5 Ways Marketing is Like Dating

Disclaimer: I am not an expert in love. I harbor no fantasy that I plod at this keyboard crafting an article like some business-minded Carrie Bradshaw. But this is not the first time that I've likened marketing to dating. On the surface, it makes sense: you've got a date and have hopes of furthering the relationship. In order to do that, however, you both need to go through the courtship dance of getting to know one another and determining if you're the right fit.

In inbound marketing-- where efforts focus on building a relationship with the consumer-- the buzzwords are especially reminiscent of a budding romance: attract, connect, engage, delight. But I argue that it goes even deeper than that. Like dating, marketing is rarely as simple as it seems. 

1. Know your type

Sure, you want to be open to possibilities, but let's be real. If you find the party boy/girl type a turn-off, why are you looking for love inside of a club? In marketing, this is called a negative persona: someone for whom there may be an attraction, but for the wrong reasons. In the end, working on this relationship may be more trouble than it's worth.

2. Know where your type hangs out

If looking for a goal-oriented partner, there's a good chance you'll find him/her at a networking event. In marketing, once you know who your personas are, you need to know where they spend their time. If your persona subscribes to Esquire, consider placing an ad in the magazine. Likewise, if your persona spends a considerable amount of time on Instagram but hardly any on Twitter, keep that in mind when you launch social media campaigns and contests. 

3. Put yourself out there

For example; someone approaches you at the gym. If you weren't at the gym, that person might never have known you existed. And unless you give them the time of day, that initial approach will be as far as it goes. If you've identified your personas and where they hang out, it isn't enough to just BE there. There needs to be engagement and subsequent nurturing. Have a conversation. Find out what they're looking for and see if your objectives align. If all is copacetic, then arrange a second date you know they'll enjoy. In marketing, this is the point where you tailor your efforts to your contact's wants and needs. 

4. Have a purpose

Every guy or girl has dated the Lost Puppy, the Don’t Fence Me In, the Mooch... any number of iterations based on a theme of not having it together. It's fun for a while, but eventually, the relationship goes stale. Don't be the Lost Puppy. If you don't have a cohesive brand and messaging, your target personas aren't going to know what to make of you. If you're lucky, they'll humor you while they try to figure you out, but it's only a matter of time before they leave you for a date (I mean, business) with a mission. On the other side of this, make sure to stay true to yourself/ the company brand. No one likes a phony.

5. Don't rely on luck

Even fairy tale romances have obstacles to Happily Ever After. Maybe the person you're dating is also courting a couple of other options. You can't force them to choose you; they have to come to that conclusion on their own. Be unobtrusive, but always keep top-of-mind. In marketing, that can mean setting up automated drip emails or a retargeting campaign. If you've proven yourself valuable to them as a company, they'll come around.

What do you think? In what ways can you draw parallels between the complicated world of marketing and the confusing world of dating? Leave us a comment in the notes below.