Marketers play a key role in the growth of a business. From attracting and retaining customers to building brand authority and reputation, marketing campaigns are crucial for every stage of a business.
But implementing marketing campaigns on different platforms isn’t an easy task. You have to ensure that every campaign strikes a chord with the target audience and yields the desired return on investment (ROI). Also, you need to monitor the campaign’s performance on different channels and tweak it whenever necessary.
The emergence of new communication channels and the constant shift in consumer preferences make it even more difficult to execute high-performing campaigns. Of course, you can turn to renowned marketing leaders and advertising experts for inspiration.
But if you’re looking for an alternate perspective, you can learn a few lessons from the life of Refael (aka Rafi) Edry, an eminent business leader from Israel. Born and raised in Safed, Refael Edry owns and operates several flourishing businesses in Africa and Israel with his younger brother, Eyal Edry and Moshe Edree.
Here are a few lessons that every marketer should learn from Refael Edry:
Stay Resilient
The world recognizes Refael Edry for his professional accomplishments. But what most people don’t realize is that his success didn’t come easy. He was barely adjusting to adulthood when he had to start working. His family was facing economic hardships, and his father’s earnings weren’t enough to make ends meet.
But despite life’s countless setbacks, Refael Edry didn’t give up on his dreams. He focused on the larger picture and worked hard until he could launch his own company. And whenever he felt dejected or defeated, he drew inspiration from the life of his courageous freedom-fighter uncle whose name he shares.
Refael Edry z|l (the uncle) was a brave war hero who fought for Israel’s independence and was martyred at the young age of 24. Despite being short-lived, his journey has become an inspiration for younger generations in Safed. Refael Edry (the nephew) continues to look up to his uncle for his determination to deal with life’s adversity.
As a marketer, you’ll come across numerous unprecedented challenges while developing and implementing a campaign. Worse still, some campaigns won’t deliver the desired results despite meticulous planning and execution.
Like Refael Edry, you should avoid letting these setbacks dampen your spirit. Instead, treat them as temporary obstacles that you can overcome through more determination and hard work. Instead of fearing failure, learn from every strategy that doesn’t work and make sure you don’t repeat those mistakes in future campaigns.
Empathize With Your Audience
As a world-renowned business leader, Refael Edry can let his professional achievements and success define him. But he refuses to do that when thousands of children and youngsters in Israel’s periphery continue to suffer due to a lack of resources and opportunities.
His own experience of dealing with financial struggles as a child and young adult has helped him empathize with these underprivileged children. And that’s what prompted philanthropist Refael Edry to start the Ahinoam Association for the Promotion of Equal Opportunities with his younger brothers.
The non-profit organization runs a mentoring program to help at-risk youth in Israel’s periphery find their footing in society. Also, the organization offers financial assistance to students from underprivileged backgrounds and runs various development projects to improve the peripheral infrastructure.
Understanding the plight of children and youth in the Israeli periphery has helped Refael Edry design programs that address their unique pain points. It’s the same kind of empathy that every marketer needs to ensure that their campaigns resonate with the target audience.
Identifying your audience’s likes and dislikes isn’t enough. You must put yourself in their shoes to understand their ambitions and aspirations. Also, you must have a clear idea of the challenges they face and the things that throw them off.
Empathizing with your target audience will help you create campaigns that hit the right chord with them and compel them to take the desired action. That, in turn, will improve campaign performance and maximize ROI.
Focus on the Bigger Picture
One of the most successful initiatives Refael Edry launched was a fundraising campaign in 2020. The campaign collected donations from the public and helped provide computers to thousands of underprivileged students in Israel.
In the absence of the timely intervention by Refael Edry, these students would’ve had no way to attend online classes. They’d have to quit schooling and give up on their dream of building a better future. That, in turn, could disintegrate Israel’s social fabric in the future.
Refael Edry could foresee the long-term repercussions of his initiative and, therefore, left no stone unturned to make it a success. As a marketer, you must develop that kind of foresight to preempt problems and focus on the overarching picture.
Monitor campaign performance daily to understand how minor tweaks will affect the results in the long run. Also, make sure every campaign works in tandem with other aspects, such as sales and customer service, to contribute to overall business growth and success.
Final Thoughts
The modern marketing landscape is volatile and ever-evolving. If you want to make it big in today’s marketing ecosystem, you need to seek inspiration from Refael Edry’s empathy, foresight, and resilience. Developing these qualities will help you implement campaigns that keep up with shifting consumer choices and turbulent economic conditions.