A few years ago a young shoe designer decided it was time to leave his
father's shoe business to make it on his own. A point of disagreement
between the two was that the old-school father didn't believe in
advertising. Like many small business owners he relied almost totally on
word-of-mouth. The son believed that his own, new business would
need a strong brand identity and aggressive marketing. But first, he
knew he needed to get his designs in front of the top buyers. The
problem was, he couldn't afford a booth at the big trade show where all
the buyers would be. So, rather than get discouraged, he got creative.
He decided he'd rent a trailer, stock it with shoes, and park it as close to
the midtown trade show as possible. A prominent sign would get the
buyers' attention. It seemed like a great plan until he discovered that you
can't park a 40-ft truck in midtown Manhattan unless you're a utility
company or a movie production company. Undaunted, the young
entrepreneur quickly rented a movie camera and changed his
letterhead from Kenneth Cole, to Kenneth Cole Productions. He got the
permit and ended up selling forty thousand pairs of shoes in four days.
Suddenly, Kenneth Cole was the hot new shoe designer on the map.
As his business grew, he continued to leverage his limited ad budget by
challenging conventional wisdom. Rather than follow the crowd with
fancy 4-color ads, models, and expensive fashion photography, his
simple high-concept ads used stock photos, or no photos at all. In fact,
the first dozen Kenneth Cole ads didn't even show his shoes. Those
ads, from the mid-eighties, created a buzz that continues to this day.
In Footnotes, an autobiographical book documenting his success, Cole
states: "The best business solutions are usually more creative than
expensive." Certainly he is a great example of that. Here's another.
Gregg and Evan Spiridellis decided they needed to get the word out
about their tiny animation studio. With the 2004 election coming up they
decided to showcase their work with an emailed, Flash animation poke
at Bush and Kerry. A week before the election a friend forwarded me
that poke: "This Land is Your Land...". When I stopped laughing, I
forwarded it to half a dozen friends and then clicked on the JibJab hot-
link to the studio web site. Apparently, I wasn't alone. According to Joe
Trippi, a speaker at the recent Advertising Week conference, the viral
promotion reached 65 million viewers in two weeks. It also got the
brothers national press and new business like their recent deal with
MSN. Their total marketing investment? $500.
An entrepreneur walks into an elevator and bumps into a woman who
just gave the keynote speech at a business event they were both just
leaving. He introduces himself, compliments her on her talk, and they
exchange cards. Most elevator tete-a-tetes would end here. However,
rather than just pocket the entrepreneur's card and resume staring at the
descending elevator floor numbers, the woman stares at the card. Why?
Because the card is staring back. On the card is a graphic of bulging
eyes with the line:
IF YOU WANT'EM EXCITED ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS,
YOU'D BETTER GET'EM EXCITED ABOUT YOUR MARKETING.
Immediately it prompts a slew of questions. Before the elevator stops,
the woman (president of a PR firm) and entrepreneur have scheduled
lunch. Three months later the same entrepreneur receives a check, from
the PR firm, for thirty-two thousand dollars. It's the first 1/3 upfront
payment for a three-month project on which he clears eighty-five grand.
How do I know this story is true? The entrepreneur is me.
These stories illustrate how innovative thinking, and a good creative
idea, can compensate for lack of a marketing budget. In addition to
Kenneth Cole, I've worked with dozens of other clients, with very limited
budgets, who've become highly successful. A current one is The Marble
Collegiate Church.
Using the guerilla-marketing tactic of targeted, untraditional media, with
high impact, creative messages, church membership increased over
31%. Additionally, website traffic quadrupled and they received positive
press from The Daily News, The New York Times, USAToday, TIME and
local TV and radio. The successful effort was also featured in Prentice-
Hall's Principles of Marketing. Our marketing partnership, that began as
a test in 1998, is now in its eighth consecutive year.
The Importance of a Creative Marketing Mindset.
I mentioned some reasons for the church's marketing success, but
there's a big one I didn^t mention. I talk to many groups about the
power of marketing, and whenever I speak I always get asked: "What's
the biggest key to successful marketing?" My simple answer is: "A client
with a creative marketing mindset."
I'll describe one last, current, example of effective marketing without a
marketing budget. Several years ago my firm created an effective church
poster that still runs today. It reads:
If You Want To Feed Your Soul, We've Got A Great Menu.
Under that headline are three columns of every program, group, and
activity the church has -- things like a Divorce Recovery Workshop, Gay
and Lesbian Fellowship, Entrepreneurs Group, Singles Group -- about
two dozen altogether. Of the 11 ads we've done, this one has been most
effective, by far. Why? Because it presents two-dozen more reasons to
come to Marble church besides the Sunday service. But let me continue.
Marble has 3,000 passionate members who love the church, and the
poster. There are probably another 3,000 who aren't members but
attend semi-regularly. That's about 6,000 people who are big on the
church and the poster. So, what if there was a way to somehow turn
those 6,000 people into a sales force. Certainly all have friends and
associates who could be convinced to visit Marble if they knew about
the variety of relevant groups and programs listed on that poster.
Do I suggest giving each member a 21" x 22" poster to post by their
office water cooler? I don't think so. But what if that 21" x 22" poster was
a 4" x 6" postcard? I didn't think it was possible, but with some very
creative editing, I actually did it. The type is small, but not so small that it
can't easily be read. And the cost? About a dime per card, depending on
the volume printed. By the time this article runs there could be hundreds
of Marble "Johnny Appleseed's' sharing these postcards with their
friends, acquaintances, and co-workers. If word-of-mouth is the best
advertising, this will be like word-of-mouth on steroids.
How to Market Your Own Business with No Budget.
Explaining by case study is one thing. Offering general, one-size-fits-all
advice is quite another. Every industry is different, and every business in
every industry is unique. A successful, cost-effective solution for one
business may or may not work for a different business in a different
business environment. That said, every business in every industry
needs to be noticed in a positive way. So, let me expound on a previous
example.
Many small business folks claim they can't afford advertising. I say... if
you can afford business cards, then you can afford advertising.
Because, despite what many may think, a business card is a small
space ad for your business. And, if you don't treat it as such, you're
wasting a cost-effective marketing opportunity.
Every company needs to create an engaging brand personality - a
personality that's consistently reflected in every marketing element.
Whenever you hand out your card you're not just sharing your contact
info, you're introducing your company to a potential buyer. So, for God's
sake, make it engaging.
How you do that depends on your business and the personality you
decide it should have. Obviously, a law firm will be different from a
flower shop. But that doesn't mean a law firm's card has to be boring. If
you have a law firm, what kind of law is it? What's special about your
firm? Anything? Well then say it on your card. Give someone a reason to
think of you (vs. others) when they need legal help. So, having a smart,
memorable tagline can definitely help. And maybe, on the back, you
bullet the various types of legal services your firm performs.
Depending on your business you can get creative and really have some
fun with it. For example, say you're a talented make-up artist and your
business is makeovers for female executives. Why not have a card with
one side that's reflective silver Mylar - that mirror-like material - and on
the other side have a tagline that says, "Because Everyone could use a
Makeover." I think you get the picture.
Here's another low cost thought you can do in a week: Start your
website with something exciting.
Like a business card, a website is an important first contact with your
business and personal brand. And, as the expression says, "there's
nothing more important than a first impression." So, when someone
types in your web address, make sure the first thing they see is
something that communicates an exciting, memorable, positive
message about your company. Most sites are informative, but boring.
Create a simple "splash page" message that touches your prospect on
an emotional level. As with business cards, how you do that depends on
who you are and what you sell. The difference is, a website can
incorporate motion and sound. So, take advantage of that. Whatever you
do though, keep it short. There's nothing worse than a self-indulgent 45-
second Flash intro that you can't click out of.
In football there's a term called "hang-time." It's used when a punter has
to kick the ball to the other team and the longer the ball stays airborne
the more time it allows the punter's teammates to run down the field.
Hang time is measured in milliseconds and a 3.2-second differential can
make the difference between a punt return for no yards or a touchdown.
Your marketing, like football, needs every edge to win. So, when you
hand out a card, or get someone to click on your site, ask yourself this:
How much hang time does it have? If it has a lot, who knows, you may
just end up with an eighty-five thousand dollar piece of business out of
it.
So, when it comes to your marketing, do your web optimizing and pay-
per-click, if you like. Just don't let the idea limited finances discourage
you from doing something more innovative.
father's shoe business to make it on his own. A point of disagreement
between the two was that the old-school father didn't believe in
advertising. Like many small business owners he relied almost totally on
word-of-mouth. The son believed that his own, new business would
need a strong brand identity and aggressive marketing. But first, he
knew he needed to get his designs in front of the top buyers. The
problem was, he couldn't afford a booth at the big trade show where all
the buyers would be. So, rather than get discouraged, he got creative.
He decided he'd rent a trailer, stock it with shoes, and park it as close to
the midtown trade show as possible. A prominent sign would get the
buyers' attention. It seemed like a great plan until he discovered that you
can't park a 40-ft truck in midtown Manhattan unless you're a utility
company or a movie production company. Undaunted, the young
entrepreneur quickly rented a movie camera and changed his
letterhead from Kenneth Cole, to Kenneth Cole Productions. He got the
permit and ended up selling forty thousand pairs of shoes in four days.
Suddenly, Kenneth Cole was the hot new shoe designer on the map.
As his business grew, he continued to leverage his limited ad budget by
challenging conventional wisdom. Rather than follow the crowd with
fancy 4-color ads, models, and expensive fashion photography, his
simple high-concept ads used stock photos, or no photos at all. In fact,
the first dozen Kenneth Cole ads didn't even show his shoes. Those
ads, from the mid-eighties, created a buzz that continues to this day.
In Footnotes, an autobiographical book documenting his success, Cole
states: "The best business solutions are usually more creative than
expensive." Certainly he is a great example of that. Here's another.
Gregg and Evan Spiridellis decided they needed to get the word out
about their tiny animation studio. With the 2004 election coming up they
decided to showcase their work with an emailed, Flash animation poke
at Bush and Kerry. A week before the election a friend forwarded me
that poke: "This Land is Your Land...". When I stopped laughing, I
forwarded it to half a dozen friends and then clicked on the JibJab hot-
link to the studio web site. Apparently, I wasn't alone. According to Joe
Trippi, a speaker at the recent Advertising Week conference, the viral
promotion reached 65 million viewers in two weeks. It also got the
brothers national press and new business like their recent deal with
MSN. Their total marketing investment? $500.
An entrepreneur walks into an elevator and bumps into a woman who
just gave the keynote speech at a business event they were both just
leaving. He introduces himself, compliments her on her talk, and they
exchange cards. Most elevator tete-a-tetes would end here. However,
rather than just pocket the entrepreneur's card and resume staring at the
descending elevator floor numbers, the woman stares at the card. Why?
Because the card is staring back. On the card is a graphic of bulging
eyes with the line:
IF YOU WANT'EM EXCITED ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS,
YOU'D BETTER GET'EM EXCITED ABOUT YOUR MARKETING.
Immediately it prompts a slew of questions. Before the elevator stops,
the woman (president of a PR firm) and entrepreneur have scheduled
lunch. Three months later the same entrepreneur receives a check, from
the PR firm, for thirty-two thousand dollars. It's the first 1/3 upfront
payment for a three-month project on which he clears eighty-five grand.
How do I know this story is true? The entrepreneur is me.
These stories illustrate how innovative thinking, and a good creative
idea, can compensate for lack of a marketing budget. In addition to
Kenneth Cole, I've worked with dozens of other clients, with very limited
budgets, who've become highly successful. A current one is The Marble
Collegiate Church.
Using the guerilla-marketing tactic of targeted, untraditional media, with
high impact, creative messages, church membership increased over
31%. Additionally, website traffic quadrupled and they received positive
press from The Daily News, The New York Times, USAToday, TIME and
local TV and radio. The successful effort was also featured in Prentice-
Hall's Principles of Marketing. Our marketing partnership, that began as
a test in 1998, is now in its eighth consecutive year.
The Importance of a Creative Marketing Mindset.
I mentioned some reasons for the church's marketing success, but
there's a big one I didn^t mention. I talk to many groups about the
power of marketing, and whenever I speak I always get asked: "What's
the biggest key to successful marketing?" My simple answer is: "A client
with a creative marketing mindset."
I'll describe one last, current, example of effective marketing without a
marketing budget. Several years ago my firm created an effective church
poster that still runs today. It reads:
If You Want To Feed Your Soul, We've Got A Great Menu.
Under that headline are three columns of every program, group, and
activity the church has -- things like a Divorce Recovery Workshop, Gay
and Lesbian Fellowship, Entrepreneurs Group, Singles Group -- about
two dozen altogether. Of the 11 ads we've done, this one has been most
effective, by far. Why? Because it presents two-dozen more reasons to
come to Marble church besides the Sunday service. But let me continue.
Marble has 3,000 passionate members who love the church, and the
poster. There are probably another 3,000 who aren't members but
attend semi-regularly. That's about 6,000 people who are big on the
church and the poster. So, what if there was a way to somehow turn
those 6,000 people into a sales force. Certainly all have friends and
associates who could be convinced to visit Marble if they knew about
the variety of relevant groups and programs listed on that poster.
Do I suggest giving each member a 21" x 22" poster to post by their
office water cooler? I don't think so. But what if that 21" x 22" poster was
a 4" x 6" postcard? I didn't think it was possible, but with some very
creative editing, I actually did it. The type is small, but not so small that it
can't easily be read. And the cost? About a dime per card, depending on
the volume printed. By the time this article runs there could be hundreds
of Marble "Johnny Appleseed's' sharing these postcards with their
friends, acquaintances, and co-workers. If word-of-mouth is the best
advertising, this will be like word-of-mouth on steroids.
How to Market Your Own Business with No Budget.
Explaining by case study is one thing. Offering general, one-size-fits-all
advice is quite another. Every industry is different, and every business in
every industry is unique. A successful, cost-effective solution for one
business may or may not work for a different business in a different
business environment. That said, every business in every industry
needs to be noticed in a positive way. So, let me expound on a previous
example.
Many small business folks claim they can't afford advertising. I say... if
you can afford business cards, then you can afford advertising.
Because, despite what many may think, a business card is a small
space ad for your business. And, if you don't treat it as such, you're
wasting a cost-effective marketing opportunity.
Every company needs to create an engaging brand personality - a
personality that's consistently reflected in every marketing element.
Whenever you hand out your card you're not just sharing your contact
info, you're introducing your company to a potential buyer. So, for God's
sake, make it engaging.
How you do that depends on your business and the personality you
decide it should have. Obviously, a law firm will be different from a
flower shop. But that doesn't mean a law firm's card has to be boring. If
you have a law firm, what kind of law is it? What's special about your
firm? Anything? Well then say it on your card. Give someone a reason to
think of you (vs. others) when they need legal help. So, having a smart,
memorable tagline can definitely help. And maybe, on the back, you
bullet the various types of legal services your firm performs.
Depending on your business you can get creative and really have some
fun with it. For example, say you're a talented make-up artist and your
business is makeovers for female executives. Why not have a card with
one side that's reflective silver Mylar - that mirror-like material - and on
the other side have a tagline that says, "Because Everyone could use a
Makeover." I think you get the picture.
Here's another low cost thought you can do in a week: Start your
website with something exciting.
Like a business card, a website is an important first contact with your
business and personal brand. And, as the expression says, "there's
nothing more important than a first impression." So, when someone
types in your web address, make sure the first thing they see is
something that communicates an exciting, memorable, positive
message about your company. Most sites are informative, but boring.
Create a simple "splash page" message that touches your prospect on
an emotional level. As with business cards, how you do that depends on
who you are and what you sell. The difference is, a website can
incorporate motion and sound. So, take advantage of that. Whatever you
do though, keep it short. There's nothing worse than a self-indulgent 45-
second Flash intro that you can't click out of.
In football there's a term called "hang-time." It's used when a punter has
to kick the ball to the other team and the longer the ball stays airborne
the more time it allows the punter's teammates to run down the field.
Hang time is measured in milliseconds and a 3.2-second differential can
make the difference between a punt return for no yards or a touchdown.
Your marketing, like football, needs every edge to win. So, when you
hand out a card, or get someone to click on your site, ask yourself this:
How much hang time does it have? If it has a lot, who knows, you may
just end up with an eighty-five thousand dollar piece of business out of
it.
So, when it comes to your marketing, do your web optimizing and pay-
per-click, if you like. Just don't let the idea limited finances discourage
you from doing something more innovative.
(For more Follis marketing facts, see booklet info below.)
© 2006 John Follis. All rights reserved.
© 2006 John Follis. All rights reserved.
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