What has this year been if not a cry to focus on what matters? In business and in life, 2020 has united the world in its wake. From current events to the global economy to health care to politics (don’t worry - I am not going to go there!), 2020 is challenging our preconceived notions about must-haves and nice-to-haves, worst-case scenarios and big, hairy, audacious goals. As we reconsider what we thought we couldn’t live without, navigate a social-distance, distance-learning, remote-contact, contactless-deliveries abnormal, find our center and rebalance around it, then plan for a better tomorrow -- in personal and professional environs alike -- we find the definition of who we are and what we do; the determination of what truly matters.
I am a marketer, a business leader, a mother, a wife, a daughter, a friend. Scrubbing the waste, removing the superfluous, silencing the noise, finding joy in the clutter -- discovering focus, meaning, passion, and balance. Making a difference. This is what matters -- in my life and in my work.
Not every schmo with a blog is a philosopher -- certainly, not I. But I am fortunate to lead a team that includes bright minds, enlightened spirits, emoji masters, and gifted marketing, technical, and growth experts -- people whose thoughts and opinions inspire me. Together, we have created a company whose vision and mission make things easier, improve lives, and create a world that we are proud to call home.
Today, we rename this worldly home and invite you to join us: nuestra casa es su casa (hielos y cerveza en el congelador). Welcome to MTR Marketing.
(MTR is pronounced ˈmætə(r), like “matter”)
Let’s get one thing straight off the bat: we don’t have all the answers. 🤷♀️
But often, we do ask the right questions -- and that intro- (and sometimes outro-) -spection often leads to making a real difference - to your message, to your audience, to your conversions, most importantly -- to your bottom line. We don’t do marketing for the sake of marketing. We don’t spend budgets frivolously because they exist. We abhor all things sleaze and scumbaggery.
MTR is about marketing that matters: the kind that creates emotion, delivers results, and does so with empathy, agility, and momentum.
Our mission is to cause an evolution in marketing: from persuasion to education. We work with clients who find value in that -- they have learned (or are willing to consider) this:
Persuasion is temporary, but sharing a meaningful message with the world enriches it ongoingly.
They know success will come from providing their insights, ideas, and solutions to the right people at the right time (not from persuading them to buy into something they may -- or may not -- need).
It’s our team.
And our methods.
Douglas MacArthur taught us that “rules are mostly made to be broken and are too often for the lazy to hide behind.” Our methods are not made to be broken, but they are created to be customized. Their premise is solid, but only once tweaked for your specific needs, will they generate MacArthuresque wins.
This is a conundrum I grappled with. With all the (mostly unwelcome) change that is impacting the world, why now? We have been successfully operating as InboundLabs for years -- with thousands of projects and hundreds of clients, why change our name? Why rock the boat in an already stormy sea?
From HubSpot’s COVID data, we know that the graph of deals created and deals closed (love, in marketing terms) in the time of COVID looks like the “flatten the curve” WHO graph of pandemic cases, inverted on the x-axis.
It takes a little imagination to see it -- but this is our forte: the everlasting marriage of creativity and data.
From multiple angles, we had to ask ourselves - does a name really matter?
The answer is a resounding NO.
The name is MTR, but the name in and of itself does not matter.
We could be called 123, or ABC, or Green Yellow Blue.
It also doesn’t matter that we can’t focus resources on a huge reveal, buy a SuperBowl ad (if the SuperBowl even happens), or perfectly cross every T and dot every I. It doesn’t even matter that this founding blog post isn’t as witty or insightful as I dreamt it would be.
What does matter is what MTR stands for: respect, simplicity, inclusivity, focus, education, empathy.
And holding all of that in, while the world is starving for it, so that we can wait for (nonexistent) perfect timing - that would be the sleaziest scumbaggery of all.
So, here we are: MTR Marketing.
How can we help you?