One of my favorite movies, Pulp Fiction, has an accidental marketing lesson in one very dramatic scene. It addresses a very common problem for small business marketing. In this very tense scene, two hit-men are in an apartment, guns smoldering from a recent ‘hit’ when an unknown man comes flying out of the bathroom, draws his weapon, closes his eyes, screams at the top of his lungs, and empties his pistol firing towards the bad guys — hitting nothing but the wall behind them. To them, it was a ‘miracle’ that they weren't killed. To me, it was a regrettably common event in small business marketing. Here's how it goes:
An exercise I often take my clients through is to have them bring all of the promotional campaigns they've used over the past year or two to a meeting — flyers, postcards, ads in papers, ads in magazines and so on. After we go through them, we usually have a pile on the floor I call Mt. Marketing Everest. They have tried EVERYTHING and nothing really worked. What they did was come into the market, eyes closed and guns blazing. That doesn't work, especially for the relatively un-branded small business.
The key to successful marketing for the small business is persistence. It is so important to do your homework, design a good promotional mix, and STICK TO IT. As you design this mix, I think you will find it weighted more heavily on the networking and strategic alliance side of things, rather than the traditional advertising side. But, the point is to take the time to take proper aim. Lining up the target isn’t an old west concept, it’s sound marketing.
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An exercise I often take my clients through is to have them bring all of the promotional campaigns they've used over the past year or two to a meeting — flyers, postcards, ads in papers, ads in magazines and so on. After we go through them, we usually have a pile on the floor I call Mt. Marketing Everest. They have tried EVERYTHING and nothing really worked. What they did was come into the market, eyes closed and guns blazing. That doesn't work, especially for the relatively un-branded small business.
The key to successful marketing for the small business is persistence. It is so important to do your homework, design a good promotional mix, and STICK TO IT. As you design this mix, I think you will find it weighted more heavily on the networking and strategic alliance side of things, rather than the traditional advertising side. But, the point is to take the time to take proper aim. Lining up the target isn’t an old west concept, it’s sound marketing.
Where Should I Go Now?
Main Blog Page
Become A Business Coach like Stuart
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