March 26, 2008

American Idol and Your Marketing Message

What does American Idol have in common with your marketing message?

It’s all about picking the right song. In the case of wellness professionals, it’s about picking the right message to build your business around.

If you’ve been watching the FOX television singing competition, you know that the top 20 contestants have talent and a passion for singing. But talent and passion alone are not enough to be a star.

Sure they have different styles, range and performance ability. But what makes or breaks their ability to stay on the show and inspire the audience to vote for them time and time again is their song choice.

Pick a great song, but you can’t sing it very well. You’re outta there.

Pick a good song, sing it well, but you don’t make it your own. You’re outta there.

Pick a song that the audience can’t relate to. You’re outta there.

It’s the same thing in the wellness market.

Pick a hot niche, but your services and products don’t deliver great results. You won’t last long.

Pick a good niche, deliver results, but it doesn’t feel true to you. People will spot your lack of authenticity and won’t buy.

Pick a message that only you understand, and no one will give you the time of day.

I love seeing the contestants on American Idol try to find their voice, or their “marketing message.”

In time it will come. It’s tough when there’s a lot of pressure to do it fast.

Then there were those who cling to a musical genre that just doesn’t fit who they really are.

“I want to be a rocker,” stated Robbie Carrico, one of my early favorites. But his style was more suited for soft-rock-pop music of the Jack Johnson or Dave Matthews genre.

He kept bringing hard rock songs that he couldn’t really “bring” and therefore no one “bought.” So America voted him off. It’s too bad. He’s a great singer.

Amanda Overmyer, the resident rocker chick who was recently voted off, wrapped herself so tightly in the hard rock genre that we couldn’t see her anymore. Her performances felt like a one big theatrical costume. She came off so hard, yet America would have loved a little vulnerability.

In my experience, people aren’t far off from their “best song.” It’s like they are circling around it, but need the wisdom of an outside listener like Simon Cowell to help them hit their target.

My clients come to me with the exact same situation. They’re singing a pretty good song, but it’s not the breakout hit that will get noticed.

In the case of my client Judith, she came to me singing her “nutrition counselor song.” Now we’ve got her singing a hotter “age-reversing nutrition song” that is much more compelling. You only have to take one look at her to know she walks her talk. She's gorgeous and looks 15 years younger than her 65 years!

Another client came to me singing the “I’m a professional coach song.” Now she sings the “become love savvy song” that celebrates her passion for helping women find love.

Still another client came to me singing the “I’m a healer song.” And now she sings the “unlock your potential song” and helps her clients say goodbye to their self-imposed limitations.

So what’s your “song?”

Is it working for you?

You can find the answer by looking at your business bank account.

Or do you need to tweak your “genre”?

Choose a great song and sing it well.

To your continued success,

Karin

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Filed under Blog, Honing Your Message, Stand for Something by Karin