Develop Messages Your Buyers Want to Hear

Companies with large budgets can't wait to spend the big bucks on slick TV advertisements. It's like commissioning artwork. TV ads make marketing people at larger companies feel good. But broadcast advertisements from the TV-industrial complex don't work so well anymore. When we had three networks and no cable it was different. In the Long Tail, YouTube, TiVo, blog, multi-channel, web, time shifted world, big bucks on TV ads are like commissioning your portrait to be painted in the nineteenth century: It might make you feel good, but did it bring any money in?

Instead of deploying huge budgets for dumbed down TV commercials that purport to speak to the masses (and therefore appeal to nobody), we need to think about the messages that our niche audiences want to hear. Why not build content specifically for your niche audiences and tell them a story about your product online that is created especially for them?

Instead of spending a million dollars on a huge direct mail campaign that virtually nobody will open, why not start a blog that shows the market that you understand what they are thinking? Or why not establish a Wiki that brings together the people in a neglected niche?

Once marketers and PR people tune their brains to think about niches, they begin to see opportunity for being more effective at delivering their organization's message.

Comments

[Brad Shorr]

Do you think it depends on the product? I'm thinking of beer. Everybody drinks it. Wouldn't a company like Budweiser need several hundred (thousand?) niche ads to reach its entire audience? On the other hand, for automobiles--your favorite industry--niche advertising is the only way to go.

[Michael Stelzner]

David - Is it about developing a message the audience wants to hear or one that will resonate with them? Sometimes solutions come around that solve problems people didn't even realize they had until they heard about it (the solution). For example, people don't want to hear about the amazing reach of blogs or podcasting, but they need to hear about so they can realize there is an alternative way to communicate with an audience. Your thoughts? - Mike

[David Meerman Scott]

Mike, I think in the B2B world, where white papers are used frequently, that the message must deal with a market problem that buyers already have.

Blogs are an answer to a buyers problem of needing better communications with audiences or better and easier search engine marketing.

I disagree that blogs solve a problem buyers didn't think they had. I think the oppisite - that blogs solve a problem buyers already had. Too many B2B web sites and brochures and white papers fail because marketers try to argue that buyers SHOULD have a problem when they DON'T. So the copy is long and boring and tries to argue that you have a problem when you don't. Nonsense.

Trust me, nobody NOBODY is reading white papers and web sites and brochures and press releases looking for problems that they didn't know they had. We're all way too busy. Instead the marketing & PR challenge is how do we write about our products so that we solve a buyers existing problems.

I didn't start my blog because I had a blog problem. I started it because I had a communications problem.

[Michael Stelzner]

Hi David;

I totally agree with you. It's all about solving problems and this is something I preach regularly.

I also agree that folks need to be able to resonate with what you are telling them (this your "want to hear point" is well taken).

Perhaps once you have their ear, it is a good time to tell them some things they did not even realize. Maybe some of the benefits of doing things differently that they never considered. This may be what they need to hear to take them to the point of acting to make that change.

Mike

[Arnold]

I agree with you, Brad, Budweiser doesnt need advertisement to make people drink it - it's a really good beer. However there are good products people are not aware of as they are new to the market. For example, some useful software to watch free TV online http://watchtvonlinefree.net/ or some good home appliances new in stores and even brand new burgers in fast food restaraunts - they all need advertisement imho.

[D]

My first association was McDonald's who spend billions of dollars on commercials and advertisements everywhere where it is possible. What I personally think they better improve the quality of food on these funds. In this case will have even more customers I believe. Thank you for sharing this article, there's a lot to think about here.
This is my web site if you are interested play vob

[youtube downloader]

that's right. maybe some prefer other kinds of media because older people still prefer tv?
it think online stuff is better. it helps people to find what they need without a rain of unnecessary information falling on them