It’s commonly understood that no one can argue with cold hard data (except politicians). Unfortunately, we often see this fact taken out of context by clients who over expose prospects to dry and unexciting stats, figures and facts.
Do you care that the average business overpays on insurance by 18%? Maybe, but you’ve probably got bigger problems on your desk today.
Now, did you know that 64% of online gamers are female? That’s slightly more interesting, because it’s unexpected, substantial and actually useful to some people (I am envisioning a lot of single guys signing up for online games right now).
OK, one more. Over 74% of Americans dream of having their own business. Less than 1% ever start one. That one might make you stop and appreciate the contrast.
Some stats are really boring while others reach out and grab you.
Marketing is a story, and numbers can be a powerful re-enforcer in persuading your prospect to take action. But, just as words have to be crafted into a compelling pitch, statistics have to be handled with precision in marketing.
Marketing Prof has a great blog post titled Three Ways to Tell a Compelling Story With Your Numbers on this subject. I think it might inspire you to look at your data a little differently.
You probably already collect valuable data on your industry that you believe makes a case for your product. Just make sure you’re filtering out the sleepers and presenting the ones with impact in a way that gets my attention. And, use stats sparingly.
Otherwise, you’re 40% less likely to succeed. OK, that one is completely made up.
I’ve been using Foursquare for a number of months and introducing it during our marketing seminars to small businesses. It’s a location-based social network that runs on your mobile phone and allows you to tell your friends where you’re at, and meet up with others at the same place. It’s also a great way to discover new places around you while traveling or exploring.