I left off last month with an incomplete discussion of a basic marketing toolkit, and now I continue. My perspective is that some readers already know a lot about marketing, yet there are also those who are so new to the topic they welcome the tutorial.
All I really seek to do here is help posture you for success by eliminating questions and providing answers. This can be particularly useful if you’re so busy running your business that you can’t take time to ponder marketing.
An elevator pitch that takes you to the penthouse
Imagine that you’ve stepped onto an elevator only to discover a long lost friend, who promptly asks what you’ve been up to. Your business springs to mind, but you’ve only got a few seconds to describe it. What do you say?
That’s your elevator pitch. The short, sweet summary of what you do, how you do it, and why you’re going to succeed. And you’d damn well better have one. Because if you can’t profile your business before the doors open, your long lost friend could well walk away with a sense of dread about your prospects.
Now imagine that person you just encountered wasn’t your old friend at all, but a potential customer or loan officer or member of the working press: Someone who just made a snap judgment about your business based on what you just blurted out. It doesn’t take a genius to see the value of getting that elevator pitch down pat.
I suggest that you actually write it out, and take it through a few drafts. Show it to those you trust, and accept their comments without reacting. Then, once you’ve got it nailed, share it with people who can help your business grow.
Establishing a tone and style that differentiates
You’d be amazed how much marketing good can be accomplished in the absence of a monster budget. After all, there are some very basic steps you can take that go a long way toward helping consumers remember and respond to your brand. Chief among these is what one successful friend of mine calls the design aesthetic. Think of it as a collection of visual cues. Things that help distinguish your business (your brand) from the competition.
We’re talking typography used on signage, in advertising, and on your letterhead. We’re talking color palettes. We’re talking certain styles of photography or illustration. Ultimately, we’re talking the general look and feel of your customer communications.
The key is to choose a visual path for your business and then stick with it. Don’t go experimenting with this look and that. Don’t give in to the comments and criticisms of the bystanders in life, (unless you’ve done something truly hideous). So yes, you must first make good choices. But then you must hold steady with those choices, and give them a chance to catch on. Be patient, and then be rewarded.
These days, they’ll let anybody have a Web site
I can still remember the day back in 1989 when they brought me my first computer, a humble little Mac Classic. I hated that machine. So I stacked books and papers on it for three months before I finally gave it an honest try.
Today, of course, I couldn’t work without a computer — or the Internet. And the same is true for most businesses. So a proper web site is now price of admission to the world of small business. The good news is, you can create a great one without breaking the bank or losing your mind. And that will be my topic next time.
Dan Cox owns Advertising Expedition, Inc. (www.advertisingexpedition.com). His 30-year career in the Pacific Northwest has allowed him to work on such famous brands as Kraft, Washington Apples, Buck Knives and Dr. Marten’s. Contact Cox by emailing dan@advertisingexpedition.com or calling (503)780-0963.