Fish In A Barrel Not The Ocean

The phrase fish in a barrel not the ocean is often bandied about in business circles but very few stop to think about it. In an effort to clarify what this should mean to your marketing effort, here is an explanation. In the very basic sense, fishing in the ocean means reaching some prospects in a loosely defined area. Here's an example: You own a heating and air conditioning company and decide to run a TV commercial. Despite the fact you supposedly reach the right audience about 5% of the viewers are interested in what you're selling. Doing the quick math here, that means 95% don't pay any attention. Now you're playing the name recognition, educate the consumer game. Your sales rep probably justified your big cash outlay by using those exact terms. You are fishing in the ocean. Will you catch some new prospects? Yes. Is it a good use of your ad dollars? No! Fishing in a barrel means reaching the greatest number of prospects in a tight, targeted area. For instance, the HVAC company in the above example, uses ad dollars for an online campaign sending an offer-filled, content rich e-newsletter to prospects who've asked for it, placing keyword-targeted pay per click ads, and sending emails to yet another opt-in list of subscribers. Hey, these prospects are already interested in what you sell. They just have to be convinced to do business with you. Will you catch more new prospects this way? Yes! Is this a better use of ad dollars? Yes! In a crowded advertising marketplace where everyone is clamoring for attention, you have to be different. You can't afford to do things the same old way anymore. A yellow pages listing, some broadcast commercials and ads in the paper just don't cut it. You have to go cyber and your message has to be viral. Find the right bait, and start fishing in a barrel. Watch and see how many new prospects you will have on the hook.