How to use Marketing to Improve your Group!

Highly motivated group leaders look for every opportunity to give direction and guidance to their groups. The obvious opportunities to grow a group of course include performances. In between every performance however, there are countless possibilities that can challenge a group and help set new goals. While wrapping all of these opportunities into one package is very difficult, for this conversation it will work well to identify them as "Marketing".

Marketing as most of us know it is the advertising of something we are trying to sell, either a product or service. It is easy to see that Marketing helps sell existing products or services. But, what about services that are yet to come. Or, what about using Marketing to help your group set goals? Will presenting the public with a message about your group help in any way to push the group forward, toward something YET TO COME? I believe Marketing can do just that.

Using marketing to help an organization set goals and push themselves forward is not new. For example, I have been following the new Palm Pre, from Palm. If you are not familiar, Palm is the inventor of the Palm Pilot, the small but mighty personal organizer. The new Pre is revolutionary in the industry. But, that is not the interesting fact. Palm is and has been marketing the upcoming new tool with vigor. In fact, their website is TOTALLY dedicated to their new device. The point is that the Pre is not even release yet - it is "coming soon." Why would Palm do this?

First, I think this is a great example of an organization using Marketing to push them forward. They have released a ton of information about their innovation. They have set the bar high now. In fact, they have set it so high, failure to meet those expectations would be catastrophic. But they take that chance knowing they are doing everything they can to meet those goals - failure is not an option or possibility.

How can musical groups like sax quartets take this same approach? First step, start putting together a marketing plan that includes a website, blogs, pictures, posters, business cards, sample CD's, and any other literature that can spread your message. On all of these marketing tools, be sure to create an image of your group that matches your organizational culture.

Next, start using these tools. At your next rehearsal, start talking about what your next concert will be. Discuss how you are going to prepare, and all the details about the performance. If you don't have a performance coming up, create one. Someone in the group will have an idea, make it happen. Don't over think the opportunity. If you need help in this area, feel free to post here, we can discuss this more. After the upcoming event has been decided or discussed, start getting the word out. Use all of the above tools to spread the message and any thoughts you have about the event.

So what does all this communication do for a group in terms of goal setting? If you are not familiar with Keith Ferrazzi, grab his book, Never Eat Alone. In his book, he describes how nothing makes us reach goals faster than when we tell someone what our goal is. In other words, once someone else knows what we are planning on doing, we tend to push ourselves to make that goal a reality. Few people want to leave someone else down. Leaving ourselves down is easier than informing others about our inability to reach our goals.

At KSQ, I feel we have done a great job of quickly raising the quality of our performance by committing to performance goals, communicating to others about those goals, and pushing ourselves to reach those goals. I must admit, that as a performer, these goals are not always comfortable for me. I can't speak for others in the group. I know however that I would not practice as I hard as I have been if I knew our group activities, future events and past history were not so public. What I am finding is that all of this marketing makes our growth incredibly rewarding. The challenge to meet our own goals is empowering.

Give it a try. If you group has hit a plateau, try Marketing yourselves!