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5 facts you should know about polar bears if you are in business



Sunday 27th February is #InternationalPolarBearDay and how we all love this magnificent creature. The polar bear is the king of its territory, perfectly evolved to thrive in extreme environments yet master of adapting to a changing landscape. Sound familiar? In many ways, we could be describing a successful business or even a newly launched business that is doing everything right when it comes to marketing.


Below are some interesting facts, courtesy of www.mentalfloss.com about the polar bear which provides some interesting takeaways if you are in business:


#1 They are higher up the food chain than humans


Yes really. Polar bears don’t have any natural predators.


Where do you see your business sitting in the food chain? Do you overlook marketing because you don’t see the benefit of promoting your business? Never think you are the only one doing what you do. You need to keep telling your story and raising your brand profile.

Competitors are all around and will be hunting the food source. Unless you are a polar bear!


#2 They can be picky eaters


Polar bears hunt the same food source most of the time: fat-rich catches such as seals. But when food is scarce, they will look at other ways of feeding themselves. You may have seen recent footage of a polar bear in Svalbard, hunting down a reindeer. Needs must!


Do you look at alternative ways of feeding your business? Have you created a watertight business strategy (at least for the next 12 months), that encompasses alternative markets and target audiences? No? Well, maybe it is time you do. Businesses that think creatively about their marketing and their markets are more likely to get through the ‘lean’ periods but also grow and scale more effectively.


#3 Polar bears spend a lot of time fasting


Female polar bears now spend up to 280 days a year fasting because of the decrease in food sources due to climate change. These females will have smaller, often weaker cubs which in turn will cause a decrease in the polar bear population.


Every business has periods of fasting. But do it for too long or in the key areas and it will impact your bottom line. Ask yourself, ‘has marketing been affected?’

Are you a business that produced a website as a tick in the box activity and has now left it to ‘hibernate’? Out of date, badly written or content with little relevance to your business offering and your brand identity will certainly not help to ‘fatten up’ your business. It’s time to cut down the fasting on your marketing and come out of hibernation!



#4 Polar bears are great swimmers


Polar bears are regularly tracked by wildlife experts and have been known to swim over 400 miles in a 9-day stretch! As the ice melts, they need to swim further to reach land and move across their hunting grounds. They are certainly adaptable.


How adaptable is your business? Are you having to work even harder to reach potential clients? Do you have a clear marketing strategy? No? Well, you should.

Social media content, website blogs, thought leadership articles, email marketing, stories; consider every single one of them as part of your marketing. You must swim harder to keep up and keep your business out there. Be adaptable and try different things. See what works for your business, just don’t stop swimming!


#5 Polar bears are hard to track


Scientists use many different methods to track individual polar bears as they travel hundreds of miles across the ice. They may be huge, but they are not that easy to find when you want to see one.


Don’t let your business be a polar bear. Be easy to find. Your potential clients won’t be as patient as scientists! Make sure your online content is consistent, your website is easy to read and navigate, and your brand voice is recognisable. Patience is not always something your target audience will have in bucket loads. If they can’t find your business to fulfil a need or solve their problem, they will find another one, probably that of your competitor.


We are all fascinated by polar bears and the stories surrounding them. Wouldn’t it be great if people were interested in your story too? A good marketing strategy will focus on telling your story in as many ways as possible and people will want to follow you, know more about you and eventually buy from you. Be larger than life as a polar bear, pique the interest of many, just don’t hibernate or stray too far from your all-important brand and story.


If you want help with your marketing strategy, content or storytelling then get in touch.





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