My Facebook friend, Ruth, was asking for help researching a presentation she's giving to a bunch of Yellow Page advertisers and it got me thinking about this topic.
It used to be that your Yellow Pages book would get all dog-eared and doodled on in the course of the year. Every single Yellow Page book I've seen in the past couple of years has looked pristine. Shockingly pristine.
What a waste of money...good money by good people that are afraid NOT to advertise in this dead-tree environmental disaster. Millions of books printed, at a huge profit, just to spend a year on your desk in a drawer before heading to a landfill. Of course, that's just my opinion.
If you have a doodled-up, dog-eared Yellow Pages book, please snap a pic and send it my way...just for nostalgia's sake. My kids don't believe that people used to use them for any worthwhile purpose.
There's another very strong benefit that I haven't mentioned. It's a bit more complex because there's not much you can do about it. It all takes place in Google's mighty brain, and on your own browser...as explained by SEOmoz.
Personalized search is now on by default.
This means that every click, branded search, and expression of a "brand
preference" or "brand affinity" in Google's results is likely to result
in preferential biasing towards that domain in future searches. A
"Google" Pontiac message during this Superbowl wouldn't just send users
to their site, it would also mean that tens of millions of searchers
would now be "personalized" towards that domain.
This means the more I search for your brand, the stronger your brand will show up in my own searches, on my own computer. This doesn't apply to search results across the web because it is a part of "personalized search" which is an individualized component of Google's system. It's the kind of thing that used to feel kind of creepy to us, but now that we're desensitized, and now that they aren't so blatant about it, feels ok.
Humorous sidenote...if you spend a lot of time Googling your competitors by name, you'll likely see their results go up, and your brand decline on your own computer. Frustrating? Yes. Worrisome? No.
SUGGESTION: If you dominate search results for your name, instead of telling people to "click over to acme-heating.com" start telling them to "Google Acme Heating!"
If you have a generic name like "Denver Heating and Air," this isn't likely to work for you because a search for your name will also show all of your competitors as well.
The truth is, most folks will search for your name anyway because it's easier than remembering your exact domain. Even if they do remember your domain, they're just as likely to type it into Google as they are to type it into the address bar. That's why "google" is one of the most searched phrases on Yahoo and vice-versa. Given the choice (or not knowing the alternatives) people will do the easiest thing.
So, tell them in your ads to do the easiest thing!
Here's the old Pontiac commercial they mentioned in the SEOmoz article:
For a local business, optimizing a web site to compete against your local, regional, national and international competitors can seem a bit daunting, to say the least.
Wouldn't it be great if your most valuable web traffic arrived at your site because they were looking for YOU and not your category? Trust me, it's great.
In your town, your name is your brand. It is built on only two variables:
Your reputation in the marketplace (built up by direct customer experience), and to a far lesser extent the anticipation of that experience that you PROMISED by your advertising.
Those who think that a brand is built solely on advertising and marketing are fools. In fact, the quickest way to go out of business is to promise a lot and then deliver a lousy experience. Your reputation will tank and your advertising will accelerate this process by getting even more people to try you. All of these people will be happy to tell others how bad you are.
If your advertising does a good job of creating enough interest, people will seek you out when they need or want your product or service. They are no longer doing this in a dead-tree phone book. They are doing it on line.
Simon Redican, managing director at the Radio Advertising Bureau,
said: "The internet has become an incredibly important interface for
customer marketing but the problem is that it also allows access to all
your rival's brands which means the key challenge is to ensure that
customers seek out your brand specifically - marketers are increasingly
turning to offline media to direct consumers to their brands online."
The
radio ads drove on average 34% of the total brand browsing for an
average of 10% of the media budget which the research said means the
radio spend was on average four times more effective.
Barber said the findings are highly significant for brands where the
internet "provides the crucial final stage" of customer buying and
radio advertising offers these brands the chance to "turbo charge" the
marketing process.
Most of the Search Engine Optimization strategies have you believing that the only way to win is to dominate the keyword phrases of your industry or category. This is amazingly expensive for a small local business. And, the fight is never over because everyone is going after the same phrases.
On the other hand, moving your money out of print and yellow pages and into local radio, coupled with a convincing web site that is easily found on a search for your name offers a more lasting solution in the quest to establish your local brand.
How does this work out in real life? I just got off the phone with a retail client of mine who has been using this strategy for about 6 years. In his informal check of his competitors, most of their December sales were down as much as 20% over 2008. Anyone who did as well in 2009 as 2008 is very pleased. My client had an 11% increase in his December gross sales along with an 18% gain in gross profit, meaning he didn't give away the store to make the sales numbers. We are very pleased.
It's the opening line of a Kia ad that has been airing the past few months. I like the ad. It makes you feel good. I like the Kia models that I've driven. My wife likes the ad. She suggested that I write about it. It works at making you feel good about Kia.
The ad opens with a kid from the past. This helps us suspend disbelief when the announcer gets to the part about Kia. We're quickly ready for more because we've been instantly transported back to Mayberry. We're ready to feel good! When they tell us about the new Kia plant in Georgia, it all makes sense to us and we feel good about that too.
The interesting/curious part: there are elements of the ad that just don't add up.
True: Kia has opened their first U.S. manufacturing plant in West Point, Georgia.
True: This is a good thing for Georgia, and for the U.S.
Strange: That a kid who looks like he stepped off the set of Leave it to Beaver could be riding a bike that was manufactured in South Korea in 1951. He is later seen riding it in the Georgia factory.
Stranger still: By all accounts (Kia's web site and Wikipedia), Kia was started in 1944 in Seoul. Wikipedia says they manufactured bikes, but Kia's own site says bicycle parts.
Question: Why does the ad say 1951 instead of 1944? Why an American kid and not a Korean kid?
The story is, "Kia is a successful company that has been around a long time. We used to only manufacture our products in Asia, but now we're manufacturing cars in the United States. We hope you will like this fact and buy more of our cars."
The inconvenient facts are that it simply wouldn't be effective to show a Korean kid playing with bicycle parts. 1944 was also right in the thick of World War II. 1951, not so much.
If viewers get the idea that those bikes were made in America, so be it.
And, if Kia can avoid tying itself to WWII, instead, to a time when we were allies, what's the harm?
Also...certainly, nobody is going to check the facts are they?
Share of Voice is a local business' percentage of all the advertising done in her market for her category.
Here's an overly simplistic example: Jane owns a kitchen design company in a town where there are 4 other kitchen design companies. Each of them runs a weekly newspaper ad, 10 weekly cable TV ads and 10 weekly radio ads. That's 21 ads each for a total of 105 advertisements in the market for kitchen design. Each owner has a 20% Share of Voice.
Share of Mind is the percentage of all the people exposed to those ads who think of Jane first and feel best about her when the decision to remodel a kitchen comes to mind.
Let's make another simplistic assumption: All of their ads say just about the same thing in the same manner. They look and sound like average ads.
With these assumptions, you could make the case that NONE of these businesses will be getting much increased business from their advertising efforts.
WHAT IF Jane were to FOCUS her ads on one media? Let's say she decided to take her entire budget and run 20 ads per week on a single cable channel, only focusing on remodel shows in the evening hours. Even if her ads remained average, the frequency and repetition she would achieve with the fans of the remodel shows would make a difference in her sales.
When these people finally decided to shut off the TV and get busy in their kitchen, Jane would be the first phone call because she'd be the first business they think of and feel confidence in…simply because of the repetition.
Quit trying to "reach" your way to advertising success. Start putting your money into some smart frequency and it won't be very long until your focusedShare of Mind begins to pay off!
Share of Voice x Impact Quotient = Share of Mind
That's the first sub-formula in the Advertising Performance Equation. If you want to learn more about the rest of the equation, just sign up for my email list. You'll be the first to know about an exclusive learning opportunity!
In London's Piccadilly Circus, McDonalds' ad agency has created an LED sign that actually gets engagement from many of the 34 million people who pass by each year.
The sign is located so that you can pose in front of it and get a funny picture of yourself.
This is a great way for them to make sure their sign stands out and gets attention amidst the noise and clutter of such a busy place.
One of the toughest challenges in creating an ad is uncovering the "felt need" of the customer. In other words, what is it that the customer is really looking for?
When we recall an adventure, the story is always about the hardship we endured, the humor along the way, the connections we made. It's always about the journey, seldom the arrival.
Outdoor giant REI's first venture into television, shows that their agency understands this concept. If you are into the outdoors, you're no doubt already aware of REI. The ads serve to make you feel good about them, and they connect that "felt need" with the company that can equip you to comfortably endure your adventure.
Branding is becoming the company people think of first and feel best about when the need for your product or service arises in the mind of the consumer.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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