What Can the Election Coverage Teach You About Marketing?
If you are a little bleary-eyed from non-stop election coverage the last couple of days, you are not alone. We have all been doing our fair share of watching the news these past couple of days in between work and family and life.
After innumerable hours of election coverage, we found ourselves having a bit of an ah-hah moment.
What if election coverage is actually a master class in marketing in 2020? Stay with us as we explain.
Video Marketing
While we value a well researched and written article, the truth is, most of us are probably mainlining MSNBC, CNN, FOX, or other outlets that rely on video. Video captures our attention and keeps our attention. It’s really that simple. If you are not currently using video marketing you need to drop everything and start doing it now. It doesn’t have to be professionally produced or choreographed. A smartphone and a topic are all you need.
Connect With The Customer
The video personalities look at the camera. They look at you. They invite you to go along with them on this election journey. They are warm and approachable. Go ahead. Ask a friend what coverage they followed. Ask them why they followed that outlet. You will find, it’s not just about the data they provide, but it’s about the network personalities. When the product is similar, the individual selling it matters. You are more likely to buy from a friend than a stranger.
Pull Back the Curtain
Shots of late-night vote-counting in Maricopa County, Arizona, and Atlanta are oddly fascinating. It’s a room of people. Sitting at tables. Opening ballots. Flattening ballots. There is really nothing interesting or riveting about that. But to a 2020 election viewer, it’s incredible to see the vote-counting for our own eyes. As a marketing tool, take your audience behind the scenes of your business. Making your pizza sauce might be a mundane and boring daily task. But your customers don’t do this every day. Take them behind the scenes and show them how you make your pizza sauce. You will deepen your connection to your audience and customers and they will feel like part of the process.
Different Voices
Election coverage involves different individuals and voices across the country. If you are selling a product across different areas, you need to build a team of voices. Different faces and voices keep your content interesting and fresh. Different voices will also attract different people. Not everyone is going to relate to the same person. Change and diversify your voices and you will broaden your audience.
Stay on Message
Election coverage jumps across the country from state to state, but in the end, they tie it all back to the 270 electoral votes to win. Tell the story of your different product lines, but always bring it back to your main call to action. Go to your website to buy the product. Call you to schedule a consultation. Bring your messaging back to your main call to action and to your ultimate business goals.
Keep Content Rolling
Have you watched every minute of the coverage? Probably not. We have tried and have had to sleep from time to time ourselves. Your audience is the same. None of your customers are engaging with your marketing all the time. They may see a quarter of your Facebook posts a month. They might have had a busy workday when your eblast was sent. Or they were in a meeting when you went live on Facebook. Simply because you have told them about your holiday promotion ten times, does not mean they saw it or heard it ten times. There is an old marketing adage called “The Rule of 7”. A prospect needs to hear or see your message during the purchasing cycle at least 7 times before they will take action. Digital marketing experts estimate Americans are exposed to around 4,000 – 10,000 ads each day. Just posting about your holiday promotion ten times will not get in front of your target customers anywhere close to 7 times. Introduce the public to your brand frequently to increase the likelihood of them seeing your content enough times to take action.
The next time you tune back into election coverage – take a closer look. What is it trying to teach you? How can you take those lessons back to your business? How are you engaging and connecting with your audience?
If you need help navigating the crowded and confusing world of business in 2021 – call us today for a consultation. We will help you develop and deliver focused messaging that will get your business noticed.
