Attraction instead of Promotion
I’m sitting in a restaurant, sipping at a large cup of amora berry juice. I’ve never been here before and up to 30 minutes ago, I couldn’t have cared less this place existed. As far as I was concerned, I would never stop in at this restaurant and order amora juice.
But something changed my mind.
While window-shopping at a store nearby, I heard some soft, beautiful music. Six days a week, Barbaresco‘s hosts live music gigs. Tonight, a husband and his wife are playing slow jazz. She has a light yet smokey voice that flows up and down with the melody and he accompanies her with a groovy saxophone.
Usually, I don’t listen to this kind of music. But this duo are good. And so I thought, “It’s been a long day at work. I think I’ll stop in and spend some time looking over my agenda and maybe get some writing done.” So I did. And here I am.
This illustrates a favorite phrase of mine. I read it on the internet somewhere, years ago: attraction instead of promotion. This restaurant has a new client (me) and this evening we became acquainted because of an attraction, the music. I’m sure Barbaresco’s advertises their franchise, food, prices, exquisite decor, whatever. Their promotion didn’t get my attention though. It never would. The stuff they shared for free – music is as free as a bird after all – attracted me here.
Are you trying to reach new clients? Perhaps net more blog readers? Find more supporters of your start up? Or on the low scale: do you want more people to check out your yard sale, buy your CD of music, call your number?
What are you doing to attract them? Too often our focus is concentrated entirely on promoting. Spam them, call them, berate them, beg them. But people react more amorously when you attract them. When you offer something different, something more humane, something without a “catch” or a price tag attached. Something that doesn’t scream “I’M TRYING TO CONVINCE YOU TO SPEND YOUR MONEY ON ME!!”
Honey doesn’t need much promotion. Bees find it on their own.
And for the record, I’ve never ordered amora juice before. I guess tonight is a night for firsts.
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