Think Small
February 7th, 2008
So would you rather spend a large amount of money on a generalized message and cast a wide net to get in front of as many eyeballs as possible, or concentrate your efforts in a laser-focused message to a very specific group of people?
When you cast a wide net, there are pros and cons. One of the pros is that, yes, you are getting in front of a lot of people. The biggest con, though, is that you’re getting in front of a whole bunch of people that have also been exposed to 3,000 other ads that day. That probably could care less about you one way or the other. And that generalized message si just that – vanilla.
When you focus your efforts on say, a small group of people that love you, or that belong to a very specific demographic or community and speak directly to them (or even better – invite them to have a conversation instead of doing all the talking), you now have something to work with that isn’t a complete shot in the dark. You’re able to start to form a relationship that isn’t based on the surfacy façade that people are so weary of. And now it’s not just about the product or service. It’s now about how that product or service fits into your customer’s lives. In other words, it’s not about you. It never was. So get over it.
As Papa Seth has said many a-time before, “Small is the new big” It is the small groups of people that have started the revolutions. It is the small companies that become the industry disruptors. And finding your small group to speak to could be the biggest thing you’ve ever done.
Other posts by Spike.
Christian says:
I wonder if this is because in many (larger) organizations, people can’t identify that small group of people they should talk to. And then if you don’t identify that group correctly, you risk wasting 100% of your resources talking to the wrong people.
I’m not saying that speaking to small groups is wrong. I’m just saying it’s understandably safer to cast the wide net if you don’t know who the opinion leaders are. Spike, any thoughts on how to ID those opinion leaders?
February 7th, 2008 at 11:19 amSpike says:
Christian,
I think you have a valid point, but I also think that it’s so easy to find those people that are already talking about you that you need a bigger excuse NOT to engage with them. With companies like Umbria and other blogosphere mining companies - or even with Google for a top-line search - you can find and engage with your fans (as long as you do it in an open, honest and transparent way).
How is it “safer” to cast a wide net? That’s the “less than 4% ROI method. Engaging and arming that small - but hugely powerful - group that want to have a relationship with you seems to be the much safer route to me.
February 7th, 2008 at 11:38 amJenny says:
for many things we do, we start small. i think i’ve always been drawn to anything that is smaller and not mainstream, but then i sometimes feel bad when people don’t know what they are missing out on. for example, i feel bad for anyone who has never heard jump, little children’s music. once you find something that sparks emotion in you, it’s hard to imagine life without it!
February 7th, 2008 at 12:27 pmSpike says:
Howdy Jenny,
Thanks for the comment.
But you tell everyone how great Jump, Little Children’s music is, don’t you? Why? Because you feel like you’re a part of something bigger than yourself. And you know about this great band and feel so loyal to the band that you want to see them do well as well as expose your friends to great music? That’s powerful stuff.
February 7th, 2008 at 12:39 pmScott White says:
Actually the group size does not matter. What matters is that you take your brand identity and then hit your target market. You become focused with your brand identity not trying to win anyone group over.
Example: Volvo’s brand identity is safety. They leverage that with soccer moms, families etc. Volvo owns safe. Whether they choose a large group or a small group as long as they deliver on their brand identity that’s all that matters.
The problem is people like Seth Godin know NOTHING about branding and that’s what this post is talking about. Big group, small group means nothing. Living your brand identity means everything. And this is why most companies have a gap between identity and image.
Don’t think in such small terms. A whisper can start with a big group as long as that big group understands and associates with whatever the brand identity is…think Apple or Nike.
February 7th, 2008 at 12:58 pmJournaMarketing says:
Think small — and big…
…
February 7th, 2008 at 1:17 pmchristyb says:
Christian, you must have missed Geno’s presentation the other day with Umbria. The key take-away for us was that they were able to monitor bloggers and commenters and found that the best target was not who they thought it was. It was fabulous to see this played out through the campaign, too.
Heck, I often wonder if we’re talking to the best people, even though we keep monitoring and measuring…
February 8th, 2008 at 7:46 amolivier blanchard says:
I totally agree, but perhaps not in the case of commodity products/companies. If you’re McDonald’s, the wide net probably works better than the focused approach.
Same with most soft drinks, WalMart, gasoline brands, candy bars, and other brands with insanely broad distribution channels.
February 11th, 2008 at 7:30 am