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I had a great conversation recently with some of my dear friends from the marketing world that essentially turned into a nice little Marketers Group Hug....
A few days ago I commented on David Armano's post, Finding Your Voice (Again), and mentioned a series of posts I have been running on my blog site that I call the Daily Drive. These posts are quite literally just a picture that I snap of myself driving to work each day, along with an accompanying shot of my sock choice for the day (it's a bit of thanks to the guys who make the socks and provide me with tons of them, as well as being friends).
It's a very silly space filler that I came up with as something of a way to send a snapshot of my day/ life. Truth be told, they also serve as "filler" between bigger, more substantial posts. Much to my pleasant surprise, these "filler" posts have proven to be quite popular and the readership has not only stabilized, but grown. What started as a way to simply stay in the habit of posting regularly, regardless of how busy I am with other projects, has turned into something of a great cult-builder. (I still don't exactly know why, but I'm not complaining.)
So anyway, the other day I got a comment from a reader of the blog who is up in Canada about a post from the previous day;
Sara B said...
Hey,
I'm a fan of your site.
Never posted before.
But I'm a Canadian girl and those socks just compelled me to write.
Thanks for the shout out to us Canucks :)
When people ask me why I blog, this is one of the number one reasons. Comments like that just send me through the stratosphere!
Almost without skipping a breath, after finding her blog and giving her a big thanks, I forwarded the comment to some of my favorite marketing friends from here at the DF and elsewhere. Why? Because I knew they'd "get" why it made me so happy to get the comment.
And they did!
The simple email to these fine examples of new marketing smart-folk resulted in a great dialog about marketing and how it is evolving. A while back I put up a post here titled Is Marketing a Four-Letter Word? In that post I talked about how Marketers tend to get a pretty bad rap, similar to lawyers (not that I'm making commentary on lawyers). In the conversation thread with my fellow marketers, I made the comment "these are the moments as marketers that I wish other folks could see." By that I meant I wish non-marketers could see the kinds of moments that really matter to some of us and how Marketing is not some evil program run by soulless demons.
The conversation produced some incredible quotes that I just felt compelled to share with all:
Mack Collier- I think it goes back to us all being lucky enough to be associated with other marketers that honestly care more about the people than the money or the job or whatever. I think we see marketing as an empowerment tool, not as a 'necessary evil'. At least that's my story ;)
Ann Handley- I'd rather have a comment from someone for whom my blog matters, rather than Someone Who Matters.
Toby Bloomberg- I love these types of stories! Who needs to be a Technorati A lister or have a high Alexis ranking when you're actually making a difference in someone's life?
And my personal favorite quote of the day comes from none other than CK- There's never been a better time to be a better marketer. (Oh, that is pure gold there.)
I don't mean to repeat myself too much, though I will and do, but marketing has come a long way and continues to develop into really amazing things with the work of many amazing people... many of whom are contributors here. Marketers are helping people change their lives and their worlds, not just selling more widgets. We have a lot to be proud of.
Consider this your group hug!
(And a special thanks again to Sara B for getting the conversation started!)
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Comments
Tim: I swear you have a knack for encouraging us all to be not only better marketers, but better people :-).
Your kindness and dedication is really an inspiration to me. And your friendship...well, that's the pure gold you speak of.
Let's all keep supporting one another so we're better at our craft, great to our customers and set a good example to those both in and just coming into the profession.
Posted by: CK | 12.06.06
Tim - it was a fun email volley that brought to life the 2 important points you raised. Several years ago I heard Phil Kotler speak. Whenever I think of marketing his classic definition comes to mind - "Marketing is meeting the needs of your cutomer at a profit." Perhaps it took the 'social media revolution' to bring back around putting customer needs before marketing hype.
Posted by: Toby | 12.06.06
Tim,
When I left the conversation yesterday, I thought it was over. The truth: It had just begun, and I missed the best part. So in reading today's string of e-mails and then rushing to the Fix to read your characterization of the "group hug," has made my morning.
Since I left the conversation early, here is my wobbly effort to create a quote, which takes lots of nerve on my part, because I'm more of a novelist than a short-story teller. (In other words, I am more comfortable being wordy than pithy.) But at the risk of being the fool, here goes:
"Marketers and bloggers who care more about relationships than returns make the world and business better places. At the end of the day, the hug means more than the cash. And at the end of the week, the giving and caring reap solid relationships and returns for marketers and their clients. What could be better than that?"
Posted by: Lewis Green | 12.06.06
Tim great post and this brings up a point that many of us have touched on here before: A vital part to having a successful blog is building a community of readers and as we see here, friends! This is where the true value comes from blogging, being able to talk to other professionals, to learn from them, and enjoy the sense of friendship and community that we have. It's another of the big advantages to blogging that you really can't understand until you are in this space.
Posted by: Mack Collier | 12.06.06
Tim- It's because of people like yourself, and this little group of marketers that continues to grow and grow, that good marketers can truly change the world, one person at a time.
It's amazing what a few words in an email can do...
Posted by: Paul McEnany | 12.06.06
Thank you all for the comments. Today was such a busy day that I simply didn't have the time to compose my thoughts for a reply, so here I am at nearly 11:00 at night.
CK- Stop it! You're making me blush. Your friendship is very dear to me- as is the freindship of all who participate in this wonderful community. (Thank you Ann for letting me be a part of this!)
Toby- Thank you for that quote. It is so great to be associated with such great marketers.
Lewis- Brother, back atcha again. I love your quote and agree with it completely. The relationship is far greater than the cash- though the cash is nice and it is always nice to get paid for our work- and is so much better longterm. Money will always vanish or somehow not be enough, but the good relationships we forge will be with us for years.
Mack- You are the King of Community. That's part of why I sent the quote to you in the first place. I knew you'd appreciate why it made me so happy. We have all learned a lot from your efforts- at least I know I have.
Again, thank you to the fantastic family of marketers that I have the great pleasure to know.
Posted by: Tim Jackson | 12.07.06
Awww...you big, hairless softie!
Seriously -- nice group hug. What I love is the way that "community" is defined in so many ways, yet its all about connecting to a larger whole.
Great quotes you pulled together here...some real keepers!
Posted by: Ann Handley | 12.07.06
Ann- Thanks Boss, that means a lot to me. Now, about that raise...
Posted by: Tim Jackson | 12.07.06