Tweet

A marketing definition of legacy

Guest post by: Bonnie Harris

Article Overview: There are a few definitions of the word legacy. But here is a marketing definition of legacy.

A marketing definition of legacy

Legacy seems to be a very popular name for marketing firms, or so I found out when I Googled “marketing legacy” to try to get ideas for this blog post. Lyric Marketing’s blog tells me in order to leave a good legacy I have to be authentic, provide valuable content, show my personality. I’m sure all these things are true but they really don’t help me understand what that legacy thing actually is.

The legal guys say it’s a gift of personal property. The dictionary guys say it’s anything handed down from the past. Christians seem to write a lot about leaving a good legacy for their children. Environmentalists talk about leaving a legacy that includes a healthier planet. eHow even has an article about leaving a good legacy through your writing.

I once wrote about how marketing karma could help or hinder your business. I think I’m going to have to solve this “legacy” question by giving you a list of questions to ask yourself about your product or service. (And to be fair, I’ve answered them as well)

1. Does your product or service solve a problem for someone? I hope that Wax Marketing has helped promote smaller businesses that couldn’t afford big agencies. That was the main intention, anyway.

2. Does your business provide a contribution to the greater good? We all can’t be Tom’s Shoes, but you can figure out ways to add to your “triple bottom line” I have always donated a percentage of my time to a non-profit or other company that couldn’t afford us, but had a cause I believed in. I think this is why my business has always sustained itself – you get back 10 times what you give, in my experience.

3. Is your product recyclable or made from goods that don’t create more waste for the planet? (Let’s talk about all those plastic Smart Water bottles, Jennifer) We’ve always, since 2002, been paperless. I’ve used the “cloud” since it was called ASP, and then “software as a service” . Even converted over two bookkeepers and my accountant!

4. Are you honest about what your product or service will provide? Even though many times I don’t get the business because I can’t predict the outcome (this business is crazy) yes, I’m honest. I usually get the client later anyway.

5. Do you market your product ethically – meaning no spamming, etc? I’ve always used word of mouth.

See, it’s not that hard to answer yes to most of these questions. If you do, I believe your business will leave behind a positive legacy. And I believe marketing karma will bless you for it.

Can’t answer yes? You might want to think about your business motives. You’ve got to have a purpose beyond making money in order to truly succeed. IF you can’t answer yes to most of these questions you might be missing the point of being in business at all.

Related Articles
  Legacy and Immortality
  What's Your Legacy At Work?
  Create your own legacy on the internet through your marketing business
  Success: What Does It Mean To You?
  Leaving Your Legacy
  What Will Your Legacy Be?
  The definition of branding
  Realizing and Breaking your "Glass Ceiling" - Part 1
  Characteristics of Personal Mastery (Part 1 of 2)
  What Does Viral Marketing Actually Mean?
  The Real Definition of Keywords
  Learn Five Ways to Improve your Success in the Profit System of Network Marketing & Direct Sales.
  Filling the Gap Between Generation and Conversion
  Top Online Business Opportunities – Do You Have The Passion?
  Today's "rant" - Jobs
  Leadership and Vision: What's Your Cathedral?
  Those idiots in sales just don’t get it
  More Thoughts on Consumer Internet Innovations Migrating to the Enterprise
  Write Your Own Story
  Legacy

Article Tags: lets blog off, Marketing, marketing legacy, online marketing



Related Forum Posts
Re: How important is your name? - [quote="BuzzAroundBooks":19d1cpro] For instance, Donald Trump built his company's brand around his name, so he probably naturally wanted to call his son Donald Trump Jr. to continue the legacy.[/quote:19d1cpro] I wonder if it is a good thing to call one's son Jr.... or the third, or the fourth. On the one hand, it implies a long legacy of family achievement, but on the other hand, some kids really resent the pressure put on them by being the son of a famous father, and daughters of a famous mother, so it's really hard to say. Indeed, it would be intersting to have a survey of every successsful child of a successful parent, to see if those who are a "Jr." are more successful than those who were given their own name.
Re: How important is your name? - I believe that your name is one of your most valuable assets. I believe in creating legacy, as long as its for the right reasons. Not just to fulfill your own ego. no matter who is a Junior, they still have a name and it still means something. J
Re: Using Craigslist SEO to Promote Your Website - Hi Trent, what is your definition of a link wheel and have you every had success with it? Jeff
Re: What or Who Sparks Your Business Interest - It's interesting to see what the different motivations are by Age Category. I've noticed this around me: 20 to 29yr olds: Motivator: Money 30 to 39yr olds: Motivator: Success/Ambition 40 to 49yr olds: Motivator: Family comes first 50 to 59yr olds: Motivator: Leaving a legacy i've only gone that far in my analysis. Of course this is a braid generalization but I find that it helps direct my marketing to individuals in different age brackets. The product/service can be the same but the Marketing message (Benefit Statement) to a 20 year will revolve around "Money" vs. a 30-something would be on their "Self Image"
Re: How important is your name? - Hey: A couple of thoughts, here. If your name became the business name and you named your kid the same thing, if the kid resented the career path, he or she could just change the nature of the business! Sell the farm, turn their back on Dad's legacy, and start a communications business with the proceeds (or vice-versa). Get the old guy rolling in his grave before his time. Ha! My Dad is not famous or successful. But he does have my name, almost. I am GT; he is GA. And to be truthful, that's exactly why you folks call me GT! I wanted my own identity, so many years ago I started using my middle initial along with my first name. Even so, a few years ago we STILL had a problem with our numbers in the telephone book. So I added "Senior" to his name in the book and "Junior" to mine, even though I feared my friends would start calling me Junior. They didn't, but what happened was, when people saw the Senior and the Junior in the book, they assumed the "Junior" was MY teenaged son (not) and that I was the Senior, so we still had mix-ups. lol I gave my son the same middle name as mine, but gave him his own unique first name. And even if my Internet Marketing business develops into a Fortune 500 company or some such thing, I know he will want nothing to do with it, legacy or not. Even if he did, I still value giving a kid his or her own unique identity. GT :-]


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

20 MORE Must-Have Search Engine Marketing Tools

Why Use an Advertising Agency

12 Principles to Spark Innovation

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.