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- Toolbar just to stay in touch with Facebook
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Archive for June 2007
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Lots of marketers and journalists are writing about the use of the phone as the hot new marketing machine. Apple’s iPhone release hasn’t done anything but flame this hot fire either.
The truth is that for most the phone as a marketing medium still only represents possibility, but there are some fun and interesting plays being built around this that may be worth a look for the right business.
The most common growing use is in the are of text messages (SMS). So far, this has been primarily an email replacement for opt-in parties. This should continue to expand.
Here are a couple idea starters for some new categories ripe for phone applications.
Advertised text messaging on demand – Reactee – Create a T-shirt with a text message – Viewers see the shirt text a short message to 41411 and get a more detailed text message back in return. This could be a great play for events, non-profits and political causes. Try it – text ducttape to 41411.
GPS or category coupon delivery - Cellfire sends coupons for pizza, flowers, and movies to mobile users who redeem them at the store by using their phone. The coupons are stored on the phone.
Free information services – Free directory assistance from Goog411 – To try this service, just dial 1-800-GOOG-411 (1-800-466-4411) from any phone. You can search by name or even category and have the contact details sent to your phone while you are connected – all for free.
For the moment, one thing looks pretty clear, the standard interruption advertising methods (now almost becoming lumped with spam) won’t cut it here. Traditional CPM ads don’t seem to make sense either. What does look like it will gain traction is service replacement models that are ways for users to give permission to advertisers who are willing to give or takeaway something that was a cost and turn it into an ad supported freebie, much like the 411Info model.
It will be interesting to see how this space evolves over the next few years.
Many small businesses have products and services that are pitched at various levels inside organizations. Most the time all of the effort and messaging is focused on that buyer, division, or purchasing agent.
While this is a necessary approach if you are to make the sale, you can’t ignore other layers in the environment.
You should also have a strategy aimed squarely at creating awareness and education focused on the ultimate decision makers for most companies – the CEO. What the CEO cares about and what the purchasing agent cares about will often differ, but it’s a good bet the purchasing agent will care if the CEO cares. At the very least, you make your job much easier if the CEO knows who you are and what you bring that’s unique.
You must take care not to step on toes with this approach but if you produce much higher level industry type information, even if unrelated to your product, and make that information easily available, say through a custom RSS feed, you might be on your way to a great 1-2 punch.
Posted by : John Jantsch on Jun 28, 2007 | 1:14 pm
Categories : Marketing Materials, Marketing messages, Marketing Strategy
A lot of folks thinking about starting a business spend all their time doing the typical start-up stuff like incorporating, finding office space, and designing business cards. All good and needed steps mind you, but don’t neglect the most important step.
If you are employed today and thinking about going out on your own, start talking to prospects first, start exploring your ideas with them, start asking them to become clients – before you ever open the doors. In fact, if you can swing it, offer to work for some potential clients for free, before you take the leap. (If you have a job I am certainly not talking about moonlighting at your employer’s expense.)
The thing that many start ups neglect most often is market research. Many failed businesses are so because they never figured out how to get profitable customers. I’m not saying that you spend all your time on research, you know I want you to take action, but you’ve got to start hanging out with your prospects and seeing what it takes to earn their trust and you should do this way before you must do it to eat.
Too many potential small business owners are waiting around for the day when they have a big enough nest egg built to jump right into the deep end while they try to figure out how to build their boat. If you play your cards right you might just get to wade into the safe end of the pond with a sea worthy boat in hand the day your open sign turns around – that’s the leap you should be looking to take.
Regular visitors to this blog may note a slightly different look today.
I have migrated this entire blog to WordPress. I am very excited about the expanded possibilities this platform gives me. The folks at WordPress have been a great source of help in this process, which in my case was not an easy one.
You may notice some funky stuff as the redirects and database imports settle in but then it will be back to the fun stuff of running a blog. You shouldn’t need to change any of your subscription or link details although the new URL for this page is now http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog
This is a great time for me to thank the many readers and subscribers out there that make this all worth doing.
I am moderating a panel of film industry icons next week during the LA Film Festival. You can join in during a live online session – I want lots of Duct Tape readers asking questions! The event signals the kick-off of an aggressive effort by OPEN to build an online small business community that features a collection of ideas, expertise, and resources you need to grow your business.
Event Date: Tuesday, June 26, 2007 – Time: 7:30 pm PST
Panelists: Sydney Pollack, Lawrence Bender, and Nancy Meyers
Get your questions ready — you’ll have the rare opportunity to submit questions for the panelists and simultaneously connect with other small business owners through a live chat.
This event can only be viewed online — sign up for free today.
Retail can be a tough business. Competition is fierce, location is everything, and the buyer is fickle and expensive to reach.
That’s why successful small retailers perfect the art of loyalty, referrals, word or mouth, promotion, and community building.
You know, as I read that list I wonder why service businesses don’t take a page from this book. Is there anything on the list above that would hurt your marketing efforts. Of course not.
All it takes is looking at your marketing from some new perspectives.
- What if you offered gift certificates for your services?
- What if you mailed those gift certificates to your loyal clients and encouraged them hand them out?
- What if you offered bridal or baby registry? (C’mon, get your neighbor’s kid a tax return for their wedding – way better than a toaster)
- What if you held over the top events for your clients? (I know a remodeling firm that buys out a Christmas tree farm for that year’s clients)
- What if you had a holiday, client only, sale or new service introduction?
- What if you held education forums aimed at very specific niches of your clientele? (single women, parents with kids going to college, sports minded families, people learning to be more green.)
Another benefit of some of this kind of out of the box thinking is that it presents great opportunities for some PR. Are there any other service businesses in your town offering bridal registry? Be the first – the media loves a first.
A little creative thinking and this list could really get interesting. Pay attention to folks like Apple, Urban Outfitters, Target, Ikea and those local main street superstars that seem to thrive in the shadow of Wal-Mart in every town across America.
What other ways could service businesses use these tactics?
I am helping AT&T build their small business advice portal called OnwardSmallBiz. The growing resources being made by the Fortune 500 aimed at the Fortune 1,000,000 set is a very encouraging recent trend.
I am acting as AT&T’s small business marketing expert so stop by and ask me a marketing question here.
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