What would you say if I told you that “you’re nuts” is the highest compliment your customers could possibly give you? It’s easy to get so wrapped up in popular public opinion and mainstream thinking that we forget insanity can be the best marketing tool we have.

Mainstream=Upstream

Using mainstream marketing to sell your products is like skydiving with a pillowcase. Yeah, there’s a slim chance you’ll land in just the right spot for somebody to save your bacon. But I wouldn’t count on it. It’s far more likely you’re going to spend a lot of money to enjoy that giant splat at the end.

Gruesome? Absolutely. And absolutely true.

Mentally unstable like a fox...

Kick Mainstream Marketing to the Curb

Anytime you catch a headline out of the corner of your eye that makes the words “You’ve got to be kidding me!” explode out of your mouth, the marketing team that schemed up that headline won. They got your attention. More importantly, they got you to keep reading. And they did it with ideas like this one:

How to be a Productivity Unicorn

Not guru. Unicorn.

Who on earth talks about productivity unicorns, you ask? Someone nuts enough to want to people to read what they write.

The Only Box is the One You Invent

I’ve never actually taken the time to confirm this (although @meetingboy probably could) but out of the box thinking is one of today’s employer favorites. The problem is, “out of the box thinking” implies there’s a box you should be thinking in when the truth is, the only box that exists around your line of thought is the one you build yourself. It’s the one you operate in whether you want to or not because you think people will think you’re crazy if you tell them they’re thinking too small.

We’re a planet full of people who used to think if you and 2 other friends wanted a snapshot, you’d better go in together to pick who was going to stand in the middle because they were going to die first. Not to mention that whole “the earth is flat” thing. We’re a little slow on the uptake sometimes when it comes to new ideas. So go ahead. Grab an ax and go Office Space on that box.

Be the one who markets with insanity.

Tags: marketing, marketing tips

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How many passionless commercials have you sat through over the years? The ones without an ounce of personality to their name that made you feel like you were watching your freshman chem professor in monotone over…and over…and over again. That left you feeling about as inspired as wet paint.

If the advertising companies are doing their job, the answer to that should be…none. And that’s a lesson we should carry with us into every aspect of our small business marketing.

The average consumer sees 5,000 marketing messages each and every day. They’re usually getting multiple ads tossed at them at once, and those ads are usually competing for their attention on a never-ending sliding scale. It’s the one that’s the most noticeable that’s going to walk away with the viewers at the end of the day, and it’s the business that walks away with the most viewers at the end of the day that’s going to enjoy the greatest ROI on their commercial return. Notice a connection here?

Apply that same principle to every other area of your small business marketing and advertising endeavors, from your social media to your direct mail promotions to your flash banner ads, and you’ll have a winner on your hands. Don’t be afraid to crack a joke, toss in a funny cartoon or set it to a catchy jingle. Your marketing efforts don’t have to read like a history text. In fact, we don’t recommend it.

When people enjoy what they see, they’re going to want to come see what you’re talking about. Put some personality behind that spokesperson smile when you’re launching a small business marketing campaign and you’ll have the tools you need to make your company soar .

Tags: advertising, marketing, marketing tips, small business marketing

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Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Make a man laugh, and he'll remember you for a lifetime.

Hello, hello, and welcome to a beautiful Tuesday! (Yes, I have had too much coffee. How did you guess?) With fall in full swing and businesses gearing up for the holiday season, I thought I’d kick off with the first in our series on small business marketing tips for today’s budget savvy business.

Know how to make ‘em laugh.

If you tuned in last week, you caught my post on how to make yourself stand out in the crowd when you were out hobnobbing with other big industry players. A sense of humor is a vital and wonderful thing. It’s also a memorable one, which is why bad knock-knock jokes, horrible pick-up lines and cheesy one-liners have lived on long after they should have happily (and quietly) expired.

The human mind’s capacity to remember and relate to humor makes it an invaluable marketing tool for your business. A funny ad, such as the Old Spice viral campaign video shown below, can go a long way toward building brand recognition for your business. It also makes meetings more tolerable, networking occasions a lot more fun, and networking events more memorable. So feel free to toss in a dash of humor whenever your material is dry, your audience is zoning out, you’re elbow to elbow with some pretty tough competition or, on occasion, when you have a chance to make fun of yourself.

Just don’t take advantage of the opportunity to make fun of your competition. That’s just bad manners.

Tags: advertising, Business, funny marketing, humor, humor in advertising, marketing tips, small business marketing

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Whoever said offline marketing was dead obviously hasn’t taken a good look around lately. Direct mail marketing is still one of the most efficient, effective ways to forge a personal connection with your customers. It reaches them in their homes, it opens the doors to a tremendous amount of personalization and brand identity, it pops up in their mailbox (and really, who doesn’t like getting mail?).

But how do you guarantee that your direct mail marketing materials won’t become just more recycling bin fodder? Try implementing these 15 simple guerilla marketing tips to increase the response on your direct mail marketing campaign:

1)      Less sizzle, more steak. The phrase, “Sell the sizzle, not the steak” has been used for years in the marketing community; however, as online fraud and snake oil salesmen have begun to run rampant and bad sales letters have begun popping up left and right, “buzz” words designed to hype your products and vague product and service descriptions have become a turn off rather than a turn on.

2)      Use attractive graphics designed to catch the customer’s eye.

3)      Clearly illustrate your offer so they see the value the minute they open their mailbox.

4)      Personalize your message as much as possible.

5)      Offer a no-risk guarantee.

6)      Freebies are a great way to get your customers through your door.

7)      Even if you’re targeting a national audience, let them know your physical location. Having a brick and mortar presence adds credibility.

8)      Include reviews and testimonials.

9)      Use bullet points, sub-headings and sub-titles to make your message clear and easy to read.

10)   Include your toll-free number if you have one. That appeals to people outside your immediate geographical area.

11)   Make promises, then deliver-always. A customer that has a great experience the first time they respond to your ads is exponentially more likely to come back a second time.

12)   Pull in a professional printer for a high quality product.

13)   Partner up with a non-competing business to offer respondents more value for their dollar.

14)   Include discounts or free gifts within a limited response period-for example, a free oil change PLUS the $20 coupon for auto detailing if they come in by the end of the week.

15)   Use a reputable mailing list designed for your target audience. If you’re mailing your direct mail marketing materials to people who don’t care what you have to say, your ROI isn’t even going to be worth talking about.

Tags: direct mail marketing, guerilla marketing, marketing tips, offline marketing

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Marketing success means learning to blend all the colors of your arsenal into each and every campaign.

This is it, ladies and gentlemen. The end of the road. You’ve hung in there for all 10 parts of our in-depth look at some of the ins and outs of integrating an offline marketing campaign with an online/email marketing campaign. Hopefully you’ve already put some of them to good use!

We’re working out some technical kinks right now, but once we have comments re-enabled we’d love to hear about it! While we’re waiting for your inspiring stories of wisdom and wonder, however, it’s time to draw all of this together and tie it up with a nice, big bow. We’re going to talk about your big finish.

Getting your customers’ attention is important. Keeping it is even more so. The only way to keep your company right out there in the public eye where it belongs is to spend every…single…day making sure your business is thriving where people can find it! That means that your direct mail and email marketing campaigns should be ongoing, month after month, year after year.

Most experts suggest you plan a direct mail marketing campaign to last 12-18 months. I say plan your first year, then get started on your second…and your third…and your fourth…and-well, you get the picture. The point is, whether you send your marketing materials via direct mail or snail mail you still need to keep them out there in the public eye.

That means that while it may be time for our big finish, you shouldn’t plan on planning yours just yet.

Tags: direct mail marketing, email marketing, email marketing campaign, how long to run a direct mail marketing campaign, marketing tips, offline marketing tips, online marketing tips

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