![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
If you're an entrepreneur responsible for your own small business marketing, there's a marketing method you should avoid at all costs, which I've coined the bulldog effect for reasons you will understand shortly. Keep reading to find out if you're guilty of using this technique in your own marketing and learn how to fix it.
After a recent weekend jaunt to San Diego, my husband and I arrived back in Los Angeles tired and hungry, so we walked the small handful of blocks to a local all-night diner to grab a quick bite to eat. And it was there that we were smacked in the face with an example of unusual small business marketing, to say the least.
We live near a shopping district where small businesses cater to everyone from people like my husband and myself to the elderly from the retirement homes nearby. And it was one store catering to this population of older citizens that had us in hysterics when we should have been concentrating on finding some grub.
Your products sell themselves? Think again
You might think a shop selling wheelchairs would have it easy in such a neighborhood -- a huge target audience planted right there, a captive audience if you will. And you'd be right. During the day, you see almost as many disabled elderly individuals out shopping as you do younger/able-bodied people.
So from the sounds of things, maybe small business marketing tactics aren't as important for a shop like this because the products practically sell themselves. Right? Wrong.
Despite the fact that I am not the target audience, I am a marketer and take notice of new marketing approaches so that I can try them out myself and share them with subscribers to my small business marketing newsletter. But that night, my husband and I just wanted a bite to eat.
Some things you can't ignore
As we walked, however, there was no way to miss the latest marketing efforts of the shop in question. This shop, which features very little in the way of shopfront advertising, had put an oversized poster in the window to promote a new model of wheelchair ... complete with a grumpy, overweight bulldog planted right in the middle of it.
Sure, it's lovely that the dog's fanged underbite finally got the recognition it deserved. And of course the wheelchair came across loud and clear as the other "hero," the main focus of the image ... other than the dog sprawled across the seat, smiling that is. (I am also almost certain that a wheelchair wholesaler created this poster and not the store itself.)
And you bet the poster got our attention. However, displayed as prominently as it was, the poster overshadowed any credibility the store might otherwise have had in terms of their expertise in finding less-able people the right wheelchair for their needs. Why? Because apparently, they also help pedigreed pooches do the same.
Of course I say this in jest, but use this as a lesson for your own small business marketing materials. No, I'm not suggesting that you have an image of a bulldog on your homepage or in your catalog -- and if you do and it makes sense, by all means continue to do so.
Rather, take this bulldog story as an analogy to your own marketing and think of ways to make your small business marketing message clearer and more meaningful to your target audience.
Rid your own campaigns of the bulldog effect
Here are some questions to get you thinking about your own small business marketing:
1) Whether we're talking about a simple website, a brochure or even just your business card, are you marketing yourself the way you want to be perceived by your customers?
2) Some use of characters (comic book characters, superheroes, etc.) is effective when used appropriately. Are you using the right type of character to set the tone for your business? Think critically about how others might perceive your campaigns.
3) Trusting your own instincts is dangerous without a reality check. Ask some of your customers what they think of your current marketing. Bear in mind that if they are customers, they are, in fact, buying from you despite any protests they may have with your marketing approach, so take their feedback with a grain of salt.
4) Ask strangers to your business what they think of your current marketing. These should not be people you know or else they will not be as candid.
5) Test everything! Regardless of what approach you take, test one version against the next to see what sells more. Experiment. Mix and match. But measure your results so that you know that your bulldog should be removed. Or not.
In closing, first impressions count, and you need to ensure that the message you're broadcasting to your prospects is the right one. Use this tail -- I mean, tale -- to see if there's anything you can improve in your own small business marketing.
Copywriter/marketing strategist Jennifer McCay helps individuals and small businesses turn their expertise into marketing success stories. She is the publisher of the Avenues to Marketing Success Newsletter, which delivers tips to help you rev up your small business marketing. To subscribe and receive a FREE special report on 7 ways to improve your sales copy, head to http://AvenueEast.com
Multimedia is everywhere on the Internet, whether in the form... Read More
Managing cash flow is every small business owner's most important... Read More
Most pressure washing companies never look into some of the... Read More
How many hours do you work a week? When was... Read More
Looking for ways to boost your cash flow? As a... Read More
You can't imagine how many people ask me how I... Read More
As a solo entrepreneur or small business owner, one of... Read More
Many mobile pressure-washing companies turn to government contacts to make... Read More
You bet it's worth it. Publicity via news releases, along... Read More
When is it a good thing to say no to... Read More
If you run a pressure washing company in a rural... Read More
I've got good news and bad news. The good news... Read More
What types of companies do you want to align yourself... Read More
Q: I really want to start my own business, but... Read More
A solopreneur I know disappears from my radar screen for... Read More
Your business is making profits, but where is the cash?... Read More
Do you have a Business Plan? Congratulations, but you are... Read More
Before you start a business we encourage you to prepare... Read More
Do you like animals? Would you like to work for... Read More
How do window cleaning franchise businesses start? It is a... Read More
No, I'm not talking about gambling or dairy cows ?... Read More
As a practitioner and student of Small Business Marketing, I... Read More
Don't you find that there are so many decisions you... Read More
Incorporation in Nevada has become an attractive option for savvy... Read More
Paper Shredding Business Opportunities are blossoming up everywhere because in... Read More
Business checks are available in many styles and varieties. They... Read More
Time. As a small business owner, it's the commodity you... Read More
Why should you do informative talks to smaller groups?Informative talks... Read More
A top executive called up me late in the night.... Read More
"Order Now!" "Your Business Will Fail If You Don't Have... Read More
Many auto detailers fall short in their sales presentations. I... Read More
The Federal Trade Commission decided to sit down and revamp... Read More
What was your aim when you went into business for... Read More
"The way to develop self-confidence is to do the thing... Read More
Are you a motivational speaker who consistently gets rave reviews... Read More
The current lack of industry leaders represents an exceptional opportunity... Read More
Mr/Ms, 'not me' is often on holidays in your business.... Read More
Too often in business we get trapped into reviewing our... Read More
Every business starts with an idea or a dream. To... Read More
Many job applicants want a job but often do not... Read More
Remember those drawings from science class of how a lever... Read More
Commonly folks have asked me what the technical difference is... Read More
More sales and more profit. Isn't that what you want... Read More
Small business owners often enter their field with great expectations.... Read More
We all know that competition is an ugly word but... Read More
What is in an information plan?Before you even meet with... Read More
Most smart entrepreneurs and all large corporations have Employee Relations... Read More
Imagine that you have operated a successful franchise business for... Read More
There is much competition in the mobile auto detailing business.... Read More
Obtaining a business credit card enables the small business owner... Read More
Small Business Small Business |