Why 2015 Is the Year of the Elephant

In case you’ve been wondering: yes, I do like elephants, but no, they’re not my favorite animals. My mom brought up this question as we discussed a company name and a new logo a few months back.

“I always thought dolphins were your favorite animals,” she said.

“They are,” I said, “But Elephant Ear just makes sense to me. It sounds right. It sticks.”

“Huh,” she replied, with a slightly glazed look in her eyes. “Just make sure people don’t think you’re running a horticultural society.”

It’s true–I’ve committed a faux pas in the eyes of traditional business leaders by selecting a name that doesn’t explicitly speak to my capabilities. Without the “Social Community Building” tagline, there’s a good chance you may think I’m running a local plant nursery, an exotic animal protection charity, or even a knock-off of a well-known bar and restaurant chain. I could have selected a keyword-focused, location-based title that states outright exactly what I’m doing.

But I didn’t.

I chose a name that stands for a creature whose communication skills are particularly unique and powerful within the animal kingdom. It stands for all the things business leaders need to emulate in their own social media campaigns. It stands for all the things I’d like to emulate for friends and clients alike.

Thus, Elephant Ear has declared 2015 the “Year of the Elephant.” Here are just a few reasons why you should, too:

• Even the slightest nuance in elephant communication indicates a different message. Elephants have a sophisticated language made of a number of subtly differing vocal calls and gestures, including rumbles, trumpets, ear flaps and foot stomps. In the world of content and social media marketing, not all of your audience members will trickle in from the same source (or if they do, you should work on expanding your reach). That’s why it’s so important to understand the best forms of communication and outreach for each content channel. What earned you 10,000 views on Facebook may only gain 5 or 6 on LinkedIn.
• Elephants can communicate with others in their groups from miles away. Most of the vocal communication elephants use lies outside of human hearing. Some of their infrasonic rumbles and growls that reach below 20 Hz are so powerful that they can travel unhindered through forest and jungle for miles. Similarly, social media marketers have the ability to reach out to a targeted audience miles away from their hometowns. When you truly tap into a company’s goals and and core messages, you can open new opportunities across the globe.
• Elephants form close-knit family bonds that can last a lifetime. social media campaign can attract fans for life. By nourishing and cultivating your audience through quality content and real human-to-human interaction, you have the opportunity–and the responsibility–to build a loyal, dedicated fanbase.
• Elephants have acute senses of hearing. Those big ears weren’t just put there to help Dumbo fly. Elephants are known for their particularly sharp senses of hearing, using their large ears to filter in sound waves from their surroundings. Every digital marketer knows that listening is one of the most powerful, yet most overlooked tools at their disposal. Elephant Ear is dedicated to putting an ear to the social ground, so to speak, staying on top of current trends, customer responses, and client goals for their ultimate success.

When you choose to establish a business of your own, make it something that truly speaks to who you are as an entrepreneur and as a person. Make it something you’re proud to represent through thick and thin. And, though mother usually knows best, make it a decision all your own.

Are you ready to make 2015 the Year of the Elephant? Learn more by giving us a call at (321) 537-2649 today.