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Image from here.

I have been brainstorming creative ways to approach marketing from a real estate standpoint and for some inspiration, regularly read my Bloglines feed. I came across this post on BloodhoundBlog by Greg Swann and had to smile as it’s a great example of the type of marketing ideas I have been looking for: something different, something interesting, something useful.

Marketing’s past is a convoluted one. With a murky self-definition and an inability to clearly quantify its value, marketing has had its work cut out for it. Luckily, it has also had a lot of support. There were lovers and friends who stood by it even in its darkest days, before its impact was measurable, its effect was clearly discernible and its market definable.

Like all underdogs (at least in the stories) marketing managed to pull itself out of the fog and emerge as a solid and dependable tool. Now there are reliable ways to optimize its benefits, to determine what its measure is and to decide if and how it is profitable. What remains is the question of how it will continue to grow and thrive without getting caught in the comfortable circle of self-perpetuating repetition that leads to mediocrity and the eventual stagnation (and perhaps failure) of the business it’s being applied to. Remember that old adage? You know 50% of your marketing works – you just don’t know which 50%… and now with marketing establishing itself online, it’s becoming easier to pin down that elusive percentage, easier to target and definitely more efficient.

Along with the need for marketing to continue developing in a useful way is the need for recognition and avoidance of the many pitfalls along the path. With such a hazy beginning, marketing is still faced with the constant questions regarding its performance, its actions and its outcomes. While this demonstration of its capabilities is fundamental to the companies it is used by, too much on-the-dot accountability can start to bog it down and even stop it from accomplishing its goals.

When I see marketing techniques like the one used by Mike Rohrig, I become excited for marketing’s future. This is just one example of “thinking outside of the box” and hopefully it will be an inspiration for you to take the initiative to keep marketing fresh and growing!