The Most Important Blog I’ve Ever Written

January 27, 2014

In many ways I have the sense that this is the most important blog I’ve ever written. I only hope I can articulate the energy, excitement, and fear I’m feeling. Because today I find myself facing a whole new world and I know most people, or at least the ones I interact with, haven’t yet seen what I’m seeing.

We’ve reached what Malcolm Gladwell brilliantly coined The Tipping Point, (The Tipping Point) when it comes to how people interact with the world. The convergence of technology and social media means it’s a whole new world and therefore game for businesses trying to reach consumers today. And if you and your business haven’t joined this game changing revolution I fear you both will be left standing on the dock. Let me explain what I’m seeing.

Content Marketing is the new way businesses are reaching their audiences and social media is the tool that’s dispensing what marketers create. If that last sentence has your eyes spinning let me tell you that if this old dog can embrace this new reality you can too! Content Marketing is a catch-all term for marketing strategy that involves communicating and educating rather than advertising. If you want to sell stuff today, whatever stuff that is, you better have a strategy that relies more and more on engaging consumers in the way they, more and more, learn about goods and services today. If they can’t Google you, or more specifically know they even want to Google you, you’re toast! Consumers aren’t going to find you by looking in the Yellow Pages, or by reading a newspaper or magazine and unless you’re buying space during the Super Bowl even your television commercials will be skipped with their DVRs. True? The bold new world of Content Marketing and Social Media is officially replacing these and all other traditional forms deployed by marketers for generations. Do you know how historic this change is for businesses, ours included?!

The proverbial boat left the dock a few years ago highlighted by the explosion of Facebook. Like any “on top of it” CEO, I assigned the task of catching that boat to our marketing department. They pulled me along in a dingy though by creating a Facebook account for me and even posting for me. You can imagine how well that worked! Today, this old dog stands triumphantly on top of this mega ship shift in sales and marketing. I have successfully rowed hard the last few years to catch the boat just before it left port. If I caught it, so can you and I’m designing Aquascape, the organization I captain, to help you and your business do just that.

Consider Aquascape your massive content marketing creator! From 217 educational YouTube videos to 20,000 pictures of ponds, waterfalls, fish and plants, to articles, blogs, and even entire on-line books all ready for you to repost. In a content marketing world we give you more tools to succeed than anyone. Why? Because our mission statement is “To help our customers succeed at building, selling, and retailing water features.” From your website, to newsletter, Twitter feed, and Facebook page; to the newest and possibly most exciting tool out there, Flipboard, we provide you with the material to communicate and educate to today’s savvy consumers through whatever medium you choose too.

However, there’s one final aspect I really want to convey. Aquascape doesn’t stop at providing you with just the tools to succeed. If that were the case we’d be just like every other manufacturer in the water feature industry and simply sell you our products. Aquascape is a training and education machine, not just around ponds and waterfalls, but how to run your business. Since your success is our first goal, we put on events like Pondemonium® and Chicagomonium, we have programs like the Certified Aquascape Contractors and Pond Guy Peer Groups, and create continuous and numerous learning opportunities with things like the Aquascape Academy, Facebook, YouTube and blogs (like the one you’re reading.)

If you’re overwhelmed at the amount of change in running a business today, and in particular marketing and selling to today’s consumers know this: Aquascape has an overwhelming amount of resources to help you succeed. Trust me, I’ve learned, and will continue to learn, what it takes to succeed in a rapidly complex world. The boat’s left the dock but it’s not too late to catch it. You’re the engine, social media is the fuel and we want you to use our resources to propel you to new sales heights. The boat’s leaving the port, with or without you. I’m beyond excited to help you and your business be on the boat with us.

Carpe Diem Indeed!
The Pond Guy