Marketing Is What You Do
A book called Pitch described the recipe for the most potent sales presentations:
"They often abandon traditional formats entirely," wrote the author, Danny Fontaine. "Exceptional pitches deliver experiences that lead audiences to insights, and this extends beyond the boardroom into virtually every situation in which one person seeks to influence another."
He continues:
And pitches aren't just for presentations. They are also for radio stations - and baseball.
Just ask "Yellow Tux Jesse."
Who?
He's the P.T. Barnum of baseball, and his team, the Savannah Bananas are packing stadiums with a mix of baseball and hijinx that's one part Harlem Globetrotters, one part Championship Wrestling, and a big dollop of what used to be called "America's Pastime."
Just watch this:
And here's what team owner Jesse says about the Bananas' marketing strategy:
So often businesses focus on using marketing to sell customers. The key is to develop a product or an experience that is remarkable. If you create something truly great, your customers will do all the marketing for you.
We put all our effort into creating a great fan experience and epic moments that people have never seen before at a baseball field. Then we capture those moments and share them after our shows. We use our social media to entertain our fans, not to try to get our fans to buy.
We want to “Wow” them and provide an experience that is unforgettable. That’s where everything starts with us. That is Fans First.
These guys have more TikTok followers than all 12 of last year's MLB playoff teams combined.
And they're selling out without spending a single penny on marketing. Nothing! How do they do it? Watch:
So am I suggesting you add "zany" or "silly" to your portfolio of content?
Not necessarily. What I am suggesting, however, is that you entertain people. If I see one more station remote at a local festival with a sad tent stocked with sad tchotchkes and sadder interns, I'm going to scream. "Give us your email to register for the prize which you have 99.9% chance of losing! Act fast!"
Come on.
You need to create experiences which are so impactful, meaningful, and unique that they demand to be shared and experienced day after day - on-air, online, and in that baseball stadium of life called the "real world."
"Bananaball" is not for all tastes. Wrote one critic: "This is the stupidest thing I've ever seen...I loved it!"
An experience.
A meaningful encounter that moves people.
What's yours?
Mark Ramsey Media does audience research for Christian Media - Perceptual research, digital studies, donor studies, underwriter impact studies, music studies, etc. Learn more here. Call Mark at 858-414-4191 or email markramsey@mac.com.
And if you want a strategy to solicit major donors to pay for your research, look here and download this Listener Impact Study solicitation for donors from WAKW-FM.
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