Does your marketing have credibility with your 'locals'?

This post originally appeared on an older blog, MarketingIdeaBlog.com. I am re-publishing it here because I believe the information is not only still valuable, but because I really wish I’d never dismantled that blog in the first place

Maureen Rogers’s underlying point begs a really important question: do you have credibility with the “locals”? I once saw a beautiful photograph of our skyline at night, complete with a full, golden moon. Trouble was, given the vantage point from which the photo had to have been taken, the moon’s placement was physically impossible – it just doesn’t travel in that part of the sky. Most likely the out-of-towners who were the target audience of this marketinrg piece would never know the difference. It was I, the lifelong local, who knew.

I think the same can be said about your existing vs. prospective customers. Prospects, generally, will believe what you show and tell them – they’ve got no reason to doubt you. But what would happen if they talked to one of your existing customers? Will your marketing claims be affirmed by those who know you well, your “locals”? Here are a few tips to ensure that they will:

1. Ask. And by that I mean, ask the locals. Do a quick survey (free or cheap online at www.surveymonkey.com) among existing customers, asking questions about your key marketing messages. You don’t have to provide actual ad copy – just give them some key ideas to consider. And then ask, “Which of these most accurately describes our business?” Or “…most accurately describes how you feel about us?” Be sure to give an “other” for them to contribute their own ideas.

2. Test. Invite a few “locals” in for an ad testing session. This needn’t be expensive – just host them in a meeting space at your location (or even someplace more creative) and maybe provide a couple large pizzas. Show them some ad concepts or just some taglines you’re considering, and let them talk. Even cheaper: Post the info to your blog and shoot some emails to a few favorite “locals,” inviting them to comment.

3. Revise. Based on the feedback you get from your locals, how can you revise your message or rewrite your tagline so it communicates well and resonates with them? Remember, these are the messages that they will affirm about you if asked. That’s why they’re important. Sometimes it’s not what you think about yourself that’s important, it’s what your customers think about you that can open up new prospect markets.

Add your own ideas here – what is the value of knowing that your “locals” will back you up on your marketing claims? How important to your business is this concept of “credibility among the locals”?