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A couple of fishermen are hanging out in their local bait shop. One has a new product idea for out-of-town visitors.
Sell a lake map and fishing lure combo. Take specific fishing lures and tape them to the different lakes on the map. This way the out-of-towner will know the proper bait to use at each particular lake, and will lead to a more successful fishing experience.
If you're at Watermans Reservoir and want to catch a Northern Pike, you need a spinner lure. At Worden's Pond after Jackfish? Use a fish-imitation lure or cut bait.*
Here comes the business segue...
We marketers and business owners become frustrated and don't understand why the money we spent... on fishing poles and worms to catch Orange Roughy at the lake... hasn't paid off.
If we did our homework, we would have known (a) orange roughy are a salt water fish, and (b) you get them with deep nets, not a fishin' pole.
It is easy to miss your audience by not using the right venue (lake) or the right message (lure).
Here's an example. I worked with a client who own a spa. Her customers include: - women looking to be pampered,
- women looking for stress/muscle ache relief,
- men looking for pain relief (often sports related), and
- men looking to buy gifts certificates.
A first approach would be to target the women and men differently. That's smart. But if you look deeper, you also realize that "woman wanting pampering" isn't necessarily the same person as "stressed woman." And "sporty man" has different habits than "gift-giving guy."
They each have a different motivation for purchase - therefore will respond to a different message. They each have different lifestyles, and the vehicle/venue to reach each will differ.
The more time you spend defining the who, what, where, when, how, and why the better your outreach / communication / advertising strategy.
Don't simply "fish where the fist are." Fish for the right fish, with the right bait, in the right waters.
*That scene takes place in the comedy, Best In Show. However, the fishing advice is mine, not from the movie.
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Comments
Next week I'll get more specific regarding: who, what, where, when, how and why.
Paul
Posted by: Paul (from Idea Sandbox) | 11.06.09
Good analogy, Paul. I wonder why more small and medium-sized companies and nonprofits aren't using this approach.
"What am I saying?," she says as she slaps her forehead. "That's why I'm in in business!" :)
Posted by: Elaine Fogel | 11.06.09
No, Elaine... it is true.
It is basic stuff... but quickly forgotten.
We get hung up on a killer tactic and then find a way to make it fit a strategy (vs. the other way around).
Or, you had a great result with that magazine ad... and so you blow all your budget on more ads.
I've borrowed a tactic used by novel writers... I work with clients to create character profiles of their customers. Novel writers will create extensive character profiles, biographies. This gives them a snapshot and backstory of how a character in the story behaves and reacts.
Using research, what you know about customers, and their behaviors you can build similar profiles. (You can make some assumptions - but the more facts the better).
When I worked at Starbucks in NYC, there was a pitch by our agency to do billboard and morning radio ads - just like the rest of the U.S. was doing. But in NYC, people aren't driving listening to the radio for their morning commute - they're taking the subway and using their iPods. We opted for transit (bus, train, subway) ads instead of radio.
So the NYC Starbucks character/customer is much different than the one in St. Louis.
Thanks - as always - for your comments, Elaine!
Posted by: Paul (from Idea Sandbox) | 11.06.09
We all learned in school that intense research is the key to a successful marketing campaign. I often wonder why it's still so elusive in our industry. In order successfully market, you have to know the people you're talking to inside and out. There are no two ways around it. Thanks for the analogy, Paul!
Tessa Carroll
www.blogs.vbpoutsourcing.com
Posted by: Tessa Carroll | 11.10.09
Paul, I know it's true. Sad, isn't it?
Tessa, you are so right. Do you think it's because of pressure from the top?
Posted by: Elaine Fogel | 11.10.09
Really like the closing statement. Fish where the fish are is such an overused term.
Posted by: Mike P | 11.13.09