Put on your running shoes

Marketing is a bit like a jungle. Behind the leaves and branches infront of you are more leaves and branches; more forest where ferocious creatures lurk, and possibly treasures beyond one's imagination.

Visualize two random blokes, Thomas and Richard, in the jungle, going about their business. Overhead the sun is blocked by the canopy. It's hot, humid and you hear various sounds - mostly birds singing. A bird lands nearby, curiously watching Thomas and Richard going about their jungle business. Both are happy, things are going well.

Suddenly, everything changes.

Thomas and Richard freeze in their steps and with fear in their eyes, and holding their breaths - both strain their ears to hear and confirm the most primeval of fears - the sound of a predator. 

In the distance they hear it again - much clearer this time - the growl of a tiger.

"It's coming this way" Thomas said. As if to confirm their worst fears, the tiger roared again. It  was getting closer. Trembling, Thomas said in a hushed voice, "I think it's hunting us. What are we gonna do?"

Richard sat down and pulled out his running shoes from his pack and started putting them on. "What are you doing? There's no way you can outrun a tiger," Thomas stammered.

"That's not the point" Richard said with a steely stare. "All I need to do is out run you."

And that's a bit like business - those who perform get to survive.

The business environment is like the jungle - constantly changing.  Each dramatic change that the internet brings simply means that we are all in a new jungle with the most basic of maps and limited visibility.

For some businesses, the tiger and the running shoes apply directly to getting to the top of specific Google searches. For others it's about testing traditional marketing techniques in fresh ways.

In order to reach the top of a search engine like Google, what is needed is a little better optimization than other sites competiting for a given search phrase.

With any marketing - it's about identifying the right objective and selecting the appropriate tools for the job. Right now, Websites are tremendously important to most businesses and good Search Engine Optimization is essential to most Websites. Here at Gantt we put an emphasis on selecting the specific tools - for ourselves and our clients - then implementing them in a careful way that we think will be most effective. 

Whether or not you use Gantt to raise your marketing to the next level or use some other solution, the message is clear -it's time to get into your own running shoes.