MARKETING
The Three Key Principles to Attract the Audience you Want (and Repel the Rest)
Attracting an audience is easier said than done, but these 3 key marketing principles will help you enhance your market by narrowing it to a group that will actually listen to what you have to say — and get rid of the ones who won’t.
If you’ve read enough Medium articles about marketing and business management, you are likely familiar with the basic philosophy: build your audience and stay in front of them with interesting messages and offers so that:
(a) When they need your services or products, you are top of mind.
(b) They eventually become a client or customer.
At 30,000 feet looking down, this philosophy feels clear and makes perfect sense. Like looking at a map, getting from Point A to Point B looks clear and straightforward — except that once you get on your way at ground level, it’s a different story.
Those roads are anything but clear and straight. Twists and turns are everywhere. Traffic jams, roadblocks, vague signs, mixed messages, and myriad other complexities that you didn’t anticipate.
To make it simpler, I want to look into one of the first steps you can take to implement your ideas into your business.
The first step is to ATTRACT. That means using both online and offline content marketing strategy to get in front of prospects so they know you and your services/products exist. Examples of tools or tactics you would use to attract prospects are direct mail (postcards and sales letters), print ads in publications, social media posts and ads, blogs and articles, emails, podcasts, and interviews, or other speaking events.
The 3 following key principles are ideas that you can implement into your marketing so that when you hit the ground running, you’ll feel better equipped to navigate the twists and turns and unexpected complexities.
Principle 1: Be consistent and repetitious.
Don’t assume people will remember you after they see your ad or post or article. Humans have a very limited capacity to retain and recall information. They won’t remember you, even with a super-awesome-wow ad or offer. They remember the super-awesome-wow aspect of it, but not enough to take the next step. So be consistent — even repetitious — about showing up where ever your market is hanging out.
Principle 2: Have a personality.
This principle is also known as “Don’t Be Boring. I know it’s human nature to be polite and nice and “fit in” with the crowd. But the very act of attracting people is, at its core, tied to being unique in some way. For example, one way you attract people is by how you look and how you speak.
The same applies to your marketing and advertising. Give your message personality and beauty and uniqueness. Or you can go to the other extreme and make it ugly and brash. The idea is to be different and stand out in a way that attracts your ideal market and repels the rest.
Principle 3: Have thick skin.
The more you put yourself out there, the more criticism you might face. You have to be OK with that. Be OK with people unsubscribing, not responding, or outright criticizing you. Be OK with your marketing efforts failing and having to go back to the drawing board.
Those three little words at the end of Principle 2 are powerful. Most people don’t like the idea o repelling others. But you’re not most people. Your product, your services, and the style in which you deliver them will not be a good fit for everyone who comes knocking. It’s fine to cast a big net, but you should still know who your ideal client is.
These principles for attracting your ideal clients aren’t the only principles for success in your marketing, nor are they necessarily the top principles. They are, however, powerful principles that could make the difference between a “meh” or “marvelous” result for you and your business.
