Hersh Marketing

Question: What's the best way to know when to advertise?

Quick, when is your customer ready to buy?

It's a trick question.  Because the answer's not about when (Time)...it's about Who. And how they behave when it comes to buying.

Wouldn't it be nice if we could read minds?  We would know what people want without them ever having to directly tell us. What an advantage!

Blog vs. Newsletters           

Remember when newsletters were the rage?  They're still around but more and more small business owners are opting for blogs over newsletters.  Makes sense - blogs reach a wider audience, Google LOVES them, and you get known without having to jump through SEO hoops. That's because once you've written and published your article, most (if not all) blogging software tells the search engines that new content is ready to be indexed.

I teach a marketing and advertising workshop for the City of St. Petersburg.  My "students" are local small business owners, many of whom have virtual businesses. One of the questions that comes up  frequently: 'Is inbound marketing the only kind of marketing you need?'

I'm in somewhat of a state of shock.  Here's why: I was searching for the exact details written by someone about a small business advertising study I'd read. I found the article I was looking for. But the shock was that I found it on numerous websites (6 and counting...) and that none of the six, except one (Enterpreneur.com), credited the source of the article. One of the sites even had "Written by Administrator on Thursday, 21 May 2009 20:30" above the verbatim article. That particular website is for a graphic/web design business located in Sri Lanka. They say "...our interest is to reflect exactly what our clients want to express..." Really? Let's say I'm your client. If you don't credit sources, how do I know you won't take what I "express" and claim it as your own when it suits you? Pardon me. I guess no one will notice because...you're on the other side of the planet?

This is a little story about missed opportunities and how management can lose sight of good customer service.

So, you figured out what's new, better or different about your business and you have your USP, ready to go to work.  Now you need Tool #2: the PAS - Preemptive Advantage Statement. 

Positioning your business is one of the most important steps you can take in beating your competition.  Yet, so many businesses limp along with cliches that make them sound like everyone else. "The best customer service." "The most cutting edge technology."  "The best in the business." Etc. Etc. Etc. Great.  What's unique about any of that?  Even the worst business is going say they have good customer service if you ask them!