The Online Marketing Newsletter
for Independent Professionals
from Action
Plan Marketing
and Robert Middleton
-
Marketing is a TV Drama -
How
can you know what your clients really want? Look at
TV!
In
a moment not very typical for me, I found myself
reading Entertainment Magazine this weekend.
What
got my attention were the TV ratings for the top
shows over the past year. What people are
watching is quite revealing of what we value in our
society. I grabbed my calculator and did this brief
analysis:
In
any given week in the U.S., people watch 393
million hours of the 27 top rated shows. And
the shows they watch break down more or less like
this:
Crime
Dramas - 162.7 MM (CSI, Law & Order,
etc.)
Medical
Dramas - 44.2 MM (ER, House,
etc.)
Other
Dramas - 79 MM (Las Vegas, Desperate
Housewives, etc)
Comedy
- 39.9 MM (Three Good Men, My Name is Earl,
etc.)
Reality
- 18.3 (Survivor)
Sports
- 16.1 MM (Monday Night Football)
Feel
Good - 15.6 MM (Extreme Makeover: Home
Edition)
News
- 15 MM (60 Minutes)
As
you can see, Crime Drama takes the prize by a hefty
margin. But if you add it to the other dramas
you get a whopping 285.9 million hours of TV or
73.8% of the total TV watched (for the top
shows).
That's
huge.
And
I think it means something. Why are dramas so
compelling? Let's look at what most TV dramas have
in common.
First
of all, there's the good guys and the bad
guys. Someone is wrong and the good guys are
trying to make it right. You feel sympathetic to
the heros. There's a certain amount of pain and
suffering (murder, cancer, back-stabbing). And
you can always expect some conflict, mystery and
suspense in the process.
And,
of course, it's all resolved in under an
hour.
This
is what grabs the attention of a good part of the
American public (and probably the rest of the
world) for 285.9 million hours every week.
What
can this teach you about marketing your
business?
Marketing
your business is really just telling a story.
And if you add drama to your story, you make it a
whole lot more interesting. More people will tune
in. Your ratings will go up. And yes, the sponsors
(clients) will pay you more.
Let
me give you the an outline of the
script:
Your
story starts with the pain
You
get immediate attention by focusing on real
issues. Talk about what's not working and
how much it hurts (and costs) your clients.
They'll want to know how it can be made right,
and they'll stick around for the rest of the
story.
Point
the finger at someone outside
It's
not their fault that things aren't working.
This happens to everyone. The good news is that
there is a way out of this mess. They'll stay
glued to the set to find out what.
Add
some back-story for credibility
Talk
about your characters (your clients and you)
and how they worked together. Relate how you
helped them out of a bad fix and came out
smelling like a rose. They're on your side
now.
Promise
an Ultimate Outcome
Your
prospects want resolution. They want things
to work out for everyone. What can you deliver
that will give them what they need? Spell it out
for them with results-oriented language. Prove
it with compelling stories.
Show
how it all works
Pull
back the curtain and reveal the hidden workings
of your services. Don't tell it all and
don't give too much detail. But fascinate them
with the possibilities of applying your solution
to their situation.
Invite
them to find out more
Leave
them a little on the edge, curious about how
you can make a difference. Don't push. Pull them
by offering previews of the next episode where
you'll meet to explore the possibilities.
*
The
More Clients Bottom Line:
Add
some drama to your marketing - your conversations,
your letters, your articles, your web site, your
presentations. It's what prospects are looking for.
So for goodness sake, give them what they
want!
*
TeleClass
Expert Series - "Creating Your Ultimate
Outcome"
A
key component of your marketing drama is your
"Ultimate Outcome." This is the prime factor in
people wanting your service. It's what motivates
prospects to find out more and is the key to them
saying "Yes" to your services.
This
90 minute TeleClass on January 30th is the first in
our new monthly "TeleClass Expert Series" which
delivers a very specific high-leverage marketing
strategy via TeleClass that you can apply
immediately to your business.
For
the price of an inexpensive business lunch, you'll
get proven techniques, ideas, resources, and
how-to action plans that will help you attract more
clients.
For
complete details and to reserve your space in
"Creating Your Ultimate Outcome," just click on the
link below.
http://www.actionplan.com/expertseries.html
Remember
to visit the new More Clients
Blog...
...and
comment on the ideas in this week's
issue.
http://www.actionplan.blogs.com
Until
next week, all the best,
Robert
Middleton
ACTION
PLAN MARKETING
Helping Independent Professionals Attract More
Clients
www.actionplan.com
210
Riverside Drive
Boulder Creek, CA 95006
831-338-7790
Contact
by email
©
2006 Robert Middleton, All rights reserved. You
are free to use material from the More Clients
eZine in whole or in part, as long as you include
complete attribution, including live web site link.
Please also notify me where the material will
appear. The attribution should read:
"By
Robert Middleton of Action Plan Marketing. Please
visit Robert's web site at http://www.actionplan.com
for additional marketing articles and resources on
marketing for professional service
businesses."
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