What do mountain gorillas possibly have to do with marketing? Well, it turns out that by doing what they do can be beneficial from your business. You can learn a lot if you take a look at their behavior. The mountain gorilla marketing principle was formulated by Roberto Liccardo, CEO of the PR & marketing company GoodNoon, and it formulates the idea that most methods of marketing eventually stop working because consumers see it so many times that it is no longer effective.
Read on to learn 5 marketing lessons you can learn and apply to your business.
1. When the Resources Run Out They Move On
When competition is high and many users are highly trying to penetrate the same marketing channels, you’re better move to other strategies rather than waste resources. That is what Mountain gorillas do, inn other words, when resources are hard to find they don’t stick around. Mountain gorillas are not territorial creatures, so when an area becomes overcrowded and resources are hard to come by, they move to somewhere new.
2. They Aren’t Sheep; They Think About What They’re Doing
How many times have you listened to someone successful or an expert and wanted to implement what they did to sell X amount of products or make X amount of money, without really thinking about whether or not it will work for your business? We’re all guilty of it. Mountain gorillas, however, don’t simply follow the other animals, they think about what they’re doing and whether its right for them. As pointed out: “For those who want to be successful, it is important to refrain from reading books written by successful entrepreneurs. This is because their story will not be anywhere near your story”.
3. They’re Willing to Take a New Path
Even if that means making the path for themselves. They’re willing to try something new, and they can be fairly certain there will be more food for them somewhere else. If something isn’t working for you it’s up to you to take a step off the beaten path and try something new. This could be something you’ve never tried before, but think may work for your business, or doing something completely different to how everyone else is doing it. In other words, you have to be innovative. You don’t need a growth hacker to hack your business, simply you can do by your own. Start experimenting things, measure their results and persist or pivot based on the results you have achieved. That will help you to find traction and find your growth engine; create your own growth path!
4. They’re Only Interested in what Actually Works For Them
A mountain gorilla troop won’t go somewhere it sees another troop or a lot of other animals, try to eat there, and wonder why there doesn’t seem to be enough food for them. If a method of marketing doesn’t seem to work for your business no matter how hard you try, look at your ideal customer and think about what resonates with them, and do that – even if no one else thinks it works. As expressed above, be accountable for implementing new things, that might be the key to step up your marketing efforts.
5. They’re Loyal
Mountain gorillas stay together in a troop of about twenty for upwards of twenty years. Their focus isn’t on making their group bigger, but on making sure everyone in that group is as happy, healthy, and well-fed as possible. Before you seek out new customers with often expensive marketing methods, take a look inward and ask yourself if you are nurturing the customers you already have. It’s far easier (and cheaper) to keep a customer than to acquire a new one. Also, don’t forget that 90% of business are successful due to referrals and word of mouth.
For more information on this concept, check out https://www.techicy.com/3-ways-to-use-the-mountain-gorilla-marketing-principle-to-grow-your-business.html.