We’d like to interrupt the noise in your head to inform you that you are not your audience.
The concept is simple, and yet very smart people forget to remove their heads from their navels (or worse places) to look around and consider what their audience might look like.
Being in this business, I’m often engaged in casual conversations with people about marketing. Sitting pond-side on a vacation recently, a talented expressive-arts therapy instructor wanted to discuss names for her business.
It was hard to maintain a professional demeanor when she told me the name she was considering was Cosmic Spiral. Granted, when you research its meaning, Cosmic Spiral is a compelling term that has existed in a gazillion cultures for a gazillion years.
But, if you didn’t know that, the name Cosmic Spiral would mean just one thing; “You are a crazy woo-woo fanatic and your business is way too ‘out there’ for me.”
My first question to her was, “well, do you want to attract people just like you?” She is a woman I respect, and I’ve participated in her programs. But I consider myself a pretty mainstream gal. Start talking cosmic spirals and I’m running for the door.
This is an extreme example of a rather common problem. People don’t get out of their own heads to consider who their audiences may be and what they need to hear and see to feel like they are part of the message.
In Saturday’s The Globe and Mail there was a fascinating article about Ontario Parks’ move to reach out to Ontario’s newcomers with culturally relevant information and workshops on the joys of camping. A 22% drop in camping participation lead Ontario Parks to undertake focus groups and, voila, Ontario Parks identifies a huge potential audience that has been alienated by their current marketing.
Every year between 2002 and 2007 an average of over 126,000 newcomers arrived in Ontario and no one was helping them get excited about camping. I find that pretty amazing. But then again not surprising.
On the flip side, two Toronto based businesses have taken a proactive approach to audiences by thinking beyond demographics (age, gender, income, education), and instead thinking about communities of interest–specifically about people who use bikes to get around.
Biking as a form of transportation is on the rise. What do urban bikers look like? A little gut-work will tell you they are a socially engaged, values-minded, educated bunch who tend to be independent thinkers.
It then makes perfect sense that two values based independently-minded businesses that wanted to stand out decided to talk to bikers. Dufflet, a high end dessert company, ran Tour De Dufflet throughout the month of June in celebration of Bike Month. Participants who biked to all 3 Dufflet cafes in one day received a souvenir water bottle, refreshments and other goodies.
Type Books has also forged a connection between their indie book stores and indie culture inherent in biking. Type has partnered with Bike Sauce, a new DIY bike repair space and community hub. Bike Sauce wanted to offer cyclists a resource library on all things bike related. They approached Type, who did all of the digging to find the most relevant books, and sold them to Bike Sauce at a discount.
Instead of seeing yourself as the audience, or thinking in terms of demographics, consider what communities of interest could engage in what your business has to offer.
- Who besides you, and people like you, cares about what you’re doing?
- What unique features do you have that could be important to others (quick= moms, escapist=professionals, etc.)
- Where do those people go for information? How should you speak to them?
- Who can you partner with to create meaningful linkages that don’t already exist?
Most importantly, avoid the cosmic spiral. It may be ancient. It may be beautiful. But man, it’s a long, strange trip.
