Pillar One: IDENTITY

First Marketing Pillar - IDENTITY This is the first episode in a 5-episode arc where we're talking about something I call the Five Pillars of Marketing. Before we can begin talking about building a marketing strategy, we first have to give ourselves a strong foundation. These five episodes are a version of an exercise I do with my consulting clients. It's the best way I know to get all of us on the same page. They are a series of questions... assignments, really... that help us begin to understand what the product is and who it's for. The First Pillar is IDENTITY, and it's all about articulating exactly what your product is. It's a restaurant, so yes you serve food... but that isn't necessarily what you're selling. I walk you through a series of different categories that help you bring some specificity to your work. It's all about understanding exactly what kind of experience you're offering your guest. If all we wanted out of a restaurant was food then there'd be no need for sports bars or date spots... In a sports bar you're there for the camaraderie, the energy. At a date spot, you're there for the romance. I challenge you to start thinking about your business in those terms. Yes, you serve food, but really... what kind of experience are you selling. If you want to download the Marketing Pillars Workbook you can do that by CLICKING HERE. CONTINUING EDUCATION: This week I'm linking to a 2005 TED Talk by Psychologist Barry Schwartz titled “The Paradox of Choice." It’s a lecture I discovered years ago -- long before I started working in marketing -- but I recently went back and realized how timely it was. It's a riff on his book by the same name, and especially these days when we’re offered so many different choices, I think it's important to think about the cost. Watch the lecture (only 20 minutes); I think you’ll find it has a lot to do with our work here.  CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO