Turning Insights Into Innovation:
A Composer’s Guide to 3 Marketing Lessons for Marketing Magic
What if you could enhance your marketing by thinking like a film composer? In this post, we explore how businesses can apply insights from music composition to turn customer data into strategic marketing and innovation with 3 specific marketing lessons.
How To Compose Better Marketing: Start With Market Research
What if telling your brand’s story could be as captivating as a cinematic experience? Just as composing music for a film requires a deep understanding of the characters and the audience’s emotions, great marketing hinges on connecting with your customers. Yet sometimes, “you don’t know what you don’t know.” Market research is key to uncovering hidden insights that make all of your efforts more successful. It involves gathering and analyzing data on customers and the competitive landscape. It’s about peeling back the layers to understand what makes people tick, and translating those insights into strategies to innovate, allocate resources more effectively, and enhance customer experience. Common methodologies include surveys, interviews, focus groups, social listening, and online discussion boards where participants can answer questions and respond to each other’s posts.
According to a study by CB Insights, 42% of startups fail due to a lack of market need for their product. Market research provides a pulse on customer needs, ensuring your business addresses problems that enough people are willing to pay for.
Benefits of market research for small businesses include:
- Better Product-Market Fit: Use customer feedback and insights to improve existing products/services and develop new ones based on what people actually want and need.
- Maximize Clicks, Likes, and Follows: Market research enhances digital marketing and content creation, increasing engagement and conversion rates.
- Data-Driven Innovation: Reduce the risks associated with investing in new products/services by uncovering blind spots and testing concepts early with your target market.
Lessons from Hans Zimmer for Marketing with Impact
Hans Zimmer, the composer behind films like “The Lion King”, “Inception,” “Gladiator,” and “Dune” is a master at telling stories through music. Let’s dig into what businesses can learn from his process to create standout customer experiences:
Marketing Lesson 1: Amplify the Person, the Humanity, Within Your Business
Just as Hans Zimmer uses African rhythms and instruments in “The Lion King” to capture the essence of the savannah and immediately tell us, “this isn’t your regular Princess movie,” your marketing should send the message, “this is going to be different; come along with us on this journey!” To do this, we need to humanize our business. Research shows that people form emotional attachments to brands just as they do to other people. Humans are designed to be attracted to other humans; that’s why faces are becoming the new company logo. For marketing, this means showcasing real people and stories that resonate with your audience.
Marketing Lesson 2: Collaborate Early, Think Unconventionally
Zimmer collaborates from the start to create music that enhances the director’s vision and brings out the musicians’ talents. He works closely with the team, earning their respect and challenging them to embrace unconventional techniques. For example, in the film “Inception” (2010), the inclusion of a piano crashing down heightens the power of the piece in a completely original and unexpected way. Similarly, business owners must keep their company on-vision while encouraging customers and employees to step into a sense of, “this is new and we’ve never tried this before – let’s do it!” It’s through trust and collaboration that extraordinary innovation is born.
“Secretly my ambition is to find one thing they haven’t done before.” – Hans Zimmer
Marketing Lesson 3: Make People Feel Something
Zimmer’s approach is all about evoking emotions to keep us invested in the story. Sometimes the goal is to take us back to a memory; other times it’s creating a feeling that you wouldn’t have in your normal life. For small businesses, this means having a vision for the emotional tone you’re trying to set and making sure your branding and messaging align with what customers are hoping to feel. That’s why it’s important to conduct market research to put the voice of the customer at the heart of your brand.
“You invite the audience in and give them the opportunity to feel something. You open a little door, and you as the audience get to complete the emotion and the journey.” – Hans Zimmer
Find Your Ensemble, Grow Your Business: How The Sphere Can Help
The Sphere empowers entrepreneurs at all stages with insights, connections, and expert consulting to grow and run a thriving business. As a member, you’ll gain a network of peer support, personalized guidance, and access to a collaborative space for work and events. Here are a few ways we help:
- Personalized Consulting & Support: Participate in group events, one-on-one consulting, and peer coaching programs to tap into the wisdom of experienced business leaders. Whether you need help balancing your books or developing a data-backed content strategy, The Sphere is your go-to resource for expert support in almost anything. Learn more about our community.
- Funding Opportunities & Financial Know-How: Navigating small business grants, taxes, and funding can be daunting. We connect you with financial advising and funding opportunities to bring your dreams to life.
- Lifelong Learning & Insightful Conversations: Continuous learning is key to professional growth. Participate in hot topics panels, readers’ roundtables, and creative workshops to stay intellectually stimulated and connected with a community that challenges you and supports your journey.
Conclusion: Innovators Start Here!
Whether you want to turn your side hustle into a self-sustaining business or build your board of advisors to help take your company to the next level, we invite you to join our growing network of women and non-binary business owners and entrepreneurs.
With a new co-working and events space in Florence, The Sphere is where innovators come together to find connections, gain momentum, and balance personal wellness with a well-run business.
Written by Jana Rosewarne, PhD | LinkedIn
Jana is a market researcher with a passion for data-driven entrepreneurship. Through research and data analysis, she helps small businesses innovate and grow through understanding their customers and market. At The Sphere, Jana works with interns and leadership to develop programming and build community connections. Originally from North Carolina, Jana holds a PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She lives in Goshen, MA, where she applies her skills to enrich the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the Pioneer Valley.
