David Young | Branding Blog - Marketing Advice and Advertising Strategy for Small Business Owners

Nice Try Samuel Adams

"Beer is banned in 13 states!" scream the press releases.

Samuel Adams recently uncorked this year's version of its biennial Utopias beer with lots of hype about the 27% alcohol content that exceeds the legal limit in 13 states.

Wow. You'd think people would be up in arms. You'd expect lawsuits, protesters, speeches from the pulpit, yet I haven't been able to find much negative news about this evil brew.

It turns out that it's not really a beer at all. Technically, yes it is beer. Functionally, not even close. What they've really done is make a sipping cognac out of beer. At $150 a bottle, even the Mothers Against Drunk Driving doesn't have a problem with Utopias, and they are quoted as such in the original press coverage.

In chapter 8 of Tom Wanek's new book, "Currencies That Buy Credibility," he talks about risking your reputation and prestige to buy credibility. In essence, you do something that will cause some of your customers to be repelled while others embrace your brand more tightly than ever.

In the case of the Utopias press, it's a surface-level ploy to seem cutting edge and risky. They want you to be shocked that this is a beer that has been "banned" in 13 states. You should be outraged that it costs $150 a bottle at retail. Yet, when you dig a little deeper...or just blow the marketing dust off the label...you find out that this just doesn't live up to the hype. It's just another bottle of expensive sipping hooch for connoisseurs.

So, how could Samuel Adams ACTUALLY risk reputation and prestige?

They'd have to do something that would actually enrage the MADD crowd. They could put out a beer that's both strong, cheap and easy to guzzle...something that would attract the high school drinker as well as the street bum. They need a beer that would get them written up in BumWine.com for the hallucinatory side-effects of the dangerous secret ingredients.

Give that one a try, Sam.

Currencies That Buy Credibility by Tom Wanek

I've got a copy of Tom Wanek's new book, "Currencies that Buy Credibility." I got one of the first books out of the box, got it signed and everything because I was standing next to him when he opened the box.

I'm kinda sad that this book is out because I work quite closely with Tom and frankly, he's my secret weapon for finding a good strategic hook for clients. I shouldn't be sad though, because now you have a chance to apply what Tom knows.

In Currencies, he outlines six strategies for spending a business' resources to purchase credibility in the minds of customers and the public. Think of it as six ways to put your money where your mouth is…although it's not just about money.

You'll be hearing more about this book all over the web, and right here.

You can pre-order "Currencies that Buy Credibility" from Amazon for delivery in about a week. I really think you should.

Tom Wanek - small business consultant website.

Follow Tom Wanek on Twitter.

Is Your Store Smiling?

As a postscript to Monday's post on Sniffing for Market Share, it occurred to me that one more thing you could do when you evaluate the look (sight) of your business is to watch for smiles.

That's right...smiles.

Rolex has always required dealers to display their watches with the hands showing 10:10 because it looks like a smiling face.

The current TV ad for American Express drives it home as well. The first half of the ad is a bunch of everyday shots that we interpret as unhappy faces. The second half is full of smiles.

Can you make your storefront smile? Are any of you competitors smiling brighter than you?

Want to see more? Check out the Faces in Places Facebook page, this search on Flickr, or just do your own search.

Sniffing for Market Share

I've already talked about how this is a good time of year to work on the Personal Experience Factor of your business if the holidays aren't your busy time.

So…how do you actually go about deciding which improvements to make in your store, office or shop?

There are hundreds of ways to evaluate your PEF, and taking a global look at it will likely put you in paralysis by analysis. Yet, there's no better or direct way of grabbing precious market share away from your competitors.

Want a shortcut?

Come to your 5 senses!

What I mean is simplify the process by using your senses to rank competitors and look for opportunities and vulnerabilities. Make yourself a simple chart with the 5 senses across the top and your list of competitors along the side. Be sure to save ample room to make notes in your grid.

Now, go to your competitor's locations and have a look around. Make mental notes around the 5 senses.

Terry Pettit: Coach, Mentor, Author, Rockstar

Every field of endeavor has its Rockstars. In the world of Collegiate Volleyball coaching, Terry Pettit is a Rockstar. As the coach of the University of Nebraska Volleyball team Terry Pettit's coaching record was an astounding 694 and 148 (82% winning record).

When Terry travels back to Nebraska from his current home of Fort Collins, Colorado, he is recognized in stores and on the streets where people want to re-live his teams' amazing feats.

His 2008 book, Talent and the Secret Life of Teams is a masterfully crafted collection of some of the best leadership lessons you'll find anywhere. Although written about volleyball, you'd have to be pretty dense not to see the applications for business, marketing, hiring and mentoring.

It was exciting news to find out that Terry would be attending my class at Wizard Academy this week. He was an engaged and inquisitive student, asking challenging questions and always wanting to know more detail and underlying concepts in our blog/web workshop.

Both Terry and I were scheduled to fly home to the Denver airport Thursday morning, but the weather intervened, requiring us to stay in Austin for an extra day.

Today, the tables were turned.  I was treated to a personal seminar from one of the best leadership presenters I've ever come across. Pettit's stories of trust, collaborative leadership and talent are woven together with movie clips, insightful exercises and the wisdom that can only come from a lifetime of walking the walk.

A private seminar that coaches and corporations have paid tens of thousands of dollars to hear, went a long way towards making up for an extra day away from my family…not all the way…but certainly unforgettable and the best weather delay you could possibly ask for.

If you want to run into rockstars like Terry Pettit, you should come to Wizard Academy. I think Terry will be back one day soon.

What's Your Market Share? Do you really know?

How much of the market for your particular product or service do you own?

Car dealers, real estate companies and other businesses whose transactions are tracked by the government have it made. They know exactly where they stand. Some businesses have an industry clearing-house that collects such information and shares it with members.

For other local retailers or service businesses, this can be a rather difficult number to calculate with any degree of accuracy.

So, how to keep score?

If you've been in the market for long, you actually know more than you think. I hope these steps help you.

1. Write down every one of your competitors by name
2. Order them from biggest to smallest
3. Estimate their annual billing by your BEST GUESS (you're probably close enough to at least make this a useful exercise)
4. Write this number next to their name
5. Show the list to your sales staff, spouse or managers and ask them to add the competitors that you forgot
6. Place your business and your sales number in its proper place in the list
7. ADD up all the numbers…this is your estimate of Market Potential
8. Divide YOUR number by the TOTAL…this is your MARKET SHARE

If the Market Potential seems like a much smaller number than you thought it would be, you've probably missed a few competitors.

What's the lesson from this exercise?

Now, you have a scoreboard!

All of the businesses listed ABOVE your name are targets! Your goal is to be stealing market share. Study them and learn how you can be better than they are.

All of the businesses BELOW you are either potential acquisitions or potential threats to YOU. They see a target on your back. Don't ignore them.

Signup Now for a free Bootstrap Business Book

I wish I could have been in Austin for the Bootstrap Business Bootcamp debut at Wizard Academy. Rich Christiansen and Ron Porter had a super group of students a couple weeks ago.

I can't say enough good things about this book and the expertise behind it. I had a very early manuscript and I knew that it was just the kind of information that a person needs in the very early stages of starting a business.

Since then, I've been able to spend a fair amount of time with these guys. Rich has helped me put some proper focus into my own business and my life. These guys are the real deal. They live what they write about and they can teach you how to do the same...especially now that their Bootstrap program is up and running.

I've got an extra signed copy of Bootstrap Business: A Step-by-Step Business Survival Guide. (You can't have my copy...because it's dog-eared and full of notes and hi-liting)

Here's how to win it:  Just enter your name and email address in my subscription form at the top of the right hand column. I just put this form on the site and I'd appreciate some help in testing it. I'll draw one winner from today's subscribers only.

I've got some pretty cool offerings coming up in the next few months, so subscribing will definitely be worth your while, even if you don't win the book. More on that later...

Evaluating the Two Signs for Business

Right in the middle of a 2-part series on the importance of your signage, I managed to bring my blog crashing down. Sorry for the technical difficulties. Let's recap.

So, having looked at a Bad Sign for Business and a Good Sign for Business, have you taken action?

Have you at least looked at your business from the outside in? Make sure you ask someone else to give you their opinion. Be sure to ask for brutal honesty.

What did you find that you could improve TODAY in YOUR business? (anyone? anyone? Bueller?)

Good Signs for Business

NOTE: This is basically the EXACT SAME STORY that I published yesterday. The only significant difference is the sign in the photo. Yet, it makes all the difference in the world!

The Personal Experience Factor (big lever #2 in the Advertising Performance Equation) begins before your customer walks through your door.

It actually begins the moment your store comes into view from whatever distance it can first be seen. In some cases, this can be miles away. For example, the local Cabela's store in my town has their colors and logo on a big water tower that can be seen from about 10 miles away. 

For most businesses, this will be a block or two at most. In a mall, unless you have some outside signage, it will be walking distance and line-of-sight. 

So, what's the first mental image (FMI) of your signage? Does it set the stage for the experience you plan to deliver once a customer crosses your threshold? Is it sending some unintended messages?

I snapped this picture on a recent trip to Canada. Let's talk about it. 

(click the picture for a full-size pop-up view)

This business is located in a mall on the edge of town. It's down at the end of the mall where they put all the medical businesses. 

Please note: The answers to the following questions are purely subjective. We know that it is wrong to judge a book by its cover. Yet, we proceed to do it. I don't know the owner of this store. Perhaps we can help give the owner an outsider's perspective of the message being sent to customers.

What do you think? What do you expect when you walk through the door? What will the experience be like? Given the workmanship of the sign, what can you expect from the rest of the shop? From the staff? What will the attitude of the owner be? How will you feel about yourself if you purchase here? Will you tell your friends that you purchased here? 

Bad Signs for Business

The Personal Experience Factor (big lever #2 in the Advertising Performance Equation) begins before your customer walks through your door.

It actually begins the moment your store comes into view from whatever distance it can first be seen. In some cases, this can be miles away. For example, the local Cabela's store in my town has their colors and logo on a big water tower that can be seen from about 10 miles away. 

For most businesses, this will be a block or two at most. In a mall, unless you have some outside signage, it will be walking distance and line-of-sight. 

So, what's the first mental image (FMI) of your signage? Does it set the stage for the experience you plan to deliver once a customer crosses your threshold? Is it sending some unintended messages?

I snapped this picture on a recent trip to Canada. Let's talk about it. 

(click the picture for a full-size pop-up view)

This business is located on a very busy feeder street 1 block from downtown. There is a sidewalk, but no appreciable setback from the street. 

Please note: The answers to the following questions are purely subjective. We know that it is wrong to judge a book by its cover. Yet, we proceed to do it. I don't know the owner of this store. Perhaps we can help give the owner an outsider's perspective of the message being sent to customers.

What do you think? What do you expect when you walk through the door? What will the experience be like? Given the workmanship of the sign, what can you expect from the rest of the shop? From the staff? What will the attitude of the owner be? How will you feel about yourself if you purchase here? Will you tell your friends that you purchased here?