Whose Shoes Are You Wearing?

by Ken on March 19, 2010 · 5 comments

You have a business and you are marketing to your customers. Perhaps you are using a mix of traditional and Social Media. But when you’re on the inside looking out, you sometimes have a skewed perception as to what people want.

You think that everyone must want your product, and you’re surprised when you find out otherwise. But, as the old proverb says, we need to “walk a mile in the other guy’s shoes.”

Social Media is perfect for this IF you are listening to your customers and prospective customers. Find out what’s on their mind. You are already sold on your product or service, but many of them aren’t.

Find the nay-sayers and marginal fans and get inside their heads. Discover their likes and dislikes.

The other thing you should do is remember that you too are a consumer…for other products and businesses. Think about how you like to be treated (or marketed to) when you deal with other businesses.

Outside perspective is necessary…so utilize your Social Media communities, connections, and networks strategically. Don’t let your biased and skewed perspective color how you approach your marketing plan.Wearing your own shoes only gives you your own perspective…and it’s all too comfortable.

Wear someone else’s shoes and you might be surprised by what you discover!

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Great point. We often get so wrapped-up in getting our products ready to out the door, we sometimes neglect to find out if our products are right for the marketplace - of course until they don't go out the door the way we hope/expect.

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  1. Social comments and analytics for this post…

    This post was mentioned on Twitter by Inkling_Media: New blog post: Whose Shoes Are You Wearing? http://goo.gl/fb/h4Be

  2. [...] Par 3 Whose Shoes Are You Wearing? A short, but tricky, Par 3 from Ken Mueller of Inkling Media. Social Media listening with a [...]

  3. [...] Recently I blogged about how we (marketers/businesses/brands) need to get out of our ivory towers and put ourselves in the shoes of our customers. [...]

  4. [...] employees, and even ourselves? Much like the show Undercover Boss, we might find it instructive to wear someone else’s shoes. Not only will you learn about what is being done wrong or right, but you’ll gain perspective [...]

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