Marketers continue to promote the idea of the marketing funnel, and I an guilty of it too… sometimes. This is not one of them. There is another concept marketers need to consider because we have no idea where individual customers are in the funnel. There is another more powerful force at work that we need to understand.
As you survey the marketing landscape, there are two kinds of buyers. Potential buyers… who may or may not know your company or brand… and then customers, clients, guests – call them what you want – who are currently doing business with you or have done business with you in the past.
Each is on what I call the spectrum of doing business with you… and they are always in motion… either moving toward your brand, engaged with your brand, moving away from it, or just wandering.
When there is any kind of interaction with an individual, it immediately triggers a chain reaction of activities and emotions, ranging from I don’t care, or I’m not ready, or I’m too busy, to this sounds interesting. Maybe I should learn more. These are the beginnings of a chain reaction. And just because someone tunes out your message today does not mean the chain reaction is dead. That’s why we keep modifying our messages until something resonates with that naysayer and our marketing moves them to take another step toward a purchase.
But remember, chain reactions are extremely fragile. One small misstep may cause a quick end to what might have been a blossoming prospect, a new client, or a returning client. That is why following the principles we outlined in The GRANDS is so important…. From the Grand HELLO to the Grand TOMORROW. That’s exactly why Connect, Engage, Excite are paramount to keeping the chain reaction blooming.