By Sue DiFranco
Copyright © 2002 Sue DiFranco/Fun Facts Publishing  

When you're involved in marketing, you tend to notice the way others use their marketing strategies more closely. We all know Disney displays dazzling marketing know-how, but I was extremely impressed by one of their recent techniques and I think we could apply it to all of our businesses.

Michael and I are planning on going to Walt Disney World in the fall, so naturally when the commercial came on offering a free video, we jumped at it. I noticed they were asking Michael a lot of questions - when was our last visit, if we had any kids - but I didn't pay much attention.

We received the video and I immediately said out loud, "That's me! They're talking to me!" Even I was fooled at first - "Wow, how did they know?!" - but then it all came to me.

The only people they interviewed on the tape, or even showed at the parks, were couples, about our age. The couples kept talking about how they had gone to Disney when they were kids and how it's just as fun now. (I went to Disney several times as a kid.) Speaking of kids, there were none on the tape anywhere. They featured all of the new rides and attractions that had been added since approximately 1994 (the last time I went).

This was brilliant marketing! Obviously this tape was tailor made for couples like us. Had we been a family who had never been to Disney, we surely would have gotten a different tape. Had we been older, the couples being interviewed would be older. By taking the extra time to make sure the video fit the profile of each person that called, Disney was practically guaranteeing that these people would book vacations! After all - the tape is speaking right to them.

So how you can apply this concept to your business? Generic marketing has got to go. Know who you're marketing to, and develop your marketing materials to that group. Do you have more than one group that you're going after (as you should)? Develop different marketing materials that will go out to each group.

You want the person receiving your marketing message to immediately say, "They're talking to me!" How can you do that? Get to know each group you're marketing to. Have them fill out surveys. Get readership demographics from different magazines and tailor your ads accordingly. Get census demographics from your area and develop different marketing campaigns for each target market (e.g., teens, recent college graduates, single, married, older).

Never assume you know your audience. Not all scrapbookers are alike - in fact, you might be surprised at the wide variety of people who enjoy our hobby! By letting your target markets know you took the time to get to know them, you're already halfway there. Good luck!