One of my clients came to me a few months ago with a marketing problem – a major one.
“Emerson said that if you build a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to your door,” he said anxiously. “I have built an incredible system for troubleshooting computer problems, but nobody is beating down the door to my business. What can I do?”
“You’re turning to Emerson for business advice?” I asked him (we are old friends, so I can tease). “The man wanted to be a transparent eyeball!”
Granted, in some sense a computer is a transparent eyeball, but you see the problem, and so did my client – Emerson’s quote doesn’t explain how the world is supposed to find out about your better mousetrap.
The missing link is marketing.
Here are five marketing tactics. They may not be philosophical (sorry, Ralph Waldo), but they are people-friendly, allow you to put the stamp of your personality on your company and brand, don’t require time-consuming follow-up, and circulate your business name and products in ways people will find fun … and memorable.
Tactic #1: Get Personal
Your best marketing tool is you.
When you meet people, you are genuinely interested in them, their interests, their likes and dislikes, their opinions. Ask them questions about themselves, have conversations that are full of ideas and current events from news to movies to apps. In other words, have conversations that aren’t strictly about business.
People remember chatting about their own lives and interests. They remember your interest in them. They remember that they first heard about the latest viral video, great new website or blog, extreme sport, or joke from you. And you gain a new business friend, potential client and someone sure to spread word of the coolness of you.
You can make a lasting impression just by being gregarious, original, interesting and interested. I always remember Dicky Fox, the mentor in Jerry Maguire, who said “Unless you love everybody, you can’t sell anybody.”
Tactic #2: Get Creative
Rethink your business card.
Business cards tend to be formulaic, drab and hard to read. To get creative with your card, start by thinking outside the small, white rectangle.
In my marketing research, I’ve seen a landscaping company card printed on a small packet of grass seeds, a divorce lawyer’s card that was perforated and could be ripped down the middle(!), and cards printed on plastic, rubber and textiles.
A friend in the music business even handed out cards made to look like a laminated, all-access pass, lariat and all. Your cards don’t need to be clunky or complicated. There’s no need to irritate people. But indistinguishable business cards are just added to the pile, and there’s nothing wrong with making yours stand out.
Make it slightly bigger than the standard rectangle, choose another shape, use color and graphic design beyond your business logo. Just make sure that it will still fit in a wallet or a pocket! My computer troubleshooting client decided to make a 15-second video card. He put it on small DVDs – the tiny ones that are much smaller than a normal DVD, yet still fit in a DVD drive. You could also e-mail a video business “card” to your clients once. Ask them to share it with their friends and clients.
Tactic #3: Sunglasses, Water bottles, Stickers and Kites…
Think out of the box about the giveaway items on which you print your business name and logo.
T-shirts, pens, totes, water bottles, notepads, sunglasses, coffee cups – or, if you have a computer-related business – mouse pads and USB flash drives; these are all items that people use and hold onto. They keep your name in front of consumers.
But you can also give your logo an outing with entertainment value, which always leaves a lasting impression.
Try putting your logo on things that consumers find not only useful, but fun: sweat towels, sunglasses, stickers, toys, sports balls, small paddles, cozies, and bottle openers. If your business is near a beach, print your logo and website address on inexpensive kites and hand them out for free. The kids flying them aren’t the only ones who will see them – so will everybody else on the beach. And their parents will take your message home with them.
Tactic #4: Break Out of the Office
Your business exists in a community, so believe in and own word-of-mouth messaging and public relations.
Leave the office and set up shop at the finish line of your local marathon, where you can hang a banner and hand out promotional items and samples or mention special sales. Participate in road races, walks for charity, children’s sports, even dragon boat paddling or yacht racing (your team will wear your company’s logo on athletic shirts, of course).
Attend festival openings and events, art gallery openings, film screenings, charity fundraisers and parties, farmer’s markets, business and store openings.
Hand your card out. Chat. Shake hands.
Don’t forget to have a good time! Sponsor something, or many things: a blood drive, a pet vaccine day, a jump castle, a coffee giveaway, a yoga day in the park. Get yourself and your face out into your community.
Tactic #5: Say “hey, look at us!”
A friend who owns a small public relations outfit takes her staff out every Friday to an event, like a local food festival, tweets about it while she’s there, and posts the pictures on her Facebook page and the company’s Facebook page the same day.
The takeaway – It’s a great idea to communicate that you are out of the office and involved in the community. This tactic doesn’t push your brand or services, so much as it embodies your community spirit and interest in people. It lets people know that you are fun to hang out with and it lets them hang out with you vicariously. It follows that it would be fun to do business with you.
If you have a blog, post your activities there and don’t be shy about sharing the events your company has attended or sponsored in the community. On a blog or any other social media site, use PHOTOS. Often. Always identify the people in them.
Of course, no business owner can implement all of these suggestions at once. Choose what you CAN do, and do it well. When in doubt, choose the strategy that is most appropriate for your particular business, and/or the strategy that you feel is most likely to bring in word of mouth referrals. Remember, the world is unlikely to beat a path to your door (or your website) – unless they already know about your mousetrap!
James Lee, Small Business Research Analyst, has been providing research on marketing techniques for small businesses for Amsterdam Printing.com’s promotional pens and personalized calendars division for several years. Amsterdam has been a leading provider of personalized pens to small businesses for many years. James also focuses his research on the use of other promotional materials, such as personalized calendars, bags, apparel and mugs.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Hello Danny, this is my first time on your blog. I just read this great article of yours about marketing strategies.
As I was reading I was thinking that everything is “marketing” indeed, and in my book your best marketing tool is most definitely “you”, and if you are smart enough to listen to the other person in front of you, you can make miracles. So, few people have the gift of listening.
Great job, I’ll come back visit.
Hey James!
Interesting suggestions. I like the one about posting photos of events I attend. I’ve already done a bit of it on Facebook, but it might make sense to cover some events I attend by posting on my blog.
Thanks for the suggestions
Matt
These are some great suggestions, thanks! I especially like the ideas about new and different things to put a brand name on. I never would have thought to use a kite, but that’s a great idea that offers tons of exposure!! Where can I do this, will any printing company be able to do it?
~Natasha
We’re thrilled that you liked the post, Natasha, and welcome to Firepole Marketing!
To answer your question, most promotional products companies can do this sort of thing – if you do a Google search, you’ll find lots of options. Check out CafePress, we’ve used them before and they’re pretty good.