Wednesday

Periodic Table of the Elements

My high school chemistry teacher, Mr. Davis, used to allow us to keep the periodic table of the elements on our desk during tests and quizzes. His point was that we weren't chemists, didn't use the symbol for lead (Pb) on a daily basis, and the best way to remember all of the abbreviations was through frequent use.

Ever see someone you've met, but can't remember their name? Happens all the time.

Do you ever forget your friends' names? Um, no. The more familiar we are with something the more likely we are to remember it.

Use the above examples to see if you can determine what's wrong with the following statements, real-life excuses from real-life owners:

I've met with the principal of that school. Nothing ever came of it.
We didn't get any response when we ran an ad in that newspaper.
We couponed that office building and got zero response.

The answer: lack of familiarity. The solution: frequency of message.

If you want word of mouth, you need to market in a way that creates word of mouth (read: frequency of message).

When was the last time you talked about a radio ad with your friends?

Tuesday

What the....?

I have reluctantly joined the bloggersphere.

"Bryan, why on earth do you need a blog? Aren't blogs just for radical liberals (redundant?) who are looking to influence activist judges with their wacky notions?"

Because I want to change the world. There, I said it. I want to change the world and a blog is just one more medium to help spread the word that Local Store Marketing is not just an inexpensive way to market a small business, it's the best way.

LSM is the old-fashioned way. I want to change the world by reminding people how marketing used to be done. I want to change the world by showing owners the building blocks to more revenue. New customers is definitely a building block. But what happens if those same customers come in twice as often and spend a $1 more on each visit?

Profitability shouldn't rely on a newspaper ad.

The Daily Grind

Marketing is a process, not a task. Forgetting this will cause you to waste more money on marketing than any ill-conceived media plan. It will be wasteful by neglect.

Consider this: you'd like to lose a few pounds, get in shape. Do you a) work out (really, really hard) one time and wait for the results to follow; b) work out for an entire week, hoping the pounds will burn off; or c) commit to doing physical activity at least 3 times per week over the course of several weeks?

If you simply want to check "lose weight" off of your To Do list, you might choose options a or b. If you really want to lose weight you'll choose option c. You didn't gain those extra pounds all at once, you won't lose them all at once either.

"But I don't have time! My business overwhelms me!"

There are several books, blogs, and articles on time management within a small business to help you overcome the time challenge. Many are wonderful and I'll leave you to them. But the simple truth is this: people rarely "find" the time to do anything they aren't comfortable doing - they have to make the time.

Schedule time for marketing in the same way you schedule inventory, ordering, payroll, and scheduling. Spend time on your business instead of in your business. Plan your efforts, prepare for your time by organizing your materials, and stick to your schedule as you would if you had an appointment with a client. It's that important.

Once you commit the time, prepare materials, and plan your attack, the only obstacle left is to overcome your reluctance. As Nike says "Just Do It."