Express Marketing Memo

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Traditional marketing methods push marketing messages to the consumer. For example, take the roadside billboard as an example of traditional push advertising. In the Fox Valley area of Wisconsin, they’re everywhere.

Many, myself included, consider these billboards an eyesore, not because they’re ugly or offensive, but because too many of them block the view of our beautiful countryside.

This isn’t a popular view among the business owners whose signs dot the landscape. Obviously a lot of eyeballs view these billboards and for some businesses this is an effective form of marketing communication.

Still, I wonder if it’s sustainable as we continue to move toward what some are calling a “Relationship Economy.” How many of these pushed marketing messages actually break through the clutter? If you step back and look at the question from your own personal experience, do you purchase the car because it looked great on the billboard or because your online research revealed it was a great performer, with excellent gas mileage, and credible third party reviews?

The billboard, television and magazine ads no doubt drew your attention, but today’s consumer wants and expects to receive more. We actively seek answers before we purchase. We look for real conversation, not just marketing-speak.

“All this ’social stuff’ represents power to the consumer, the people. The conversations people have amongst their relationships are creating the new economy.” ~ from RSS Applied

Read about the evolution from industrial era corporate communications to today’s social era on the RSS Applied blog.

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On this stormy Wisconsin afternoon, I’m thankful that our house is built on a strong foundation. Although parts of Oshkosh, Fond du Lac and Neenah experienced flash floods and wet basements, we watched the storms from the comfort of our home knowing we could escape to the basement if one of the threatened twisters became a reality in our neighborhood.

Now think for a moment … what happens to a home built without benefit of a foundation? What holds it up when the storms come? What keeps it stable when frost heaves the ground? Would it make any sense to carefully erect the walls, add a strong roof, decorate the interior - without first laying the foundation?

Advertising Wasted?

When a small business begins advertising “hit or miss” style, spending money to be sure the graphics and printing look great or the radio ad sounds appealing, but skip the important step of setting a foundation, those carefully constructed marketing pillars have nothing to stand on. It’s like building a house without a foundation.

In this day and age, I believe that foundation is an effective, local search engine optimized web site. Today’s consumer looks first online. We don’t even necessarily need our computers to do so. Mobile search (via cell phone) is growing in popularity. Our new cell phones came with a rebate larger than the price of online services. In effect, they paid us to try “Easy Edge,” which includes local search capabilities.

I don’t advocate putting all your eggs in one basket - totally relying on online marketing to promote your local business. But consider it a foundation to build upon. Have you laid a strong foundation to support your small business marketing efforts?

Photo Credit: nicdafis on Flickr

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Have you seen the latest Honey Nut Cheerios commercial? The one where they’re having to make hard dietary choices to lower their cholesterol? It’s a sacrifice, but they’ll just have to endure eating their highly processed, overly sweet “healthy breakfast.” Give me a break!

My first thought was, “Who buys this stuff?” Not the cereal … the deception. Unfortunately, far too many fall for it. Why are consumers so gullible when it comes to food choices? Anybody with half a brain should realize that a cereal listing sugar, modified corn starch, honey, brown sugar syrup, and salt as five of the first seven ingredients probably isn’t REALLY all that healthy for you. It’s candy coated oat bran! How can that give you a good start to your day?

Deceptive marketing focuses on the oat bran and hopes you won’t notice that they’re really selling junk food. It’s big business, raking in huge profits, but those profits come at our expense. As another popular commercial says, “Wake up, people!”

Marketing doesn’t have to be a dirty word

I’m not so naive as to think I could take on General Mills or any other mega corporation. True change never comes from the top down to begin with. It starts as a seed within ourselves. Although I can’t change them, I can “be the change I want to see in the world.” Before putting fingers to the keyboard I can do a reality check, and make sure that the message I’m about to share is more than just factual. Is it true? How will it be perceived by its intended audience?

Kimberly Bock of Learning SEO Basics is another supporter of ethical marketing. She’s on the lookout for marketers / bloggers that are actively involved with charitable organizations, environmental causes, and endeavors that are of benefit to the welfare of humanity, including marketers blogs that are focussed upon ethical marketing. If this description fits you, make sure you leave your interests and URL in her comment section.

So, what do you think? Are we all selectively gullible to deceptive marketing messages? What can we do about it?

Related Articles from Other Blogs:

Health roundup: Herb bashing, black box warnings and Honey Nut Cheerios (satire)

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An elderly relative was diagnosed with diabetes after enduring an astounding battery of tests and inaccurate diagnosis by three different specialists. After recounting her misadventure, she said “No one ever even tested me for diabetes. A General Practitioner would have figured it out on the first visit.” Her nephew who had first-hand experience, but no medical training solved the riddle of her symptoms.

The field of medicine has a plethora of specialists, many of whom are very good at what they do. Likewise, the field of small business marketing is filled with an abundance of talented specialists. But in both instances, it’s better to at least begin with a holistic approach.

Just like you wouldn’t visit a brain surgeon for a belly ache, or a psychiatrist for a pain in your big toe, should you base all of your marketing efforts on the advice or your website designer or the ad rep trying to sell you ad space or air time? No, in each case you’d be wiser to engage in some self-education and/or ask the advice of someone you could count on to look at the big picture.

Holistic small business marketing considers the overall business, not just one segment at a time. The web site designer, the copywriter, the account rep for each form of media … these are each specialists with a thorough understanding of their particular segment. But what is effective marketing for YOUR business? What are the most effective avenues to reach YOUR customer?

Holistic small business marketing:

1. starts with a marketing plan,
2. proceeds with a marketing strategy,
3. integrates marketing efforts throughout the company and across multiple forms of media,
4. utilizes marketing consulting, website design, SEO, copywriting, and media specialists as determined by points 1, 2 and 3,
5. returns documented results for your marketing investment.

Begin with a wide focus, one that looks carefully at your overall business goals … just as in the field of medicine, this is the role of the general practitioner. Identify areas of opportunity and areas of weakness, then draft a plan of attack. Even then, don’t just accept whatever you’re told. Do enough research of your own to feel confident that any advice you’re given is taking you down the right track.

Once you know where you’re going, and you know how you’re going to get there … call in the specialists.

Now because you’ve done your homework, you know that website design is not just about an attractive site. You know your website has a job to do and you’ll look for a specialist that can get that job done.

You’ll understand that sending out a postcard to let people know about your business is not enough. Again, the postcard has a job to do … you’ll choose a copywriter who understands how to get the most out of direct mail.

Likewise, you’ll know when and if TV or radio advertising is a good fit for your business. Wouldn’t that be a good thing to know before the media rep tells you how much money you can save with this month’s promotion?

When you take a holistic approach to marketing your small business, you stay in the driver’s seat. It’s more time-intensive at the outset, but saves you time and money in the long run.

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I received a direct mail piece today that left me scratching my head. It’s an oversized, folded, full-color postcard for a company that I’ve never heard of.

The address panel says, “Congratulations, Shari – You’re a preferred quilter!” So far – so good. They got my name right. I’m a wannabe quilter. But who’s sending this to me and what’s the offer?

It’s from a company with a non-descript name and the product it’s touting is “Blank Quilting Fabric.” What?

The other side of the still closed card offers (in big block letters) a FREE TOTE* AND $10.00 in fabric savings inside! Note the asterisk. More on that in a moment.

The photo of the tote looks nice and although I have no idea at this point why I’d want to purchase a Blank anything, I’m really curious as to where this shop is located. After all, I’m a preferred quilter!

So I open the card, find FREE this and SAVE that, accompanied by an abundance of exclamation marks and disclaimers, but where’s the store?

* The “Blank Quilting Tote” is FREE with any Blank purchase to the first 24 visitors to their shop who show this ad (while supplies last).

$10.00 in fabric savings accrues by having seven thimbles punched out of a coupon at a rate of one thimble punch per yard of Blank Quilting fabric.

Wait, there’s the address – in a size 12 font, smack dab in the middle of the coupon for “Bland fabric” that I’m supposed to cut out of the postcard and carry with me to a store that I’ve never heard of, in a city 45 minutes away.

And yes, you read that right … not only was the brand “Blank Quilting,” but the coupon had a typo and it wound up as just “Bland.”

Now maybe I’d better offer my own disclaimer and repeat that I’m unfamiliar with Blank Quilting fabric. Its tagline is “the fabric of inspiration,” and it might be just that. But the image it brings to mind is of a bland, blank canvas. As a wannabe quilter, I want color and texture. Quilting fabric correlates to paint ON a canvas.

Missed Opportunities

To begin with, this was an expensive piece to produce and mail. We’re talking four-color process, digitally imprinted with the store name, recipient name and address. Why spend all that money to send out a card without …

• a real offer?

• a prominent physical address? Better yet, with a tiny map?

• a web site URL?

• a phone number so that I could find out their hours, if I was so inclined?

• telling me, or better yet, showing me what’s so great about Blank Quilting fabrics?

• proofing every single word so that your brand doesn’t show up as “Bland?”

I don’t want to see two photos of the same tote that will only be available to whoever might show up before me … and newsflash … I’m not going to drive 45 minutes to be one of the first 24 people in line for a tote.

What would have hooked this wannabe quilter? Those very same missed opportunities, especially a web site, where I could have had all of my questions answered. I’d have gone to the trouble to look up their web site.

Once there, I’d have signed up for a newsletter, if they had one … maybe one offering tips for the beginning quilter. Tie those tips in with a product that I can order online, and I might just do so. Provide quality content and quality products with good customer service, and the next time I’m in your fair city, I’ll probably pay you a visit.

If this mailing had directed recipients to a specific landing page on that web site, the retailer would be able to track response to the mailing. Each of the next steps could be easily tracked and analyzed and the retailer could adjust his marketing strategy, test new ideas, repeat the profitable ones and discard the rest.

As small business owners, it’s vital to our survival that we make wise use of our marketing dollars.

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