Great Marketing Should Do Two Things: Transact and Attract
In the world of marketing, you’re either trying to attract people to a brand, or trying to get them to transact and purchase the brand. All the brilliance of art and copy, all the amazing creative technology should drive these two actions. That’s it. That’s all there is. Let’s break them down:
TRANSACT
Sell people currently in the market for the product/service and get them to transact now. This is advertising. At any given moment, about 1% of people actively search to purchase a brand. The job is to identify prime prospects at the moment of purchase and convert them. It uses all the digital tools available to target the exact consumer most predisposed to buying right now. Everything goes through the lens of the brand. What are my most compelling sales points? How am I better than the competition? This is bottom of the funnel stuff with one goal: buy my product now. Here, use all the things that work to convert people like ads, testimonials, promos, brand news. Transaction is short-term and urgent. It wants the purchase, and does everything it can to help get it immediately.
ATTRACT
Entertain consumers and attract them to a brand they would have ignored otherwise, and get them to buy later. This is content, aimed at the other 99%. The job is to reach broader audiences and bring new users gently into the fold. It goes much wider than super-qualified leads. It’s looking for popularity. Everything goes through the lens of the platform. What do people like to watch on TikTok? On Instagram? What’s trending? This is top of the funnel stuff with one goal: like my brand. Here, use all the things that work on the platforms to attract people like human interest, comedy, inspirational stories, beautiful imagery. Attraction is mid-term and patient. Its goal is to set a brand vision, to inspire, to entertain. Then somewhere in the near future, it moves someone to transact.
Some things overlap: education, creators, branded content. Sometimes these motivate someone to transact. Other times, they attract new people.
Many marketers chase the 1% exclusively and ignore this other 99%. All their work is hard sell ads. It gets no love from anyone but the 1%. Also, going at the exact same people over and over again annoys them, and eventually fishes that pond dry. We must keep restocking the pond with new fish, aka attraction.
Great brands today understand the two dynamics. Sometimes, they must sell hard and transact. Other times, they must seduce and attract people to their brand. With absolute certainty, the goal of both is a sale. The only difference is a sale now or a sale later. Attraction and Transaction. Everything else is distraction.
