We run a small company based in San Francisco, and this election has been a wake-up call for us: we’re in a bubble. As Paul Kantner once said, “SF is 44 square miles surrounded by reality.” It’s clear we don’t fully understand how to effectively market to the majority of the U.S., or worse, our current messaging may even be off-putting to a large segment of the population.
We’re searching for actionable strategies to bridge this gap and resonate with audiences outside our local sphere. While travel could help broaden our perspective, time constraints make it impractical for now.
What are the best approaches to understand and market to a wider, more diverse audience in the U.S.? Have others faced similar challenges, and how did you overcome them?
Any insights or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated!
(We are all immigrants)
There are two keys:
1) Empathy. Do all that you can to imagine yourselves in the shoes of your potential customers. If they're typically using not the latest iPhone, on a not 5G connection then get a device like they have and simulate a 4G (or less) connection.
2) Listen. Marketing + advertising + sales is 50% speaking and 50% listening. Many brands focus too much on the former and not enough on the latter.