Last week, my wife and I attended a concert by TransSiberian Orchestra of their CD Beethoven’s Last Night. Besides the incredible theatrics and pyrotechnics, the music was phenomenal. But what really got me think was, “What would Beethoven think if he heard his music performed today by a rock band?” I would have to think he would be amazed as well as pleased to hear how it has survived for 200 years.
That started me thinking about how the online marketing channels have changed and evolved. Our marketing message is the same, developing customer trust and brand recognition. But the presentation and the delivery of the message has changed. Old school thinking is to have an elaborate presentation (tv commercial, print advertisement or radio spot) and blast your message out. Today, interruption marketing (traditional advertising) is not nearly as effective as permission marketing using social media. Why should your prospect trust your ad, when within a matter of minutes, they can have dozens of friend recommendations for what you offer.
To bring this back to my TSO concert experience, would I be writing this article had it been a traditional chamber orchestra performing the same music. Not likely. Not because the message of the music was any less extraordinary. The difference is in the delivery of the message. Being an old rock and roller, I associate with driving beat of the drums and bass guitar, the roller coaster of emotions from the melody and the soul piercing vocal performance. There’s a good chance I would have slept through a chamber orchestra.
Know your audience and choose the message and channel that’s right for them. In old school marketing, advertisers didn’t run tv commercials for laundry detergent on ESPN. Their audience isn’t tuned in to that channel. If you audience is B2C (business to consumer), LinkedIn may not be the place to connect with them. On the other hand, if your target audience is executives and CEO’s, Facebook may be a waste of your time. While it seems like a no brainer to be where your audience/customer/clients are, oftentimes, business owners get caught up in the hype about a specific social media channel, then wonder why it didn’t produce any results.
Target your message to the channel your audience is on. If you do it well, you will be a rock star in your industry and the standing ovation you get will be the ringing of your cash register.
Gary Wagnon is the owner of 800biz Ninja Marketing Strategies and the Ninja Marketing Dojo, a program designed to help businesses master all aspects of online marketing. The goal of the Ninja Marketing Dojo is to improve search engine rankings, increase web site traffic and convert more browsers into buyers.