How many ads have you seen today? No seriously, take a second and try to think of how many you’ve seen.
You might immediately think of the annoying commercials that pop up in the middle of Facebook videos just when your clip was getting to the good part, or the glossy ads in the magazines in your doctor’s office waiting room.
So, how many do you think? 20? 50? 100?
We’d bet that you’ve seen way more than that. We’d guess that you’ve seen well over 5,000 ads a day. No, we’re not being dramatic. Those are the stats.
Think you can list them all? Probably not. Not only because it would feel like a short eternity writing out 5,000 ads, but because you tune them out. Don’t worry, we all tune ads out all day long. It’s how we stay sane.
You’re probably sitting there right now thinking “Great guys. Why bother with marketing? How do I even reach my audience? Are people just going to tune me out too?”
Well…yes and no.
RELATIONSHIPS > SALES
We’re not saying that ads are a terrible, horrible waste of money. In fact, when they’re done right, they can be quite effective. What we are saying though, is don’t just get a couple of ads and call it a day.
It’s great if people are exposed to your brand, even if it’s brief. But if you want to convert casual observers to customers, you need to start building relationships.
If you’ve talked to us before, you’ve definitely heard of us emphasize the importance of building relationships. You might have also heard us use the phrase “sell without selling.” You see “selling” focuses on the product. It’s what you’re doing when you’re focused on getting a particular item off your shelves and into a customers’ hands sometimes using a lot of hype or even pressure to make the sale. It’s not inherently bad, but it doesn’t always leave people feeling warm and fuzzy inside.
When you focus on selling, your goal is to make a sale. When you focus on building a relationship, your goal is to cultivate happy, repeat customers.
What’s the big deal, though? You focused on selling, you made a sale and you have money in your pocket. The goal is to make money, right?
Well, yes, you do have to make money to keep your business running, but now you have to go back out and focus on another sale, and another. You’re chipping away at a block and frankly, working a bit harder than you have to.
The alternative is building relationships. Educating your audience about your products. Telling them the story behind your company, your beverages, why you choose to sell the things that you do, and what makes them different or better than any alternatives.
This engages your audience. It piques their interest and gets them invested in your brand. That’s how you start building your community.
FOCUS ON YOUR COMMUNITY
When we say “community” we’re talking about the people who keep coming back. You know, the ones who tell all of their friends about your business and drag them along for tastings. They rave about you on social media, write reviews, check in on Facebook, and Instastory your pints.
People trust other people more than they trust what a business says about itself. So when you have a group of people talking about how awesome your business is, you’re golden.
We’re not saying that they’re going to do all your work for you, but they will make your work a lot easier. Keep cultivating your community and your community will continue to grow, and spread the word.
WE HAVE A LOT MORE TO SAY
Seriously. A lot more to say. Like an entire textbook worth. We’ve seen companies effectively pull this off, and we’ve seen some that try really hard, but fall short.
If you want to stand out from the “noise” of all of the thousands of ads people see every day, and work on building a relationship with your customers, we want to help you. Send us an email, and we’ll talk.