Category: Marketing Strategies

Surprise! It works (almost) every time…

November 11, 2010
Filed under: Marketing Strategies, The Power of Persuasion, Observations From the Field — @ 9:04 pm

Kudos to Stan Gelber & Sons Heating & Cooling of Uniondale, NY.  Never heard of them?  Neither did I…until I got this direct mail piece from them. 

Of course, all my snail mail marketing usually goes right in the trash (sorry, if you’ve sent me any)…but this darned dog caught my eye on its journey into the wastebasket. 

I fished it right out, thinking…why is that dog wearing a hat and scarf?  Then, I actually read the entire card, front and back. 

And then I thought…damn.  They got me.  I don’t often think about heating or cooling systems…heck, I don’t even have a dog.  But this card suddenly made me wonder if my heating system is ready for the winter.

What arrested my attention was the element of surprise.   Even if you think it’s goofy, you cannot help but smile (c’mon, admit it) and be a little curious about this photo. 

The point is:  it broke through the clutter.  Five other direct mail marketing pieces went right into the trash at my house that day, but this one got fished out. 

Your lesson from this?  Before you can even begin to market to someone, you’ve got to get their attention.  And who doesn’t love a good surprise?

Yay for you, it’s your anniversary! Um…who cares?

July 30, 2010
Filed under: Marketing Strategies — @ 1:14 pm

You know that pride you feel at achieving a milestone of being in business for -X- number of years?  Guess what?  As far as news hooks go, pretty much no one else cares.

We humans are a selfish bunch.  It’s hard to catch and hold our attention for anything that doesn’t directly impact our own lives.  So when a brand comes at us waving enthusiastic pom poms and expecting us to share in its joy of turning 5, 10, 35, 60, or even 100…our natural reaction is:  yay for you, but what’s in it for me?

The news value in celebrating a brand’s anniversary is the timely, relevant reason it offers to connect with your audiences…but you have to tie it back to them to make them care.

Give a special offer, announce a new service, launch a new product, roll back prices, and find fun and meaningful ways to link to the number of years you’ve been in business – i.e. 20 years in business…get $20 or 20% off, or give a special gift to everyone who is 20 (if you court that age group) , or is celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary (if that age group is more appropriate).  You get the idea.  Make it more than just a pat on your own back.

Then YOU get to share your pride in the milestone, and THEY get to benefit from your celebration and feel a smidge more connected to your brand.  It’s a win-win for both of you…which, at the end of the day, is truly a “yay for you.”