The Long Haul

The Long Haul.

The Purpose of Your Strategic Marketing is Always, Always, Always to be Known, Liked and Trusted Before You are Needed.   I just stole that, well borrowed it from Tim Miles because he is so on target with that statement that I want you to hear it from me too.

Before I share my side of this, here’s how I discovered that bit of wisdom. Years ago, I found Tim and his company as one of Roy Williams Wizard of Ads Partners and was impressed with what he and his staff share regarding marketing and life.  I get his free weekly email and have his Good Company book.  Here’s a link to get it all too and the email that contained the Tim quote. (Go to the top of that page and follow the directions.)

So why is it important to be Known, Liked, and Trusted Before You Are Needed?

As human beings, we are creatures of habit.  We develop preferences for things we like and those things are what we tend to do as long as we are able to.

Take breakfast for example.

I am a breakfast eater.  My body requires that I eat something within about an hour of getting up in the morning. By the way, I use the word requires, in reference to myself. I know lots of folks who say they can’t eat breakfast.  But play along with me and we’ll skip the pros and cons of what meals to eat or skip.

Between 350 and 360 days each year, I wake up in my own bed and follow a routine that involves eating something and drinking something for breakfast.  I either have something at home or pick something up on my way to my first meeting.  50 times each year, I have a weekly meeting that includes a breakfast buffet.

But those other 300 days, I limit my selection to what I am familiar with.

I know how to prepare, find or buy breakfast. I don’t have to Google it or watch a YouTube video on how to eat in the morning.  I don’t have to ask my Facebook friends or well, you see where I am going, right?

Regarding breakfast, I have a Top Of Mind Awareness of not just what’s available, but what I, Scott Howard, know, like and trust to fuel my morning.

You do too.  It’s the way we as humans are wired.

But what about something we don’t do everyday?  How do we learn about those things?

I recall the first time I had sushi.  I was adventurous and my wife and I just ordered something.  It wasn’t a good experience.  A couple years later, my daughter Rachael offered to take me out and teach me how to enjoy sushi.

Because I know, like and trust my daughter Rachael, I took her up on her offer and because she knows, and likes me, she introduced me to sushi style food that she trusted I would like.

It worked.  I now know what kinds of sushi I like and I’ve even had it for breakfast once.

How does this apply to your business marketing and advertising?

There are times when everyone of us will need to spend money on something that we have not spent money on before.  It could be a furnace repair, maybe buying your first house.  Tires or car repair.  The first time we spend money on anything new, we are looking for a business or product that we can trust.  We want to like the people we are dealing with and if we have some knowledge of them, they are more likely to be on the short list of who we consider to spend our money with.

As I tell my advertising partners, unless you sell Christmas trees and nothing else, you better be building Top Of Mind Awareness every month, year round.  There is always someone who wants what you have to sell if you invite them to spend money with you when they are ready to buy.

Most of the advertising partners I work with are not retailers.  That’s by choice and design.  I get to choose who I work with. And I get to choose who I don’t want to work with.  I want to work with business people who understand what I just said and want to learn how to create long term success.  That’s why I write, blog, podcast and work for the long term too.

I don’t care if you eat sushi or breakfast, but I do care that you want to do what’s right for your customers.  Do you have what it takes to be one of my long term advertising partners with WOWO Radio or any of the additional online marketing options I have?  Reach out to me and let’s find out.