How Marketing Is Like Parenting

I was running around the house this morning, getting the kids ready for their respective destinations today. And it occurred to me that, on some level, marketing is like parenting.

The basic tasks associated with marketing go something like this:

• define your target market
• determine their pain points – what do they need?
• find a solution to their problems
• present the solution to your market in a convincing and encouraging manner

How is this like parenting, you ask? Well, as a parent, your kids often come to you with one complaint or another. Take, for example, a six year old wanting the latest glowing stuffed toy on TV. “Mama, I want the glowy fuzzy blanket. I need it to sleep.” Let’s look at that list again, and relate this to it.

• define your target market – six year old girl
• determine their pain points – what do they need? – fuzzy, glowing blanket
• find a solution to their problem – “Save up your money and you can buy it for yourself.”
• present the solution to your market in a convincing and encouraging manner – well, that can be the challenging part. Even when you really know your target market (or six year old daughter), finding the right way to present the solution can be challenging. This is what I used, “Your birthday is coming up. If you don’t get then for your birthday, you can save up your money to buy them like a big girl.”

See, this audience likes to be reminded of an impending birthday. And also of a chance to go shopping and pay, as that’s a “grown up” thing to do.

So, who is your target audience? What do they struggle with? How can you help them? And who wants to buy my six year old a glowing fuzzy blanket for her birthday?