Aim for the bull’s eye on every throw
In my college days I used to play a fair amount of darts at the bars near my school. Cricket, mostly.
The object of cricket is to hit numbers 15 through 20, and the bull’s eye three times each, after which you can begin scoring on your opponent, or prevent him scoring on you. I won’t bore you with all the rules. You can find that here.
The strategy I followed was to systematically shoot for certain numbers, starting with the easiest (20, which is top-center on the board), closing it out, and aiming for the next number. Inevitably, at the end of the game, the bull’s eye would my last objective, so I spent several rounds shooting for the tiny spot in the center, often while my opponent ran up the score.
Then I came up with a new strategy: Shoot for the bull’s eye, every time, from the first dart to the last. More often than not, I would miss it. But since it’s in the middle of the board, there was a good chance I would hit one of the other numbers I needed in the process.
And, every so often I would hit a bullseye and I would close them out early in the game.
Why am I going on and on about darts? What does this have to do with marketing?
I think marketing is like darts in a lot of ways. It’s fun. It’s competitive. It’s inexact. It’s best done with a beer in your hand.
But given the inexactness of marketing, wouldn’t it make sense to shoot for the “bull’s eye” every time? That one, very small, specialized target market who is just perfect for your product or service. The ideal customer.
Sure they’re hard to hit, and you can’t survive on them alone. But if you focus your efforts on them, you’ll hit some of your secondary targets just by chance, and you’ll score lots of points.
Especially if your competition is hung up trying to close out 17.
Photo credit: singsing_sky
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This analogy doesn’t quite work for me. I agree that a percentage of marketing efforts should target the ideal target group. That percentage should be in prorotion to the potential return as all efforts should be. The bread and butter are important especially in slower periods. I look at the more “risky” investments in time and money as an add on.
As far as marketing being competitive and inexact, you hit the bullseye. It’s important to keep it fun and the beer can’t hurt.
Wally Stryk asianartimports.com
Fair enough, Wally. Thanks for commenting and for disagreeing. That makes for a good discussion.
My thinking here (and perhaps I didn’t express it thoroughly) is that in marketing and branding, you should be true to yourself and to who your core customers are – the people who are just made to buy your product. In so doing, you will also attract, or “hit” other customers who may not be your top priority, but who may be just as positively pre-disposed to buying what you’re selling.
Your point is well taken, however. Going after the low-hanging fruit (to throw another metaphor on the pile) will help you get through slow periods.
I guess not all analogies are perfect. I’m glad you liked the beer reference, though.
Thanks again,
Chris
[...] Not long ago, I posted about focusing a brand on a single positioning and targeting that specific customer segment that defines your brand. To bring the story home, I compared it to playing darts. [...]
I completely think this analogy works. Forget target marketing; go after what I call “bull’s eye marketing.” When you hit the bull’s eye, that extremely specific, minute niche, the whole dart board still shakes. It influences the entire board. But if you don’t drill down enough, then you won’t stand out. It’s that simple.
You’ve inspired a soon-to-come blog post for me – thanks.
Right. And even if you miss the bull’s eye, you’re still likely to hit a target that’s almost as good. I’m not saying you should ignore other targets from a sales perspective, but that your brand should be laser-focused on the bull’s eye, to the degree that’s possible.