If you know what your customers expect, it’s easier to do the unexpected
By Jim Logan • Jun 27th, 2007 • Category: Branding, PR, and Advertising
The following guest post is submitted by Kevin Stirtz from Smart Marketing
Last weekend I was listening to a local radio station (107.1 WFMP) that targets women listeners. It's not something I'd typically listen to, but one of my clients advertises with them so I like to tune in once in a while.
The guest they had on was talking about clothing, fashion and style, which interested me beyond belief. Actually I was about to flip back to my manly radio safe zone when the lady talking said something interesting.
She said (and I'm paraphrasing): "Having style is all about doing something unexpected, but still being you."
That got my attention. I thought about how that fits well into the world of marketing.
Because when we promote our businesses, we want to get our customer's attention. We can do this by being different than everyone else in our market.
But, we need to be careful.
Different and stupid is still stupid. It's not a good way to attract positive attention or new customers. We need to be different in a way that still fits who we are (or what our business is).
So, find ways to step away from the pack. Set yourself apart from the crowd that is your competition. Show your customers and prospects that you're anything but average. You deserve their attention.
You do this first by knowing everything you can about your competition. Then you learn everything you can about your customers. This information tells you what you need to do to be different.
If you know what your customers expect, it's easier to do the unexpected. By knowing what your competition already does, you know what you can do that they don't. By knowing what your customers want, you can figure out what to do that makes them happy.
The final step is to know your own business.
When you set out to be different, you need to do so in the context of your business. Make sure whatever you do aligns with your company's values and culture. Don't do things that conflict with the core values that make your company what it is.
Next time you're sitting around thinking of how to get more customers, break out of your box and try something different. Add some style to your marketing!
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Kevin Stirtz is The "Smart Marketing Guy". He helps people get more customers without spending a fortune. Get a free copy of his book MARKETING FOR SMART PEOPLE at http://StirtzGroup.com
Jim Logan is the founder of JS Logan, a B2B lead generation and sales acceleration company. Click Here and discover what makes JS Logan different from other B2B complex sales and marketing firms.
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i think the important point is what you said - be different in the context of your business. the last thing you want to do is sway far off the business path that you’ve chosen and thats worked for you.