Who are you selling to? The answer may surprise you!

Who are you selling to? The answer may surprise you!
(I am NOT adding an excerpt here, because when I do people read the excerpt and comment and don't even read the article. The article is super short, and well written, so there, that is why...go ahead, read the article I double dog dare you...JB)

Took the dare...
Marketing to people like myself does mean that I market to myself. What would I like? What's important to me as a guest?
Not, perhaps, marketing to a potential buyer of the property!
But we all market to ourselves because we know what we like and want and we've made our places into the place we would like to go.

We use buzzwords in our marketing that do relate to what we want. Words like 'relax,' 'sea,' 'sunrise view.' ,cozy fireplace'......
A useful article, thank you for sharing it.
I'm only learning my market, but from what I can tell, we get a lot of people who just want a weekend away from the city. Thinking it through, nowhere on our website does it say, "great place to get away from the city." I may have to add that!

Madeleine said:

Took the dare...
Marketing to people like myself does mean that I market to myself. What would I like? What's important to me as a guest?
Not, perhaps, marketing to a potential buyer of the property!
But we all market to ourselves because we know what we like and want and we've made our places into the place we would like to go..

Click to expand...

And we are people too - potential guests for someone else if we can ever get away!

That's why when I was an IT techy I was often the one who got sent out to sort out customers problems, I had the technical knowledge but I would talk to the customers in English. Too many TLAs in that business.
Agree with Madeleine, in this business we are all (mostly) travelers/customers too, although I guess there are market sectors / demographics which our business may appeal to but we are not necessarily in.

TheBeachHouse said:

We use buzzwords in our marketing that do relate to what we want. Words like 'relax,' 'sea,' 'sunrise view.' ,cozy fireplace'......
A useful article, thank you for sharing it.
I'm only learning my market, but from what I can tell, we get a lot of people who just want a weekend away from the city. Thinking it through, nowhere on our website does it say, "great place to get away from the city." I may have to add that!.

Click to expand...

'Leave the city behind.'
'Escape the quotidian.'
'Let the rhythm of the ocean erase the jangle of the city.'

Highlands John said:

That's why when I was an IT techy I was often the one who got sent out to sort out customers problems, I had the technical knowledge but I would talk to the customers in English. Too many TLAs in that business.
Agree with Madeleine, in this business we are all (mostly) travelers/customers too, although I guess there are market sectors / demographics which our business may appeal to but we are not necessarily in..

Click to expand...

I don't market the main attraction in town in other than a couple of places on my site.
Maybe I should.
I don't because it's not something I tend to do on vacation. I want to see nature and history. So, if I move some of my marketing toward that demographic I've been ignoring it might help.

Madeleine said:

Highlands John said:

That's why when I was an IT techy I was often the one who got sent out to sort out customers problems, I had the technical knowledge but I would talk to the customers in English. Too many TLAs in that business.
Agree with Madeleine, in this business we are all (mostly) travelers/customers too, although I guess there are market sectors / demographics which our business may appeal to but we are not necessarily in..

Click to expand...

I don't market the main attraction in town in other than a couple of places on my site.
Maybe I should.
I don't because it's not something I tend to do on vacation. I want to see nature and history. So, if I move some of my marketing toward that demographic I've been ignoring it might help.
.

Click to expand...

Madeleine said:

I don't market the main attraction in town in other than a couple of places on my site.
Maybe I should.
I don't because it's not something I tend to do on vacation. I want to see nature and history. So, if I move some of my marketing toward that demographic I've been ignoring it might help.

Click to expand...

Oh, I think you should! Think about all your guests when they check out. Don't they have tons of products from that nearby attraction? Tap into that market.

Madeleine said:

TheBeachHouse said:

We use buzzwords in our marketing that do relate to what we want. Words like 'relax,' 'sea,' 'sunrise view.' ,cozy fireplace'......
A useful article, thank you for sharing it.
I'm only learning my market, but from what I can tell, we get a lot of people who just want a weekend away from the city. Thinking it through, nowhere on our website does it say, "great place to get away from the city." I may have to add that!.

Click to expand...

'Leave the city behind.'
'Escape the quotidian.'
'Let the rhythm of the ocean erase the jangle of the city.'
.

Click to expand...

You sound like a natural for the NE coast!

Madeleine said:

Highlands John said:

That's why when I was an IT techy I was often the one who got sent out to sort out customers problems, I had the technical knowledge but I would talk to the customers in English. Too many TLAs in that business.
Agree with Madeleine, in this business we are all (mostly) travelers/customers too, although I guess there are market sectors / demographics which our business may appeal to but we are not necessarily in..

Click to expand...

I don't market the main attraction in town in other than a couple of places on my site.
Maybe I should.
I don't because it's not something I tend to do on vacation. I want to see nature and history. So, if I move some of my marketing toward that demographic I've been ignoring it might help.
.

Click to expand...

If i had them, i would market up the wazoo...that i believe is a major draw to your town. It sure was for me.

EmptyNest said:

Madeleine said:

Highlands John said:

That's why when I was an IT techy I was often the one who got sent out to sort out customers problems, I had the technical knowledge but I would talk to the customers in English. Too many TLAs in that business.
Agree with Madeleine, in this business we are all (mostly) travelers/customers too, although I guess there are market sectors / demographics which our business may appeal to but we are not necessarily in..

Click to expand...

I don't market the main attraction in town in other than a couple of places on my site.
Maybe I should.
I don't because it's not something I tend to do on vacation. I want to see nature and history. So, if I move some of my marketing toward that demographic I've been ignoring it might help.
.

Click to expand...

If i had them, i would market up the wazoo...that i believe is a major draw to your town. It sure was for me.
.

Click to expand...

I tried ad words for awhile. Tried to say 'walk to this store'. Google would not let me use their name in my marketing campaign.
Makes me wonder how everyone else seems to be able to buy my name and use it. Definitely not the same playing field.

Madeleine said:

Took the dare...
Marketing to people like myself does mean that I market to myself. What would I like? What's important to me as a guest?
Not, perhaps, marketing to a potential buyer of the property!
But we all market to ourselves because we know what we like and want and we've made our places into the place we would like to go..

Click to expand...

Is there anything wrong with wanting guests like ourselves in our own spaces? And aren't those who are like us most likely to appreciate what we have? Makes for happy campers I think!

white pine said:

Madeleine said:

Took the dare...
Marketing to people like myself does mean that I market to myself. What would I like? What's important to me as a guest?
Not, perhaps, marketing to a potential buyer of the property!
But we all market to ourselves because we know what we like and want and we've made our places into the place we would like to go..

Click to expand...

Is there anything wrong with wanting guests like ourselves in our own spaces? And aren't those who are like us most likely to appreciate what we have? Makes for happy campers I think!

.

Click to expand...

white pine said:

Is there anything wrong with wanting guests like ourselves in our own spaces?

Click to expand...

a) Sure but I want the ones NOT like me too. I'm not quite to 100% occupancy yet!
b) Some B&B owners don't really like to stay at B&Bs when they travel. They want the distance from others that a hotel gives. Those folks MUST learn to market to people different from themselves, or they'll starve!

white pine said:

Madeleine said:

Took the dare...
Marketing to people like myself does mean that I market to myself. What would I like? What's important to me as a guest?
Not, perhaps, marketing to a potential buyer of the property!
But we all market to ourselves because we know what we like and want and we've made our places into the place we would like to go..

Click to expand...

Is there anything wrong with wanting guests like ourselves in our own spaces? And aren't those who are like us most likely to appreciate what we have? Makes for happy campers I think!

.

Click to expand...

Nothing wrong with that at all. We always get a lot of guests who are not like us and it's generally a very good thing to meet other kinds of people.
But wanting good guests? Always a good idea!

Listen, this is funny. I remember an innkeeper saying that we attract like minded guests and I laughed my head off at that. We do not, we simply do not, not at all. Of course if they were all like me we would have nothing to talk about. Quite the opposite to most people, I realize that. I enjoy talking with the quirky eccentric oddball people moreso than those who have it all together.
As it is now, the variety of guests is the spice of my life!
Next week I have diametrically opposed guests here. It will be interesting. I will learn something.
My style: I would stay in a cabin in the woods, or in a hammock on a beach. I am not the same as what I have here, at all. I appreciate all different styles of B&B's, some more than others. This B&B is not about me, at all. It is for the guests, 100%.
I try to sway the demographics every once in a while, but even that seems to be a power all its own.
BY THE WAY Beachie, there is a thing calls LONG TAILS in marketing now. In other words, don't use buzzwords, but use sentences as google allows people to search by sentence, not just key words. I would use your whole sentence, that is a good one!

Arks said:

white pine said:

Madeleine said:

Took the dare...
Marketing to people like myself does mean that I market to myself. What would I like? What's important to me as a guest?
Not, perhaps, marketing to a potential buyer of the property!
But we all market to ourselves because we know what we like and want and we've made our places into the place we would like to go..

Click to expand...

Is there anything wrong with wanting guests like ourselves in our own spaces? And aren't those who are like us most likely to appreciate what we have? Makes for happy campers I think!

.

Click to expand...

white pine said:

Is there anything wrong with wanting guests like ourselves in our own spaces?

Click to expand...

a) Sure but I want the ones NOT like me too. I'm not quite to 100% occupancy yet!
b) Some B&B owners don't really like to stay at B&Bs when they travel. They want the distance from others that a hotel gives. Those folks MUST learn to market to people different from themselves, or they'll starve!
.

Click to expand...

Just sayin I appreciate people who appreciate what we have done. Also, I think trying to be all things to all people is a recipe for disaster...for me at least. I want to market to those who will come back, be happy here and tell their friends...working for us so far. If you need urban lights and fine dining and are afraid in the woods... you are not going to be happy out here.....

One guest this weekend. A single woman who came to 'get away from it all.'
She had my husband's ear for (literally) 30 minutes telling him over and over how she just wanted to be alone. He's thinking the whole time, "I can make that happen for you if you'd let me go."
LOL