When you think about your marketing, I want you to think about vinyl records for a bit.
As you may know, I dig stereo equipment and vinyl records. I have some nice gear, and have a particular affinity for my Denon DP59L turntable. Made in the early to mid-80’s, this thing sounds great, is built like a tank, and is nice to look at as well. There will be a pic later in this post.
Indeed, vinyl is big now, hitting 25-year highs and 50%+ growth. Even the kids are into vinyl – I see them at the used record store all the time. I think that’s telling, and I think it speaks to something I have always believed – that we’re not a 100% short attention span society.
Let me tell you something about vinyl: it takes effort. Yes, it sounds great, but that’s not the only reason I like it. I like the whole ritual – picking out an album, putting it on the turntable, dropping the needle, sitting back and listening to an entire side. No skipping, no fast forwarding – just music. It’s akin to meditation for me. I often fall asleep – even to Metallica!
I’ve talked to some of the customers and employees I see at the record store, and asked why they like vinyl. Some of the answers I got were things like “it’s real”, and “everything is so fast and temporary – this isn’t.”
That’s interesting to me. And now let’s relate it to business and marketing.
In my work, I talk to a lot of business owners and marketing people. Many of them have fully embraced “nobody listens today, so we’ll say nothing”. They want one-page websites with quick paragraphs to sell their service; they want super short e-mails with quick-hit offers; and they want quick Facebook posts that they think their audience is salivating for (hint: they aren’t, but that’s for another blog).
In and of itself, there’s nothing wrong with this mindset – it’s the musical equivalent of the hit single, and the vinyl album equivalent of the 45. Remember 45’s?
Listen, there’s no bigger proponent of headlines, subheadings, bullet points, and short, readable copy than I. It’s a great way to get your customer base interested. But to me, there’s another step – after listening to the single, I want them to buy the album. I want to capture their interest, but I then want to give them something deeper. That’s how you form real relationships.
For every five quick-hit e-mails you send, send a longer one that tells a story. And many of the short opening paragraphs in your website should lead to something deeper. Yes, not everyone will want to know your company history, but those that do read it are more likely the type of people who become those long-term customers. Album buyers.
As a kid, I bought plenty of hit singles from one-hit wonders that never gave us anything more (how many “Wild Cherry” albums do you think people own? You know Wild Cherry, right? “Play that Funky Music”).
Wild Cherry is long gone from my collection. But my Led Zeppelin albums survive to this day.
Anyway, here’s that awesome turntable. Beautiful, huh? (next to it is a modern Denon – half as big, half as heavy, and half as good.)
