Top Gun Maverick should be studied by marketers
1. Keep client in mind first.
You’ve probably heard the phrase “marketing is a people business.” It’s true—marketing is a human-centered activity. And that’s where the trap comes in.
Being able to look at your target audience and understand their needs, wants and desires isn’t just important for creating an effective marketing strategy; it’s crucial if you want to build a lasting relationship with them. But more often than not, marketers focus on themselves instead of their customers when they’re putting together their campaigns.
For example: You might be tempted to think about who would benefit from using your product or service as opposed to thinking about what problems this person has that can be solved by purchasing from your company.
2. Keep message simple.
Keep it short and simple. If a message is too long to be easily absorbed by the reader, don’t use it. If you can’t explain what your brand stands for in one sentence or less, then you need to rethink your strategy.
Jargon is out! Avoid using industry jargon or acronyms that are unfamiliar to your audience. Make sure every word counts; no more than two syllables per word (e.g., “insurance” instead of “healthcare insurance provider”). Keep sentences as short as possible—no more than 15 words each—and avoid passive voice whenever possible (e.g., “The car was hit by another driver” vs., “A car hit ours”).
Use simple language that everyone can understand without needing a dictionary or translator nearby at all times while reading your marketing materials.”
3. Don’t ask for the sell too soon.
When you lead with the sell, your customers feel like you’re trying to trick them. When they see the hard sell coming, they immediately shut down and want to run away.
The first step in avoiding this trap is not making your customers work too hard. You have to give them enough information so that they can make an informed decision without asking too many questions or doing too much research themselves. If it takes too much effort for them to understand what’s being offered and why it’s valuable, then they’ll tune out and stop paying attention altogether—and then nothing will be sold at all!
4. Create content that is relevant.
There’s a lot of content out there, and chances are that your audience is seeing it whether they want to or not. So, if you’re going to create new content—and you definitely should—make sure it’s relevant. You need to understand who your audience is and what they want before creating a piece of content for them. If you don’t know your target audience well enough, find out as much as possible about them by talking with friends who fit into this category or using Google Analytics (or whatever analytics platform your company uses).
Also consider relevance from a branding perspective: How does what you’re creating align with the brand identity? Keep in mind that as consumers we are inundated with advertisements on television, radio and internet ads every day—so unless there’s something truly innovative about how the message is conveyed (like Pokémon Go), most people won’t care enough about hearing another message from yet another brand trying desperately to reach us through our screens at all times.
5. Use nostalgia.
Nostalgia is a powerful tool for marketing. It can create a sense of familiarity and comfort, which makes it easier to form an emotional connection with the product. Nostalgia also creates a sense of belonging—the viewer feels like they’re part of something bigger than themselves. And finally, it creates trust—the viewer knows what they are getting into because they have experienced it before.
Because nostalgia is so effective at engendering these feelings, marketers often employ it in their ads. Many commercials that use nostalgic imagery or music will include product names from the past (e.g., McDonald’s Burger King ad featuring The Who song “Baba O’Riley” from 1971). This technique allow