Price vs Service
Another area of marketing that gets overlooked is pricing points. Targeting consumers takes much more than a nifty product and slogan; it has to involve price to give the product the perfect desire and balance a level of service associated with that price.
If a product is priced cheaply and marketed to people with upper income levels then the product will more than likely fail due to it being seen as cheap and of low quality. On a flip note, if it is marketed to lower income levels and has a price out of their range then the consumer will not be able to afford it and the product will fail due to no units being sold.
Seth Godin’s Price blog gives a short, yet profound look into price as a form of marketing and is, in my opinion, why the Wall-Marts of the world struggle in to retain consumers in the long run. If price is the only thing consumers gains from doing business with such a company then what happens when the consumers desires a richer more meaningful experience?
Usually the consumer ends up leaving and purchasing from another company that fills service void to create a meaning buying experience. Service is a key part in the marketing strategy because consumers can always find something cheaper but the service can vary dramatically from one business to another and its service that retains clients while building a positive word of mouth.
The price vs. service debate has entrenched the real estate industry and has caused shifts on both sides, new business models to spring up and endless supply of blog postings on why both sides are right. It is a debate that won’t end in the near future but my take is; I will always be willingly pay more for a product if the service commitment is there. I want know that when things are bad I will be taken care of over the long haul and if price is the only thing they can only offer me than I am better doing business somewhere else.
Danielle Decker
My long time friend, Danielle Decker just graduated from Cornish College of the Arts and today I took off work early to go over and see her art exhibits. As I walked around the college it got me thinking how could Danielle break out in the art world through effective small business marketing?
There are many paths that Danielle could try but being a recent graduate money is always tight and exposure is limited. So here is TW Resource Groups 5 Step Plan to promote talent and sell art in the process.
Get Connected
Getting out in the art community is the most important item. Right now Danielle is working part time at a local art store, excellent, and what better way to get connected through the community than to work where artists purchase supplies. As people come in and out of the art store, it gives Danielle the opportunity to meet people who might no someone, who knows someone that could use her services.
Participate in the Community
There are many local market festivals and out door events where a small booth, a reasonable amount of money, where portraits can be done while showcasing other works. In addition to this direct exposure, flyers, brochures and other print marketing material can be displayed for consumers to pickup.
Get a Website
Danielle has already taken advantage of this advertising medium. Having work displayed brings content to her professional name while having a avenue to generate sales 24/7/365. Two suggestions, one would to have the price and a brief description of the piece and two is to incorporate an easy payment option like PayPal or another type of secure payment option.
Beat the Street
Get out in the town and talk to business owners that to see if they may need window murals for up-coming specials or holiday offers, to see if an artistic rendering could be down in the interior of their restaurant or if there is any possibility to offer art work on consignment. Sales are tough this way but experience is the ultimate goal; just by getting out in the street and talking to people Danielle would be taking risks and learning a great deal how to communicate with people who may be in the market to purchase such items for their business.
Don’t Give Up
Never give up on your dream and passion because that is all we have in life and if we can’t enjoy what we do for a living then why do it at all? There are many people that will say “why don’t you get a real job” or “you can’t make any money like that” and try to bring you down to their level. Being an entrepreneur is something special and it takes vision, drive and determination that no matter what comes along you will continue to move forward, if only a little bit each day.
Danielle, I hope this is of some help to you and your success venturing out into the art world. I look forward to purchasing your pieces for my house. Also, if anyone is interested in seein Danielle’s art work she can be found at www.DanielleDecker.com.
Consistency in Marketing
Another attribute of marketing that many forget about is consistency. Consistency has nothing to do with the strategy being deployed but the repetition of the strategy.
I have seen so many small companies spend a lot of time developing workable strategies, get all the material ready and then work it for only 3 months. Why only 3 months? Mostly because the strategy is not showing instant results and the person working the strategy gets bored or forgets to keep working at it.
A lack of consistency will kill a marketing strategy, no matter what the strategy is, and a company will end of up with a bunch of idea that never worked. When talking with small business owners, when times are tight, they always say “I need a money now and strategy that is going to generate instant incomeâ€.
A business can not operate in reactive mode all the time and marketing can not always be thought as an instant solution to current financial problems. Fortunately there are ways for a small business to stay focused for the long haul.
Timeline and Schedule: During the strategy development phase build a timeline and schedule into the plan.Â
Extra Large Calendar: On a excel document build a calendar that is 3 ½ feet by 3 ½ feet so the square are big enough to write in. Mark the days on the calendar when the strategy is going to be deployed. As the months move on update the calendar with the new action items and follow the plan with a strict regiment.
Avoid Pitfalls: Beware of the “it is not working†mentality and continue act. Beware of forgetfulness because this will cause the strategy to stop working.
Consistency in a marketing strategy is the key to its success and to the success of a small company. Planning for months out will help eliminate the panicked times and need for an instant solution to financial problems.
Client Interviews
The other day I was interviewed for our Marysville real estate company as the SEO/marketer from Advanced Access, April 2007 Featured Client. It is quite an honor to be a featured company and just recently my personal blog was featured from MSN Spaces.
This potential marketing leverage is huge for any company that takes the time to get noticed. It is an easy task but if a company takes the time to invest in a marketing strategy, in this case an online approach, free publicity can happen.
Everyone at Barnett Associates Real Estate, LLC is happy to know that we are being featured on a site that has over 35K members and it further re-enforces our position as Advanced Access’s best company website in 2006.
Obtaining this type of recognition will help me reach my goal of averaging 25K hits per month, currently we are averaging 18K. Only time will tell and these next few months are going to be exciting to say the least.
Reasons to Blog
There is an old song that comes to mind while contemplating the article ‘Mo Better, Mo Blogs’ A-Listers Feel the Heat discusses another article where the author main point was to stop blogging if nothing original can be contributed. It reminds of a song by Merle Hargard and Willie Nelson, Reasons to Quit but I agree with Solomon on this issue, keep on blogging.
For SEO geeks and link junkies blogging maybe seen only has a way to gain market authority and influence search engines for personal or client’s benefits. But there is a component to blogging that is frequently overlooked in my opinion, the freedom of self expression. Blogging has become an outlet for many people to share thoughts, opinions, keep a personal journal and/or just share pictures with family/friends.
I use blogging in multiple ways, SEO, connect with communities (professionally and personally) and to mind dump stuff in order to stop thinking about it. It has become an outlet that is truly enjoyable to do. When I first started blogging I was obsessed with subscribers and having as many comments as possible but then it started to feel like a job and the fun started to drain out of it. It gave me the opportunity to sit down and think about why do I blog?. It turned out I just liked doing it and it didn’t matter if I was the most read blog on the net.
Being a small time blogger it is hard not to get caught up in the blog hype of social interaction and the marketing combination inherent that is becoming the hallmark of Web 2.0. Keep on blogging in the free world, wow that is almost a parody. Have fun and do it because you like it, keep it simple.