I used to think that the entertainment and technology industries were on opposite sides of the industry spectrum – they couldn’t be the furthest from each other. I felt that way about marketing within these two industries, too. Since I have been a marketer in both these arenas – I consider myself living at the intersection of tech and art – I saw that marketing for a technology company was much more advanced than marketing for an entertainment company, with the latter lagging behind the former, for the most part.

These days the lines between the two industries are blurred, thanks in part to digital media. The entertainment industry is moving a lot of their properties online as it has been determined, from a myriad of high-profile studies, that more people are going online to get their entertainment. And, technology companies are moving to the web video world to bring their products and services to the user in a more understandable and conversational way. Of course, I don’t have to tell you how hot web video marketing is right now.

In fact, both technology and entertainment companies are doing some key things to be successful that we, as marketers should keep top of mind. And, of course, it all has to do with differentiation.

Here are some great ways to stay ahead of the game.

Have a compelling story and tell it in a compelling way.

Because of all the “noise” in our world, and there are many options out there, companies have to differentiate themselves. Companies need to take a lead from the entertainment industry and become good storytellers. It doesn’t stop at having a good story to tell, you have to tell it in a compelling way that addresses a potential customer’s pain points and hot buttons and you need to reach your customer on an emotional level.

Niche marketing is the only way to go.

The old phrase of “if we build it, they will come” no longer applies. In fact, the only time it applies is if you happen to be watching “Field of Dreams”. To differentiate yourself from the rest,

- understand where your “sweet spot” is in your industry or market
- research those customer targets or personas
- create your model target personas
- gravitate to where these prospects are
- engage with them so you know their pain points and hot buttons

Develop messaging for your key customer personnas.

Messaging for one segment won’t be the same as messaging for another. Your research in #2 will be your guide. Use your research to segment your messaging.

Be Social.

I speak with a lot of companies who say that they have become so much closer to their customers, communicated more effectively with potential customers, and conducted a lot of research on social media. Research which social media outlets make sense for you to play in. Maybe it is Facebook, Twitter, Linked in, Google+, Quora, YouTube, etc. or maybe it is a few of them, second tier social media outlets or online communities for specific verticals. Again, do the research to be in the right space. It doesn’t stop there, however. You now have to earn respect and trust. That comes from providing compelling content and interacting with people.

Have analytics in place.

Put a testing mechanism in place for your marketing. If something isn’t pulling with the results you want, be quick to test and revise where it makes sense.

The key to differentiation is standing out and adding value and these elements should also always be the key takeaways of any marketing campaign.