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What Can The Lighthouse Teach You About Marketing?

Updated: Dec 15, 2022


I have so much to tell you and so little time. 

So, let's not waste much of the latter and just jump right in. 

In a business world where the competition claims to be #1, it’s difficult to stand out. 

That's where a solid marketing strategy comes in. 

Here's a way how to repel the wrong customers so you can attract the right ones.

Don't tell them what you stand for, show them.

Don't sell, teach instead.

Remember, facts don't change their minds. 

Friendship does.

They feel anxious and they all ask the same question: 'Will buying this get me from where I am to where I want to be?'

They want to know how your products can help them on their journey and change their lives for the better.

You see, people want to be taken somewhere. 

Anywhere. 

So, just go somewhere and take them with you.

Become their trusted guide.

"The goal is not just to sell to people who need what you have; the goal is to sell to people who believe what you believe. The goal is not just to hire people who need a job; it’s to hire people who believe what you believe." - Simon Sinek 

Think about two perfect droplets of water that are slowly moving towards each other. 

Visualize it.

What happens as they get closer? 

They eventually get so close that they attract each other and become one droplet of water instead of two separate ones. 

This occurs because they are of 'similar vibration'. 

Now, think about the same phenomena with a droplet of water and a droplet of oil. 

No matter how close you put them together they will not become one with each other. 

This is because their 'vibrations' are too different from one another.

This is the idea that the Law of Attraction is based on.  

Like attracts like, sort of.

This is such a huge idea.


In their book 'Attracting Perfect Customers', Stacey Hall & Jan Brogniez talk about 'The Lighthouse Test'. 

It goes like this.

Imagine a lighthouse standing strong and tall on the rocky shore. 

The water is calm, the sky blue, there are many boats out at sea. 

Yet, out in the distance, there is a storm cloud forming on the horizon. 

The sky is getting darker, the waves are getting rougher, and many of the boats are being tossed about on the water. 

As the rains and the winds pick up strength, so does the power of the beam of light emanating from the lighthouse. 

Some of the boats, anxious to move quickly to a quiet and protective harbor are relying on this beam of light to guide them safely to the spot. 

The darker the skies become, the brighter the light shines. 

Notice that not all of the boats need this beam of light to guide them. 

Some have more confident captains and crews and are fully equipped to manage through the storm safely. 

Now, imagine something super-crazy.

Imagine the lighthouse gets upset because some of the boats are choosing to follow their own path. 

The lighthouse feels it is not successful because it is not guiding all of the boats. 

It sprouts arms and legs and runs up and down the beach acting like a searchlight doing its best to catch the attention of all the boat captains, encouraging them to depend on its light.

Ok, it's probably too crazy, but I am allowed to dream here, right?

Now, where were we?

Oh, yes, the storm.

Most likely, the boats that were depending on the light to guide them would by now have been destroyed in the chaos caused by the light moving up & down the beach. 

Other boats, led by their curiosity, might come closer to shore to get a better look at the spectacle of a lighthouse running up and down the shore, and then head back out to deeper waters. 

While others would be perfectly content to stay where they are . . . out at sea. 


Let me ask you a question. 

How often are you the lighthouse standing securely on the shore attracting the boats/customers to you with your light and how often are you running up and down the beach looking for boats/customers to serve?


Lighthouses don’t try to be everything to everybody. 

They have clarity. 

They stand proud and tall.

They know their purpose. 

"There are a thousand ways for you to get noticed, but there’s only one way to really touch someone."

Whether you are a small company or a big organization, please, understand the following.

You can’t possibly do everything, be everywhere, be all things to all people all the time.

The impact you make will depend on your ideas resonating with the right people - not just reaching the most people.  

So, don’t compete for the moment. 

Compete for meaning.

Create a product or service that is so compelling and brilliant that your customers will actively seek it out. 

Don’t push, create pull. 

Push is dead.

Align and inspire with values.

Prioritize affinity over attention.

Top-of-mind isn’t the same as close-to-heart. (Ask Microsoft.)

Be absolutely clear about who you are and why you do what you do.

Figure out who your ideal customer is. 

Build the idea just for her. 

Be consistent. 

Tell your story. 

Tell it every day. 

Tell it from the heart. 

Make it authentic. 

Care. 

Don't BS. 

They will begin to notice you. 

And then you'll win.



PS. Like what you’re reading here? Well, you have three choices really.

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3. When you are ready to level up, hire me.

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