Risks of the Groundswell Approach

In today’s digital age, it would be silly to ignore the groundswell, even if your organization is business-to-business or a not-for-profit. That said, there are some risks for each of the groundswell tactics that you need to consider as you embark on integrating some or all of them into the marketing round’s arsenal.

Brand Monitoring

Cynics will tell you it’s not necessary to listen to the groundswell, that what the marketing round creates through products, services, and messages is what the customer is going to get.

Earlier in this chapter, you learned part of brand monitoring and listening is to develop a thick skin. You may not like what the groundswell has to say. You’re going to hear things you never considered or don’t want to hear. You’re going to get defensive. You’re going to mumble, “They just don’t get it.”