We’ve all heard of love at first sight and of couples that are perfectly matched—just waiting to find each other. It may happen on occasion, but generally speaking, it doesn’t happen that quickly. In fact, it usually doesn’t “just happen" at all.
Unfortunately, too many businesses take that “love-at-first-site” route with the way they approach their marketing efforts. They try something to reach their potential customers (sometimes spending a lot of time and money) and then hope that lightning will strike in the form of a sale.
If you’re responsible for marketing and work as a lighting representative, electrical distributor, electrical contractor, lighting designer, or even AV professional, you know that just doesn’t work. It takes multiple “touches” to reach the right people and get them to respond. Depending on the marketing experts you ask, it can take between 6 and 12 contacts before you’ll even get a response.
There is, however, more to the story. For your marketing to succeed, it’s not just about how many times to touch someone with your message: It’s also making sure you’re talking to the right people, and that you have the right message for them. A general message—or general information about pricing and specifications—isn’t going to get you where you want to go.
How do you shape your message (and target your marketing efforts) for the audience you want to reach? How do you find out who they are and what kind of information they need from you? You have to ask the right questions when you talk to them. Then you need to format the results of your research in an interesting and compelling way. You also need to build your messages and your marketing around your personas (the characteristics that define your ideal client).
You can’t just look at the size of your potential client, how much they spend, or where they’re located. You have to find out what kind of problems, issues, and challenges they face. Then you need to offer them information that will help them meet those challenges.
If you’re looking for help in doing this, download our FREE Buyer Persona Template. You’ll still have to gather the information from your prospective clients, but this template will be a big help in organizing and making sense out of what you discover.
Or you can try the business version of speed dating and make cold calls, and send out mailings and emails to people who may or may not be a perfect match—and hope that you get lucky!
