Building Anticipation
How are you building anticipation in your business?
The lyrics to Carly Simon’s song, Anticipation, include in the chorus;
Anticipation, anticipation
Is making me late
Is keeping me waiting
I hear you! What do song lyrics from the 1970s have to do with building your business? Even as I write this, I am humming the tune from the Heinz commercial, “anticipation, anticipation…you’re making me wait“.
Do you have people waiting on the edge of their seat to find out what is coming next in your business?
On a recent road trip, I was thinking about my daughter-in-law. She is a master at building anticipation. She is a fabulous mom and has been preparing her youngest for an exciting event. You see my three-year-old grandson was being prepared for the arrival of his new brother. His mom gave him lessons on how to hold the baby, change the baby, and prepared him anticipate the fun of having a little, baby brother.
In the wee hours of a Saturday morning, Little Man arrived. It was an exciting time as my son had to leave the car parked at the entrance. Little Man was NOT waiting.
This picture is of my grandson eagerly awaiting the fulfillment to his anticipation. He is getting to meet and hold his little brother. You can see the joy and excitement on his face. Through the week he giggled and helped his mommy with this new responsibility.
It was so much fun watching him and feeling his joy.
Three Steps to Building Anticipation
Step One: Plan the Anticipation
What is your plan? People plan in many different ways. The important thing, have a plan. If you have yearly goals, break them down the goals into:
- Quarterly milestones
- Monthly milestones
- Weekly events
- Daily tasks
Reverse engineer what needs to be done daily to make your plan happen. See the 3 D’s of Success
Step Two: Build the Anticipation
Now, start building that anticipation. Declare to the world what you are doing. It will help keep you accountable to release that big, scary dream.
How can you build the anticipation?
- Facebook Page – post on your Facebook page that upcoming event
- Twitter – break down into bite size morsels what you are planning
- LinkedIn – publish a post about the research going into your event or why your big, scary dream is important to them
- Instagram – publish pictures of you working on the project or memes that reinforce your plans
- Blog – write articles that point people back to your site and build anticipation for the product release
- Networking Events – attend events where you are the product evangelist and prime people for action
Step Three: Fulfill the Anticipation
In order to grow your business, anticipation needs to be fulfilled. You have built anticipation and have an audience primed. Make sure their expectations are met.
Tesla has taken heat for not having their cars ready for delivery. Mashable reported in October, 2017, that half a million Model 3 pre-orders came in and at the current production pace, some Tesla Model 3 customers might not see their sedan under 2363. Ouch!
Make sure you deliver!
If you need help, please let me know. I would be happy to work with you.