True confession: This is my first grown-up book review. I was honored when my friend Kelly McDonald asked me to read and review her new book, How to Market to People Not Like You. I first met Kelly through a mutual friend and heard her speak at a conference that I was attending. I have also hired her to speak at a conference that I produced. Kelly is an amazing speaker with a lot of energy and a great story-teller. I wondered if she could translate her passion into a book. The good news for Kelly is that she did.
This book is a fast-read with some great example of how companies, big and small, have made minor changes to their marketing message. These minor changes resulted in major results. In the book Kelly does a great job of using examples and real-world stories to make a point. She transferred the art of story-telling that she has mastered in her speaking career to her writing.
The information in the book is simple and practical. There are new markets that can be tapped into and if you take the time to understand your target market and what matters to them, you can gain their trust and their business. I see a lot of organizations that focus on niche marketing without really ever understanding the PEOPLE inside the target group. Many times marketers understand the business or personal needs of the market and often have a good solution for their problem. Many times, the trouble that businesses run into is that, even though they really do offer solid solutions, they have trouble reaching the audience. This book is a great reminder that marketers and businesses need to invest the time to understand the people-factor that composes their target market.
One of the things that I liked best about this book was the examples. To be honest, I would buy from any of the businesses that are profiled in the book because of their unique selling approaches. These examples made me realize that with a little thought and creativity, businesses can create real opportunities by learning how to market to people not like them. And if you aren’t taking advantage of these opportunities, your competitors just might be.
So, if you are a marketer searching for a few ideas on how to create new opportunities or to tap into new niches, check out How to Market to People Not Like You by Kelly McDonald.
On a personal note, I’m going to be writing a post this week on the topic of reading. Let me know what you think of my review.