How do you make connections? This may sound like a rhetorical question at the off-set, but when it comes to serving a target market that gets lumped together as a distant demographic, how do people find ways to reach out and connect?
We’ve been thinking about this for a while. After all, if marketers can’t find ways to connect with their target markets in earnest, how do they adapt to change and changing interests within their demographics? We’ve thought about this for a while. Really, it’s what we do. And we’ve narrowed our thoughts down to two basics: Listening & Perspective.
Listening
Speak your audience’s story. And it begins with listening, because the best way to connect with people you’re trying to reach? Get them to tell their stories. If there’s anything that the PSA’s related to cancer survivors have taught us, it’s that people want to share their stories, their journeys and their path to empowerment. We know that people need to be heard. And we can’t provide services for them before we’ve provided an open space for their voices. The underlying detail here is transparency of and commitment to company ethics and values. If your mission statement or vision include positive growth and corporate responsibility, establish a platform that communicates those values through action.
Perspective
What would happen if all Lance Armstrong tried to do was win a race? Granted, it’s one of the most brutal tests of strength and conviction, but still. Winning the Tour de France requires a lot more than physical training.
What it really boils down to is this: Don’t sell a product or a service. Sell an Attitude. What makes brands like Nike or Axe or even Harley Davidson for that matter wildly successful? They’re not selling shoes, cologne or motorcycles. They’re trying to communicate edginess, sensuality and freedom, the core values that move their demographics. Think about it. You’d be hard-pressed to find too many Harley-Davidson owners sitting behind white picket fences.
