How to Think Outside the Box on Marketing
Question: What made this dinosaur fly?
(See "Answer" below)
By Gregory Johnson
Most companies who survive tumultuous times are “survivors” in a literal sense. However, though it’s great to survive, most would agree it’s better to thrive! Thriving companies excel in marketing, manufacturing and serving customers. Companies who thrive put the “Fear Of God” into their competitors.
But if it were easy, everyone woulddo it. To thrive is no slam dunk, especially in the current economy. Here’s a half dozen tips on how to thrive and flourish beyond your wildest dreams:
- Take Inventory Of Your Current Success – Think about your business. Ask why your customers continue to choose your product. What’s the difference your product or service makes? Create a list of benefits, characteristics and practices. Put down everything you can, including service details and customer comments. You do many things right in order to survive. Yet, to thrive, you must understand the marketing drivers on a deeper level.
- Profile Your Best Customers – Think carefully about your best customers; write down their personal qualities. Take your time finding common denominators which may have escaped your notice. For example, a B2B client of ours once noted his best customers (food processing plant executives) had a touch of nonconformity. “They weren’t laptop types,” he said. When we focused on this, a particular marketing idea for their new product (an innovative packaging process) came forward. We were enabled in a way we would never have imagined had we not taken the time to discover this hidden characteristic.
- Develop A Powerful Marketing Message – Find a way to express your most compelling sales message. Say it clearly in your advertising, web marketing and personal selling. Effective sales campaigns don’t sell products, they sell the difference—usually your most powerful customer benefit. Once you take inventory of successful practices and profile your customers, you’ll be well positioned to think creatively about your message. Don’t rest until you have found the most compelling execution.
- Be Consistent – Take a look at your website, sales literature, presentations and advertising. Is everything in alignment? Does your message come through loud and clear in every execution? If not, change it so everything works. According to Doug Hall, founder of strategy firm Eureka Ranch, “every time you add inconsistency, you create doubt. Align all of your marketing and sales material with the same powerful message. You’ll sell more with less effort.”
- Stay Ahead Of The Curve – Did you know crows, blue jays, robins, hummingbirds, blackbirds and pigeons are flying dinosaurs? They have thrived for millions of years (see Q&A this page). What made these creatures adapt to new conditions and fly? Part of the answer is Advertising. When the first dinosaur/bird sprouted feathers it was merely looking for a mate. Yet, over time, its feathers became the impetus for change. Its ability to project its new colors allowed it to survive to the present day. Literally, the differentiated dinosaur was 84 million years ahead of the curve.
- Look At Your Market With Fresh Eyes – It may be time to free yourself from “old think” based on survival instead of growth. You and your staff may be restricted by ingrained dos and don’ts that put you in a rut. To apply “newthink,” put the right people together into a SWAT Team. Play ‘what if’ when you ask how your product appeals to customers or what might happen if you made innovations to benefit them.
Tell your team to look at the world from the customer’s perspective with fresh eyes. Ask them to offer compelling new ideas on how to do business in the future. Of course, you’ll want to challenge their ideas for relevance. Open yourself to their input, yet be practical on how things work. An idea has to make it in today’s world, in real time, with existing customers or prospects.
Now, with your breakthrough concept in hand, give some thought to your communications strategy. If your product has an edge, but you fail to express it effectively, an important chance for building momentum may be missed.
What made this dinosaur fly?
Answer: Advertising. Recent evidence shows the earliest dinosaur feathers were meant for display, not flight. Though the original purpose was finding a mate, the ability to fly made all the difference in their survival.*
*Reference: Which Came First, the Feathers or the Bird? Richard O. Prum & Alan H. Brush, Scientific American, March 2003
Is it Time to Sprout Feathers and Take Off?
The dinosaur who displayed his feathers was like today’s marketer who brings an emphatic, forceful presence to his business. You might say both are aggressive in seeking a competitive edge. Author J. Conrad Levinson says aggressive marketers:
- Use every marketing technique they can;
- Use ‘em better and more effectively each year;
- Know they have done everything possible to grow;
- Have someone constantly thinking about their marketing;
- Have the means to influence how others see their business;
- Possess a winning edge appeal. Remember, your marketing defines your company just as much as your product does. Indeed, your marketing is an important asset when you create a message that resonates with simplicity and power.
