One CMO or founder’s marketing tool and success could be your money pit. Amplifying your story is tricky, so when we hear about a tactic that worked for a colleague, we’re quick to try it ourselves. But then something goes wrong. How does a marketing tactic work so well for one, but not for you? Believe it or not, there’s a pattern.
During a workshop I led for The Nashville Entrepreneur Center, attendees were naming potential networks and groups they trusted. I teach people to utilize trusted networks to amplify their message through trust channels—the people and networks surrounding individuals that inform them of their world. But a funny moment happened .
Two people immediately disagreed on a particular network they might trust: HOAs. This subtle whiff of conflict was the best real-time lesson I could have hoped for.
When asking these founders what groups they trusted, one person responded, “my HOA” quickly followed by another individual from the other side of the room shouting, “anyone not my HOA!”
Everyone had a good chuckle, followed by some low-level murmuring. But it was proof that one the network one person trusts, is toxic to another.
Consider the same exact marketing tactic aimed at homeowners in HOAs if these folks were targeted in different neighborhoods.
The HOA-Lover:
- Brand X Window and Siding wants to reach out to homeowners in particular neighborhoods.
- Brand X reaches out via HOAs with a great discount opportunity!
- HOA-Lover receives the mailer.
- HOA-Lover has high-trust in his HOA, therefore he reaches out to schedule a meeting.
- Brand X gets a new customer. HOA-Lover is happy!
- HOA-Lover tells his neighbors. They sign up too!
- Brand X got multiple customers for low-cost.
The HOA-Hater:
- Brand Y Window and Siding wants to reach out to homeowners in particular neighborhoods.
- Brand Y reaches out via HOAs with a great discount opportunity!
- HOA-Hater receives the mailer.
- HOA-Hater hates his HOA. He assumes they must be getting kickbacks and tells his other neighbors to watch out.
- Brand Y never hears back and can’t figure out why the entire neighborhood won’t talk to them.
- Brand Y wasted time and energy and saw zero benefit. And they have no idea why.
Audience feelings will make/break your marketing
Even though the tactic was the exact same, both brand CMOs may not understand why one of them was successful and the other failed. The discrepancy, as much as you may hate hearing this, was their feelings—or to be more specific, their values.
It’s a common mistake. Founders and CMOs often assume demographics define behavior, when in reality values do. “What we value determines what we do” David Allison when I interviewed him years ago on my show. He’s the global-leading expert on people’s value systems.
Copying someone else’s marketing playbook is a good starting point; it’s wasteful to reinvent the wheel. That being said, it’s important to take a step back and ask who their audience was. Failure to understand the networks and groups people trust, means your marketing efforts could not only be wasteful, but may actually work against you.
Understanding your audience isn’t as difficult and costly as you may believe.
How to understand your audience
It’s easy to overcomplicate the process of getting to know your audience. You may wonder where to buy the best data or what web analytics tools to utilize? Perhaps, you’ll ask an AI assistant to build extensive audience profiles. Stop.
Don’t overcomplicate it. This is your complexity bias at work.
The most effective method to understand your audience happens to be the simplest. Go ask them!
If you already have customers, ask your top customers for a moment of their time. If you don’t have customers presently, go find ideal customers and offer to buy them dinner or a virtual coffee in exchange for information. It’s important they know you won’t be selling to them, and this is strictly informational. In some cases it might even be necessary to offer to pay their hourly rate. Their time is valuable—respect it up front.
For customers where trust is established it may be an easier ask. In-person is preferred, but Zoom or Google Meet can work too. In your conversation ask about what sources they trust for information. Think big!
You can ask what news sites they use, what social media platforms they enjoy, favorite magazine subscriptions, podcasts they listen to, what alumni groups they belong to and what conferences they have attended in the past. These are just the tip of the iceberg however. I have a full Google Sheet with 52 questions you can ask to discover what channels your audience trust.
So, what are you looking for when you speak to your customers and audience?
How to listen to your audience
When asking your audience what networks and groups they turn to for information — their trust channels — the first conversation may leave you confused and frustrated. But after the first two or three, you’ll notice a pattern begin to develop. You’ll start telling yourself “oh wait… I’ve hear that before.”
The more people representing your ideal audience you speak with, the more you’ll understand the networks, groups, clubs, magazines, social media sites, news sites, websites, alumni groups, or social circles they trust.
There is no “hack,” or tactic that works for everyone. The best “hack” is always to intimately understand your customer and know them better than they know themselves.
