Marketing really is about letting people who matter know how you’re different. So why is it that even when we try to be “different” we generally choose to fit into some well defined subgroup of “everyone else?” A great exercise that Duct Tape Marketing teaches us to do is to take the local Yellow Pages, block out the names, addresses, and phone numbers, and ask people who should be able to complete the exercise successfully, to pick your ad out from the group. Now isn’t that a fantastic exercise?
I view today’s world as one big series of beauty pageants. Getting ahead always means lining up in a “pick me, pick me” line one way or another. If nobody picks us, we don’t get ahead. Marketing really is just another beauty pageant exercise.
Referrals are a huge part of marketing today. Referrals are tied to the older concept of “networking.” Face it, today’s world is a networking world – on our computers, in our cars, and in real touch-me-I-don’t-byte mode. You, me, and everyone else; we’re all out there “networking.”
Let’s say you’re in a room with 100 people who do what you do. The door opens and 500 potential customers stream in. After everyone is gone, how many will remember you? Why? Why not? Do you think there’s a chance in the world that people will remember the company you represent or the thing you’re marketing, if they don’t remember you? That’s why beige is my least favorite color and “average” is an insult.
Are you happy with your answers? If not, what are you going to do to change it?
Erin Perry, Owner