Are you paying attention?

I was watching our cows the other day.  I’d just come outside and they were in the field closest to the farmhouse.  Scattered across the field, all of them were aware that I was there and they stood still, their eyes following my every move, from wherever they were standing.

It struck me that this is what we want in our business – to get the attention of our audience, no matter where they are.  So how do we do that?

First I think you have to be clear on who your target audience is.  That sounds obvious but you would be surprised at how often business owners don’t dig deep enough to get a picture in their mind of who they want to reach.

Second, like the cows, you want to grab their attention from wherever they gather which means that you need a consistent message that is delivered in different ways so you reach all of them.

Third, you may also have several audiences, so the one size fits all approach isn’t going to work. You may have to tweak and tailor your message to suit a specific target group.

After a while, the cows lost interest.  But I am sure when I go out again, they will be back watching me, which leads me to my fourth suggestion that you need to stay on  your customers’ radar on a regular basis, so you stay front of mind with them.

Now when our dog comes out, the cows really pay attention, especially when he feels it is duty to “round them up. ” And an element of surprise can work in the business world too.  Often the surprise these days can be going that extra mile in customer service, as that is sadly a rare occurrence.

Bottom line – don’t take your customers for granted.  You have to work to get them, and keep them.  Make sure you grab their attention.   After all, you don’t want them to graze elsewhere.  You don’t want to be put out to pasture.