0Posted by David Beckham, MarketProMBA on February 28, 2010 at 3:05 pm
Are you a small business owner who is still trying to decide if your business should be on the internet? I came across a video on YouTube yesterday by Jesse Thomas that really makes you stand up and take notice about the internet. We have come a long way since the day that I started messing with the internet back in 1991. Watch this video and form your own opinion.
For as many bad things that come from being on the internet like spam or viruses, there are also some very good things. Many businesses have found great success by marketing online. If you are still thinking about getting your business online, stop thinking and just do it. Don’t do it half way though. If you are not sure how to start, hire a professional. You will save a great deal of frustration by hiring a professional to set up your web presence. Once your site, blog, or social network is up and running, you can let the professionals manage it or get trained to manage it yourself, after all it’s not rocket science.
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David Beckham, MBA Marketing, small business developer, writer, consultant, and advertising specialist.
22Posted by David Beckham, MarketProMBA on January 28, 2010 at 10:47 pm
Has anyone seen the recent Office Depot commercial about the small business barbershop? Dan, the small barbershop owner has a look of concern as a big chain barbershop opens across the street from his little shop. The sign out front of the big chain store says, “$6 Haircuts”. The grand opening was full of the normal pomp and circumstance that you see in most openings. The manager of the big chain looked confident and sure.
The story is about Dan, who saves money because he shops at Office Depot. He reinvests his savings and buys a huge banner that says, “We Fix $6 Dollar Haircuts”. Six months later, the big chain store goes out of business.
I am not necessarily promoting Office Depot or their claims of savings. What I love about this commercial is the idea of the small business owner taking on the big giant chain store. This really hits home with my wife and I as owners of THE original basket boutique, a custom gifts and gift baskets shop in Gulf Breeze, FL. We find ourselves always competing against “big chain” stores who flood the market with cheap gift baskets. This is the nature of being a small business owner in America today.
Small business owners today, have to be smart, creative and forward thinkers to compete in this market place. This isn’t a new story. When Wal-Mart came in to towns many years ago, everyone thought it was the end of small business America. At first it probably looked like small business wouldn’t survive, but this wasn’t the case. Small business owners needed to adapt and find creative ways to effectively compete with the chain stores.
In this commercial, while it isn’t outright said, Dan’s strategy was to sell quality. He couldn’t compete on price and survive, but his advertising banner that says, “We Fix $6 Haircuts” made a huge statement about quality. Small business owners that survived the onslaught of the big chain stores learned to adapt to a new target market. Instead of competing directly with the chain store, they competed around it. The fact is there is enough market for a lot of business if you can figure out your target market.
One of the best examples of overcoming big chain stores that I know was my In-laws’ gun shop in Fairfield, IA, Outdoor Ventures. For the longest time, Outdoor Ventures was a very successful gun and archery shop in a small rural town in Iowa. People would travel from hundreds of miles away to buy guns from my father-in-law. Why you might ask? Because he carried what people wanted, unique guns and archery equipment, hard to find ammo and so on. Then one day, here comes Wal-Mart. There was no doubt that my in-laws were concerned. Instead of quitting thought, they changed their strategy.
They couldn’t compete with Wal-Mart for selling standard ammo or arrows, but they had something Wal-Mart didn’t. My father-in-law was a master wood worker and gunsmith. Wal-Mart sold cheap guns and ammo, but my father-in-law could fix them. Once a person saw the quality of his work, they were more likely to use him for special orders and work. He adapted to a new target market. They sold the business several years later to retire in Florida.
It is easy to see why I love this subject. It is a part of my life now and in the past. There is no reason a small business can’t be successful in a market with big chain stores. So what are my recommendations? Figure out your target market. Then analyze your target market for opportunities that are not being met by the chain stores. Once you identify your opportunities, change your business focus and strategy to capitalize on your findings.
Most importantly you need a plan. Don’t go at it half hearted and think everything will be ok if you just keep doing what you have always done. Your business plan will keep you on track and focused on your goals.
I would really like to hear some of your ideas. Leave me a comment or send me an email. Make 2010 a great year!
David Beckham, MBA
MarketProMBA Small Business Developer
8Posted by David Beckham, MarketProMBA on November 20, 2009 at 7:26 pm
David Beckham, MarketProMBA Consultant
My first and most important tool for our business, THE original basket boutique, is the business card. The business card, while it sounds so common and conventional is actually a very powerful guerrilla marketing tool when it is employed properly. Your business card can be unconventional or conventional. It depends on your business. Ours is unique in that it is a smaller size with rounded corners and has a hole in the center of our “O” in the logo. You can make your card unique by adding full color pictures or logos. Have it printed on glossy, heavy paper as apposed to regular business card stock. Sure it costs a little more, but it’s not so much that it cost prohibitive.
You might also consider a folded card that has traditional information on the outside, but on the inside and back, it might have product information or details about your services. Perhaps you can even put a small map on the fold out so people can find your business. Think outside the box a little with your business cards. Perhaps a magnetic business card would work better for your business. People love magnets and you will find your card on someone’s filing cabinet or refrigerator more often than not.
You could make your business card a design such as your company truck or if you are a painter, have your card created in the shape of a paint can. The only thing I caution you with unconventional size cards are they might not fit in people’s rolodex or through some card scanners. Still, unique shapes are certainly an attention getter and will usually spark a conversation about what you do. I can’t tell you how many conversations I have been in with people about anything other than business and when I flip out one of my business cards, I always get the same reaction, they hold the card up to look through the hole and they say, “Wow, neat card.” Then, inevitably we break into a conversation about what THE original basket boutique does.
Now that you have the “perfect” business card, what are the best ways to use it? I like to think of my business cards as bait. I know that sounds funny, but let me explain. Your business card is your mini-billboard. It gives your business name, contact information and other information, but most importantly it builds your brand. You might think that you don’t have a brand but even if your business is just called “David Beckham, Consultant”; your brand is your name. So my card is my bait and I am a fisherman. Does a fisherman catch a fish every time he casts out his bait? Not likely. If you fish like I do, you drown a lot of worms before you catch something. Using your business card works the same way.
When I am out and about in town, I leave a trail of business cards everywhere I go. Remember, you have to cast a lot of bait to catch a good mess of fish. It’s the same with our business cards. I have left my cards in Lowe’s, Home Depot, Ace Hardware, Publics and even Wal-Mart. These places seem like an unlikely place for anyone looking to buy gift baskets, but remember you are fishing. Almost everyone at one point frequents a hardware store or a grocery store. Perhaps the person visiting the store isn’t our “perfect” client, but what if their wife or husband with them is? See where I am going? What’s the best way to catch fish? You fish where the fish are.
If you are at your doctors, perhaps you leave a card in the waiting room. When you are at a restaurant, leave a card with your tip. Write a little note on your card to thank them for their service. You can bet that card won’t be tossed. You can leave your card just about anywhere that people frequent. Your business card does not cost as much as a billboard, so leave them everywhere.
Be creative and think out of the box. Remember, this is guerrilla marketing! You are building your brand, even if people don’t use your service they are still being exposed to your brand so hopefully, one day when they do need your service, they will remember your business brand. Your business card is the first tool in your tackle box. Use it and catch some fish, or I should say customers!
What are some creative ways you have used your business card? Leave us a comment and give us a few of your guerrilla ideas! Happy Fishing!
3Posted by David Beckham, MarketProMBA on May 16, 2009 at 5:38 pm
Uncertain economic times call for creating marketing ideas. When sales slow and businesses start to struggle, it is usually easy to look at your marketing budget as an easy target for cutting. During economic downturns, your target market shrinks which can result in less new customers. If you cut your marketing budget, you take a chance at losing market share, which means fewer customers. When the market rebounds, your share is still smaller and your competitors might have the edge. Look for ways to market smarter during tough economic times and consider trading out services or products for advertising better known as “bartering”.
Bartering is a simple way to maintain your same level of advertising without physically cut your marketing budget. Every business has something to trade out whether it is tangible or intangible. Tangible products are any goods you can touch and feel. Tangible products have associated values with them such as production or purchasing costs. When you trade out tangible items, it is typical to trade them out at retail costs. Intangible products can be your skills, knowledge, or services. An accountant could trade out accounting services in trade for advertising. It is typical to trade out services at the street value or higher of the product or service you are trading.
When you barter goods and services, you don’t use out of pocket operating money. There are associated costs in products or time, but it doesn’t hit your immediate bottom line. The costs can be defrayed over a set period of time and in return, you will get the advertising you need for your business. Therefore, look for barter opportunities when possible. Bartering will help you maintain your current marketing level and provide you with a better solution than cutting your marketing budget and losing potential market share.
