Aiming For A Lion's Share Of The Market: Carnivorous Business Methods And Cautions

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THANKS TO REED GUSMUS OF QA SYMPHONY FOR THIS BRILLIANT GUEST POST

Lions in Tintswalo, South Africa

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​Strategic marketers always aim to deliver a lion’s share of the online market, but, much like the jungles and grasslands ruled by the lion, the online market is loaded with competitors vying for the same consumer prey. In order to thrive in this kind of environment, strategic marketing must possess a combination of strength, intelligence, and timing.
 
A lion hunting for survival surely recognizes that it is involved in a zero-sum game with the incredibly high stakes of life and death. While strategic marketers are not subjected to a literal life-or-death scenario, the stakes are indeed so significant that it requires one to adopt the mindset of the king of the jungle. 

Why is a Strategic Marketer king of the online jungle?

​The strongest lions understand when it is best to take a calculated risk, when to be patient, and when to be aggressive. The same must be true of strategic marketers looking to differentiate their brand from a host of competitors, which is why the most effective strategic marketers are rightly characterized as the kings of the online jungle. In order for strategic marketers to become more effective and efficient as hunters, it is absolutely critical to develop a deep understanding of their figurative prey, the consumer.

Consumer prey: Attacking with respect and knowledge

​In his book Born to Run, Christopher McDougall discussed the relationship between the lion and gazelle by writing, “Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're the lion or a gazelle -- when the sun comes up, you'd better be running.”
 
As the lion wakes up each morning to hunt the gazelle, it is not only aware of the task at hand; it is also aware of every one of its past successes and failures. A strategic marketer must also be aware of how important it is, to paraphrase McDougall, to be up and running the moment the sun comes up. Running without a purpose, however, is hardly likely to yield the desired outcome.
 
In order to engage in purposeful, effective marketing, the strategic marketer must apply the lessons learned from previous experiences while also tirelessly pursuing the attention of consumers. The most effective strategic marketers seek the attention of consumers through strategies that show respect for, and demonstrate an understanding of, the specific consumers within a particular target audience.

Navigating and conquering the online consumer hunting grounds

It is only with a healthy dose of respect and knowledge that a strategic marketer is able to navigate and conquer the online consumer hunting grounds in the same way a lion is able to navigate and conquer the hunting grounds of the jungle and the grasslands. In the world of strategic marketing, the stakes are so high that merely surviving is not quite enough; strategic marketers must adopt a carnivorous mindset that allows them to ascend to the throne of the online jungle.
 
Reed Gusmus is the director of marketing at QASymphony, where he is responsible for utilizing his exceptional B2B digital marketing expertise to develop marketing plans capable of generating new customer acquisition while also stimulating ample revenue generation.