I was responding to a thread on Facebook this morning on marketing. The question was – what is your best source of marketing and advertising? My response to the thread is that I believe a lot of business owners are missing the boat by overlooking very powerful, FREE tools. Namely, blogging and You Tube. Professional service providers are basically getting it. They are their own brand and they are drinking the Kool-Aid. However, a lot of service organizations can also do the same thing. It just takes a little creativity…
- Auto Dealers – Create You Tube videos on the cars you have for sale. Have your best sales people point out the must-have features. Car sales is a visual sale…bring that sale to life.
- Auto Body Shops – What myths about rebuilding a car are pervasive in your customers? Write a regular blog advising us of ways we can better take care of our cars ourselves. That way when we can’t do it anymore because it’s above our pay grade, we think of you. Create 3-minute videos of why your process is best for your customer.
- Barber shops and hair salons – Talk about a visual business, you can have some fun with this by creating fun commercials. Get some of you best customers to give wacky testimonials, make fun of hairstyles, and make yourself stand out like, well a bad haircut.
- Restaurants – write blog posts reviewing your best meals; teach us how to best shop for cool recipes; video record your best customers chowing down on your food.
- Physical Therapists – You can add great value to your target market by teaching them through word or video how to better take care of themselves, do exercises, or generally promote good health.
This isn’t rocket science. If I can think these things up in about 7 minutes listening to 3 Doors Down sing “Here Without You” (a favorite of mine), then what can you do if you get away from your desk, grab an iced mocha at your local coffee shop and just think. That reminds me…
- Coffee shops – Why should you be the place everyone goes to? Don’t tell them, show them! Make a great video showing everyone how terrific your ambiance is and what great people frequent you establishment. Maybe you can write a blog with special coffee recipes.
So how do you get people in your target audience to see these fantastic creations of yours? Tell them with newsletters, social media platforms, press releases, word of mouth, keyword and tag placement (SEO), and any other way you can imagine. After all, how are you reading this blog post right now?
Once you gain a following, then they will start spreading the word for you. Whether your target audience is local or global, you can use a few free tools to spread your value and message.
All you need is a little creativity…
© 2010 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved
