I just overheard a fascinating conversation on the radio, between the radio host and a reformed burglar. They were discussing a recent spate of burglaries in affluent areas on the fringes of London, and in the home counties.
They were discussing what would put a burglar off going into a property. The former burglar said he couldn’t understand why the government were building new homes at a cost of £90,000 each, and selling them for £200,000, but not even thinking to fit a £500 burglar alarm to each property.
The show host thought that perhaps it’s considered ‘an extra cost’ and ‘they look ugly’.
The former burglar said; ‘Maybe, but if I’ve got a row of five homes in front of me, and four have burglar alarms and one doesn’t, I know which home I’m going into’.
The show host then said; ‘Well, I was speaking to my neighbour and he told me not to install a burglar alarm, as it shows a burglar that I’ve got stuff worth taking’.
The former burglar responded; ‘Actually, it shows that you’ve probably been burgled before, so you’re unlikely to have much that’s worth taking’.
It just showed that, to aim at / beat a burglar, you have to think as they would. They’re the audience you’re trying to get to (or stop).
When it comes to any marketing, this is one of the keys to success: you cannot hope to nail your audience by thinking as yourself. You have to think like them, to know how to catch them.
If you sell property investment opportunities to Middle Eastern businessmen, you’ll have to think how a Middle Eastern business man thinks, to know how to write to them.
If you sell to 25-year-old brides to be, you’ll have to think like them – get into their mindset – to say what they want to hear.
It’s no use just writing (or showing) what you want to show – you have to get into the minds of others.