Gandhi’s passive resistance freed India from British rule in 1947. How Gandhi overturned 100+ years of oppression without a war diplomatically is remarkable.
Look deeper into Gandhi’s story, and you’ll see three ways that ‘Bapu’ was a digital marketing genius.
1. He had a plan
Gandhi wasn’t an idiot. The modern world sees an unpretentious and malnourished old dude who altered history by walking a lot. Far from it (although we can still debate what his Fitbit step count read). Gandhi was a seasoned lawyer in South Africa before beginning his fight for Indian independence. His time in South Africa was spent perfecting his notion of peaceful resistance and laying the foundation for imparting real change without a traditional war. Tactics like the Salt March, a silent protest of Indians not paying a salt tax to British rulers, didn’t bother the British too much. Until it served as a key turning point for Gandhi’s revolution, those were his marketing tools. They weren’t digital, but have you considered what digital marketing tools you should use?
Doing any marketing requires a plan and real expertise. Don’t look for help from a self-proclaimed marketing expert. Also, watch out for those creative marketing agencies full of graphic designers, color-coordinated furniture, and fancy signs at the entrance. People label themselves as marketing ‘experts’ when they can’t label themselves as anything else.
Unfortunately, there is no law preventing unqualified people from practicing marketing. There also aren’t many startup costs associated with opening a marketing company. Every task in marketing can be subcontracted (and usually by new agencies). When hiring marketing, help look for people who have grown businesses for their customers. If many of a marketer’s customers are doing well and where you want to be, they may be worth a look. Graphic designers, photographers, web developers, programmers, and copywriters possess technical skills but aren’t marketers. Marketing isn’t art. It’s science.
2. He stuck to it
Gandhi stayed the course despite massive resistance. He was jailed and beaten on several occasions, as were his followers. Gandhi used many non-violent tactics and was rewarded after years of persistence. The ridicule, bloodshed, and countless setbacks didn’t deter him.
Even the best marketing plans take time to show results. Value a marketing partner who takes calculated risks with your money but doesn’t abuse it. A good marketer believes in a loss-leader fee-based model. They need an opportunity to prove their worth to you. You know what you want your marketing to do (generate leads and business opportunities). Find a partner you believe is just as obsessed with getting you opportunities as you are. Then, empower him or her to try new tactics (without altering the budget) on your behalf.
Want more Dallas-area foodies to try your restaurant? Invite Dallas bloggers to your restaurant at a discount or set up a website inviting Dallas food lovers in for a deal. If your marketing people can’t do that on retainer (e.g., without increasing their fee to you), you’ve got the wrong partner because they subcontract the work to third parties.
3. He won ugly
Gandhi didn’t gain independence with a suit and a smile. He did it shirtless and with a walking stick. Gandhi spent his days outside in villages, walking, fasting, spreading his message one person at a time, and working the traditional channels in different layers of government.
Most small business marketers love being pretty. They want you to pay them to make your logos, brochures, websites, and flyers. You want to pay them to generate business, regardless of their appearance. I’ll let you in on a secret. Looks in marketing don’t matter. You can quickly get your point across as long as the information is easy to follow and free of typos. Berkshire Hathaway has almost three times Google’s sales and twice Apple’s assets. This is their website.
Simply put, marketing is about telling the right people how they’ll be able to better themselves or solve a problem using your product or service. Depending on what you’re marketing, there are millions of ways to do that, but usually, the most direct way works best (showing up in person). It may get ugly, and you may get thrown out, but you may not, either. And you’ll never know until you try. There is a reason why Shark Tank is a face-to-face show and not a conference call or email thread between the entrepreneurs and the sharks (even though both would be a lot cheaper).
Gandhi will never be a guest star on Mad Men, and he’s not running a digital marketing agency. But that doesn’t mean you can’t learn about marketing from a guy who convinced the world to stand up for social injustices.
And to buy what he was selling.
