Archive for Marketing
Thinking outside of the Box
Posted by: | CommentsIt drives me crazy when I see businesses in Israel conduct business like everyone else. Meaning just doing what everyone else is doing. There is a severe lack of creativity and of “metooisms”. What’s meetooisms? Metooisms is creating a business like someone else because they are already doing it. I was thinking about this rescently when I heard that yet another candy store is opening up in Bet Shemesh.
Now I wish the owners success, but do we really need a new candy store? There is already two of them in Ramat Bet Shemesh and a big one in the industrial area. So does that mean they can’t succeed? Of course not, they can succeed if they decide to think out of the box! Make themselves stand out. Be different!
One idea I had is to be in touch with all the schools in the neighborhood and offer big lollipops with a ribbon around it for teachers to give out to kids who learn the best each week or for when finishing a book of the Torah or many other reasons. Or even smaller treats to hand out. Just make sure that each ribbon has the name of your store and these 2 words “10% Off”.
Now you will stick out! Now you are creating incentives for kids to do well and the schools/teachers are happy with the free gift to give out and you get parents that now have two good reasons to come into your store. The first is because they feel appreciation for the free gift and second because they now have a 10% off coupon to use.
So will the new store do this? Unfortunately I doubt it. It’s hard to break out of the box of Metooisims.
No-Risk Leverage for All Your Marketing Activities
Posted by: | CommentsOne simple way to gain quick leverage in your marketing is to focus the right message to the right customer. Consistently.
I know that sounds very obvious, but look around you and at your own company: Is it done?
A useful tactic is to create a handful of customer profiles, or ‘sketches’ of different types of customers. You can then articulate the right messages to the right people in the right way at the right time.
How do you create customer profiles? Use the following three questions as your guide:
- What are the REASONS that people buy your type of product or service? What are their desired results? Make sure you understand the logical reasons as well as the emotional and psychological satisfactions people want.
- When people think about your products and services, what are some common CONCERNS they have? Assumptions they make? Misconceptions? Fears? Worries? Questions?
- The third question helps you add dimension to your answers to the first two.
Think of factors such as geography, age, past experience, price range, how they found you, marital status and so on. Which of these or similar factors may influence either the REASONS someone would want to buy from you and or the CONCERNS they are likely to have (beliefs, worldview) about buying your products and services?
Once you’ve answered these questions, you should be able to create four or five common customer profiles.
Now that you have the profiles:
- It’s likely that one or two of them represent more value for your company than the others. The old 80-20 rule. Separate those out for special attention.
- For each profile, but especially for the one or two that represent significant opportunity, ask: How can we optimize our marketing and sales processes to better appeal to the hearts and minds of customers within this profile?
Let me know your results.
Reply if you have any questions.
Finally, answer a short survey and get a free 15 minute consultation as a thank you: http://www.dovgordon.biz/more-customers.html
Dov Gordon
+972-2-992-0396
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Smart advertising! Love this idea!
Posted by: | CommentsI love creative and smart advertising ideas. Not sure what company this is from, but the idea is brilliant.
Calling Haaretz.com out: Stop with the auto-refresh!
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- Image via Wikipedia
When will Haaretz stop with the Auto-Refresh?
Haaretz seems is the only site that I know of that still auto refreshes it self. This was a trick done about 10 tears ago as a way to increase CPM which is a metric that is used to charge advertisers. You see a lot of advertisers pay lets say $10 for every 1000 impressions there advertisement gets. So the more refreshes there are the more you can charge your advertisers for page views.
Now I am not going to talk about the legitamcy of such an action or whether Haaretz notifies their advertisers about this or if it is even more effective for advertisers. The reason I’m writing about it is because as a reader it is simply annoying! Many times I will be knee deep in an article just to have it refresh and then have to scroll down and find my place again. So Haaretz, do me a favor and stop the ploys from the 90’s. We are in 2009!
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Ben Gurion Airport Arrivals hall is missing out on a tremendous opportunity
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Today, my cousin Yishai and his family made aliyah and I and a whole bunch of family went Ben Gurion Airport to welcome them home.
Don’t ask, but to make a long story short we waited almost two hours before they came out and there was absolutely nothing to do. Sure there is a very nice cafe and my Mom did buy me an ice coffee (thanks Mom!), but I wasn’t all that hungry. Now because I knew I would be waiting I brought with me a book so that was ok, but other then a few small stores (50% of them cell phone shops) there is nothing to do there.
But before we get to “things to do” they are missing out on a huge advertising opportunity. Thousands of people a day are waiting for people to come out through the doors and they are constantly looking at the huge boards with the times of arrival. But there is space on both sides for a super large screen that can be used for entertainment and advertising opportunities. They could show videos of user generated Israeli talent or even just videos of places to visit in Israel. Even national news would be good, but there is nothing. Granted there could not be any sound, but videos even without sound could be highly entertaining. Just ask Charlie Chan.
Now it also would make sense to have some sort of internet access or even computers there as well as a mini arcade or entertainment center. Something that you can do while your waiting for your loved ones to come out. Even some stores with rotating products would be welcomed and not the same old flowers books and balloons. Just my 2 agurot.
This video below is being used to campaign for the legalization of marijuana in Israel.
Brilliant marketing? Not a chance! The assumption being made is that the reality for Holocaust survivors is so bad that it is a crime to not let them smoke pot in order to make their lives more livable. There is no doubt in my mind that whoever thought this was a good idea was smoking something…
Viral Marketing: Download your free book, The Idea Virus, by Seth Godin
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Seth Godin is priceless. He is always giving away free advice from his blog and free books you can download, like this one called Unleashing The IdeaVirus. The best way to have your product our business succeed is having it spread like a virus. Quickly and penetrating everyone it comes in contact with. Is your new product viral? How can you make it viral? Read this book and move to the head of the class. Read this blog post for an example on how Seth got this book read by millions of people in a real life example of what he teaches you in his book.
GotChicken.org? Finally some innovation with online fundraising!
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So I was reading a Jerusalem Focused magazine and I saw an add for GotChicken.org and a contest to enter to win an iPod. What attracted me was the logo and the name GotChicken.org. Obviously it's a play on the "Got Milk" campaign but I am fully for taking something that works and adapting it to your needs w/o breaking the law of course.
So I went to the site and sure enough it was a non-profit collecting money to give chickens (and other foods) to the poor for Shabbos. I was pleasantly surprised at how clean and modern the site looked as well as how simple it was to learn more about the organization, see the haskamos they had, as well as make a donation.
They even have a heart breaking story at the right place which you can read below:
The story behind our organization is sad but unfortunately it is not
a unique one. One Friday night after eating his Shabbos meal, Aaron a
young American man who was studying in Israel went to visit his Israeli
neighbor. As the man opened the door to welcome his visitor Aaron could
tell something was amiss. His host worked as a Rebbe in a local Yeshiva
and as far as anyone knew was doing okay financially. But Aaron was
surprised to hear the Rabbis’ children asking him for food. After all
it was Friday night. And who wasn’t full on Friday night?
With
the children crying ‘Abba Give us something to eat’ Aaron asked whether
it was perhaps better if he should come back another time. The Rabbi
shook his head no and told him to have a seat. ‘Children’, he said, ‘We
now are doing a great Mitzva of having guests and it’s not the right
time to eat. Tomorrow we will eat.’ As the Rabbi put his children to
bed Aaron opened the cabinets and was shocked to see them completely
empty! The fridge and freezer were bare too!
There
would be no food to eat tomorrow. The Rabbi would simply have to make
up another excuse so that his children would not realize their own
unfortunate plight!
This was the first of many
families to follow. Secretly they received 100 shekel week after week
in the discreet manner that has become synonymous with KMYH and has
remained the modus operandi for all future donations. Whereas many
families would have no way of purchasing chicken or other basic
necessities for Shabbos and Yom Tov, it is now a very real option. Can
you imagine a family that must remain Parve through Shabbos because
they lack the necessary funds to buy a proper meal? We can!
All in all I am very impressed and it is a good example at being catchy, memorable, innovative and also a great combination of offline and online marketing.
