Now here’s some fun, creative marketing for you!

Now here’s some fun, creative marketing for you!

We’re in the long, hot days of summer.  Sure school is about to begin for our kids and soon we’ll be beyond the summer vacations, dreams of spending more time on the beach or in the mountains somewhere.  But for many of us, business doesn’t slow down in the summer months.  And even if it did, it doesn’t mean that it gives us the right to be lazy about our marketing efforts.

I was reminded of this over the weekend.  It was a slap in the face moment – but one that was also fun to see.

As I went out my front door this weekend I was greeted with a surprise.  The photo above tells it all.  A new business in town was introducing their pool cleaning services to our neighborhood.  And rather than simply sticking a flyer in my door jamb, they were clever enough to tape their flyer to a beach ball and secure the beach ball to my front porch with a small stone!  Very creative.

And as I looked down the street to my neighbor’s homes, each one who had a pool had the same surprise waiting for them!

Now your first thought may be “I can only imagine how much it cost to give away that many beach balls”.  Or, “man, that’s a lot of work and effort to introduce yourself to a new prospect”.  But what do you think the pool service business owner was thinking?

I bet they were thinking “how can I make a BIG impression on these homeowners who don’t have a clue who I am or what I do?” and, “We only have one opportunity to let them know that OUR pool service is truly different than our competition.”

So rather than do what everyone else was doing, they made the bold decision to step out and be different.  They decided that rather than spend money on a simple flyer and hope that someone actually reads it, they decided to do something unique, fun and playful with the confidence that most everyone would read their flyer then!  And it sure worked on me!  I wanted to know who these folks were.  They were different – in a good way.  They were fun and creative.  These are the kinds of people I’d like to do business with!

Now I’m not sure how their promotion worked, but I am sure that if I asked my neighbors if they remembered getting a beach ball with a flyer attached to it, I am sure they would all say YES.  But if I asked them if they remembered getting a flyer in their mailbox for the same or similar service, I would be that most would not have even seen it.

So which kind of marketing are you doing?  Are you sticking boring flyers in your prospects mailboxes (or email boxes), or are you doing something that makes you stand out from the crowd?  Are you being lazy in your marketing or are you constantly thinking of new ways to catch the attention of your ideal customers?

Great marketing is all about standing apart from the crowd, being noticed, getting someone’s attention.  Given how many distractions we all have these days, the job of marketing continues to get harder and harder.  It takes effort, determination and creativity to get your message out.  This is no time to be lazy.  This is no time to simply go with the crowd.

If you’re wanting to separate yourself and do something memorable but can’t come up with any creative ideas, drop me a note and I’ll help you come up with some to consider.  If you’ve got a great idea but are not sure how to execute it, give me a call and I’ll bounce some thoughts around with you.

Don’t get lazy in your marketing.  There are too many look-alike businesses competing for the same customers.  Step up, get creative, have some fun and land some new customers!  I’d be glad to help – just reach out and ask.

Ride Hard!

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