There’s a nice deck high up in the trees at our condo in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. It’s absolutely gorgeous with the trees starting to turn colors all around.
When we checked in, that beauty came with a warning: “Don’t put food on the deck as the squirrels will find their way in for more.”
I thought about that a bit:
- What would you do if the squirrels did get in?
- How would you get them out?
Then the light bulb went off. You’d treat it just like any marketing challenge and people would likely take 1 of 3 approaches:
- “Watch and Wait” — Toss some food around outside (akin to building a website or social media profiles) and sit and wait, hoping the squirrels would notice and come.
- “Give ‘Em What They Crave” — Strategically lay down a trail of the squirrels’ favorite nuts (or, in business terms, relevant and quality content), spaced perfectly apart to give them time to savor, yet want more, as they follow the trail you create and get the results they want
- “Firehose or Fumigate” — Destroy the condo (business) while beating up the squirrels to the point that they run from you and tell all the others to stay far away.
Many business owners take 1 of these 3 approaches with their ideal clients.
The only approach which makes sense, both common and financial, is #2 “Give ‘Em What They Crave” as it’s the only approach which creates a Win/Win for all parties involved.
Look at your business. Which approach are you taking with your ideal audience?
How could you improve your marketing and business practices to consistently “Give ‘Em What They Crave”?