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A Philosophy Of Tenacity

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Success in Marketing doesn’t happen by doing something halfway. You have to be dedicated to the cause.

Today, I took part in a webinar for MarketingProfs called, How To Become A Content Juggernaut. The crux of my presentation was this: in a world where anyone can have a thought and then publish it in text, images, audio and video instantly and for free to the world, we (marketers) have to rethink how we publish. There is media fragmentation everywhere and it’s not just because of the Internet and all of this new content. There is fragmentation within the Internet as well.

People have a lot of choices and a lot less time.

If they’re going to be multi-platforming – using multiple media channels at the same time (more on that here: Estimated 33% of Viewers Multitask While Watching TV) or engaging with content via mobile devices (smartphones, iPads, etc…), a brand’s ability to capture their attention and be able to convert that into something that is worth sharing is very complex… it’s not easy to do. If you’re an individual or small organization trying to make an impact, it becomes evermore complex. You probably don’t have the time and/or the resources that your bigger competitors have.

The truth is that if you have the skills, it’s really the tenacity that you have to focus on.

Regardless of the readership of this Blog, I believe in the words that I write. I believe that the words that I write is my art. I believe that the words that I write is the work that I was meant to do. I don’t say this lightly and it took me over a decade to come to this realization and to be comfortable/confident in saying them aloud. It’s not ego (I’m actually a very humble and shy individual)… it’s probably just a part of me getting more comfortable as I get older (but who knows). The truth is that beyond my belief, I am tenacious in my dedication to it.

How many brands (or individuals) do you know that are truly tenacious?

Persistent, stubborn and holding fast. That’s being tenacious. Dedicating yourself to the work you were meant to do. If more brands were tenacious in how they approached their marketing, the results would be much more different. If more brands were tenacious in how they approached Social Media, the results would be much more different.

  • It’s easy to quit when no one reads your Blog after six months.
  • It’s easy to complain about Twitter‘s efficacy when you’re having a hard time getting people to follow you.
  • It’s easy to take a dig at Facebook when you have tons of people who "like" your brand but you don’t notice an increase in sales.
  • It’s easy to post videos to YouTube and think you’re actively engaging in Social Media.

Ask yourself this: are you really bringing a philosophy of tenacity to your work?

I am tenacious. It’s a combination of dedication and persistence that is underwritten by a notion that what I have to share is important. Not self-important, but important. And, the only way to break through the clutter, the only way to get attention and the only way to get people talking about it and sharing it is to be tenacious in my plan of attack.

If you’re going to be doing something, why not do it with tenacity?

6 comments

  2. Great advice, Mitch. Tenacity, mixed with tact and flexibility are bound to get you through the clutter. It’s a posture that has worked before the digital revolution, during it, and certainly after it as well. Try something persistently, if it doesn’t get the results, change the approach and do it again.

  3. I like the word tenacious in this context, Mitch. I think a lot of people underestimate the importance of being tenacious. Words like “authentic” seem to get more play. But tenacity, especially in things like blogging, is so important. When you are pouring your heart and soul into your blog posts and all you get are crickets, there is such an overwhelming sense of “What in the heck am I doing?” It’s easy to say, “Well, this is all just a fad anyway.”
    But tenacity prevents you from leaving. It means you have an objective, and you believe in it. And hey, it’s worth fighting for, too. Who knew?

  4. I’m not a religious person and neither was my father, but before he died earlier this year, he dug up this quote from the Bible:
    Ecc 9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might
    He told me if I liked writing, then I should write, even if no one reads it. So that’s what I’ve been doing and I try to remind myself daily to “do it with all my might.”
    It now also applies to how I spend my time raising my son, how I see my marriage and how I’m proceeding with starting my second business venture before I turn 31 (an old dream of mine). It’s easy for anyone to get discouraged every day, but if you can find something that motivates you, eventually it will pay off.

  5. Thank you for another great post. I’ve just read this for the second time and I’m wondering how you feel about tenacity for tenacity’s sake as opposed to tenacity because you think it will get you results. To use blogging as an example, the former is a bit more “real” or “authentic” effort and probably doesn’t care as much about keywords and SEO gizmos. The latter probably does involve keywords, etc., to get more people to find out about you, buy your product, engage your services, etc.
    Does one have more “worth” than the other?

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