I recently ran in the Worcester 10k for the Worcestershire Carers Association charity. I had never heard of them, but running is a remarkable network. Put simply the charity helps and supports unpaid carers. Interestingly when I asked a GP friend to run for charity with me her words were: “I don’t run for charity…what charity?” She ran for charity. Sometime the individual cause overcomes our personal or political objections. Because I sweated my way to sponsorship for them I now feel an attachment to the charity, and as on a personal level I think the role that they play is fantastic I am now talking about them to people that I meet. My hope is that out of the conversations that I have had, one person might gain support at a time when they need it most. That, to me, will bring more value than the miles I ran and the money I raised.
However this got me thinking. We build amazing marketing campaigns, we write beautiful content and we design incredible programs. We research, we implement, we monitor and we record. We communicate through social media, through email, by post, but do we talk? At network meetings maybe, but every day? Or have we forgotten how? Have our words been replaced with our smart phones? But remember – you never know if the conversation you had with the lady at the bus stop might lead to something. The ancient marketing technique known as word of mouth, don’t forget about it, don’t forget the power of conversation, the power of communication. Keep talking because you never know who might be listening…
Happy Marketing!
Lizzie