Something most people who know me don’t know about me is that I love to go fishing. When I'm at the cottage, I enjoy the solitude, the time to think, the mixture of luck and skill plus the satisfaction of being smarter than a fish (sometimes). Fishing also teaches life lessons. It rewards patience, getting up early, imagination, and wearing a hat in the sun.
The key to a successful fishing trip (as measured by size of catch) is to fish where the fishes are. It’s the same for successful marketing (especially if you’re a smaller business without a well-established brand).
A big brand name is like a light shone into dark waters. It attracts fish which can then be caught. Those of us without the bright light of a well-known brand can’t count on our prospects coming to us so, instead, we need to go where they gather. That’s why many marketers like trade shows.
Web marketers and social media types talk about communities. If you can find out where your communities of interest hang out, then you can target your marketing efforts (gently) towards these places. This will deliver better marketing return on investment vs. a shotgun approach. It also gives you the chance to co-opt your audience to help promote your products.
Think about your bait when you go fishing this way (white papers, blog posts, video, webinars, etc.). You need to provide value to get the attention of your community, particularly if you are trying to get a prospect to take an action (eg. subscribe to a newsletter/blog, etc.).
You do have a call to action don’t you? This is the equivalent of setting the hook so you can reel them in over time (don’t reel too fast or play around too much otherwise you risk losing them).
Finally, ensure that there is a sales person or e-commerce capability around with a net to land your catch!
Happy fishing!
This article was published more than 1 year ago. Some information may no longer be current.