If you’re not caught up on The Walking Dead, don’t worry. There’s no spoiler alert here. Rick and his merry band of zombie apocalypse survivors have intrigued us for a while. Not only do we sit white-knuckled on our couch every Sunday night, but we’ve begun to think that Rick’s group would be pretty great marketers. If only that whole apocalypse thing hadn’t gotten in the way. Knowing your audience is the best way to ensure success. Here are 6 ways our friends from The Walking Dead have paved the way for us.
- Head On A Swivel – That means you should constantly be surveying what’s around you. Look for trends in your audience. Not only can you ride those trends, if you forecast them well you can create them.
- Do Your Research – You have to know what you’re up against. Look at what your competitors are doing, what your audience wants or needs, and what’s worked (or not) in the past.
- Have A Plan… – You need to have a plan, in other words, a strategy. Trying to grow your audience, or getting them to accomplish a task (e.g. sign up for your newsletter, purchase your good or service, etc.) is impossible without one.
- …But Be Ready To Abandon It – Are you familiar with the term “newsjacking”? Say you see a breaking news story that perfectly aligns with your business. Even if it’s not in your strategy you need to take advantage of it on social media or some kind of promotion. The bottom line? If something happens, be prepared to take advantage of it.
- Being Agile Is Important – Don’t get too comfortable. If you can constantly be ready for changes coming your way, you’ll be ahead of your competitors who get stuck inside their comfort zone.
- Learn To Deal With Loss – Rick and his group have experienced extreme amounts of loss. You will lose segments of your audience as it grows and shifts. You need to know how to move on from those segments while embracing new audiences.
If you’re wondering how to put these tips into your own marketing plans, we can help with that. Give us a call today.
