Last week’s Art of Marketing Conference in Montreal was truly amazing. Some very insightful speakers did what they did best: They pumped up and inspired the room full of marketers. Instead of presenting a review of the conference, I’ll share with you the one thing that I really got out of this; the one lesson I think we should all remember. We are now, more than ever, in control of our success. Whether it’s your own success or your brand’s, whether it’s increasing sales or getting a promotion, you now have more power than ever to achieve your goals. However, it seems to me like a lot of us still wait around for our saviour, for someone to give us a job, for someone to say it’s OK to go ahead with a project or whatever the case may be. Why do we wait for a saviour?
Be it through site analytics, sharing with others, finding inspiration in the rest of the world, giving value, connecting with others or being open and honest, we now have access to more actionable information than before. For example, the day after the conference, I had an email exchange with Avinash Kaushik and I sometimes exchange with C.C. Chapman. Never would it have been possible to engage with two smart marketers like that just a few years ago. I get interview requests through Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter; no longer do we solely rely on our paper CVs.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying “old” methods don’t work – I still send off CVs and get interview requests from that. What’s new is access. Access to information, access to inspiration and access to people. It’s also easier than ever to share, contribute and support, both as a brand and an individual. This access opens up multiple paths that can grow our business and develop our careers. If you’re working on a new ad campaign, you no longer have to rely on broad customer clusters, you have access to detailed customer information as well as insights as to how the rest of the world operates. If you’re looking for a new job, you no longer have to send a CV and wait for an answer, you can get out there, be known and build your reputation. What’s important is knowing where you want to be so you can figure out how to get there.
Remember, as Seth Godin said the revolution is now, don’t miss it.
How can you get started today?
(Photo credit: itjournalist)
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