The 2 Most Common And USELESS Pieces of Marketing Advice Given to Home Service Companies
Unique Selling Propositions are counter-productive.
Never Let a Committee Make Strategic Marketing Decisions
"If Columbus had an advisory committee he would probably still be at the dock." - Arthur Goldberg. A committee in small business can be a group of employees or a loose bunch of well-meaning family and friends.
Media Agnosticism
From matchbook covers to skywriting, it all works. Which is why you have to approach it all with Media Agnosticism. If somebody in your affinity group tells you they had success with direct mail, ask to see the piece. It matters.
Reverse Psychology and Advertising Strategy
It’s called “reactance.” When someone tries to tell you what to think or do — that automatic resistance you feel is called reactance by psychologists. And for advertisers, there are plenty of work-arounds for reactance.
Use a Screenwriter’s Trick to Make Memorable Ads
Character Diamonds were created by David Freeman, advisor to dozens of hit TV shows & movies. Deploying them in your advertising creates a bond with customers.
Do You Suffer from Feed the Beast-itus?
You’re no longer a one-man-brand or only running a few trucks. You should be getting ready to hit breakthrough. And yet, the bigger your business gets, the harder it is to “feed.”
Good Spiderwebs
Too often, a company uses their marketing to push their features and benefits - ‘Best location, Best Product, Best Service, Best Employees’ - but these are not clingy and sticky. Features and benefits are slippery and rarely remembered.
The Bard, the Beatles, and Beyond
McCartney rocks and Shakespeare roles and both showmen move their audiences with antithesis. Steal a gift from Paul and Will. Use antithesis in your writing.
Earworms and Advertising
If you’ve ever had a song or a jingle stuck in your head, that’s an earworm. And advertisers can and should use this phenomenon to their advantage. Seinfeld even built an episode around this phenomenon.
Change the Name, Change the Results
If you’re selling a commodity and that commodity is called the same thing at every business, give yours a better name. I can get a “large coffee” anyplace. I can get a Grande only at Starbucks.
The Magic of Portals
The goal is to move shoppers from an objective, consumer-reports mindset to an enthusiast’s mindset. Put plainly: if you’re selling premium products or experiences, you need to understand the power of portals.
5-Steps for Using Brand as a Leadership Tool
A great branding campaign crystalizes the company’s self-identity as much for the owner and his team as to the public at large.
Who Cares?
Who cares? 148.7 people, apparently. Dunbar’s Number has ramifications in social media, sure, but for small business, it has far more to do with marketing and influence and the importance of delivering a delightful customer experience.
The 30-Second Exercise to Help You Understand Brand and Branding
Once you understand the differences between a “brand” and a brand, and between branding and mass-media branding campaigns, it’ll help your marketing efforts immeasurably.
Win Now. Win Later.
The balance between relational brand-building vs. getting the immediate sale has confused businesses and thrown marketers into battle positions. My spies on the inside tell me both sides are holding out on you.