Okay, so that title might seem a bit esoteric. But, the truth is, marketing at its core is a primal activity. And it really has great deal in common with your grandfather's tackle box.
A fishing lure is a type of artificial fishing bait which is designed to attract a fish's attention. The lure uses movement, vibration, flash and color to bait fish. Many lures are equipped with one or more hooks that are used to catch fish when they strike the lure.
- Wikipedia
It would take very little editing to turn that description into a fitting description of marketing.
Think about it: a marketing campaign is an activity designed to attract a prospect's attention. The "lures" use movement, flash and color to attract prospects. And many lures are equipped with one or more "hooks" that are used to convert prospects when they engage with the lure.
Something like that anyway.
As marketers, or business owners-as-marketers, we all live in rural Montana. A river runs through it. And we're fishing. All the time. (And if you don't get the literary or cinematic reference you can go here...)
And our primary and number one job is to gain the attention of... our prospects.
Attention: The Primal Marketing Goal
You can argue that marketing is far more complex, far more nuanced, and far more complicated than that. Yes, it is. But I would posit that if, as a marketer, you fail to get attention then marketing becomes distressingly simple.
That is, it simply doesn't work.
We all are probably quite familiar with the acronym AIDA. We have a great post on it here. And you likely know that the first element is "Attention." While this may seem elementary and beyond basic, we do live in a digital age where some marketing gurus tell us that this is also archaic and outdated.
Not so sure about that.
If you've ever gone fishing you know that all fishermen (and women) share a common goal. Regardless of whether you have a cane pole with a string and a hook, and a worm on the hook, or a $1,000 fish finder in a $15,000 Pavati Marine boat using a $2,000 Orvis rod and reel outfit. The main job is to attract the fish.
And you gotta get their attention to do that.
So, let's dispense with the brand name-dropping allegorical references and reel this one in: all marketing is premised on getting attention.
The reason I'm banging the drum a bit on this is that too many marketers tend to lean to one extreme or the other on this point. There are those who are uber-focused on grabbing attention, but fail to follow up by providing content that stirs sufficient Interest (as in the "I" in AIDA) and simply end up making a lot of noise in the already noisy marketing sphere.
Then there are those who get so caught up in the minutiae of metrics, tactics, tools and new things for their digital tackle box that they lose sight of the "A" - getting the Attention of their audience. And, sticking with the tried-and-true AIDA formula, without the "A" and the "I" you can never stimulate the "D", which is Desire. Prospects will never have the opportunity to want what you have if they aren't interested or never notice in the first place.
On Being a Master Fisherman
One of the marks of a fishing master is patience. And marketing requires a great deal of that. Especially if you choose to be a content marketer. But the supreme hallmark of a master of the craft of fishing is the ability to actually catch fish.
This would be the last "A" in our venerable AIDA model - Action. Suffice it to say that many good fishing pros have snagged and lost many fish in their careers. Master fisherman are not lulled into a false sense of accomplishment by vanity metrics such as 'shares', 'likes' and 'page views' though these all have their place.
But the ultimate goal is to catch the danged fish! And, in marketing, the ultimate goal is to convert the dang prospect!!
Yes - that might sound a bit mercenary but it is the truth. You should, as a good marketer, always remember that you are trying to reach people, not avatars or target markets. You should always strive to be authentic, transparent and provide real value. All these things matter. But if you don't make customers then, really, none of it matters all that much, does it?
Master fisherman experiment. They try new things, take note of what works, discards what doesn't and knows that bodies of water change over time. The fish move sometimes. Different fish respond to different lures. And, yet, the overarching sequence remains the same: Attention, Interest, Desire and Action.
Good marketers are like good fishermen: they learn and understand the essential fundamentals - those things that don't change. Then they try new lead magnets, experiment with their landing pages, create content tailored to specific audiences, and work hard to master each step of the process.
Getting Help With Your Marketing Efforts
Mastering content marketing yourself might be great for boosting traffic to your business, but you don't have to do it alone or even master it yourself. You can get professional help. The truth is that achieving your content marketing objectives takes time. And it won't just happen with a few blog posts or some other great content you put out there once in a while.
People will need to consume your content for a while before they'll contact you. Yet, without great content compelling them to do so, your marketing goals may never be met.
The good news is that you don't have to figure out alone. In fact, one of the best investments you can make with your marketing budget is to partner with a solid firm like BroadVision Marketing.
Click this link to get your free Complimentary Inbound Marketing Session so you can make an informed decision, or call BroadVision Marketing at 707-799-1238.
