What Does Running A Campaign and Marketing A Business Have In Common?

Barb Stuhlemmer | Posted on September 25, 2014 |

Business owners have something in common with politicians and that is the plan that must be in place to successfully market your business or self. Here are 5 comparisons.

	Politics	Business
1. Brand	The brand of a politician is how he or she is personally perceived by the voters. Do you want to look like a corporate expert, a friendly neighbour, a caregiver, a dedicated professional, a wealthy provider? There are many different ways to show your worth and your position with your image.	The brand of a business is how clients perceive corporate value. Is the business fun (Coke), creative (Apple), cutting edge (Imprint Energy), trustworthy (Johnson & Johnson), service oriented (Zappos), corporate (Manulife Financial), etc. Your brand will identify you to your clients and what their purchase experience might be like.
2. Plan	Running for a political position has a known end date. Everything that happens in the time leading up to that end date is focused on the engagement of the voters. Having a plan on how to get in front of as many voters in a way that allows them to create a relationship with you so they will want to support you with their vote is the ultimate goal.	Your business will have campaign after campaign after campaign to continually engage your customers in an ongoing relationship. Each campaign has to have a plan on how it will be implemented with the dates and times of each engagement, launch, meetings, and sales call. As my coach would say “rinse and repeat” to ensure a continued loyalty of current customers and an attraction for new sales.
3. Location	The politician may ask, “Where do I expect to meet my voters? Wherever that is, that is where you need to be. At their front door, at a debate, on a website, in a video, on TV, at a coffee shop. Be where your voters are.	This is exactly true for businesses as well. If your clients belong to a specific association you should too. If your clients are likely to be at a large tradeshow or conference, you should too. If your clients expect to come to a store, call for sales, or purchase online, they should have that option. Be where you clients are.
4. Message	Politicians run on a platform, meaning they have a message they stand behind. It is focused on the challenges and problems they recognize need to be addressed and the structure and support that is in place to make the solutions possible. They promise some level of support and great politicians in a good government often have the chance to implement the change.	As a business owner you have more say in the direction of your business. The message of a business is the promise of service, experience, and quality or the product that is being sold as a solution for the needs of the customer. The message must be targeted to the person that is the ideal client.Like a politician, a message that does not speak to their constituent will land on deaf ears and they will not get the votes. Your message will not get you sales if you do not use the language that attracts your ideal client.

Have you seen a trend in the above points? They are all keys to reaching your target market and your ideal client. If you do not know your target market you cannot create an effective campaign or business.

5. Target Market

The Candidate must know their voters. It is impossible to appeal to every constituent that can vote for you so you must know who it is you most align with, you can most help, and who you really want to serve. If that person does not live in the area you are running in, you are likely in the wrong election.

Businesses must also know their clients. I recommend creating an avatar (detailed description/image) of the ideal client. This way everything you do for your business will be for them. The business will have more in common with the customer and it will be easier to build trust.For instance, let’s compare two world-class products, the iPhone and the Samsung Android. The iPhone does not appeal to my purchasing needs, not because it isn’t a great product but because I don’t use a MAC. On the other hand Samsung’s products speak directly to my needs. Both Apple and Samsung know their clients so well they speak directly to their needs, not just a push to sell. The result is, they sell more

You are not the only person in the world doing what you do or selling what you sell. If you want to attract more clients start with a description of your ideal client, build a powerful, memorable brand, and then plan where you will reach your client and what your message is that will get heard by them, so they will purchase from you.

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