Why I'm Ready to Do Marketing Focus Groups

Last week, Sylvie and I published our first INBOUND Talking Too Loud episode with Nancy Harhut, a behavioral science marketing expert, Chief Creative Officer at HBT Marketing, and author of the book "Using Behavioral Science in Marketing."'

Our post about one of Nancy's counterintuitive tips — that you should tell prospects they don't have to buy your product — hit big.

I've been pondering why since last week.

I think it has something to do with the fact that Nancy's counterintuitive tip is so profoundly simple and makes so much sense but gets lost in the way many of us have been marketing over the past few years.

Marketing has become so data-driven, so acutely focused on the metrics, that we're losing the magic, the nuance, and sometimes irrational thought processes that are completely rational when you're marketing to humans.

I think we all logically know that data isn't the end-all-be-all and, on some deeper level, crave the humanity in marketing, but it's easy to forget when the vibe of numbers-at-all-costs-marketing has been at center stage.

Nancy's tip was fresh air and permission to re-orient ourselves with the humanity behind everything we do in marketing.

Our conversation and others gave me a hankering to throw it back old-school style to reacquaint myself with the humans we're trying to reach...focus groups, anyone?

To listen to Nancy's counterintuitive tips and explore why considering the irrational in marketing could be the most rational thing you do. Listen to the full episode of Talking Too Loud here.