Market directly to your readers vices

Your marketing should not make the person on the receiving end second guess their decision to buy your product. If that is what happens, you’re marketing isn’t being effective like it should be. A key step in making sure your marketing efforts can work as well as you would like for them to is by making your marketing directly pull at your readers vices. We all have vices and I’m sure some of ours are the same. We all feel the same way when it comes to our vices as well. It’s something we know we (maybe) shouldn’t be doing, yet we just can’t seem to pull away. This is what your marketing efforts should target; vices.

Finding the vices of your target audience

The best way to find the vices of your target audience is to be your target audience. If you can mentally pull the vices from your own head, it can be easy to transition into a marketing plan that you could not resist. However, being in your target market personally isn’t always the case. In order to tap into your market and really dig into what makes them tick, you need to network. Sure, you can purchase some research that other people have done, but how will you know if it covers exactly what you’re looking for?

Network with your target market. Put yourself in the places they are most likely to visit. Be at the stores, be in the message boards, read the blogs and socialize on the sites they’re on. Do everything in your power to become one with your target market. Engaging in a conversation with people can quickly unlock the mystery to what makes them tick. What type of items they just can’t live without, what type of clothes they must wear, what weird videos they love to watch online that make them laugh uncontrollably, and so on.

What should you do after you find the vices

The general consensus at this point is to formulate some of the data you’ve picked up along the way (you were taking notes while you were networking right?) and figure out what the biggest vices in your target market are. Once you’ve got a clear idea of what the top vices are in your market, now is the time to put together a plan to attack those vices and play right into the mind of your target customer.

Become relentless in twisting those gears in their minds that tell them “I don’t know if this product is right for me, but damnit, I’ve got to have it!” In that statement they’re making to themselves, they’re the ones crafting the belief that they NEED your product, not you. So at this point, you’re not the bad guy. You’re the good guy who has the fix that they need for their habits.

Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll

No longer just a funny catch phrase from the 80’s, sex, drugs and rock & roll is your new don’t-do-checklist. Three of the most notable vices that people have. Three of the biggest targets in the mainstream today. Yet, three of the vices I’d try to stay away from as much as possible (unless of course you’re targeting the drug addicted rock and roll prostitutes in the inner city).

The reason I’d suggest staying away from these three vices is simply because they’re overplayed. People have become immune to them. Gum companies are using musical acts to sell more winterfresh. I think it’s time to pick a new vice to target. Surely in your target market you can come up with a couple vices that people aren’t normally targeting. Not only will this benefit you by being more visible to those that are “ad blind” to the sex, drugs and rock & roll but it will also benefit you by playing into the hand of the people who aren’t having their needs met.

So what can you do today that will benefit your marketing tomorrow?