If you ask one of the legacy players in our space (e.g. Muzak) you’re likely to trigger a long, complicated discussion leaving you quite puzzled by smoke and mirrors, and how they have all the answers. But with some clear thought and research up front, you’re more likely to get exactly what’s right for your business – something better than what the self-proclaimed “experts” would suggest.
In this post, we’ll share how we think about the “best business music” question at UMix.
- Get really clear on who you serve. Is it customers or employees? If both, how important is each on a scale of 1 to 10? Are they millennials, baby-boomers, somewhere in between or some combination? What’s their economic background? What’s their style? What’s their preferred language?
- Understand the local preferences. In what region of the country is your business? Is it in the city, country, or suburban area? Is it in a mall or does it stand alone?
- Know your goals. Is your goal to establish a certain vibe, such as relaxed or upbeat? Are you trying to mask conversations? Do you want to portray a certain brand image? Do you want shoppers to linger or do you want to move them along?
- Music choice is relative and dynamic. Albert Einstein taught us a lot, but mostly that everything is relative and dynamic. These very much apply to a business’s selection of music. Music is very personal and subjective. The goal is not to play the perfect song for every customer and employee. That’s not realistic. But the music must make sense relative to who you are and who you serve.
The dynamic aspect is that everything changes over time. Audiences change throughout the day, week and year. New songs are constantly being produced and consumer preferences are always changing. So be ready to adapt over time. What works today may not work next year.