Marketing and advertising aren't the same.
If you've taken college-level courses in 'marketing,' you'll have been drilled on the 4-to-8 "P"s (maybe there are even more by now!) - Place, Product, Price, Position..... they've been taught the same way since the 1970s. Even while our ad-immune culture actively seeks to avoid advertising, the most-common bit of marketing advice still persists - "Put it on sale!"
Some advertising does work, of course, on some of the people, some of the time. This blog, though, is about adherence: building a Family in your Box; keeping people around for the long-term; meeting new GFPs because your existing GFP base drags 'em in with them.
Many of the basic premises of advertising are repeated so often that even the layperson can recognize them. There's just one little problem: they're false.
1. The most desired demographic is males aged 18 to 34.
As Terry O'Reilly discusses in great detail here, this demographic was created by the ABC television network to boost its Nielsen ratings, which didn't break down its viewership by age at the time. To attract more advertisers, ABC touted the benefits of appealing to the 'young male' demographic...by creating attributes that didn't actually exist.
In reality, the 55+ age group has far more discretionary income; the 70+ age group is currently in the process of inheriting over 3 TRILLION dollars from their parents. This is noteworthy, because most in that age group have very little debt, and enough savings to last them for the rest of their lives. This savings shift will never happen again while we're alive (our parents don't save as much as our grandparents did.)
Think there's no market for CrossFit among the elderly? Think about the need for enhanced mobility, bone density, strength....
2. Your message has to be seen 7 times to be remembered.
Even the Guerrilla Marketing series reinforces this notion, though it does recommend attracting attention through more creative ways than the print advertisement. Unfortunately, repetition isn't an effective way to imprint memory.
Even in willing subjects - students before an exam, for example - repeating the same information over again doesn't permanently create an engram (a synaptic sequence forming a memory.) Since the data to be stored doesn't carry emotional or contextual significance, the brain 'trims' it as soon as the information leaves your working memory. We study this stuff a LOT in Ignite!, and the repercussions for business often make me slap my forehead.
Even if the message is repeated over days and months, your brain still can't make the connection without a picture behind the message. Put up a big green tent at Relay for Life, and charge $2 to flip your big tire? That's a great story: most have never tried flipping a tire before. Bonus: get a tall teenager in a Tony The Tiger costume to do it. People remember 'Catalyst' from the event because they have context: a picture to tie the memory to. If we'd simply put up a banner on the sidelines, we'd have been quickly forgotten.
3. There's no such thing as bad publicity. Sure there is: as we rely more and more on social media, we have our messages more permanently imprinted - and more easily recalled, consciously or unconsciously - by our audience.
Facebook, especially, works to build your community because the emotional component - the nougat centre - is built right into the message. Have you ever had the urge to hit "like" because...well, everyone else did? Have you commented on a friend's status just to be part of the conversation? Have you 'added' someone as a 'friend' that you barely know....just to make a connection? For example, I'm "friends" with several highly-ranked CrossFit athletes, but have never met them, had a conversation, or done anything to help them. My Lizard Brain just wants to be part of the gang.
The downside: this type of ego penetration creates a different psychological contract with your online community. You carry the same responsibility that a coach carries into a television interview: the responsibility to praise in public, and provide criticism only in private. Arguments, criticism.....even spelling mistakes can create negative emotional connections in your potential clientele. Facebook creates a direct avenue into the ego of your members, and the level of trust that's necessary for sharing allows you to freebase your opinions into their psyche. Abuse it once, though.....
4. Create URGENCY! NOW!!! Consider the title of this essay. Does it remind you of a thousand other attempts to grab your attention today? Probably. But THIS one is DIFFERENT! Right?
For a few years, 'creating urgency' was the way to go. It still works when your audience has already been convinced of the relevance of your service beforehand. For example, if you believe that the Ford Escape is the absolute best car for you, and there's a 10% discount if you buy before Saturday...you're likely to commit. However, if you're stuck on the Mazda equivalent, a discount on the Ford won't be enough to change your mind....even though they're essentially the same vehicle.
For a few minutes, the "sales letter" actually worked, too. As your audience becomes more savvy, though, they're learning that big promises in the fitness world are usually the hallmark of liars.
Have you ever met a dumb CrossFitter? By any law of averages, there must be some out there...but I've never come across them. Does CrossFit make people smarter, or just self-select for smart people? Either way, some of your potential clients are sure to find the "sales letter" an affront to their intelligence.
A better way: long-term relevance. Establishment as a local fitness authority. Approachability. Partnerships. Spreading wisdom. Relevance to your market.
I'm sure there are plenty of other advertising myths out there that we could pick apart if we found research to back up our claims. Have at it in Comments!
