(Photo by Ann Powell Groner)
Let’s say you’re about to sell a new eco-fabulous product. It saves 50% energy, lasts 25% longer, and is made by Fairtrade workers. Who are you going to target your marketing message to: the people who say they’re ecologically aware (“green”) or to people who aren’t?
If you’re targeting your “green” prospects, you’d share all the details of your “eco-fabulosity”. These people “get it” – they understand the key ecologically-friendly points. These people would care about the details, and compare these details with products they are already considering. They would feel good about buying a better choice. You wouldn’t have to educate them to your green-related differentiators – these people are already educated. They are your choir.
If instead you’re marketing to people who either aren’t ecologically aware or don’t care, your message would need to be different. You could spend you message educating them first why they should care about the “green” benefits and then explain why your product is the right choice. Or, you could simply show why your product is the better choice, with an ecological secondary benefit.
The problem is that there’s likely a smaller group of people who “get” your message (the choir). Your new product would simply compete in a small segment, and you’d fight for market share. Your marketing message would be easier to figure out – you’d share your company’s values and show how they align with your customers’.
If you want to grow your business, you’re better off focusing on a niche of people who are under-served and then showing how your product solves their needs better than anything else. The problem is these people might not care about your company’s values, your ecological footprint, etc. They only care about how well your product takes care of them.
Sometimes we forget that by taking the easy road of marketing to the choir, we’re actually hurting our company’s long-term success. Instead of assuming that everyone likes our product for what it stands for, we’re better off focusing on things that matter to our prospective customers.