Marketing has, and always will be, like a unicorn. No one can ever tell you exactly what that unicorn looks like; some get an incredible glimpse and describe what they saw, others just muddle on and imagine a horse in a hat. There is no such thing as the perfect marketing campaign.
But Coca Cola and John Lewis and McDonalds – they’re all doing great, aren’t they? Well, they’re going a great job. But they still aren’t seeing the whole unicorn. And why? Because no matter what industry you’re in, no matter what product or service you sell, you are selling to humans. And no two humans are ever feeling or thinking or behaving the same. No one will ever see the full unicorn because human behaviour is ever evolving. As Scott Abel said: ‘Content: there is no easy button’. So, what now? Good marketing is all about sending the right message to the right people, at the right time. Analytics and insights play a major part in helping us to get this right as marketers, but above all, we need to understand our target audience fundamentally. Who they are, what makes them tick, what they do out of work, do they have pets? It may seem crazy, but understanding every nuance is key. The audience persona will forever be the key to getting closer to the unicorn. Without understanding what your target market’s pain points and desires are, how will you ever offer something they need? To get there, we need to go right back to basics. Look at the blueprint of what it is that you do, what you sell, how you add value. What problem is it that you solve for your would-be customer, and why should they come to you over a competitor doing something similar? These are your core messages and the titbits that will enable you to open that dialogue. For example, Peachy Digital is a marketing agency. Who cares, right? Peachy Digital believes in marketing ‘without the fuzz’. We don’t use big words, we offer you candid advice, clear strategic vision and help you get the right messages to the right people, at the right time. Oh, and we’re really human and approachable – no power suits. That second paragraph sounded much better, right? The second paragraph gave you an insight into who we are, how we can help, and made it clear that we aren’t going to storm in wearing suits and tell you to buck up your ideas. Many people think that’s what marketing and PR agencies do, and it’s not what they want. And that’s how our target audience feels. So, know your audience. The closer you get, the more of that sneaky little unicorn you get to see. And the more of the unicorn you see, the more successful your marketing campaigns will be. Get to grips with your audience and in time, you could be saddling up that marketing unicorn and flying off into the sunset.
