MARKETING EXPOSED

A friend of mine recently had an emergency need for a plumber.  She was fairly new in her town so she grabbed for the old yellow pages.  And found 11 pages of choices facing her!

For the heck of it I just now did a Google search of my own hometown: plumbers charlottesville.  I was 8 pages in and then started finding even more options in the nearby towns!  Wow.

This is what is meant by the term “economy of parity”.  As a consumer, in most categories we have a dizzying array of choices.  If we happen to be navigating through an unfamiliar category, or in an unfamiliar place, it can be overwhelming just trying to narrow it down to a few options. 

And if you’re one of those plumbers amidst 11 pages of phone listings or 8 pages of Google listings how in the hell do you jump out and grab my attention?

Well, this is the role of marketing.  In the vast majority of situations when faced with making a choice I need to, at the very least, know of you before I’ll ever begin to consider you.  The first primary job of marketing in the traditional mass media – like broadcasting or print – is to help you become known; to establish an identity.  And to continually reinforce that identity.

The next big level in marketing is to establish value and differentiation.  And this is where it really gets tricky.  And what’s truly important.

The traditional mass media grants you access to a lot of people so that you can distinguish your business from all of the other choices.  IF you go about using that media correctly – which is to consistently communicate a very specific message that clearly tells me what’s in it for me!

But what about all the new rage of social media marketing?  It’s a lot cheaper than traditional modes of advertising, right? So perhaps you have an inclination to start jumping into Twitter or Facebook or doing YouTube videos.  That would be a good move.

But it’s important to understand why you shouldn’t just dive in this new water while leaving the traditional mass media watching from the dock.  Even some really well known big online businesses recognize the importance and effectiveness of using traditional media, something just noted in a recent AdWeek article.

Social media gives you some very effective ways to become hyper-connected to people within your marketplace.  People who could become customers or just be effective at talking about and/or recommending you within their social network.   But it’s not a replacement for mass marketing, just an important next step. 

Getting me in a position to want to do business with you is really a three-level process: being known, then being liked, and then being trusted.  Social media – like Twitter – is a personalized opportunity to advance through those stages, something noted by business writer Chuck Smith. 

But mass media can also help advance this process.

The bottom line is understanding how to most effectively utilize both mass and social media.  Which so often means going against your ingrained beliefs about advertising messages: 

1) It’s not about you… How long you’ve been in business… Or how much you want to brag about your “service” or “prices”.  It’s ALL about your customer…  Your prospects…  And how can you be of service!   Focus on ways you can help people, not on what you want to sell to them.  That’s how you connect and build value and trust.

2) Nothing happens overnight. You must embrace long-term commitment in both traditional media and social media.  Becoming known, liked, and trusted takes time.  And it doesn’t happen if all you do is try to speed up the process by yelling about your prices and service.  Recognize and understand the time investment required up front so you can be prepared and patient for the long term ROI. 

Are you ready and willing to be bold and different?  Do you want success?

- Steve

Photo credit (toilet): cncphotos

Photo credit (Zappos): cd.harrison