We all need a business mentor to guide us as we attempt to navigate the difficult path of our careers. Now, if you ask most marketing professionals, you’ll hear names like Seth Godin, Guy Kawasaki, or David Ogilvy (often called The Father of Advertising), to name a few.

But for me, that guiding light is none other than Michael Myers, the classic villain from John Carpenter’s 1978 horror classic, Halloween.

Okay, so he isn’t perfect. He wears a mask; he just so happens to be a serial killer, and, of course, he’s a fictional character. But despite these traits, Michael has taught me valuable marketing lessons over the years. I hope these lessons will help you better understand the world of marketing on this fine Halloween day!

Have a Narrow Perspective

Michael Meyers is narrowly focused on one thing — getting his sister Laurie. You, too, should be narrowly focused on your marketing. It may seem counterintuitive, but by reducing your target market, you will increase sales. 

That’s because your message can be razor-sharp. You can speak specifically to your audience’s needs, wants, and desires–increasing your ROI and stretching your marketing dollar.

This doesn’t mean you can sell to people outside your focus. Even Michael manages to “get” several people outside his focus on his journey.

Be persistent

You mailed a postcard to 5,000 homes in your area and didn’t get a single lead, so… you won’t be doing that again. Right?

Wrong! Michael never gives up. Even six bullets in the chest aren’t enough to get him to quit. He just gets back up and tweaks his line of attack.

Too often, remodelers tell me about a channel they’ll never use because it didn’t work one time. In fact, two weeks ago, someone told me, “I got 75 calls from the ad, but every single one was unqualified.” My response, “The [publication] sounds like a good one to me; I think your message was wrong.”

The truth is there are too many variables to discredit the channel after one or two attempts. Marketing is not a series of isolated events. It is an ongoing process that requires commitment. So stay the course and tweak your line of attack.

Listen to your audience

Michael never says a word. He listens and observes. And he’s always able to find his sister, no matter where she goes into hiding.

Listen to what people are saying about your company and your competitors. You can keep your company image clean by responding to poor comments and thanking people for praise. You can also find weaknesses in your competition and strike at their Achilles Heel. Social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook are great places to keep tabs.

Get knocked down. Get back up.

Marketing can be overwhelming, to say the least. There are many obstacles to knock down your enthusiasm, and when you engage in campaigns (like email marketing) that can yield less than a 1% response rate, it’s easy to want to throw in the towel. But whatever the reason for your funk, be it a financial setback, laziness, or whatever, remember Michael. He always gets back up.

Don’t rush it

Did you ever notice Michael never runs after anyone? He walks slow and steady while the people he chases run around frantically. Yet, he always manages to keep up. Don’t rush your marketing efforts. Effective campaigns take time. 

If you consistently send messages that are focused on only generating “leads for today,” you will never get ahead of the competition. As I said before, marketing is a process. It takes patience and dedication. Walk slow and steady, and you will not only keep up with the competition, but you’ll also surpass them.

Make an impression

When Michael’s in town, everyone knows it — and they won’t soon forget. So whether you are sending a newsletter or working a trade show, be memorable. Give your prospects an experience they won’t forget. Your company has a story. Make sure that story has to be retold.