July 23

How To Define Propinquity Points

The first step in developing a Propinquity Marketing Strategy is defining your key Propinquity Points.  The technique varies by category, industry and prospect but here is a repeatable four-step process that can serve as your starting point.

It’s the same process I use with my clients and we find it to be an excellent jumping off point. As you work through this process, you may find certain steps more or less effective. That’s fine and expected. Feel free to skip over steps that don’t generate good results for you and spend more time with the ones that do. Chances are you’ll even discover a few new tactics or processes that help you discover key Propinquity Points for your industry.

Step One: Social Listening

Use Social Listening tools to find the keywords your prospects are using to discuss your product or service and to define the platforms on which these conversations are occurring. Then use web analytics platforms like Compete and Google Ads to develop a sense for platform traffic. By cross referencing traffic and keyword instance, you can discover which websites, blogs and platforms contain the most target rich environment.

Step Two: Geographic Social Listening

If your prospects and customers gather in known geographic places like festivals, trade shows or sporting arenas, use geographic social listening tools to cast a listening web over the area during events. This isn’t perfect, it won’t capture all the social signal coming emanating from those locations, but it will help you identify potential prospects and, if they’re sharing links in their messaging, favored blogs, websites, etc.

Step Three: Using Primary Research

You’d be surprised what people will tell you if you just ask. While professional researchers almost always do a better job than you could using a DIY platform, the cost of such research isn’t usually justifiable at this point in your Propinquity Marketing program development. Instead, use DIY platforms like SurveyMonkey.com to craft and field simple surveys that you can send to your customers and prospects. Then ask them where they are turning to for information, what their must read news outlets are, etc.

Step Four: Classify Your Propinquity Points

Next you’ll need to classify each Propinquity Point as either an outposts or an embassy. In the simplest terms an outpost is a place where you and your content will show up from time to time and where your prospects congregate. A good example is a guest post on a popular blog or authoring an article for a magazine.

Embassies on the other hand are Propinquity Points where you elect to create a more continuous presence. Like outposts, these are Propinquity Points where your prospective customers congregate. However, based on your research you feel that a focused effort and regular ongoing participation in conversations occurring at these Propinquity Points will result in increased business opportunities. Embassies might include platforms like LinkedIn or Twitter, where you’ll spend time your building and cultivating a community of prospects.

The Power of Propinquity

Propinquity Marketing,  properly leveraged, results in increased brand exposure frequency in a condensed time period resulting in prospects moving through the Propinquity Continuum (aware of me >> know me >> like me >> do business with me) more rapidly.

Contact me to learn more about developing a Propinquity Strategy, or buy my new book, The Invisible Sale, where I devote two entire chapters to a discussion of Propinquity and using Propinquity to create a Painless Prospecting platform.

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About the author

Tom is 30 year veteran of the sales & marketing industry with a penchant for stiff drinks, good debates and showing others how to combine the power of digital platforms and technology with the science of persuasion to turn conversations into customers.

He is the founder of Converse Digital, a former contributing writer for Advertising Age, and author of The Invisible Sale regarded by readers as a "must-read for any marketing and sales team."

The Invisible Sale has been described as: showing the reader how to rip down the communication barrier between sales and marketing teams in an easy-to-digest look at how both teams can work together to attract, measure, and close prospects in today's online landscape.

In the book, Tom breaks down his entire business development process, honed over a decade of practice, to create the ultimate field guide for anyone tasked with creating an effective business development program for themselves, their agency, or company.

And for those seeking to learn more about the art and science of persuasion, modern digitally oriented prospecting, effective lead nurturing without becoming a nuisance and closing more business deals, Tom has authored hundreds of articles available via his Painless Prospecting Newsletter Archives.

He is also a highly sought after sales & marketing keynote speaker who has graced stages in 52 cities, 27 states, and 7 countries spread across 4 continents.

He primarily speaking on topics of sales, business development, social selling, social media and the power of consumer experiences shared via social media as the ultimate form of advertising.

Tom's probably best known for his incredibly successful, groundbreaking social media campaign to rebrand Mardi Gras from "girls gone wild" to "family friendly fun" using nothing other than social media. That work led him to create his signature tourism marketing keynote -- The Soundtrack of our Life: Leveraging Visitor Experiences To Drive Visitation.

Too learn more about Tom's most requested talks, or check his availability, visit his professional speaker page.

You can also follow him on Twitter or connect with him on LinkedIn.


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