Small is Beautiful and the Scalable Brand

Sitting on my bookshelf is an old paperback copy of Small is Beautiful, by E.F. Schumacher, a vestige of a long ago economics class that certainly entertained many points of view (wasn't that why we were there?). The political economics of it aside, it left an impression on me as a budding marketer - that the additive effects of small, purposeful things done really well, and in an integrated and focused way, could in effect move a market. Isn't that what social media is all about when done well, and Twitter specifically?

Now before I delve into yet another take on social media, let's start with something more important - a strategic vision for your brand and what's your claim to leadership. At Bullhorn, it is - the On Demand, Integrated Front Office Leader for the Staffing and Recruiting Industry. Yes, it is high techish in tone, but it was a clearly differentiated claim, and better yet it put all the other competitors on the defensive. As the rallying point for a full scale assault on the market, it created the beachhead for all of the "small" tactics that additively moved the market - top ranked SEO rankings; the weekly press releases that focused on company momentum, innovation and building an industry around Bullhorn; the email campaigns that spearheaded thought leadership through innovative content; a community-based Web site targeted at an industry that behaves like a community (staffing and recruiting); and of course the social media buzz factor.

It worked, and the brand scaled. The market felt secure in following other members of their community who chose Bullhorn, and competitors couldn't counteract the claims because it was based on high growth, association with big staffing and recruiting brands and a feeling that the whole industry was moving toward Bullhorn. Our biggest problem was making the right opportunity cost decision on what tactic we should deploy at any point in time.

It was a nice problem to have, made all the more sweeter by fast growth and forcing competitors to play catch up. So no matter how scalable your brand becomes, don't lose sight of the fact that small really is beautiful.