Posts Tagged ‘Marketing’

What’s the difference between marketing to a consumer and marketing to a corporation? I think, it’s in the emotion.

Businesses like to think they make logical choices so the information you provide must be backed up with facts and figures and data. The business wants to know you understand their issues and have a rock solid plan to resolve them. The “how” you are going to do it is important. The resources involved, time, etc. play into the decision. Testimonials help.

Consumers also like to think they are making logical decisions but they need less data and more stories. The stories are laden with how lives are transformed. They want to know that you connect with them on a personal level and understand their pain. Consumers are not as concerned about the process; they just want the pain to go away. Fix it now.

What other ways can you think of that makes marketing to a consumer different from marketing to a business?

Marketing “A Night at the Museum”

My kids love that movie. And who wouldn’t? Isn’t if fun to make all the characters at the museum come to life? It turns the traditional museum on its side.

Yesterday I chaperoned my daughter’s class on a field trip to The Museum of Nature and Science. It got me thinking. What caught me by surprise was the complete lack of marketing. We rode a generic school bus, entered through the school bus entrance and packed our own lunches. There were no ticket sales, no up-sells and no gift shops as part of the experience. There were no characters, no trinkets and no souvenirs.

It was also very static. The animals were stuffed. There was no background music. It was, well, educational.

Remember, the best marketers observe their customers and learn from them.

In every exhibit, the kids I chaperoned were drawn to things that were dynamic. The buttons that made sound, the buttons that lit things up, the buttons the made things move. The flipcharts with information, they flipped and flipped and flipped. They couldn’t read, they just flipped.

The most popular spot in the museum was the traveling exhibit about health. Why? It was completely dynamic and interactive. It was, quite frankly, fun.

This all got me thinking. If I were to monetize the museum and be responsible for increasing the revenue it generated, how would I do that?

Ah. I’d make it “A Night at the Museum“, coupled with some Disneyland.

How could you do that?

At the dinosaur exhibit, I’d have someone dressed up in a dinosaur costume. I’d have dinosaur sounds in the background and music to set a mood. Each static exhibit would have a button for kids to push to make a sound, make some lights or make something move. I’d add something that lets kids “Jump like a dinosaur” or “run like a dinosaur”. Something that let them compare their own abilities to that of a particular type of dinosaur. I’d have a computer set up where they can touch a dinosaur in the picture and a story would play about that type of dinosaur.

The kids need to touch things! They need to move! They have the most fun when screaming.

Does going to a place where everything is behind a piece of glass sound appealing to this audience? Does being someplace they need to be quiet sound like it meets the needs of the target customer? Ok, so I’ve assumed that museums are for teaching children. Maybe they were designed for adults who want to get out for some quiet time. No, that’s who designed them, not who they want to attend them.

OK, let’s get back to making this place fun. Notice I’ve made the assumption that fun=profits. That’s because if its fun, we will go back more. And the more we visit the more we spend.

I’d have a souvenir cart inside the dinosaur exhibit or right outside. It would sell dinosaur bones, dinosaur stuffed animals, dinosaur puzzles and games. Everything dinosaur.

Having one central gift shop makes it sooooo easy to walk past. Having the gift cart that interrupts the flow of traffic, grabs your attention and pulls you in is much more effective. Having all that stuff right in front where you kids can touch it is so tantalizing. You’re sure to increase conversions. Hit them while the emotion is still high, right as they are walking out of the exhibit.

In the exhibits where the animals are stuffed, why not add a volunteer dressed up in the traditional attire of that local? I’d like to see the volunteer in the Botswana exhibit, wouldn’t you? Again, let’s bring those exhibits to life with music and lighting. Get the kids interacting. How about a spear throwing activity in the Botswana exhibit? And, put a souvenir cart inside or right outside the exhibit.

My favorite is the Egyptian exhibit. I’d love a volunteer dressed up like Cleopatra. How about a video game where you kill the Egyptians with your sword? Or an area where you build your own pyramid? Of course, my girls would love the souvenir cart filled with sparkling jewels. Like I said, hit them while their hot!

Ok, that sounds like fun to me. I’d go visit more often with my kids.

The more we visit the more we spend.

If you were given the task of monetizing the museum by increasing revenue and attendance, what would you do? How would you market it? How would you design the product to appeal to the target audience?

What drives the Black Friday Sales frenzy?

Why do people line up at 5 am, 3am or even 1 am to get the Black Friday Deals? What possesses people to stay up all night and wait in line in 30 degree weather? I personally classify this as insanity. Yet people all over America do it. Why?

When I was at Microsoft, we were able to create that same frenzy around a product launch. There was always a big launch event every time a new product or service was released. And, people would wait in line for that item, and frenzy was created.

I had colleagues that used to say, “We don’t do sustaining marketing. We launch products!” but what did they mean by this? What does Black Friday have in common with these “Product launches”?

Let’s take a look…

It all begins with the psychology of scarcity. People have some sort of innate reaction to the fear of losing access to something they desire. As an item or opportunity becomes less available, we lose our personal control over that item. The desire to preserve our freedom of choice and maintain control makes us desire that item even more than before.

So, if we limit the quantity, have a time deadline, or create a perceived competition for the item, that item becomes more attractive to us because we think we can’t have it. Our need for control takes over and we wait in line in zero degree weather at 5 in the morning to get it. And there you have one of the primary driving forces behind Black Friday.

Scarcity: Specific Deadline

To apply this in your own business you need to create a compelling reason why a customer can only have access to a particular item by a specific deadline or they will lose the opportunity. This is often portrayed as “Act Now while supplies last.” And “Offer ends Dec. 23rd”. Black Friday Deals are usually only available one day only.

Scarcity: Lost Advantages

A second method of creating a Black Friday-like scarcity is to point out what people will lose if they don’t take advantage of an opportunity. To do this you would identify for them their “lost advantages”, rather than focusing on the benefits they gain. What are they going to lose out on?

Scarcity: Competition

A third method of using scarcity to drive sales in your business would be to create the perception that if you doesn’t do this thing then someone else will and one will lose their chance of doing it. For example, “we only take the first 50 people”, or “Limited supplies available”. This suggests that their will be competition to get those spots and if you don’t act quickly, you will lose your chance to participate. Again, these are common techniques used to create a Black Friday Sales Frenzy.

Scarcity is a powerful tool of persuasion. Once you are aware of it, you can use it to improve your sales in your own business and even create your own version of a Black Friday Sales Frenzy.

Black Friday and Retail Marketing

Most people think that Black Friday is the hugest shopping day of the year. And, well, it may be if you are one of the large national retail chains that has a big budget to promote large loss leading discounts to hundreds of thousands of people. But, if you are a small local retail shop, it’s one of the quietest days of the year. Why? because everyone is out at the mall, chasing the deal. The consumer doesn’t actually get around to shopping local, until the last week or two of the month.

How do you compete?

As a small business owner, you DON’T! At least not head-on. So instead of going after the Black-Friday shopper, try an alternative.

There are a lot of customers that don’t like the crowds and rush of mall shopping. Send email or a personal invitation to your best customers and invite them for a private shopping event. Or, host a customer appreciation holiday event. Offer hot cider, hot cocoa and holiday cookies while they shop.

How do you add value to their shopping experience? What can you offer that the big chains can’t? Personalized service for one. A flexible and intimate shopping experience is another. Focus on your strengths and add a holiday twist.

Always go back and evaluate what your customer wants. Why do they shop with you? Focus on the customer and giving them the ultimate shopping experience.

And Happy Thanksgiving to you.

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