Those who know me, know music is a kind of a passion of mine. And attending concerts (sometimes more then one in a single week) is a regular occurrence. The best concerts are ones where the musicians and singers perform for, and TO, the audience. These performers know how to draw the audience in and in the end everyone has a great time.
In marketing we too have audiences and it is equally important to “sing” to our audience, target market, prospective client, groupie…or whatever we choose to call them. Now, most of the time in marketing we don’t have the chance to dance around on a stage with microphones, speakers, and flashing spot lights all while we have the undivided attention of our consumers.
So how do we sing to our audience?
The approach is a bit more subtle, but essentially we can accomplish the same thing: To draw them, have a great time, in and make them love you. Oh, and we kinda sorta want them to BUY our products or services, right? So here are a few ideas to make your marketing sing.
- Sing in tune. If you are singing out of tune, no matter how cool you are, they’re just not going to get it. Use some of their language. We’re all experts in our own industry and we know all there is to know about our products and services, but our audience usually doesn’t. Don’t use industry or trade terms unless you explain them or provide enough context to make it obvious.
- Get down off the stage. Sit your Rock Star butt down and be real. You know you’re the expert, but don’t be arrogant about it. Speak plainly and be helpful, friendly, and educational in your tone.
- Sing the whole song, not just the chorus. Tell the whole story, don’t assume your audience knows what you are talking about. Give them details, you never know what part of your message will hit a chord! It’s okay to give them the encore, they will learn from you and trust you as the expert.
What ever marketing strategy you are using make your performance count. Whether you are advertising in a publication, writing an email, creating a television spot, posting to your social media page, or doing your weekly blog on your website, keep these tips in mind and not only will your target audience respond positively, every one will enjoy. Then if you want you can do your happy dance you little rock star you.
There are lots of reasons why your business may not have marketing staff: you may not have 40 hours of marketing work to be done each week, you may not be able to afford salary and benefits for additional employees, or maybe you just don’t want those goofy marketing people dancing around the office everyday.
Neither is marketing. Alright, I wouldn’t begin to presume marketing is anything close to brain surgery, but the point is why would you do the marketing work yourself when you can work with a marketing expert?
Marketing isn’t about the latest, greatest, coolest, fanciest, funkiest, most award-winning…”campaign”. Yep, all those things are pretty good, but what’s most important is your business. Well, that and getting more of it.