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Today is Independence Day! For many Americans, that means a day off from work, outdoor barbeques, and good summer fun. But before you fire up the grill, crack open an ice cold beer, and cozy up next to your loved ones to watch some fireworks, take a moment to honor our founding fathers for giving us the independence we still enjoy and rely on today (and coincidentally, for giving us a little marketing advice).
Here are some awesome quotes from our seven key founding fathers. Turns out they might have known a thing or two about inbound marketing.
Benjamin Franklin
"Either write something worth reading about or do something worth writing about."
Marketing Takeaway: This one is straight from our new ebook, "101 Awesome Marketing Quotes." What a great motivator for remarkable content! Creating great content is one of the key tenets of inbound marketing. When writing blog articles, ebooks, whitepapers -- or when creating any other type of content for that matter -- always make sure your target audience will find it valuable, share-worthy, and yes, remarkable.
John Adams
"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence."
Marketing Takeaway: It's true. You can't argue with data. Whenever possible, use facts, data, and statistics to back up your points. Something as simple as a chart or graph can add serious credibility to your content or marketing messages.
Alexander Hamilton
"Real firmness is good for anything; strut is good for nothing."
Marketing Takeaway: Be confident yet humble in your marketing initiatives. Be a thought leader in your industry by creating educational content that helps your prospects. If you do so in a way that exudes confidence, it will translate into credibility and trustworthiness to potential customers. Too much confidence, though, can backfire and result in you and your business coming across as arrogant. So be sure to stay humble.
John Jay
“I saw one excellency was within my reach. It was brevity, and I determined to obtain it.”
Marketing Takeaway: Keep your marketing messages concise and to the point. Brevity can be a marketer's friend. When creating content, it should only be as long as it needs to be. If it only takes you 200 words to say what you have to say, use just 200 words. That said, If it takes 2,000 words to say what you have to say, use 2,000. Just don't get sucked into the misconception that to be remarkable, it needs to be lengthy.
Thomas Jefferson
"Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing."
"Don't talk about what you have done or what you are going to do."
Marketing Takeaway: Adopt the GSD mentality we follow here at HubSpot. GET S(TUFF) DONE. In the modern marketing world of inbound marketing, marketers must constantly be doing. You must always be creating content and moving with the fast pace of the web. The time you take to plan and discuss the marketing programs you're going to implement would be much better spent actually implementing them. Furthermore, don't dwell on the success or failure of past initiatives. Take a few moments to analyze how they performed, learn what needs to be learned from them, and move on.
James Madison
"Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives. Philosophy is common sense with big words."
"The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty."
Marketing Takeaway: As marketers, we should constantly be learning about new marketing channels, developments and trends, and we should always be seeking new ways to stay ahead of the curve. Arm yourself with knowledge by staying up to date on current industry and marketing innovations. In addition, don't be afraid to share your knowledge with others. Using content as your vehicle, demonstrate that you're a knowledgeable source of information, and your prospects will begin to trust you and the products/services you offer. Maintaining a business blog is a great way to do this.
George Washington
“It is better to be alone than in bad company.”
“Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses.”
Marketing Takeaway: Don't be afraid to experiment and try new things in your marketing. Be innovative! Stand out from your competitors. If you try something and it fails, it's not the end of the world. Learn from it and march forth. Celebrate your marketing independence!
Now go ahead: take a bite of that juicy hot dog and a swig of that refreshing brew. Watch the fireworks with your friends. Just be sure to give a nod to our forefathers.
Photo Credit: Bob Jagendorf
Free eBook: 101 Awesome Marketing Quotes