I was a little reluctant to write this post. But, given the all-pervasive season of the affable Elephant God (Ganesha), I could not stop myself.
As a boy, I grew up fascinated by Indian mythology. I continue to be. Rajaji’s books – Ramayana and Mahabharata – are usually around. I must have read the Epics countless times, both in Hindi and English. Lord Ganesha’s stories were no different.
I am sharing three stories from Ganesha’s life to highlight key inbound marketing behavior traits.
Take a Stand
clearly remember, it was an Amar Chitra Katha comic that introduced me to the unreal creation of Ganesha. To guard her privacy, Goddess Parvati took turmeric paste from her body and breathed life into it, creating her loyal son. Lord Shiva (technically Ganesha’s father) is not amused when refused entry into his own house. A battle ensues between the little boy and Lord Shiva’s army. Eventually, a furious Shiva beheads Ganesha with his trident. (Here, you can read the entire fascinating story how Ganesha is brought back to life with an elephant head)As an inbound marketer, on many occasions – strategy, campaigns and results – your approach will be tested against conventional marketing channels and business-as-usual consumer tactics. It is vital to take the tough stand, like Lord Ganesha – without resources, without credence and without encouragement. But, without losing focus from the goal. You may not pay with your life, but it might create sticky situations.
Smart and Sensitive
Lord Ganesha has a younger brother, Kartikeya. On an occasion, both of them compete to circumambulate the Earth three times. Kartikeya is fitter than Ganesha and has a peacock, as his mount, compared to Ganesha, who has a mouse. Kartikeya literally goes around the globe three times. On the other hand, Lord Ganesha quickly circumambulates his parents three times and with folded hands prays to them, ‘You mean the World to me’.Being smart and sensitive, is an invaluable inbound marketing behavior trait to develop. The marketing world is full of templates that worked and didn’t. At times, ignore them. It is fundamental to look at situations both from an absolute and relative perspective. Not all that has to be done needs to be done. Then there are constraints (budget and brief) and unexpected results (campaign failures) to be accepted with utmost humility.
Understanding and Presence of Mind
It took Veda Vyasa and Lord Ganesha three years non-stop to write The Mahabharata. While Veda Vyasa narrated it, Lord Ganesha played the scribe, on Vyasa’s prayer. Lord Ganesha took the assignment on a condition that he would write only if Vyasa would recite non-stop. Else, he will stop too. Not to be outdone, Vyasa put a condition that Lord Ganesha would write, only after he understood the recited verse. During the act, Lord Ganesha’s quill broke. Without stopping, he broke one of his tusks, continued writing and completed the assignment.
Understanding the business problem is fundamental to executing successful inbound marketing campaigns. It is impossible to make progress without sound understanding.
That said, not everything will be understandable, and enough at that time. It will need ‘presence of mind’, a key inbound marketing behavior, to address understanding gaps and fill them with intelligent assumptions, instead of a tusk.
Do you have a Ganesha story to tell?
