Sure, I heard about it ... I just didn't care to see it, buy it or use it

One of the phrases you hear a lot in this business is "we just gotta get the word out."

It usually comes from clients, right? Typically during a planning meeting, like this -- "we've been in business for 10 years, but we haven't grown as fast as we'd like. We just gotta get the word out about what we do."

And of course, it's your job as a public relations, advertising or marketing professional to make the phones ring by "gettin' out that word."

But there's a big difference between people knowing about a product or service -- "gettin' the word" -- and actually wanting to buy said product/service.

That's the point Seth Godin makes here about the movie Snakes on a Plane -- sure, people heard about it. They just didn't want to go see it.

It's one of the disconnects that we deal with often in our profession. Awareness doesn't always lead to interest. Buzz doesn't always equal engagement. Knowledge doesn't always create action.

As I said here, there's also a risk in assuming that a group of people with deep interest will translate into broader numbers once they all "get the word."

This is a mistake made by a lot of technology companies -- they believe that the buzz and word of mouth they get from tech enthusiasts means that the buying public will like their product. Sometimes it does; often it doesn't.

There's a flip side to this phenomenom. Negative word of mouth doesn't always have an impact, especially if it is contained within a small subsection of the marketplace.

In other words, nobody with any sense is going to stop taking their Lipitor just because someone on a blog complains about Pfizer. And if your kid wants Chicken McNuggets, you're probably going to stop at the Golden Arches regardless of how many people complain about the food there.

Right now you're thinking, "Okay, genius ... we get the point. So tell how us how to turn awareness into action."

Sorry. If I could do that, I'd be a multi-gillionaire lounging on a beach somewhere.

That's the challenge we all face, every day. There are no secrets, no magic bullets. If your client has created a quality product or offers a quality service, then your job is to communicate about it effectively, engage those who care, and learn from what you hear.

Most importantly, nurture your niche and teach your clients to be comfortable with who their market really is.

There's nothing wrong with growth, but chasing customers is a fool's game.