A true story: At my local mall on Saturday, I could see from my vantage outside Gamestop a little ATM oasis. And, as I sipped my diet Coke, I watched a woman walk up, press a few buttons, scratch her head, then proceed to open the hood of the ATM machine!
Concerned, but more curious, I continued to watch as she poked around inside, closed the cover, then walked over to the twin ATM beside the one where she had just been. The first thing she did this time was to move the “Out of Order” sign out of the way so that she could have easy access to the buttons.
While I admire the woman’s stick-to-it-iveness, I couldn’t help but think, “Lady, it’s broken. Forget about it.” I have the same advice for a small business that’s not making any money from its current marketing approach: if it’s broken, rethink it. When it comes to business, Jodi Kaplan of Fix Your Broken Marketing suggests that one broken marketing approach won’t do the trick; a variety of viable approaches will.
Kaplan says that developing a marketing plan is kind of like the old folk tale about the blind men and the elephant. Each man touches a different part of the elephant and bases his evaluation on that part—the side is declared to be a wall, the tusk a spear, the trunk a snake when, really, all these parts comprise the elephant. Kaplan suggests that a web site, for example, isn’t just about colors; it’s about content, features, design, and organization working together to meet the interests of a variety of clients.
Similarly, marketing approaches like print ads, postcard mailings, networking, word of mouth, and other strategies don’t stand alone. They work together to cultivate business. Some strategies work with some clients; others work with different clients. Multiple approaches cast the widest net.
Kaplan further suggests sculpting your marketing tactics to fit your customer’s needs. If you send a postcard, for example, make sure that it provides a clear picture of who you are and how you can help your customers. But that’s not enough, according to Kaplan. Identify your prospect’s problem, she says. Present solutions in a way that “makes them want to do business with you.” Above all, make it a goal to establish trust.
My suggestion is that if it’s not working, change it up. Use multiple marketing approaches. Andie and I use a marketing postcard that has great returns, but we’re also exploring web-based approaches (like this blog!). For my music, word of mouth is like gold, but I’ve gotten hits off of print advertising as well. See what works for you. You may be surprised by the results!
-Cheryl
Tags: Broken Marketing, Home-Based Business, Marketing, Networking, Postcard mailing, Print Ad, Word of Mouth, Work from Home