Meet Joshua Bell. He’s HUGE in the classical music world.
A few years ago, he posed as a street musician in in Washington DC, and nobody paid him any attention.
Normally, if you want to see this guy play, you have to shell out a minimum of $100 (that’s for the cheap seats). But on this particular day, he played for hours and only earned $32.
Wha??! Yes, it’s true.
Watch the video:
Most people didn’t even stop. Only a few small children recognized that something really good was happening and slowed down their parents for a few moments.
He played his Stradivarius for cryin out loud! And people were just too busy to see (hear) the beauty right in front of them. (Side note: don’t let this happen to YOU.)
They didn’t recognize Joshua Bell as THE ONE because he was in the wrong context for them. And probably the wrong time, too.
Members of his target audience (classical music lovers) were most likely among the many that walked right past him.
Theories abound to why. Perhaps they didn’t stop because they were on autopilot.
Their heads were wrapped around the task of getting to work. And that’s all they could see, hear or think about. (The wrong time.)
Or, psychologists would argue, that this craziness was due to something called “value attribution.”
And because he was out of context, his true value went unnoticed.
What can we learn from the Joshua Bell experiment?
We already know that as we plan how to market our products and services, we first need to consider our audience (AKA our Target Market).
Note: Your audience is the group of people that is most hungry for what you’re offering. Your success depends on your ability to find out where they are and how to talk to them. They see you, recognize you are the one they’ve been searching for, and…the rest is history. (Okay, it’s not that easy, but I couldn’t resist.)
One of the pieces of this puzzle — their recognition of you as THE ONE — is much more likely to happen if you appear in the right context, at the right time.
As marketers, we know it’s already hard enough to get the attention of potential customers. The Rule of Seven, says your message needs to be seen and/or heard a minimum of seven times before a prospect even begins to register that you might have something they want.
So remember this when you are trying to break through the gazillions of messages that are constantly bombarding all of us day in and day out. You’ve really got to position yourself and your message in the right context, at the right time.
To do this, it’s best if you can diversify the channels you’re using to get those messages out. Never put all your eggs in one marketing basket. Choose your best 3 to 5 places (contexts or channels) where your target audience is likely to hangout and be receptive to your message.
And then work on building a solid relationship with your prospects. They need to know, like and trust you in order to even consider you as their vendor of choice.
Awareness is just half the battle. If people believe you’re “famous,” they’ll pay attention. But only if you’re being famous in the right place at the right time.
More From Story Bistro:
Just Say No to “Fast Food” Marketing: 10 Tips for Healthy Marketing on a Budget
The Essential Guide to a Basic Business Plan (or, How to Avoid ‘The Tactic Trap’)
Marketing: It’s Not What You Think (and, Why Knowing the Truth Matters)
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Table Talk Q&A: How Do I Expand My Local Business to the National Level?
Dinner Conversations: Engage Your Fans Online
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Love this! I imagine we will get into some discussion of this script next month when we discuss blogs. I’ll share.
Hi Tea,I’ve seen this video two or three times prior to popping over to your post. I still enjoy it every time I come across it on the net.It’s easy to assume people were in a hurry, preoccupied with their thoughts, or simply following their daily routines, as usual. Everyone has some kind of “schedule” to meet, right? And for the most part, the ever lovin’ clock rules our lives. Well, at least for those of us who work both offline and online and those of us with children.One thing I know for sure …Even if I was in a hurry, I would have stopped for at least a minute or two to listen to Joshua Bell’s music. I love all kinds of music and his performance would have grabbed my attention. I’m one who finds value in stopping to smell the roses. :)Love the message in your post! And the whole concept of becoming a successful online marketer is to be seen “everywhere”. Once you become “recognizable”, it’s much easier to communicate your marketing messages to your target audience.Happy Blogging!Melanie
I’m not saying you are wrong, Tea, but I think the whole concept of the Washington Post study proved only ONE thing. That we do not know how our talented musicians appear. We hear their music on the radio, we buy their CD’s, but their pictures are not always prominent- and more importantly, we are driving or doing other things, so their visage is not encoded in our consciousness. And, when we go to a concert, we may be too far back to see them- or they may be in the middle of the orchestra.I can guarantee you that I don’t recognize most of the musicians to whom I enjoy listening. I may not recognize many of the writers or scientists that I admire. So, passing them on the street won’t mean a thing. The same would not apply (it would ALWAYS apply to me) for those mediocre (more than most) folks who appear on American Idol, where the goal is to sell you on them so the producers can make a killing. Since the TV camera is solely focused upon them- and I presume they are on TV for at least 10 minutes a show, their visage is encoded in your brain.My take from this research is to use all FIVE of your senses. And, even if you see a nugget out of context, don’t pass it by. Pick it up, observe it, relish it, and use it!