "Grassroots" tactics and a strong advocate that the pen is often mightier than the sword. He wasn't afraid to employ strong actions, but his words of wisdom were a big part of winning a great war.

If Churchhill were a Marketer, he would have been a master at Grassroots Marketing. He would definitely be a fan of LinkedIn and FaceBook - what an amazing way to connect with anyone and everyone you want and need to know. And it doesn't hurt that it is a free way to get your message out to a large audience instantly.

Many say that Obama won the election at the local level by having a million people "on the ground." But he also knew how to harness the power of social media to captivate an entire generation of new voters. It's brilliant really - Grassroots Marketing at its finest.

Grassroots Marketing costs little to no monetary investment. It's all about finding your target market, engaging them and getting them "fired up" about your message. Then you just have to give them the tools and the motivation to spread the word. You have to "touch" them on a daily or at least weekly basis.

FaceBook is a great way to do that with their Updates Tool. Philosophy.com does this really well - they know I'm a fan, so they keep me updated every week with new products, specials, new store openings, etc. They make me feel valued and part of their "family." In return, I talk about their products, I join their FaceBook Group, I tell my friends about the company, I marvel at how cool their brand is - and I buy more of their stuff. It's powerful - and I even know what they're doing. But I just can't help myself.

This week as we approach the end of the year and start to evaluate our '09 Marketing budgets, I encourage you to take some time to think about Grassroots Marketing for your business.If you absolutely have to reduce your Marketing investment in '09, then put together a strategy to replace part of your monetary investment with your time. What networking groups can you join - both physical and virtual? What type of social media campaign can you launch to stay in front of your customers and top prospects?  What expert knowledge can you share with editors from your industry's top publications - and as a result with their readers - your target market.

When the economy does recover, the companies that "Never Gave Up" will still have very strong brands and a healthy market share. You absolutely should Harness the power of technology to help your business "Keep Going."

So, get out there and make Winston proud. Your bottom line will be glad you did!- CSR

Comments

[Fran Park]

Carissa, my favorite Churchill quote is "If you are under 35 and not a liberal, you don't have a heart. If you are over 35 and not a conservative, you don't have a brain."