Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Preaching to the Choir



It’s one of those expressions I picked up in an earlier epoch and have never shaken. It’s shorthand for wasting your time and resources trying to persuade those who already agree with you. On a long car ride or at cocktail party (where exactly are all these cocktails parties everybody talks about?) it is annoying.

But if you want to start a movement (or a Tribe) or establish a brand or popularize an idea, don’t neglect the converted.

[Now that it’s safe(er) to talk about politics I can use some more accessible examples.]

Pols have known this for years: mobilize the base. GOTV. Whatnot. Marketers have known it, too. Your real estate agent may sincerely hope you’re happy in the new digs, but do you really believe he or she cares enough to send you all those holiday cards and football schedules?

Thought not.

They do all this – al this preaching to the choir – because they understand that each singer makes a choice every week. There’s lots of choir lofts. What are you doing to make sure they keep showing up in yours on Sunday morning?

(Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images Europe)






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