On my way home today I saw a plumber’s van, with big bright letters Bill’s Plumbing, and logo with a phone number. The logo said – “Tonight you can sleep without hearing a drop” It’s written in big, bright letters. It’s cute, but you gotta think, does it really get someone to call?
I give credit to anyone that does anything to market their business. But one big mistake that most businesses make, and when I say most, I mean 99.9999%, is that they come up with either some cute or loud logos that mean absolutely nothing.
Let’s break this down.
The only purpose of any kind of marketing should be to get people to respond.
The only thing on people’s mind is, are you ready, THEMSELVES. That’s right, all people care about is What’s In It For Me (them). This is the question that your prospect has in their subconscious mind. So when they see a van like this, it does nothing, or at best makes them think it’s cute.
Now if you don’t need a plumber then most likely you wouldn’t pay attention no matter what it says on that van. But let’s assume you might have a need for a plumber, or you’re considering doing something. And you see a van, but instead of something like the above slogan, it has a direct response offer. Like – Receive $$ Back by …. or Get a FREE 30 Minute Heating and Cooling Audit….
The point is that whatever you put as your message, it has to appeal to what your prospect wants.
It’s important to understand who your prospect is, what their mindset is, and what’s important to them.
Then you can create emotional direct response marketing messages that will stimulate their mind and get them to act.
Always try put yourself in your prospect’s shoes and ask yourself – What’s In It For Me.
April 19th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Vitaly you could not be more right. People think that if they produce some catchy phrase or slogan that when the consumer needs their product they will remember it and call them.
This is simply not the case. Consumers are hit everyday with advertisements (in the thousands) that it really is next to impossible for them to remember your service or product.
If you want your customer to remember you then you must setup feeders i.e. mailers, follow up phone calls. So when the need does come or someone they know has a need for your product or service; you will be right fresh in their minds.
Keep up the great work!!!
PS Do you have a group of people you bounce ideas off of, if you do I would really like to take part in them.
Thanks,
Rick
April 21st, 2008 at 9:18 pm
Thank you Rick. There’s a business group that I go to locally, but other than that, it’s just all the materials/experience I’ve accumulated over the years, and also actively searching for additional marketing information.
One of my goals for this blog is to create a community where people can come and look through different strategies and ideas, as well as participate with their comments, that everyone can benefit from.
Cheers,
Vitaly