Be REMARKable
(Originally Published for Hastings Insider Blog)
Print, Radio and TV were once the only options for advertisers. Each required a significant upfront budget that was out of reach for many small businesses.
With the dawn of digital marketing – a whole new world of affordable possibilities has since opened up to small businesses to reach potential customers. You can start everything from Google, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram ad campaigns for as little as $100.
But just because you can, doesn’t always mean you should.
Robert Stephens, the founder of Geek Squad, once said, “Advertising is a tax paid by the unremarkable.”
Before you start that next ad campaign, consider this first – are you remarkable? Is your business doing something that is getting your customers to talk about you and they, in return, do the advertising for you?
Fewer than 1% of businesses (big and small) have any form of Word-of-Mouth strategy. Considering the fact that the more important a decision is for someone, the more it depends on word of mouth.
Think about that for a moment. What was the last big decision you made on a product or service? Did you just go out there, or did you first look for recommendations, read reviews, poll friends and family?
Word-of-Mouth shouldn’t be something that you hope happens; it is something that you plan to happen. Through a dedicated strategy, you can turn your customers into volunteer marketers for you.
In his book “Talk Triggers,” author and speaker Jay Baer states that it is about giving your customers a story to tell that is different. By doing something they don’t expect; it becomes a moment that’s memorable and sharable.
According to Jay, there are four key things to keep in mind when thinking of what your “Talk Tigger”:
Must Be Remarkable – do something your customer wouldn’t expect
Must Be Repeatable – you can’t do it for just one; you have to do it for everyone
Must Be Reasonable – don’t get too crazy
Must Be Relevant – it should align with your business
Take some time with this. Workshop some ideas with your customers – ask them about their purchase process and what they expected to happen along the way. Through that process, it is your opportunity to deliver the one unexpected thing that becomes a trigger for your customers to talk about you.
Imagine if what you offer to your clients and customers be so good, that they willingly tell others about your business and what you offer saving you on ads because your customers do it for you.
Ask yourself this: when they do talk – are you there to be found by new potential customers? Do you have the digital presence (Website, Social Media Pages, Google My Business, etc.) set up to make it easy for people to look you up? How will they find out more and take their first step in engaging with your business?
There is no one silver bullet in marketing; each piece plays its part in an integrated way. But before you start your next ad campaign – first consider how you can BE REMARKABLE.
