Think Direct Marketing: If You’re Really Serious About Out Promoting Your Big Buck Competition!
Do you think direct marketing is one one of those fancy type of so called marketing strategies that only certain types of business owners and or service providers,should proactively be using? If so, entrepreneur (please) asap, adjust your thinking cap. Better yet strap it on tight and prepare to discover how these battlefield tested, low cost high impact marketing strategies and or tactics, can and will not only help you pad your bottom line, but while you so, you’ll also simultaneously out promote and out market your much better financed major competitors too.
If you read (and hopefully you did) a previous post about how to increase sales in retail, you discovered how an extremely savvy local high end gourmet coffee retailer, strategically went about out promoting their big buck major competitors.
And they did so on just north of the proverbial shoestring budget, correct? Rather than refer to this post as part two, instead this post will come at the exact same subject, but instead of viewing it as a continuation from the coffee retailers point of view!
It will focus on at least two more local extremely savvy think outside the box small business owners….
Think Direct Marketing When You’re Really Serious About Out Promoting Your Major Competitors!
As you recall, this extremely savvy coffee retailer is aggressively looking for some low cost non traditional ways, of creatively marketing/promoting their high end gourmet coffee, to increase their market share, without having to spend a fortune on dismally effective traditional advertising methods.
And this is where two more local players (savvy small business owners) enter the story. One is a local Mom & pop printing business and the other is an upcoming local art gallery owner. Since all three are members of the local chamber of commerce, they regularly come across each other at the local monthly chamber meetings.
And during one particular brain storming session, the printer has an aha moment and approaches the coffee retailer with the following potential money making opportunity. The printer discovered that whenever the aggressive coffee retailer (or company/service provider X) runs traditional ads in the local newspapers, radio and or TV, they typically spend anywhere from $40 – $65 dollars per new customer! And sometimes even more!Ouch!
Now here’s what the savvy printer proposes. They’ll set up a giant fish bowl on their counter and place a sign promoting their monthly free drawing for small business owners/service providers only!
They can leave their business card in the bowl for a chance to win $500 dollars worth of printing! And they can spend the $500 dollar credit anyway they choose! Meaning, they can use it all at once or in combination, until the credit is used up.
Let Your Major Competitors Chase After Outrageously Expensive Retail First Time Customers Or Clients!
Here’s the two ways this tried and true marketing strategy helps both the high gourmet coffee retailer and the printer.
1.) First and foremost, in reality since the gourmet coffee retailer (or company X) is actually sponsoring (financing) the monthly free drawing, it initially doesn’t cost the printer a dime! Okay!
And each month the printer chooses the grand prize winner each month and showcases them by (either) mentioning/ spotlighting their business in the both the printers on or offline monthly/quarterly newsletter.
Plus, they’re building their very own in house customer list to boot! What’s that asset potentially worth over a one year period!
2.) Next, every month all the runner ups gets two really cool secondary prizes! First the printer automatically sends them (either) an extremely time sensitive snail mail, text message and or email discount coupon for 20% off any printing job under $100 dollars and 30% off any job over $100 dollars.
And the gourmet coffee retailer will send each runner up a time sensitive,VIP new customer only discount coupon, for saving a whopping 50% off a 5 LB bag on one of their bestselling brands! Think about the powerful long term potential positive word of mouth and mouse this type of promotion will create around the water cooler!
The tweets and posting on Facebook will definitely heat up! Don’t you agree? That’s why you definitely need to think direct marketing. Don’t yo agree? But watch what happens next….. Until then….
Please list at least two simple spin off concepts (in the comments section below) that you can apply to your business, product or service in the next 30 days or less!
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