Social media is becoming a “wow” strategy and blogs a good tactic to meet some client’s needs. In addition to connecting us to a variety of communities that offer various topics, ideas, and potential friendships, its best advantages to us and our clients, I think, are the sharing opportunities. We can get feedback on almost any idea or any topic. We can ask questions. And we can answer them.
These communities create a marketplace of sharing in marketing, public relations, advertising, creative, technology, and client challenges, to name a few. And that is a great upside.
The sharing might also have a downside, if when we participate through comments, trackbacks and follow-up on our blogs or here at the Daily Fix, we don’t ask ourselves several questions and then answer them before we speak. It’s the old cliché: Put your mind in gear before running your mouth.
A recent post on CK’s Blog raised this issue in my mind. You can read the post yourself, but briefly CK was sharing a friend’s video, which is part of a marketing effort.
I was intrigued by the post and the discussion and wanted to participate. My practice before commenting usually includes reading the post, reviewing the video if it has one, and checking out the original site of the source for our discussion. Why? Because I want to think like the intended audience before commenting.
When we comment from our professional point of view, the comment might be valuable in terms of the creative… but it also might not be. Let’s face it: We’re in the thick of the forest and our long view is somewhat obscured by the trees. In most of our professions, our ultimate purpose isn’t to see out, it is to get customers to see in and then to come and join us.
We want them to see the value of our products and services (the forest) and to join us in the experience. We want them to purchase the goods and to have a great customer experience. But before we can create sticky messages (book club plug), we need to get into the minds and hearts of those customers. That is why I make every effort to think like a customer before I participate. (Sometimes I fail because my passion and personal beliefs take over, and then I find myself in trouble and having said something that is both right and wrong.)
What do you do to understand your audience before and during your marketing projects (or whatever professional projects you are involved in where the end result is selling a product or a service)? Or do you do anything to see through customers eyes and heart? Do you agree this is a first step? Do you approach this differently? Is this a first step or does it fall somewhere else in our priorities?
Share. Look Smart. Because you are smart or your wouldn’t be where you are right now: here at the Daily Fix.
Tags: Advertising, answers, CK's Blog, Creative_process, customers, experiences, Lewis_Green, marketing_message, public_relations, questions, Sales
Lewis – Great insights and questions. It is, as you say, difficult to get the long view when our path is interrupted by our biases.
My favorite methods are interviewing or simply talking to the target audience (usually existing customers), and gain an understanding for their passions. If possible, I’ll also participate in the same activities they do, with them, to try and understand not only the loves, but also the challenges they face in the endeavors that are relevant to the project.
We use these methods as well as more quantitative tools to create personas, which becomes part of the documentation that guides us.
First of all, thanks for the book club plug (points for you!). And second, thanks for hitting on “share.” At my blog and in the upcoming eBook my chapter focuses on “The Share Economy” and how contribution is the cost-of-entry.
You ask, “What do you do to understand your audience before and during your marketing projects?”
There are several ways to “test” an idea, including reaching out to the target audience or, in the case of b2b, discussing the idea on the blog (even generally). But for some ‘naming’ projects where the audience are consumers–or even B2B– and we want to ensure it’s not confusing, hits the right notes, or choose between concepts? I have several times, to good effect, taken it to the street (usually in high-traffic areas like Grand Central or Times Square/Midtown)!
I just politely stop people and say “can I ask you a question?” This way I get first-hand reaction and I’m amazed how polite people are to me (proving NYers are nice, after all!). One of my friends was in great turmoil over which logo to go with…I told her to get herself outside and stop 20 people that were in business attire and ask them.
She was able to confirm that in fact a logo was too confusing and it took her all of 15 minutes and she confirmed that idea B was better than idea A because it was far more easily read. She was like, “why didn’t I think of it”? Sometimes NYC is just one big (unbiased) focus group waiting out there for you…all you gotta do is ask (nicely).
Cam and CK,
Great comments and thank you for the fabulous ideas. Both of you touch on the personal (talking live with people). I love that! You guys are very smart.
Thanks…it just seems common sense, actually. All these people right in front of me…why wonder if something make sense when I can just walk up to them and ask–or blog about it and, again, ask. Amazing what people will teach you (if you let them).