Marketing to Make Connections

by Jackie Silseth  |  September 27th, 2012

When creating the strategy to promote your cause or business, it is easy to get caught up with gimmicks and wordplay. These seem like the parts of marketing that are the most fun,but they are also the parts that your target market will see once, giggle at your cleverness, and move on with their lives. Don’t get distracted! All that glitters is not gold.

The goal in marketing should be to grab your market’s attention enough to let them learn something about you – what you stand for, where your talents lie, what your company can do for them. Clever gimmicks are clever, but cleverness doesn’t bring in new business or supporters unless you’re in Private Investigation.

You need to get your markets to care about you, but how?

Make the focus of your marketing campaign your product or a reflection of company culture. Get people interested in who you are or what you do. Engage them in your product or service and get them involved in the passion you have behind what you do. If it’s the quality of your home remodeling or the innovation behind your motorcycle engine, showcase it. This seems pretty obvious, but time and again I see people caught up in catchy slogans and the need for a mascot.

As generations Y and Z come to be real economic players, businesses especially need to adapt to be able to hit these new markets. Gone are the days of “What” and “How” as outlined in one of Market Aces’ favorite TedTalks by Simon Sinek:

Combine the What, How, Why message with technology and there’s the recipe for success. There are so many different outlets for this kind of message as it relates to your company or organization. Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr, and blogging are the obvious choices to get digitally involved with supporters and customers.

Don’t forget what a lot of people don’t realize. The most important thing you can do is in your day-to-day business operations. At every opportunity, speak to others and engage with them about why you do what you do, and why anyone else should care.