Music Inc Magazine June 2024

Utilize Emotion-Based Marketing Factors for taking an emotion-based approach to your next marketing campaign. D uring a Friday morning session, “De- veloping a Step Up Message That Resonates and Drives Sales Conver-

media program so you don’t have to hire a production studio. A bonus? That’s another way to connect with your community.” 3. Outline your strategy. “Find out what motivates your customers and where their affinities lie,” Petterson said. “Identify a pain point, and make sure it’s authentic.” 4. Set messaging strategies and chan- nels. “We know what we want to say and how we want to say it, but now we have to decide where we’re going to say it,” Pet- terson explained. “It could be your own social media promoted post, but you have to ask yourself where are your customers.” 5. Obtain or create content. “Ideally what- ever you create should be repurposable,” he said. “It gives your customers a more cohesive message.” 6. Execute, test and iterate. “This is an inflection point,” he said. “Also, remember that not all ads work for all people, and you want to illicit a reaction from a customer.” 7. Analyze results and debrief. “Look over the results and ask yourself if you hit your KPIs,” Petterson said. MI

sions,” Yamaha’s director of marketing for winds and strings, Brian Petterson, took listeners on a journey that advocated tapping into emotions to reach potential customers. “Emotion breathes life into marketing. It creates brand loyalty and helps define a brand,” Petterson said. “We’re super lucky to be working in a business that breeds emotion.” Why lead with emotion when it comes to your marketing campaigns? Petterson shared that it delivers a long-term benefit, with studies showing that 23% of sales spikes are driven by emotional market- ing and, according to Petterson, the rate of customers [who] relay a brand because of an emotional connection is over 70%. “Emotion-based messaging offers many benefits including [it] creates memorable customer experiences, builds brand loyalty from customers, appeals to customer aspi- rations and differentiates a brand through

Brian Petterson

values,” Petterson said, adding that “dif- ferentiating brands through values has be- come so important, especially for younger generations.” When it comes to deconstructing the marketing campaign process, Petterson shared a few key steps. 1. Establish goals and KPI(s). “Do you want to sell a product or do you want more trac- tion on your website? Define that first,” Petterson said. 2. Create a budget. “It’s fine to not have a six-figure marketing budget. But you prob- ably want to have a five-figure budget,” he said. “There are ways you can save here — maybe team with a local school that has a

Establish Your Orchestral “Cred” Tips for taking care of your orchestra-specific customers that will have them returning to your store.

D uring the first session slot of NASMD, Howard Core’s John Rihani, formerly of Paige’s Music, hosted “Beyond the Basics – Building Credibility in the Orches- tral World,” which shed insight into how to retailers can go above and beyond to service their orchestral customers. Where to start? According to Rihani, out in your parking lot. “If your parking lot doesn’t have a space for big instruments, like a cello or bass, maybe set aside a ‘large instrument parking’ section,” Rihani said. “Also, think of your door situation. Is it a covered entrance, so they aren’t fumbling with a large instrument in the rain or snow? If you’re able to put yourselves into your orchestra customers’ shoes, you’ll be more successful.” Once inside the store, Rihani advocated for orchestral representation in your showroom. “Ask yourself: what do [orchestra cus- tomers] see? Any orchestral instruments

in sight? What kind of music is playing? It shouldn’t be all strings, but [orchestra customers] shouldn’t have to ask themselves if they’re in the right place,” Rihani said. “Also, lighting for these instruments is im- portant. Make sure your lighting compli- ments the instruments — warm lighting is usually best.” When it comes to stocking accessories, Rihani promoted quality over quantity. “A smaller, well-curated selection estab- lishes credibility more effectively,” Rihani said, adding when it comes to rosins, distill it down to good/better/best options for each instrument. “When it comes to shoulder rests, they usually come in boxes, but they’re useless in boxes, so get creative. Consider creating a tower display.” When stocking cleaning products, Rihani said to opt for more boutique and specific brands, not the “commercially available” products. “You’ll gain credibility through what you

don’t have,” Rihani said, adding “consider offering a cleaning cloth with your logo for some personalization.” In the case of instrument offerings? Ri- hani said you don’t have to display every- thing you have. “Some orchestral instruments can be dif- ficult to display effectively so get creative,” he said. “It also doesn’t have to match the way you display a saxophone. Use nicer materials to match the aesthetic of the instruments. Make them the focus. A converted China cabinet can work.” Stocking cellos? Rihani advocates for stocking “high.” “If you have a high ceiling, don’t be afraid go up,” he said. “You’ll have more room on the sales floor this way. Similar to cellos, because they’re big, basses can be tricky. However, if you’re the bass source for your area, you need to have more than one available and displayed for customers to take you seriously.” MI

44 I MUSIC INC. I JUNE 2024

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