Marketing is a funny thing. There’s a bygone era that the 1950’s Mad Men typified which made mass marketing an art form. It worked great back then. Today it not the same. We’re immersed in messages from every angle. Brands are on everything and I dare say that you can find 10 logos or advertising messages without leaving your chair.
Here’s the point. In a world full of ads, when you only get seconds of someone’s attention, you need to be persistent.
Pretend you’ve been given a $100 credit to be used for a small ad in a series of professional magazines for $10/month per group. You can chose from Accountants, Dentists, Construction Mangers, Carpet Cleaners and Fish Tank Salespeople.
Do you put an ad in each groups’ magazine for two months, or do you advertise for ten months for just one group?
The latter option. Don’t blunt your message. Trying to be everything to everyone is the best way to be meaningless. Pick a group, target them effectively, speaking their language and addressing their concerns. Research has shown it’ll take 6-8 impressions before they remember you even a little bit.
This extends to personal marketing too – past clients, friends and business associates still need to be reminded you exist. It’s better to spend money with people you already know before you start spending a lot on trying to convince people you don’t even know yet.
