News Flash: Your prospects don’t want to be marketed to anymore.
Picture marketing as a battle for consumers’ attention. Well, the public is now thoroughly shell shocked.
Mass marketing techniques of the last fifty years have been based on interruption. You’re watching a sports broadcast and a beer commercial interrupts the game. You’re having dinner with your family and a telemarketing call interrupts the meal. You’re reading an article in your favorite magazine and a two-page spread advertisement interrupts an article. And for a while it worked. We welcomed the interruption as long as it informed or entertained us. Problem is there’s too much going on in our lives for us to enjoy being interrupted anymore.
Mass marketing has one requirement for it to be effective. The interruptions it so heavily relies on must be limited in number. Otherwise the public begins to tune them out altogether. This year, the average consumer will see or hear 1 million marketing messages - that’s almost 3,000 per day. No human being can pay attention to 3,000 messages every day.
The mass marketing model is broken. So marketing needs to adapt and find a way to break through this clutter and resonate with an audience. Rather than interrupt the audience, marketing needs to interact with it in meaningful ways. This model is called permission-based marketing. The challenge today is to find ways for your target market to “raise their hands” and volunteer their attention. They have to agree to learn more about your company’s products and services.
You get an audience to volunteer its attention by providing something of value beyond just your product or service. This can be as simple an email campaign that uses a sweepstakes or grand prize to keep people engaged while they learn about your offering. Or you could hire a guest speaker and offer a morning economic seminar on the outlook for your customers’ industry free to everyone that responds to your ad. In each case the prospect will opt into your marketing and be more receptive to its message.
What can you offer to entice prospects and clients to raise their hands and volunteer their attention? Could you generate an industry report that has the type of insider information everyone wishes they could get their hands on? How about an industry expert that will share information with your target market if they sign-up for a lunch and learn event? Take the time to figure out what your clients need beyond your product or service. Then provide that thing by allowing people to opt into the system to receive it.
LiveWire Marketing, a Denver marketing firm, works with large corporations, smaller companies and everything in between. Founded 11 years ago, this team of senior-level talent continues to drive results for its clients. LiveWire has successfully completed a diverse set of projects including brand development, name creation, marketing strategy, social media initiatives and integrated marketing campaigns. To learn what LiveWire Marketing can do for you call 303.221.1912 or email info@LiveWireMktg.com. LiveWire Marketing, a leader in Denver advertising.