“Life is change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely”. William Somerset Maugham
One of this month’s big news stories was about Kodak seeking Chapter 11 protection. I read the headline and thought “just another company that failed to adjust to the Internet”. Then as I read the article I learned that Steve Sasson of Kodak invented the digital camera in 1975 and sat on the technology fearful that it would damage it’s film business. Ironically, Kodak is in trouble today because by sitting on the technology, it effectively ceded the opportunity to competitors. Kodak has other problems including their pension program but their pension problems pale in comparison to the losses created by failing to capitalize on their discovery.
The last movie I saw was Hugo, a true story about George Melies the guy who is known as the inventor of the modern cinema. The funny thing is the Lumiere brothers are the actual inventors of the moving picture. They just didn’t know what to do with the technology.
they would set up their short films and show them at carnivals and street fairs but they didn’t see the future of film as a story telling medium. George Melies saw one of their films and was amazed by the technology of their camera. He asked them if he could buy one and they told him not to bother because it was just a fad that had no future. George Melies was a magician by trade and saw big future. George reverse engineered the camera and started to make films that actually told a story. He used is talent as a magician to create the first special effects.
I read an article earlier this month called “3 Ways to Go Cable-Free” . Interesting article that made me think of Kodak and the Lumiere brothers. Is cable the next victim of Internet technology? So what’s any of this got to do with insurance marketing? Think about the industries you target. Think about how you are marketing to all of your prospects. What’s working? How are you utilizing Internet marketing? Are you make use of new technology? Are you trying to formulate a social media strategy, or are you using a college kid to handle your Facebook posts just so you can say you are utilizing social media? Have you reviewed your website? Do you know your Paige Rank, how your keywords rank, your indexed number of pages, number of back links, and how you compare to your top ten competitors? Don’t let this slip by. Status quo is never the answer.