Straight Shooters

The year-end reports are out: What did you watch most this year? How much did you watch, and what device did you use? All these statistics are very valuable, and companies are using them to develop targeted demographics about you… and your customers.

The way people consume media in our country has changed dramatically over the last decade or so. I remember the days of Blockbuster rentals and when going to movie theaters was a big-time event. Now everything is streaming, on-demand, recordable, and fast-forwardable in the palm of your hand. No need to wait until 6:00 to watch your evening news and find out what’s going on in the world, you can quickly hit YouTube Live, iHeart Radio, or any of the hundreds of options to get up to the minute information on just about anything.

You can watch step-by-step cooking directions to prepare your evening meals or learn how to do your taxes like a pro. If you can dream up a thought, with an estimated BILLION videos currently on YouTube, someone is out there talking or demonstrating what you want to see – all just a quick search away. And with content being so customizable and even niche interests building large communities, knowing what’s being consumed tells us a lot about how to reach our target audiences.

The last few years, companies like YouTube, Spotify, Apple, and Google have released their “year in review” reports for customers in December detailing exactly how many hours of streaming and what content they’ve consumed. For most, their favorite songs and favorite podcasts are not a surprise. My ratio is 80% college sports, with a mixture of good preaching and historical documentaries making up the rest. But when we start looking at what’s most popular en masse, we really start to see some patterns.

For the fourth straight year, with over 11 million viewers per episode, the most streamed show on any platform worldwide was The Joe Rogan Experience. (I’m not endorsing his content, language, or demeanor.) Digging even deeper to fill out the rest of the top ten most consumed shows, you find true crime documentaries, TED Talks, and non-mainstream news outlets dominating eyeballs.

What do we learn from this? As a marketer, I see something the public is showing us loud and clear. People are seeking adults who will talk to them like adults. They don’t want their information watered-down, sanitized, or spun. They want to hear the facts, bluntly if necessary, and then be left alone to decide what to do with them. But what do you, a contractor, do with this information?

I think the smart HVAC or plumbing marketer will start developing his or her messaging to match what the public is obviously hungry for. People don’t want to be talked down to. They also are becoming better trained to identify marketing that is manipulative and are better equipped than ever to call it out to those around them. I’m not telling you to be abrasive. But I think the HVAC, plumbing or electric worlds could benefit from being more upfront, direct, and straight to the point about most things, and it seems people are ready for that.

Take a look at your marketing, and if it’s not immediately clear who you are, what you do, and the benefits to the homeowner of having a relationship with you, then you need to do some tweaking. There’s a finite amount of attention span our prospects are willing to give, and they likely won’t waste their time digging through lots of fluff on our website to see if we can be trusted to fix their problem.

It’s never been more obvious that the public wants the truth, and will value a straightforward plumber, HVAC contractor, or electrician that lets them know the issues, lays the options on the table, and can have an adult conversation. And that’s not always communicated best with cartoon logos and silly mascots. Direct with abundant clarity seems to be what people are being drawn to – has your marketing been built to match?

Right now is the time for marketing plans and strategy development for the year ahead. Let us help you find the sweet spot between your online and offline marketing. Whether you’re interested in SEO, PPC, LSA, or email marketing for online or direct mail, purchased lists, local print ads, or newsletters for offline, we have strategies to help you find your best ROI. We have a limited number of slots for you to work directly with our trained marketing coaches developing a tailored plan of attack to reach your goals in 2024. Email us at [email protected] or call (800) 489-9099 to book your appointment.