I mentioned in an earlier post that as I struggled to regain control of my garden, I realized that I was facing more than weeds – Telltale red dots announced the presence of squash bugs and, unfortunately, the imminent death of my squash harvest.
When it comes to dealing with pests that attack my garden, I learned early on that knowledge is the best defense. Had long working hours not kept me indoors this summer I would be having soft, buttery squash with every meal because I would have seen recognized the threat early and protected my plants against it.
The same holds true in marketing. Your business has enemies on every front and you need to know about those threats in order to confront them successfully.
Most people can recognize their competition as a possible threat which is true, they are a significant one, and you should know every detail possible. However, competition is not the only threat so don’t limit yourself and your preparation by focusing on them alone.
Have you considered whether a lack of public knowledge is threatening your success? If the general public lacks knowledge of your industry, or if they hold false beliefs, then this could be taking a serious toll on your bottom line. The markets ignorance is a very real enemy.
So how do you cope with this lack of knowledge? First, you have to identify it and learn more about it. What has created this lack of knowledge is your product very new? Has your industry undergone some serious changes in the past years? Does your industry have a negative history it needs to overcome?
Next, you need to incorporate education into your marketing plan. Based on what you know about the problem you can now set very clear objectives and ensure that every marketing effort supports these goals.
Businesses need to confront their enemies head-on in order to overcome them and before you can confront an enemy, you must arm yourself with information.
The RevMan
