Malcolm Gladwell discusses advantages and disadvantages in his most recent work, David and Goliath. In short, many of the things we think are advantages are actually disadvantages and vice versa.
The classic is the title story of David v. Goliath. A little guy gets lucky in his battle with a giant. Everyone knows this.
Upon further inspection, David really had the advantage. Goliath never had a chance because David knew his strengths and took full advantage of them. I will not reveal the whole story in the book, but a huge advantage David had was being nimble. The biggest advantage was that David did not have to fight Goliath’s fight.
As a small business owner, especially if you are a professional, you need David’s mindset in your marketing. Look to your advantages. One huge advantage is that you do not need to win the massive battles that the large companies do.
You can speak to one person at a time. You can be a human being.
You don’t need the sheer numbers, the ‘Goliath’ reach of large (or even ‘bigger than you’) companies.
The internet has given the advantage to the Davids of marketing. Take advantage of your advantage, being small. Deadly accuracy with a blog post or selecting the right “stone” for your keywords in an SEO campaign will help you win the battle.
The advantage has tipped so much in the favor of the “little guy” and personalized marketing that large companies are trying to seem like Davids, small and personal.
As a professional and small business owner, the disadvantage of being small is more of an advantage than ever.
What other “disadvantages” in your marketing are actually advantages?
Follow me on Twitter @iangarlic this week, #mindset for extra thoughts.