What If Marketing Was More Relational? This is NewFrolic.

Imagine an evening with friends, over wine, tasty food and sharing stories. Dimmed light, jazz playing in the background.

You're bonding over similar experiences, in spite of the all natural differences. You feel welcomed, understood, cozy, seen, cared for, enjoying yourself & getting to know others.

What if this was applied to marketing? What if transactions were secondary, and the accent was put on connecting with the people you want to reach?

I know, I know! A business has to make money in order to survive. That’s the reason businesses exist in the first place. But is it just that? Or something more?

Think of how easy it is for people to bond with eachother on common beliefs and interests. How easy it is for us humans to have long-term relationships when that happens.

Of course, life has its ups and downs, but I’m not talking about variations, but about specificity: human connection.

Although we know this to exist, marketing keeps focusing on the transactional part. You may say, and I’ll agree, that businesses are doing their best to respond their clients’ needs, to relate to the ones they sell their offering to. But do they… really?

One of the first things they taught us at University during Marketing & Communication classes is the concept of audience persona. The fictional portrait of the ideal type of client that will buy from what you offer.

Yet the main thing that screams at me is the fact that it’s fictional. Well, agree! It’s a composite of the traits the average buyer has. But still! People aren’t supposed to be numbers!

As a licensed Sociologist, I had my share of statistics and quantitative research methodology. And although I fully understand its role in defining social phenomena, I rather use 80% qualitative methods, and just 20% quantitative, for clarity. Why?

Because I tend to go deep within knowing people. Their reasons, actions, motivations, etc. Plus, statistics give you a point of reference, probabilities and data to draw conclusions, but people’s minds are dynamic, and many times their behavior doesn’t match their responses.

Think of exit polls. How many times the results have differed? Or think of market studies. Such a study can draw some conclusions on people’s behaviors… but they all have a +/- 3% bias (Can you tell I’m a geek yet? :)) ).

Qualitative methods aren’t flawless either, but in my opinion, they reveal a whole lot more about people. Especially in long-term studies. And even more so engaging with your audience better.

So, what does this have to do with making marketing more relational?

What if we took the time to know the people we call clients, and by that build more authentic pictures about the market we serve?

Of course, this is easier for a small business versus a large company, but still! Engaging the people that you call clients will reveal a whole lot more about what has to be done to serve their needs.

Blending data with real relationships can prove beneficial for businesses. Statistics can still measure the validity of what you learn about people in real life interactions. But they’ll not define it.

I invite you to explore this further. How much time have you taken to really talk to the people you serve? How many times have you wondered what’s behind those statistics and insights you get through Facebook or Google Ads? Or even behind the results of focus groups?

Of course data rarely fails. Yet how much does it build real human connections with the people you started helping because you found that gap in the market?

See you tomorrow!

Denisa

P.S. But how do you start exploring this idea? How do you connect on a human level? Well, that’s what we’ll talk in the days to come. Will I see you here again?