We all have loved ones who have passed on and are no longer with us. We miss some of them dearly because they had such a compelling impact on our life. Another person can’t replace their influence on you and you know you will miss them forever.
But would your business or brand be missed if it went away? Would it matter to anyone? Who would care and notice?
Seth Godin recently said “when you sum it up, if no one would miss your brand, your marketing probably is ineffective and unsuccessful.”
You might be doing a lot of marketing and keeping your staff and agencies busy – but are they effective? In Seth’s view, this question, will you be missed, is an excellent way to assess the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.
Do You Matter?
To be missed and cared about you have to be serving a community. Serving a community is a different frame of reference from selling to customers. How can you build a community of people who care so much that they will miss you if you were gone?
Are you a member of a community of people who share a common passion?
- Maybe you belong to a community group who is fighting hard to change gun laws like Mom’s Demand Action. Without this organization, how would you be able to connect like-minded individuals toward a joint mission? These are your peeps – who get you and care passionately about the same cause.
- Or maybe you are loyal to buying products from Patagonia because of how they want you to repair clothes before buying more so you can be good stewards of the planet. Patagonia has a relationship with their community that goes way beyond a single sale or transaction. They share the same concerns about the earth, the environment, and other eco-friendly causes.
- Perhaps you are part of a community of users of a video game like Fortnite or a technology platform like MailChimp, and the company who created the software brings users together to share best practices. By organizing virtual or in-person meetups, you get a deeper connection to the fantasy world or the technology, and you feel part of something larger than yourself. You have shared goals and values and needs. You are part of something bigger than yourself when you are engaged with their products.
What would happen if your brand disappeared? Would anyone care? Are customers so loyal that they have a vested interest in your ongoing existence?
Danone is currently the world largest B corporation in the world. Certified B Corporations are a new kind of business that balances purpose and profit. They are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment. B Corp companies are a community of leaders, driving a global movement of people using business as a force for good.
Through Danone’s organization structure, they are putting their community at the center of every decision they make. They want customers to be part of a larger community of people who care about buying from a business doing good. Danone realizes that if they want customers to miss them if they were gone, they have to build stronger relationships with people who buy their products every day.
Is your marketing working? Would your company be missed if it went away forever?
What are you doing today so that you matter to your community?
Photo by Amine Rock Hoovr on Unsplash
Would anyone care if your brand died? How are you connecting with your community? Let’s talk. You can set up a time to chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com Call me. 919 720 0995. The conversation is free, and we can explore if working together makes sense. Try my new chat feature on my site if you have a quick question.
