I read a post on copyblogger this morning called, “Why Preaching to the Choir is a Good Thing.” Chris made an assertion that too many marketers are like panhandlers. I understand what he was trying to say, but I think the comparison is a bit off.
Are Marketers Beggars?
“Hey man, spare some change? Check out this great offer I’ve got…”
I’ve never had a beggar offer me anything, have you? I did have one guy try to clean my shoes, but I actually wanted to give him money because he tried to better my life in some small way. He was upbeat and proud of the cleaning spray he used. Plus, he didn’t just tell me it was good, but showed me. That is good marketing.
I do think many marketers are like panhandlers because they think of themselves that way, not because they really are. Let me explain…
A panhandler wants you to give them money without giving you anything in return. Marketing is always about giving something to get something. It is about showing that your product is worth what you are asking in return. Too many marketers either don’t believe in what they are providing, or they don’t really know what they are providing.
Evangelism and Recruiting
In his post, Chris says that evangelism no longer works because we as marketers are essentially trying to, “change someone’s mind and convince them to do something they wouldn’t otherwise do.”
How do we know they wouldn’t want what we have?
Chris goes on to say that recruiting is better because you are, “opening your doors to the people who are already naturally predisposed to your message.”
How do we know who is naturally predisposed to our message, unless they have somehow heard that message through evangelism?
People aren’t opposed to evangelism if it meets their needs. People are opposed to having something crammed down their throat when they don’t want it.
Evangelism and recruitment don’t work because companies become more focused on making money than providing a quality product or service, or they don’t believe their product is worth anything.
Worthwhile Marketing
Marketing should always be about the benefits of your product. Features are meaningless if no one wants to use them. It is easy to become so caught up on marketing processes and methodology that we lose sight of our message and purpose. If you don’t know your message, what are you preaching for? If you don’t believe in your product, what makes you think someone else will believe in it?
People don’t need more information. The world has more than enough information. People want to know how to use information.
“How is this going to better my life?”
If you figure out how to answer this question, people will want you to evangelize them.