Do You Approach Your Marketing Strategy Like a Farmer or Hunter?

Content is king.

This is a statement we have been hearing in the world of marketing for-ev-er. And you know why? Because it’s TRUE!

Whether you rely on blogs, videos, Reels, podcasts or photos, it’s all content. To take it a step further, if you are sharing your perspective or expertise in said content, it can then be considered thought leadership.

Unfortunately not enough small business owners are creating and sharing thought leadership. The biggest hurdle I have found as to why thought leadership doesn’t get prioritized in ALL the things that they need to do comes down to a simple principle:

Thought leadership is farming and many business owners, particularly small business owners, can get caught up in hunting mode.

That leads me to the topic of conversation today:

Are you a farmer or hunter when it comes to marketing your business?

Let me explain what I mean.

Marketing Type 1: Hunters

The hunter goes into the woods, shoots their weapon and, assuming the aim is right, walks away with meat. It’s fast. It’s direct.

In a marketing sense, hunting is the email that has a discount code to get eCommerce sales quickly or the ad that promises a discount through a specific day.

Hunting in business gets results faster, though usually, just like the meat of a deer, it only lasts for so long before you must go hunt again. And let’s not forget: not every hunt results in meat. You could come back home empty handed.

Marketing Type 2: Farmers

To grow tomatoes, you plant seeds in the ground, water them, provide the right sunlight and eventually they grow.

Marketing farming planting seeds now that will grow and benefit you later on. Examples include writing blog content, sending educational emails, networking events and 1:1 meetings, pitching for press coverage, or public speaking.

These items don’t usually show an immediate return on investment in the form of contracts, purchases, and/or bigger clients. However, they are very valuable.

Blogs can live forever and, when done right, that can play a big part in your overall SEO strategy. A single blog can continue bringing you traffic for years!

(NOTE: I say this as a business owner who needed to update this blog article more than once because it continues to perform well in search and techniques recommended in it need to be refined.)

Public relations could get people clicking to your website and buying immediately and public speaking may have people walking up to you afterwards looking to buy, but it’s not as common.

Those are tactics that increase your brand awareness, demonstrate your knowledge, and pay off over time rather than immediately.

So, what are YOU: a hunter or a farmer?

The Lesson

In truth, I hope you answered, “Both!”  A good marketing strategy has a mix of hunting & farming.

We need money in the door to stay open (hunting) and profitable, but we also need to be thinking about long term growth and sustainability, which is where farming pays off.