Non-conventional Street Level Marketing

In a grass roots campaign, KFC has hit the streets in its hometown of Louisville, KY to fix potholes. Once fixed, the newly smoothed over potholes are stenciled with a white chalk logo that says "Re-freshed by KFC."

While it looks like KFC is taking matters into their own hands and doing something the city should have done, it does create an air of good will. It's also a great advertising opportunity as passing motorists begin to take notice.

But all KFC did was to figure out how much money it was spending to acquire a customer the conventional way and redistributed that money in a non-conventional way.

What if, instead of spending $500 per month on radio or yellow pages advertising, you instead handed a $5 bill, with your business card stapled to it to 100 of your best prospects. You could tell them "This is a free preview of what I can help you save." I'm guessing they'll call you, but I'm also guessing you're a little too scared to try this.

Everyone wants to think outside the box, but what do you think would happen if you acted outside the box?

The Small Business Marketing Mistake

I’m the first to admit that you should not price your services to on the WalMart level. Doing so puts you in a mode of competing with other businesses on price. I’m willing to bet that your quality and service is a lot better (or you should want it to be) than your competition.

There's a dry cleaner that has a sign on the wall above the register. Here’s what it says:

1. Quality

2. Service

3. Price

"Pick Two"

It's true, you can't have all three in your business and I don't think you should either.

Keep this formula in mind:

Intention + Mechanism = Results

Let’s view this as a simple math problem. First, determine the results (the phone rings or someone visits your website, etc.). Second, determine your intentions. What do you want to say to your target market? The very last part of marketing is then determining the best mechanism to reach your market.

Contrast that example with what most business owners do...

As a business owner we tend to first focus on the mechanism. We buy an ad somewhere and then we figure out what it's going to say. We sit back and wait to see what results come from it. This is so backwards!

Honestly, think back to your last advertising mistake. I’m willing to bet that someone sold you an ad (mechanism) in the yellow pages, radio, newspaper, magazine, etc. They got you really excited and then asked what you wanted to say (the intention). All you really knew you wanted out of the deal was a few customers, but the results are the last part of your planning process. It’s like throwing a balloon with a marketing message on it into the wind and hoping it lands in your prospects backyard. It won’t happen and that’s why your last marketing venture failed.

Stick with the above formula and you’ll have no more wasted marketing dollars.

Get $500 worth of Marketing for $100

As a small business owner, don't ever settle to get only what you paid for out of your marketing. You should be getting way more for your money!

Of course, most businesses only get what they pay for when it comes to their marketing. They will forever stay in the bottom 98% of normal companies. If you want your company to be great, you must take it to the next level.

If you advertise in a magazine, make hundreds of copies. Include reprints in your marketing material "As Seen in Time Magazine". Put a copy on your website, tell everyone you know.

The credibility of the magazine will automatically be transferred to to your business by the customer.

Of course it's not necessary to do this. If you want your business to remain normal, simply keep doing what everyone else is doing. Pay for marketing and only get what you pay for.

Bad marketing idea

Here's a bad marketing tip.

I just received an email from a company that I think is great; I've done a lot of business with them.

They sent a short note (captured as a picture) to me via email. It said Happy New Year and included their logo. It was nicely done, short and to the point.

However, there was no phone number to call or website listed. I couldn't even click on the picture to visit their website. Now I know their website address, but that would have required a little too much work on my part, so I chose not to visit.

What are the chances that nice email could have wound up in the hands of a prospective customer? I'd say pretty close to 100%. You won't increase your profits if you don't make it easy.