The business we share online doesn’t stay online. It reaches out to the world beyond the four corners of the screen. It is a business with and for the community.
Online marketing campaigns do not necessarily remain in the virtual world. The people we are sharing them to — the community we foster with the ideas we have — thrive in the same physical world we live.
How does your business reach out to your target community? Are you seeing the influence that you have over them?
A Trip Beyond Imagination
There is this very inspiring video called The Field Trip to Mars. Take some time to live it out with us and imagine what it would be like if all the good ideas we share online are lived out in the physical world.
The creative heads behind the story did away with goggles and headsets, and enabled a group of kids to experience a virtual reality together.
Lockheed Martin is known to be a leading defense contractor around the world. And they wanted to inspire people — especially the next generation of leaders — to go beyond the bounds of their imagination and make things real.
Having gathered hundreds, if not thousands, of praises from different groups and cultures, they sure did. They opened people’s eyes, their minds, to see what could become.
They themselves created technology that the world never had before. Lockheed Martin stepped out of the space bubble of imagination to ignite that torch of creativity, that spark of life.
Possibilities as Products
Ambition is no longer new to business owners. Without first seeing what could be achieved, without first having the desire to become a success, there would have been no Lockheed Martin, no Slapshot Studio, no business ever done.
It almost always starts with that hopeful seed of desire.
“Creating abundance [is] not about creating a life of luxury for everybody on this planet; it’s about creating a life of possibility.” -Peter Diamandis
While it is true that having a business allows us to generate more income, we can think about the influence we have because of our business. Our businesses empower us to do a lot of things. It opens us to opportunities that allow us to actually make a difference.
Diamandis was on point regarding the notion of abundance. When you think about business in general, it is not about creating a life of extravagance and comfort. It is about making things possible for people.
Toothpaste, for example, makes it possible for people to have clean mouth and fresh breath. A simple pair of boots enables people to protect their feet from mud and dirt. Cars make it possible for us to travel to distant places in no time.
And websites enable anyone brave enough to surf the tides of time and trends to create remarkable brand experiences for others in their niche.
The point is…
Businesses create possibilities, and there is a wide range of them that exists.
What with all the things we say and advertise that “Hey, check out this pair of shoes! They are nice for you!” or “Hey there, check out this eBook that I’ve written from my years of experience! You too can learn from it!”
Rather than simply sharing these “valuable” things to the world online, perhaps what we need is a way of actually reaching out to the community we have.
What possibilities do you have for your target community?
Communities to Consider
When we think about the next generation that Lockheed Martin aimed to inspire, we can’t help but recall those entrepreneurs and leaders who have provided possibilities at such a young age.
For one we remember Braeden Hogan who at the age of twelve already travelled to Yiwu, China for his private label business. We also remember Mihir Garimella who at the age of seventeen invented a drone that can locate trapped individuals.
They are changing the world one step at a time. And the prime age for success appears to be getting younger and younger.
Where could the members of your target community possibly come from? Here are three areas where you might find them:
1. Nonprofit Organizations
Nonprofits have different causes that may align with your mission. You can consider partnering with them or at least visiting them and allow them to experience your business.
If you are in the legal field, for example, you can work with organizations that visit rural communities. With them, you can help educate others about major legal concerns.
2. Schools
Schools are full of rich, young minds. Who knows? Your business can help inspire that next generation of web developers or entrepeneurs.
Often we find how many young people tend to become confused with the career they want to pursue. Many content themselves with following what their friends do because they don’t know what they want for their own.
Kids will always be kids, and they can definitely enjoy the time of their lives as kids. But they will come to a point when they enter the world of adulthood.
The thing is…
At such an early age, business owners can help them achieve possibilities. If we continue to foster a mindset of passivity among the youth, we can only expect to have passive leaders and followers as well.
3. Intimate Circle of Friends
The people you hang out with — people with whom you share your tears and laughter — are also people on whom you can make a difference.
Each person or business has something unique to offer. We at Slapshot Studio, for example, can craft remarkable brand experiences and websites. And, we partner with ambitious leaders to make things possible for others.
On your end, you also have a circle of friends who just might be waiting on you to reach out to them and tell them about the possibility that they too can have.
Making a Difference with Your Business
The members of your target community can just be anywhere, including in circles you may have never thought are related to what you are promoting. You can reach out to them in ways that you can. The word of the mouth can go on a long way.
In the end, aren’t we doing business to help provide a sustainable future for everyone? Or, are we just thriving to create something that only we can benefit and not really something that others can also benefit from?
Other Articles You Might Like from Our Website:
- 5 Key Lessons on Storytelling for Brand Marketers
- Creativity in This Day and Age
- Artificial Intelligence — Examples and the Future It Presents
Slapshot Studio is a collective of storytellers, strategists, and designers from around the world. We partner with ambitious leaders to grow remarkable brands and websites that foster community and ignite the imagination.
We’re also on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. Let us know what you think about A Business With and For the Community. We would love to hear from you!
