The power of visibility (2)

His height was already doing him a disservice. He was so small that he had no chance of being seen in a crowd. He was one of those people for whom you had to find a place to lie down in the front row of a group photo, because otherwise he would have been invisible. But as bad as the height problem was, it wasn't nearly as bad as the bogey of an ugly reputation that dogged his every step. A tax collector in Israel at that time was synonymous with extortion, personal and institutional, and was not the kind of person a girl wanted to take home and present to her parents as a suitor! Zac had heard that the rabbi was visiting town and he desperately needed to see him. By the time he got to where he was, there was a huge crowd gathered for the same reason that had brought him. With his heavy social baggage and his biological disadvantage, no one would give him a chance to become a rabbi. If he wanted to get the required attention from her, Zac knew he had to do something out of the ordinary. He quickly climbed a nearby sycamore tree. He didn't have to wait long. When the Rabbi got to where the tree was, he looked up and SAW Zac. Mission accomplished. Other things followed from there that exceeded his expectations.

The visibility you need for effective go-to-market is bolstered by four key factors. The first is the ocular or visual impression. It has to do with what the eyes can see. This is the primary purpose of logos and colors as well as product packaging. A good book with a bad cover will not sell. This is why automakers focus on aesthetics when updating their models every year. The visual dimension is what creates the most buzz, especially with today's generation literally living in cyberspace where so many things are vying for attention in a way that has resulted in shorter attention spans for many people.

The second factor is auditory perception. It basically has to do with storytelling. By nature, we interact well and connect deeply when stories that resonate with our personal experiences are told around a product or service. If we look at many of the things we've bought and why we're buying, we can connect to certain emotional stories that informed the purchase. When potential investors listen to a pitch, they are listening more to the story behind the product or service than anything else. If they can understand the story and the passion with which it is conveyed, they are more likely to invest than they would if they only saw a spreadsheet report on the company.

Emotional connections are very important. In 2008, Martin Lindstrom published his groundbreaking book "Buyology". The book is the result of a three-year marketing study of over 2,000 people and an analysis of their reactions to real brands, logos, advertisements and products and what informs their purchasing decisions. It also tries to correlate religion with brand image and how it affects buying decisions. If there's anything that's clear from the book, it's that buying decisions don't follow any logic. It is purely emotional before being economic. Products that can connect deeply with the customer's subconscious are sure to be patronized. The first time I tasted beer, I wondered why anyone would ever drink such a bitter product. However, I ended up drinking this same bitter thing for several years with relish because it was "woke" in my circle of friends! Fads are driven by emotion rather than fact, logic, or science. In an election, terrible politicians who have no meaningful value to offer but who can connect to people's emotions routinely crush those who have well-crafted agendas but lack the capacity for that connection. p>

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The fourth factor is oral ingestion. If the product is to be ingested, what does it taste like? How does this taste relate to the client's experiences, background, expectations and perhaps health needs?

To create visibility without becoming a nuisance, the first thing to do is to make good use of your environment. Information is the oxygen on which any effective marketing strategy relies. Understand buying habits, their social preferences, religious beliefs, availability of other options and how those options are marketed and positioned, etc. You can never have too much information about your potential market. On the contrary, you may have too little. With the information you have, segment the market. Not everyone needs what you have to offer and even on the cheap there are levels of access and affordability. In Matthew 7 verse 6 of the Bible, Jesus warns against casting your pearls before swine. No matter how much or how much jewelry you put on a pig, it will always choose to wallow in...