In three days, I will run my first marathon on September 16, 2017. In the spring, I ran a half marathon and decided my body was up to the task of a full one. After all, I am not getting any younger and I thought it was better to try now instead of waiting until I would have to use a scooter or hoverboard.
As I have trained for this marathon, I have thought about how it applies to marketing. Both can be taxing and both take preparation. But there was one aspect that stood out to me.
Marathons and Marketing both require a plan and consistent repetition
When I decided to for this goal, I knew I needed to train consistently. I found a good training program and followed it as best I could. There were a few times I couldn’t complete a run due to weather or a minor injury. Yet I knew I had to get back to the plan in order to be ready for the race.
Marketing also takes planning and repetition. This can be hard when you just want to get the word out about your amazing gadget. You’ve been involved with it for so long, you just know the rest of the world is dying to hear about it. Certainly, one or two ads about its amazing features is all the world needs, right? Wrong!
Our noisy world makes repetition imperative. People may not hear you the first, second or tenth time. It takes planning to decide how to say the right thing to a prospective customer. Maybe a prospect doesn’t care that your gadget has Bluetooth until you explain why that will benefit him.
The nice thing about running is it gives me plenty of time to think about things such as marketing. I’m praying I’ll have a good time doing just that this Saturday.
