The pyramid above represents all of your audiences—from the entire universe of prospective customers to the people that love everything you do and refer you to everyone they know.
In good economic times or bad, the goal is simple: Move each audience up the pyramid as far as you can.
The proportions, of course, aren’t accurate. The “never heard of” audience is largest, and each audience gets smaller until you reach the small handful of avid supporters.
While most marketing focuses on the bottom of the pyramid (the group that doesn’t know you or have any reason to trust you), the top half of the pyramid seldom receives the attention it deserves.
Time and again when we start working with new clients, we discover that the only messaging their customers ever receive is transactional and/or a bill, while the lion’s share of the marketing budget is being on spent on complete strangers.
Efficiencies increase, costs decrease
The irony is in most categories it costs five times as much to get a new customer as it does to keep an old one happy. Marketing to the top of the pyramid is efficient because you can convert prospects faster and easier—there’s some level of trust.
And since the audience at the top of the pyramid is a fraction of the size of the one at the bottom, messaging is a fraction of the cost.
So, what are some creative ways market to the top of the pyramid?
Comment below to share your ideas.
I like the analogy. Placement becomes simpler for those who relate with your perception. Good stuff.
Adopting a scale which presents persons/groups at levels, in this line of work, scares me. Categorization, combined with the visuals gives me a sense of seeing us all as numbers.
The concepts of what I believe social change to be, involves a more preventive approach to seeing people on levels. If analytics is the goal, you’ve accomplished your mission. 🙂
While acquiring a new customer and making them a regular customer is worthwhile, in a down economy, and when things are going well for that matter, we should always tell our regular customers how much we appreciate them, and offer more than just a bill to them. They have their choice of products, and if they are going to go out of their way to choose your product, they are the ones who are keeping you going, and who you should make sure to show some appreciation to….