The Art of Promotion

Before we start - just need to clarify that in today's job-tough world - I am talking about the "promotion" of an audience to a sporting event rather than pointing out to you the quick route to hike in pay or work status....  Though if you listen/read/observe carefully - the two may intertwine as the sermon draws to a close (win/win).  Anyway - as they say in hospitals - Onward.....

..... Building an audience (for anything but let’s concentrate on sports - that’s why we are all here) is a complex and many layered thing....  You can count on the fingers of about a million hands the number of different factors that will influence your decision making.

So to be a successful ‘audience driver’ requires a skill set that can often set your good staff apart.  Be it marketing, sales, CRM expert, promoter, media manager, web guy or other - if you find someone who can ‘grow’ your business in these areas (or even better a ‘jewel’ who can ‘do it all’) - then grab them, wrap them in a ‘cotton wool branded club jacket and let them ‘do their thang’......

How do you spot them??  Well - what you need is someone who can do some of these....

Key Attributes

• An organizer - whilst it is more sexy to be a ‘car-azzeeeee’ audience-builder - the good ones will have a firm guide on all that they do.  You have to know what you want to do, organize a way in which to maximize your efforts (you can’t do it all), and then be in control of the review process so you can improve next time.  Prudence, or organized, or neat, or controlled - are not what you want on your headstone - but they will help you more than you know as you unleash........
• A creative Mammoth - everything has been done before - so if you want to be fresh / new / innovative - then you need to have a creative bone in your body.  Audience building does not always need new/fresh/etc though - often the best stuff will be the old / the same / the ‘boring’ stuff.  But human nature is driven by excitement so new/fresh/interesting will always have its place (even if it is just to present old stuff in a newfangled manner).
• A thick skin - most things won’t work as you want them to do - you are trying to influence people’s decision making.  It’s hard enough at home with your family and friends - just imagine trying to ‘persuade’ folk you do not know, and have not nor will not (99.9%) ever meet.  So roll with the punches, get back on the horse, and keep throwing ‘em (my personal entrant in this year’s ‘ “Best overuse of Cliches in a Sentence” award)
• Customer Focused - some may disagree - but I find that the best way of getting people to do stuff is to ask them to do what they already want to.....  For sure, there is gold to be found with targeting those that are not yet committed to your cause - but get the basics right first.  So - Understand your existing (and hence future) customers, service their needs properly (you never know - they may tell their friends.....  in fact scratch that - they WILL tell their friends), reward their custom, and don’t ever let them go to waste....
• A Hard worker......  Where in the world does hard work not pay off you may ask - and that’s a fair cop.  But it’s worth re-iterating here - the more effort you out in - the better results you will get.  There are SO many opportunities for you to build your audience - almost an infinite number - and your daily job is never done.  Pick the good stuff first (be organized) but keep working on down the list.

If I have just described you above, then more than likley you are in (or about to be in) the job of your dreams - as you will have worked hard to (use your Mammoth to) create a job application that was customer (your future employer) focused.  

And if you are not - then your skin is thick enough to get back on that cliche horse and head for the next job target....  It’s win win over in Audience builder world.....

Have a grand old Monday.