I don't know if you have access to Apple TV+, but if you have not watched the movie CODA, I highly recommend it.

My wife and I often have a Saturday movie night. We usually get some food delivered after a long work week and sit down and watch a movie. It'a always an adventure.

Kim always asks me what I want to eat and then says, “I don't want THAT!” So I ask, “What do you want,” and she tells me, and I say “OK”, and then she asks me what I want again? It's a weekly dance. Occasionally we are on the same page, but more often than not, we do the “What do you want?” dance and always end up on what she wants. She is channeling messages in a way that her audience understands.

The same goes for the movies we choose to watch. I will search Apple TV+, Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime and give her a list of 3 to 5 movies, and she will watch the previews. Then we do the, “I don't know? What do you want to watch?” dance. It's the same, but when I get to pick one it's usually because I don't give her a choice. That was the case with CODA.

Sing & Sign?

CODA is a movie about a deaf family in the fishing town of Gloucester Massachusetts. The youngest is a girl who can hear and finds her passion is singing, while she is the voice who signs (American Sign Language) for her family when people are speaking. She is channeling speaking to her deaf family and vice-versa.

I don't want to ruin it for those of you who have not seen it, but there is one scene where she is singing at school, and her family is in the audience. The sound goes out and you see (and not hear) what it would be like for her family to watch the performance and the audience's response.

It's interesting to be inside the mind of a deaf person for a few minutes. During the Acadamy Awards Show (Oscars), the Actor who played the dad (Troy Kotsur – who is a deaf actor) won Best Actor for 2022. His speech was delivered in sign language while accompanied by an ASL interpreter who spoke it for the audience, so you got to relive that scene in the movie in reverse.

What Channel Tunes You In?

I am old enough to remember 4 channels and rabbit ears on our TV. Then Cable TV came along and you could get dozens if not hundreds of channels. Not too long ago, we had no problem paying $3 to $5 (now $6) to rent a movie on Apple TV+ a few months after it was in theaters. Newer in the theater movies cost $20 to rent. CODA was the first movie from a streaming service to win “Best Picture” at the Oscars – Times are a-changing!

Speaking of change? At one point a few years ago, our cable bill broke $200 a month and I said, “This is STUPID”, and cut the cord. So I got internet for $80 and Hulu (local channels) for $40 saving $80 a month. Fast forward to today and that same package now costs over $200 again ($135 for internet and $70 for Hulu). We are too far away from the city to get Free HD over an antenna anymore and I really like local sports.

I rarely watch 3-4 channels today, and the movies are now served up via streaming services. Hulu is owned by Disney and gave us Disney+ for that price. Netflix comes free with our T-Mobile phones. Apple TV+ comes with my iCloud account. Amazon Prime is free with that $135 a year (Free Amazon Delivery) package. If we had to pay for all of that it would be over $300 to watch some TV and a few movies?

What Channel Are Your Clients Tuned Into?

I can now imagine you saying to yourself. “Self? What does this have to do with marketing?” Well, bear with me!

When it comes to marketing, channels are often thought of as platforms. Platforms are like all of those streaming services. They are channels that people watch. Most are free, but a few, people pay for monthly. Just like we watch TV and movies on Apple TV+, Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and Amazon Prime, people are watching their email, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Medium, Google, and more for content to educate and inform them.

Especially in business, they are paying a premium with their time. The average worker costs a company $25-$50 per hour. C-Level may cost a company $500 to $1000 per hour. Not only are they busy, but it costs real dollars for people to consume your messages. Are your messages worth $25-$1000 an hour to consume? What would be the ROI they would get in return for their time?

Channeling Your Channels

I had an interesting conversation with a client to help increase conversions on the production and distribution of their content. Their thought is that if you could create channels on their website, people would tune in because it was focused on their industry.

That means that they are looking at creating content that would target clients and prospects based on their industry (and the company serves multiple). What would happen if they had a medical channel, transportation & logistics channel, a manufacturing channel, or a small business channel? Would people tune in and feel like it was focused on their interests? Would they spend more time?

I'm tinkering with tools to figure out how to dynamically change words, images, and more while not having to create and maintain multiple versions of essentially the same content. It's an interesting challenge. One that was built out of our success with channeling email and social media messaging based on a brand or industry. If you can find a way to better personalize email and content, people feel better about investing their time (and money) in that more personalized experience.

Final Thoughts

Just like that scene in CODA, lets you get inside the eyes and mind of a deaf person. Understanding content creation and distribution from the perspective of your audience can give you a better idea of how they experience your performance. I understand that segmentation is hard. We all want to be everything to everybody, but the Pareto Principle shows us that 80% of success comes from 20% of our customers. Would it not make sense to find a way to engage the 20% with 80% more focused content?

That's been one of my mantras – focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.
– Steve Jobs

I would love to hear your thoughts on channeling your content to provide more value to your 20%. What challenges do you face in trying to focus on multiple industries? Do you feel it will dilute your messages, limiting your potential audience and ultimately sales?

Comment below and share your thoughts, ideas, or questions about how you're signing up your customers to the right channel.

To learn more about this and other topics on B2b Sales & Marketing, visit our podcast website at The Bacon Podcast.