It’s amazing what kids can teach you. Even about marketing.
While at my annual family reunion this year, I found myself watching my niece, nephews, and own kids catch minnows. At first, someone was holding the net, trying in vain to catch minnows while the others watched from the dock. In all the attempts, only a few minnows were caught and then put into a large bucket of water. It didn’t take long for the others to jump off the dock into the shallow water and start talking about ways to catch more. Someone suggested they herd the minnows towards the net. So a group of kids created a half circle about 10 feet from the person holding the net which was placed in the water on the sandy bottom. As the kids slowly moved toward the net, the minnows began to swim in the direction of the net. As soon as the fish were over the net, the person holding the net quickly raised it. In no time at all, the bucket had a couple dozen minnows swimming in it. Pure genius!
Watching the kids catch minnows together started me thinking about the parallels to marketing. How working alone can generate results but working together can significantly multiply success.
The minnows represent our target market – all those decision makers we want to reach. Working with a limited marketing strategy to reach them is like the lone child with the net, trying in earnest to catch minnows as a team of one. It takes a lot of time and will net results, but the process is slow and tedious. Diversifying our marketing strategies with our target market allows us to reach a larger number of people. This, in turn, drastically affects our bottom line in a positive way – just like the teamwork did when herding the minnows.
Keep it targeted.