Why marketing is not a one-night stand

Yes, it is easy if you are Brad Pitt. You stand in a place where there are gorgeous women. They approach you. One adword click later, you are done.

But in most scenarios, it is much more complicated than that.

For most of them, we need to play the game… the game of Interest, Consideration, managing Aggregation, Nurturing and ending in marriage, if you are lucky. It is a game one needs to play very cautiously, taking from one step to the other progressively.

Marketing has evolved from ‘Shout marketing’ to ‘Tango Marketing’. We need to play the tango with the customer. It is turning out to be a fine art of dance and whisper and not a monologue.

Amazingly, the steps that are taken to woo a girl or a customer are quite similar.

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Actions	How to get the girl	How to sell your product	Comments
Attract her	Stand out from the sea of sameness. An unusual and impactful intro.	In bound marketing, stand out creative	Getting the attention is a tough job, since there are a lot of good looking men and features parity.
Impress her	Physical characteristics Lifestyle Values Personality	Product characteristics Company values Brand personality	Values is the differentiator. Having a gleaming Thunderbird or nifty packaging is one thing. The core should be deep enough. Values stand out in this regard.
Leverage the contemplation time or period of passive interest	Engage her during this period of no commitment. Keep in touch. Form a whatsapp group, talk about random things that are of common interest, movies, Ubuntu philosophy… anything.	The customers are mostly not interested to buy now. Keeping them warmed up or engaged is a tough thing to do, but it has to be done. for eg. Newsletters about things that matter to them. If you are selling t shirts, you can talk about the cool trends that are shaping the fashion scene	Aggregation is the most critical response you can throw at the customer uncertainty.
Show her the opportunity – what she gains with you, or what she loses without you	Freedom to be oneself is an opportunity for some. Getting settled in the US for others. Understand her deep needs. And pitch for it.	Get insights into the customers’ latent needs. Show her how your product transforms her.	The same as functional or emotional benefits. Say or even better display it convincingly.
Concerns are  natural – address those	Concerns are inevitable.. “Will he salute me even after I expire my pilot’s license?”, “Will my parents approve this joker?”	Is there a cash on delivery option? Easy exchange option?	Everyone’s sub conscious mind is working overtime on the hidden dangers that one might face. Need to tackle this one.
Show clear call to action	Clearly state the intent. Ask her out for coffee	Download the case study	You have to do this however tough or make or break this action may be. Rejection may happen, but this is the easy way to gauge the direction in which the game is progressing.
Critical is the context and timing	When she has had a fight with her best friend or after a romantic movie	T shirt banner display alongside an article of ‘the role of clothes in your sex appeal’	Strike when the iron is hot. Contextual marketing gets a fillip with the latest advancements in technology.
How do I get close to her	Make opportunities for something that you can do together – a dirt bike ride or star gazing, for eg.	Brand engagement. If you are t shirt you can conduct a ‘start up ideas’ day.	Get personal, Get endearing.
Credibility	Her friends should tell her what a great person you are. A word from someone she trusts goes a long way.	Customer Testimonials	What you say doesn’t matter. If a picture says 1000 words, a testimonial says 10,000.
Eliminating the competition	Be available for Piku, why take a risk?	Cover the touch points diligently.	Don’t give her an opportunity to think about alternatives.
Inviting her for a visit home	Ringing the bell	Website visit, landing page	This is the first sign of serious interest in us. The hard work starts now. Please be aware that she might visit another one or two houses  or websites as well
Eliciting the genuine interest	The first kiss	Form-fill	This is a genuine lead now. She is solidly behind you, please be careful not to spoil it. Some are easy to convert from this stage, but many still need hand holding to reach the stage of purchase or marriage as the case may be.
Hand-holding phase	High time to find out her likes and dislikes and adapt your behavior accordingly. Little gifts work. Big gifts work even better.	Drip communication helps you decide the behavior pattern and then customize your next move accordingly. Small gifts like free usage for a fixed time period, sampling are the stuff that you can use	This is the Lead nurturing phase. This naturally must lead to the end point which is the marriage or purchase. People might move out of the funnel even now.

Wishing you many years of togetherness :)