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Marketing That Just Makes "Cents"
Chesapeake Bagel Bakery in Vienna, VA uses a marketing strategy to attract catered lunch business that just makes "cents."
In their store, they have signs that read: "We can feed lunch to the folks in your office for 81 cents per person" This simple statement attracts attention because it breaks down the luncheon cost to under a dollar per person. Smart marketing that makes the cost- conscious office manager ask for more information.
Mud Marketing
Susan Busada, owner of The Mud Factory (703-998-6880), a pottery studio in Shirlington, VA, creatively markets her business in a unique way by offering children and adult birthday parties at her facility.
Susan and her staff prepare undecorated pottery items such as mugs, lamps, bowls and piggy banks, which birthday party guests decorate with paint and stencils. Susan then glazes and fires the pottery, which guests return to pick up a few days after the festivities.
The birthday parties are great for business, as they attract folks who may never have heard of The Pottery Factory...and who come back on their own to buy more merchandise.
Medical Marketing - It Just Takes a Call
A dentist we know has built his successful practice one simple way... the followup phone call. He spends one hour of his busy day personally calling patients who were treated the day before to ask how they are feeling. This consistent calling campaign has brought him more referrals than any other marketing method.
As Seen on TV
A smart entrepreneur we know has purchased inexpensive commercial time on a local cable channel to market his products. Why? To attract prospects, of course, but for another interesting reason. He can now place labels on his product packaging that read: "as seen on TV!"
Drive-Thrus Taking New Forms
Drive-thrus aren't just for fast food! Many smart marketers are providing drive thrus for their busy customers. Media General Cable of Fairfax, VA has drive-thrus for customers in a hurry to pay their cable bills. Dr. Van Covey of the Dublin Animal Hospital in Dublin, VA has drive-thru service for customers needing refill prescriptions and assorted supplies for their pets. We've also noticed that a smart entrepreneur in our area is in the process of taking over drive-thru photo processing booths located in shopping mall parking lots in order to provide java on the go. Providing fast customer service for any business is great marketing!
Bring Your Business Home
A smart entrepreneur we know, tired of corporate life, wanted to stress less and earn more. So he quit and went home...and has been more profitable and a lot happier ever since. With four years of solid experience working at his former employer's help desk, answering questions about hardware and software problems, he has now established his own freelance "help desk service" from home. He contracts with large associations, law firms and corporations to answer questions about standard software packages that are used every day. Great for a large organization's overhead and terrific for this home-based business owner, who charges a healthy monthly retainer from each of his clients.
Don't be afraid to take your experience home.
Gift Certificate Marketing
Gift certificates are a sure-fire way to help you on the road to establishing potential long-term relationships with prospects. Make sure your gift certificate marketing program works harder for you by donating certificates to charity events frequented and supported by prospects in your target markets.
Example: Doug Darby of Home Style Delights in Arlington, VA (703-892-1195) provides home-baked cakes, pies, cookies and muffins for breakfast meetings, office birthday parties and other business events. Doug always donates gift certificates to Chamber of Commerce charity events, as every winner is a business owner and potential client for Doug. "The gift certificate winners usually spend more than the certificate's value," says Doug. "I also donate the certificates frequently, due to the repeat name exposure at the Chamber meetings." Doug also receives referrals from the certificate winners, another reason for the success of his gift certificate program.
Under Construction Marketing
The manager of the Embassy Suites Hotel in Vienna, VA wanted to keep customers happy while his property was undergoing a "face lift". Visitors found very special chocolates on their pillows when they turned in at night: tiny chocolate saws with a note: "Pardon Our Dust While We're Improving Our Property. We Want to Make Your Stay As Sweet As Possible" Smart marketing! Where did he get the specialty chocolates? From the Chocolate Lady
Plain Paper Bag Marketing...with a Special Stamp
An entrepreneur we know, appalled at the price of specialty bags for her coffee shop, created an unusual marketing vehicle using plain paper bags. She purchased big rubber stamps at a toy store, a myriad of colored ink pads, and set her kids to work stamping designs on the plain paper bags. They were such a hit at her store that folks were returning to buy more so they could get the bags. Why? The bags were so unique that they doubled as wrapping paper for gift giving. Smart marketing!
Birthday Marketing
Many "baby boomers" remember receiving a "free dessert or meal" on their birthdays. Bring back their childhood with your business "birthday marketing." Examples:
Fishing Charter Service: The birthday person gets a free ride all day when he/she brings their birthday party on board.
Accountant/CPA: Throw off the staid exterior and call your clients to sing "Happy Birthday" to them on their special days. Believe me, they will never forget it!
Travel Agent: Birthday person gets a free cruise when they bring 10 paying friends along for the ride.
Therapist: A free hour of listening to celebrate every clients' birthday.
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