A common mistake that business owners make relative to their marketing is assuming that their customers think and behave in the same way they do. Even worse is the belief that as a business owner, you can coax people into changing their behavior to fit your needs. It’s not to say you can’t create a business that attracts like minded people. In fact if that is your intent, you may in fact be very successful with this approach. Still you should not assume that your customers will want something or act a certain way just because you do.
Just because you don’t see the value in using Vine or Facebook to communicate does not mean your customers aren’t using these tools. Just because you still have a flip phone does not mean that smart phones don’t matter. Just because you like laptop computers does not mean that people are not using iPads. Just because you watch certain television shows, listen to specific radio stations, or read the paper, does not means that those you serve do too. You may love talk radio, college football, coupons, Pandora, loyalty cards, email marketing, podcasts, social networks, organic food, country music, Kanye, golf, cooking shows, online forums, flash animation, comic sans, do it yourself projects, shopping, or any number of other things, but that does not mean your customers do.
Before you invest time and money in that next marketing campaign take a time out to check your assumptions. Are you hoping that the people you want to attract will think and act like you or are you using information, creativity, and knowledge to give people value or communicate with them in a manner that they want or through the channels they use? If your investment in marketing communications is based on the assumption that everyone else is just like you than it’s time to rethink your approach.
If you are not willing to change, what makes you think your customers and prospects will be?
