Exclusivity, campaigns & a status update

September Favorites

What do exclusivity and campaigns have in common? More than you’d think – at least I found a way to connect them. Each month I cover a few highlights from the month – sometimes it is sharing something I learned via a podcast or book; other times it is a key takeaway from a client project. This month my focus in on exclusivity of platform, the meaning of campaign in marketing terminology and a brief update on my progress towards defining my target audience.

Exclusivity

Have you noticed that Spotify is upping their focus on podcasts – and getting some big names to have their shows available exclusively on their service? Joe Rogan and Michelle Obama were among the first to catch my attention. But this trend slapped me in the face when Brene Brown announced this week her podcast – Unlocking Us – and her new podcast, Dare to Lead, would only be available on Spotify.

This did not make me happy. It might be a bit selfish on my part, but I don’t want to switch from my preferred podcast player to Spotify. And I listen to her show. When I think about it from a marketing perspective, and putting your audience as the hero of your story, this move seemed a bit selfish too.

So I started wondering, why? What is the motivation for being exclusive on a platform? Especially when everything I read about access and growing your audience: the more platforms, the easier for your audience to find your show and build an audience. That is part of Marketing Strategy 101. Exclusivity seems contrary.

As someone suggested when I posed this question in a podcasting group, think of it in the same way as you do a television show. Some shows are on ABC, others on Netflix, and still others on HBO. There are a lot of networks out there and this may be the direction podcasting will go. And as with the television shows, the major benefit goes to the platform and the show; not the listeners.

Another thing to consider is the value of their brand – I am not a Brene Brown or a Michelle Obama. I need to be where my potential listeners are in order to build more listeners. These women have a following who will be where they are – not the other way around.

Would I take an offer of exclusivity? Most likely but honestly, I’d need to consider how the decision would align with my brand and weigh the options.

Campaigns

I started listening to a “new to me” podcast- Launch for Profit with Stephen J. Larsen. In one of the episodes, Death of the Campaign, he talks about the misperception of what a campaign actually is. As I listened to this I found myself shaking my head “yes” through the whole thing.

Buying a series of ads on Facebook that focuses on the same objective is called a campaign. A series of emails sent with the same objective in mind is called a campaign. Neither of these is actually a campaign.

A campaign is more than just one tactic. And it is more than one and done. He explained that too many people try to launch a new course or service by sending one email out to their list, call it a campaign, and hope the one interaction will result in a sold out launch. It doesn’t work that way.

As I reflected on what he was saying, I realized that marketers are part of the problem. We take for granted that our clients know what we are talking about so we bring up a campaign – and then shift the conversation to talking only about one tactic. We’ve created a disconnect between the actual definition of campaign and a singular tactic.

A status update

Just a quick update from last week. I’ve made good progress on creating clarity around my target audience. It is still a work in progress and I’ve probably made the whole experience 20x more difficult than it needs to be. I’m the classic overthinker.

That said, I’m gaining a greater appreciation for what my clients feel like when I push them to dig deeper on an idea, or suggest an alternate perspective from what they have been thinking. This is all growth. And all good.