Good marketers do their homework. Homework goes by different names: due diligence, research and discovery among them. Whatever moniker you choose, it boils down to the same thing: work. Lots of work. Work to learn more and more about who your customers may be, what matters to them, where they go to get information, to shop, and on and on.

I’ve noticed many people want to skip this part. Eager to get to the “fun” parts like graphic design, tag lines and soundtracks, they barrel ahead at full tilt – often in the wrong direction.

It’s irritating as sand sometimes. The market and competition seem more active during the homework phase, and business owners often feel they are wasting time and their money with little to show for it. But, like oysters, it takes time for the discovery process to yield the pearls. By doing the work up front and learning as much as possible, you can avoid costly mistakes and instead capture opportunities you may not have known existed.

How people converse speeds up relative to the plates in the air. At least that’s my theory. Meetings, planning, travel. All of it adds up to managing hectic lifestyles in micro seconds. So if you cannot grab attention in 3 seconds, it is often gone.

We used to call it the Blackberry test. If your colleagues faded to check their Blackberry, the point was not compelling or relevant enough to stay engaged in the conversation.

Social media seems like that. 140 characters or less to Twitter a relevant message. Is that so different from headlines? Not really.

Effective marketing has always been about earning attention. Fast. Because if you do, most people will stop and learn more. If you miss, then they move on.

And rightfully so.

Happy 2009! By all of the media accounts, it looks like a challenging year is in store. But challenges usually present great opportunities. Many people made money during the depression, and in  the various recessions since. (more…)