Recently I had the pleasure of working with an incredible
photographer. It was during a photo shoot that I realized
that he, in particular, was more than a picture taker, he was
an image maker. He takes the subtle nuances and feelings of a
person, place or thing that can only be experienced in real
life, then conveys as many of them as possible in his
photography, so the viewer can experience those same nuances
and feelings via the photo. It is these subtle nuances and
feelings that also make up a person or company's brand.
A lot of small businesses joke with me when we talk about
their brand, "I am not a brand, Coke, Nike and Wal-Mart are
brands." I usually reply "Yes you are!" Every person, place,
thing or entity is a brand. They all emote feelings and/or
images when we talk or think about them which in turn defines
their brand. The big question is "Is the brand fully defined
and who defined it?" When we mention Coke or Nike or Wal-Mart
certain feelings and/or images immediately come to our minds.
These companies spend billions defining their brand and what
it means to consumers, hoping that the feelings and/or images
result in sales.
A brand can be defined by the company or by its consumers. If
consumers define a brand the company has lost control of the
brand. For example - Brand A is viewed as a cheap alternative
to Brand X yet Brand X sells much more product because it's
brand is viewed as a better value, even though it is more
expensive and lower quality. Brand A did very little
marketing and let each consumers define their brand, while
Brand X executed a well thought out marketing strategy to
define and manage its brand.
Everything a business does defines their brand. How the phone
is answered, the appearance of a delivery person, how an
invoice looks, even how timely their collections are; these
are all reflections of the business which ultimately defines
the brand even more than marketing. Accordingly everything
that touches a client should be reviewed as a marketing and
brand defining opportunity. Consumers indirectly view it this
way, so should businesses.
For most small businesses, their brand is typically the last
thing they think about. Yet over coming a bad or consumer
defined brand is much more expensive and time consuming then
properly planning your brand strategy as part of your
marketing strategy. A well defined and supported brand
facilitates and accelerates word-of-mouth marketing,
referrals and loyal recurring customers - the very things
that will determine if a business is slightly or extremely
profitable.
Small businesses have more to gain by properly defining their
brand because they can focus on the specific needs of their
market much better than the national brand of a big box or
chain store. Small businesses need to invest in their biggest
and most competitive asset, their brand, before someone else
takes control for them.
Recently we asked "Do you use coupons or special offers in
your marketing?" The resounding answer was yes: 88% of survey
respondents said they do. The interpretation was that maybe
the economic times called for a way to bring in more people
and keep cash flowing. So this week we will talk about the
power of offering deals, and how they can be used as a
powerful marketing tool for your business in good times and
bad.
Everyone likes a deal, even the mega-rich. There are two
deal types that consumers respect and respond well to: work
& reward and one-time/blow-out. Work & reward
involves a reward for consumers doing some work where
consumers feel that what they are gaining is more valuable
than what they are giving up; if there is no give and take,
there is no perceived deal. A blow-out or one-time deal is
something that is drastically reduced in price with the
perception that the reduction is a once in a lifetime offer.
Examples of "real deals"
· - A "buy one get one free" requires the consumer to
buy something in order to get the deal
· - Save $100 off the normal price of a $500 item
because we need to reduce inventory or we made a great buy at
a drastically lower cost. Only 10 are available at this
price.
As the saying goes "If it sounds too good to be true...it
probably is." Consumers are skeptical, so when you want to
create a "real deal" follow this simple rule - Consumers know
you are trying to lure them in, so be straight forward about
it and either give them a reward for their efforts or a
price/discount that they can't pass up. As obvious as this
may sound, it is not practiced often. When it comes to deals,
quality is much better than quantity. One well advertised
"real deal" will produce more new sales and customers than
many so-so discounts that just dilute your regular offer.
The new economy of today presents a great opportunity for
local businesses to not only succeed, but expand their
customer base. You might wonder, How can I compete with large
stores and internet retailers prices? Well, in actuality the
bargains the large chain stores and internet offer are hardly
the deals they seem to be. At the end of the day, the
savings are quite minimal and the customer doesn't receive
the service, advice, or personal touch offered by local
businesses.
In today's market, customers are seeking quality products for
their money. They're choosing how they spend their money
with more caution and rely on more information when it comes
to purchasing products. It's not about getting lots of items
cheaply, it's about customers getting products they want,
they need, and that will last. Local businesses can easily
tap into this customer mindset by providing quality service
and specialized products. As a local business, you offer two
things that larger stores do not: quality service and
convenience.
SERVICE
1-Be helpful and give advice.
People will always pay a little more for better service if
they know you and feel they can trust you and your products.
Don't ever be hesitant to give advice because you fear those
potential customers will take your advice and then go buy it
on the internet or at a bigger store. Sure, some may, but for
most people, the sense of trust and interaction will prove
beneficial in the long run and next time they could buy from
you if your advice holds up. Providing help and advice is the
key to building customer-owner relationships.
2-Go the extra mile for your customers.
Making a customer's experience run smoothly will ensure will
become a repeat customer and pass the word on to their
friends. As a local business, you enjoy the benefit of being
geographically close to many of your customers. People value
their time, so if there's a product a customer needs to be
ordered, or they call and ask if you have this product, offer
to deliver it for a small fee. Let them know about events
related to your products in your neighborhood, county, or
region as it applies.
CONVENIENCE
1-Be readily available for your customers.
How many times have you called a big store or shown up and
the person there didn't know how to help you? Local
businesses can be reached by phone and e-mail-answering
specific questions about products. By keeping your online
presence up-to-date, you can increase contact with your
community and customer base: update your online calendar of
events, announce new products, and be open to providing
advice for your community makes you stand out.
2-Let the big businesses in your area know you exist.
Big businesses carry a lot of products and sometimes
sacrifice specialization in one product for a diversity of
many products. Check out your local larger competitors, see
what it is they do and don't carry, and let the person
working there know you about your store. Perhaps when a
customer comes in to their store and can't find what it is
they need, the person working there will suggest your store
as an alternative. You offer a specific product and service
to the community, so let everyone know you're part of it!
3-Interact with your community.
Trying hosting events or showing up at local activities that
are related to the products you offer. By hosting events in
the evenings or on weekends based on products, skill sets, or
holidays, you will engage and interact with your core
customer base. This not only allows you to get to provide
your own kind of outstanding service, but it also allows you
to get feedback from your customer base and stay competitive.
Events are also easy to advertise with social media and can
easily be forwarded, which is why maintaining your online
presence is crucial.
The past few years have taught us to be creative with both
our money and our businesses and fortunately the online world
has made customer-business interaction increasingly easier.
By interacting with your customer base online, at your store,
and in the community, your reputation will spread and your
store will thrive in any economy.
I have been a part of developing over 1000 websites for small
to mid-size companies and the Fortune 100. When we finished a
website and it went live, our clients breathed a sigh of
relief. "Phew, glad we got that done," as though it was never
to be touched again. I understand building a website takes
effort, but a website that is not updated regularly is
nothing more than last week's newspaper� its only good to
line the cat's litter box.
A recent survey stated that most websites are updated
quarterly with the large majority only updated 1-3 times a
year. This is a big problem considering that the survey was
taken with small businesses; the group that has the most to
gain from their website. So why is updating your website
frequently so important?
Search engines like updated websites
Search engines record how often you update your website. The
more you update your website, the more they will rank its web
pages and the more people will find you on search engines.
Reach more people
The more you update your website, the more content it will
have and the more likely people will find you when they are
looking for information.
Your customers will visit it more often
An important part of updating your website is to keep your
customers informed. Whether it is news, a sale, an event, a
change in policy, etc., all of this is valuable information
that your customers want and can use. The more you update
your website the more you will connect with your customers.
It will also help attract potential customers.
You need to look current
Updating your website frequently will make it, and your
business, look lively. Customers like doing business with
lively companies. If your website is not current, it looks
like your business is outdated, stale and old.
Updating does not have to be hard
I suggest updating your website at least twice a month, if
not more often. You can update your website with simple
things like announcements, special offers, news etc. Updates
don't have to be big news or events, just information that
people can use. I suggest that you devote at least 30 minutes
a week to updating your website. Once you are used to it, it
will be easier and more productive. You will see the results
in a few weeks. In fact, I challenge anyone out there to show
me where updating their website consistently did not result
in an overall increase in website visitors.
Thanks,
Jon Zack
