Photo contribution by Thomas Hawthorne
Newsletters, ads, social media, online…the list goes on about all the different ways to reach customers – and it’s not as easy as it looks. Darren Wilson, co-founder of Blind Society, presented at Phoenix Startup Week about owning the power of connection and doing it well.
Too many companies try to market their brand to the entire world as though they were Coca-Cola, Wilson said, when they should be marketing to their niche.
“People don’t realize who their best customer is,” Wilson said. “When you try to say too much, you end up saying nothing at all.”
If a brand wants to stand out it should not only have a personal relationship with their customers, but with their company, meaning, understand what they do and not just rely on general metrics to define who they are, Wilson said.
People connect with brands and companies who represent who they are, Wilson said, and a brand succeeds when they do just that.
“Connection is important, now, more than ever,” Wilson said.
In keeping engaged with your community, Wilson used the example of Oreo’s “Dunk in the Dark strategy and real-time marketing used on social media at Super Bowl XLVII during the blackout. Their ability to be nimble, in the moment, and focused on their customer resulted in over 15,000 retweets, 20,000 likes on Facebook and 36,000 Instagram followers according to Forbes-certainly cheaper than a million dollar Super Bowl ad.
The main takeaway from Wilson’s talk is remember to always know where your audience lives and stay engaged with what they’re doing.
Follow all of our coverage of Phoenix Startup Week on aztechbeat.com.
