Sharks have long been one of the earth’s most maligned creatures. Even though we’ve all heard the statistics- for example, that you’re likelier to be hit by airplane debris falling from the sky than be attacked by a shark- most of us still cringe at the theme from “Jaws.” If the shark were a company, we’d say it had a serious marketing problem- until now, that is. Every year, the Discovery Channel makes an effort to give sharks some much-needed PR help. The more you learn about sharks, the more you start to realize that they actually have a few things to teach us. In the spirit of Shark Week, here are a few ways we can all be more shark-like in our online marketing efforts:
Sharks can smell one drop of blood in a million drops of water. While extremely heightened physical senses isn’t something one can emulate, you can definitely seek out the information you need to craft a successful marketing effort. Google your company, do a Twitter search…find out what people are saying about your business, your products, or your services.
Sharks regularly shed and replace their teeth. Don’t be afraid to let go of efforts that clearly aren’t working. If you’ve placed affiliate ads on a site for a while and still aren’t seeing the traffic to your site that you want, maybe it’s not a good match.
The largest shark species eat the smallest prey. Competing exclusively for high-dollar sales or big-name clients isn’t always the best strategy. Throw a wide net with email marketing blasts or email newsletters – they’re free to mail, fairly easy to create, and if done right, very effective.
Sharks have to keep moving stay alive. Sharks “breathe” by swimming forward, which allows water to pass over their gills. Staying in motion is important- keywords and site rankings change, so your search engine optimization efforts can fade over time. Managing an SEO campaign is a constant process- make sure you keep up to date.
Sharks cannot swim backward. Focusing on going forward is always a smart idea- if you have a clear plan of where you’re going. Don’t forge ahead with a social media strategy unless you have a strategic plan and clear goals- once information is out there, you can’t take it back.
For more cool shark trivia, you can take the Shark Week Quiz at the Discovery Channel website. For more tips about online marketing efforts that don’t involve sharks, take a look at our Buyer Guide.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I think the whole fast money/aggressive marketing scenario will change after the recent events worldwide, of course there will always be go getters, but i think perhaps a little slower , a bit more open and total honesty will win the day , i remember reading once someone knows you have lied to them htey will never do business with you again, but they will also tell 10 other people as well
Rod- Thanks for the comment, and I agree- marketing is often misunderstood (like sharks!) as an aggressive sales pitch. If you provide actual value to customers, pushiness isn’t necessary.