Talking F’s and B’s from the Portable Media Expo

I just got off stage where I played a rousing game of “What, so what?” with my good friend Scott Bourne. Scott held a room of rabid podcasters rapt as her laid out all the basics of how you can turn a passion for niche-casting into cold hard cash.

So if you’re here after seeing Scott and I at the expo, welcome and I hope you’ll stick around as I throw a little marketing speak your way.

What’s the core marketing concept every podcaster and niche-media mogul needs to know if they want to attract honest to goodness advertisers?

Just this:
People are selfish. Really selfish. Spend all the time in the world crafting an absolutely gorgeous audio ad, shell out the hard cash for your very own voice of god and work your fingers to the cold white bone and you know what? Most people–most consumers–won’t care. They won’t care about the soccer games you missed, the money you spent or that vacation you just know you could take if you could just get a couple of folks to buy from you’re loving sponsor.

Consumers only care about one thing: “What’s in it for me? How is this product or service going to make my life better, make my day simpler and let me do things I just couldn’t do before?”

If you can’t answer those questions — if you can’t let go of facts, figures and [-B features B-], and paint a compelling picture of the wondrous benefits the product or service you’re selling will provide, you’re doomed and damned to marketing purgatory.

So, when putting together your ads and marketing podcasts, take a deep breath, close your eyes and will yourself to translate your boring features into bombastic benefits. If you’re a consultant, don’t tell me about your four year degree from Harvard, instead, focus on the peace of mind I’ll experience knowing an Ivy League intellect is hard at work on the job. If you’re selling sports cars, don’t waste precious space prattling on about cubic inches, torque and horsepower. Instead, paint a picture of how powerful I’ll feel as I barrel down the road, gunning the engine, outrunning my humdrum life, and driving off into the sunset with a sultry waif giggling sexily by my side.

In other words, show me what’s in it for me.

Eager to know more? Drop me a line. Or if you’re at the conference call me on my cell at 206-550-5558.

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