Knowing the Score- Part III

One of the best techniques to ensure a return on your marketing and advertising is completely within reach of every business. Whether a startup or seasoned business, this strategy costs little or nothing to implement. Why more businesses do not use it, I have no idea. It is one of the smartest and easiest things to do and requires no extraordinary talent.

So what is it? The answer is as easy as tapping your toe. Rhythm.

Rhythm is consistency. Consistency is the magic DNA of trust. It is modeled to us from birth. From your earliest days on earth, you learned your Mom was a trustworthy person because that face consistently presented itself with rhythmic predictability. It did not take long to learn this face would appear upon demand, bearing certain comfort. You were sold. She was the only woman for you. She could not get out of your sight, and if she did, a hissy fit would ensue.

Mom taught you colors, numbers, or the alphabet using the same principle– consistent presentation and rhythmic repetition. Later that consistency was relegated to higher forms of learning. My younger brother Jason, as well as whole generations of kids, learned I Is For Impolite well before he ever got to school–all because Sesame Street repeated the same entertaining cartoon every day for many years. He knew the little ditty completely by heart and went around the house reciting it.

It takes repetition and rhythm to teach anyone anything at all. Consistency forms patterns, and patterns form rhythm. We humans are hardwired to to recognize and respond to pattern and rhythm.

I remember going to my first rock concert as a kid with my older sister Sue. I knew most of the Doobie Brothers songs by heart, (yes, I am that old). When we heard the familiar strains of “Wo-ah. .. . Wooaaaah, Listen to the Music”, people were on their feet, clapping in unison, and raising the rock and roll fist pump. They could not help it. Music provides a very rare phenomena: people in harmony, compelled to do the same things at the same time, and enjoying every minute! (Think about that! We rarely get that–rarely in politics, not in the office, only sometimes in church!) The Doobie Brothers created raving fans–with rhythm and consistency.

Imagine that same kind of driving rhythm applied to every area of your business!

The visual graphics of any company reflect its strength. About 50% of our brains are used for visual processing. That is a lot of brain power devoted to sight. What if every visual generated by your company had a striking consistency with the last? By creating a brand guide, using the same fonts and the same colors, you can build consistency into every visual. You can harness that brain power to produce memorability. You can show you are consistent, credible, and trustworthy until you get a chance to prove it. Memorability, followed by a consistent customer experience, creates trust.  Every entrepreneur knows that trust is the biggest hurdle in any sales effort.

What if every customer experience were consistent with the last? It would prove you were worthy of trust! You would likely have more opportunity to prove that you were the supply for their demand. It would not take long, and there would be no other company for them. They may even have a hissy fit if you ever went away. You would have your customers doing the fist pump!

Creating a business with rhythm requires a strategic plan, a bit of ingenuity, and a commitment to follow through. But it is the best way to get your customers to hold up their lighters in your honor. Create consistency, and you, too, will create the DNA of Trust. You, too, will be singing “I Got Rhythm”.

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Like this article? You can read Knowing the Score, Part 1 here, and Part II here.  All this month, we will be discussing music, and especially Jazz, as a model for Small Business management and marketing. Stay tuned, (pun fully intended!), for Part 4, as we hone our chops, grow, and become the entrepreneur we were intended to be. Etc! Graphics is devoted to helping you, the small business owner, think like a marketer.