5 Things Country Music Teaches Us About Marketing
I’ll admit it…for most of my life I’ve been lukewarm on country music. I just didn’t get it.
Until recently.
I took my 16 year old son to a Luke Bryan concert and was completely blown away.
For 3 hours at the concert and another 3 hours on the way home I got the full experience. The next thing I know I’m singing tunes in my head all day. Yep, I’m hooked. Another country music fan was born.
Oh, and the marketing consultant in me quickly understood why country music is so popular.
These guys (and gals) are great at marketing.
Marketing? With country songs? You bet!
Here are 5 things we can all learn from great country music:
#1 – Use short powerful messages
Lyrics from Drink a Beer (Luke Bryan):
When I got the news today
I didn’t know what to say.
So I just hung up the phone.
The song is powerful because it leaves out certain details while still delivering the message.
He allows you to remember your own devastating phone calls. The rest of the song becomes about your experience, not his.
#2 – Tap into emotion
Lyrics from Drunk On Your Love (Brett Eldredge):
The second she walked through the door, I caught a buzz
One taste from your lips knocked me out just like a drug
Ahhh the feeling of love. Artists have been describing it for centuries. But has anyone ever tapped into the emotion of what love feels like better than this?
His specific choice of words like “buzz” and “like a drug” reach people on an emotional level and again make the song about your love and not his.
Intellect and reason are important, but don’t forget to appeal to your customer’s emotional side.
People use intellect to justify what emotions have already decided.
#3 – Don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story
Lyrics from Rain is a Good Thing (Luke Bryan):
Rain makes corn, corn makes whiskey
Whiskey makes my baby, feel a little frisky
Well, sort of. Rain is necessary to grow corn. And corn is a key component in make whiskey. The other parts, well you can figure that out.
The fact is there’s much more to making whiskey than just having rain. But it’s also true that without rain, you’ll never have whiskey.
So what’s the truth?
Clients get hung up on telling prospects more than they need to know. Be honest, but don’t let the facts get in the way of telling a good story.
#4 – Repetition & consistency
Quick – what’s your favorite song? Can you hear it in your head?
What part makes you sing the loudest?
The refrain.
Most country songs (and every other kind of song for that matter) will repeat the refrain section anywhere from 4-8 times.
In marketing we refer to that as repetition and brand consistency.
When done correctly, you can’t help but remember it. Ever heard this one? 15 minutes could save you 15% on car insurance.
Branding isn’t just about logos and color schemes. It’s about the consistency of the messages you convey to the world over and over again.
#5 – See yourself real
Lyrics from A Guy with a Girl (Blake Shelton)
I’m just the guy with the girl everybody wants to know
Blake Shelton is as big a star as we have these days. He’s transcended music into pop culture.
What makes this song so popular is that he captures the reason everyone loves him so much.
He portrays himself the way others see him.
He’s probably got a huge ego, but he does a great job of selling the idea that he’s just an everyday kind of guy who also happens to have one hell of a talent.
This song is about having no ego. Being average. But he’s killing it in the lady department and he knows it.
His girl is so gorgeous people don’t notice him when he walks in the room with her.
And he doesn’t care.
That’s the kind of guy people THINK Blake Shelton probably is. They know he’s not some super polished, vanilla country star who always says and does the right thing.
Heck, the name of his new album is “If I’m Honest”.
When it comes to marketing, stop trying to be something you’re not. You’ll just wind up sounding like everyone out there who is trying to fit into a box.
Market yourself the way your best clients see you. Just like Blake Shelton does.
