A couple of weeks ago the folks at WebEx asked me to record a podcast with them on the subject of small business marketing, which I was very happy to do.
The podcast has just been released, so if you're interested, feel free to listen to it at:
http://www.podtech.net/home/3046/small-business-thinks-big
The recording runs approximately 10 minutes.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Marketing Leftovers
Did you catch the story in yesterday's Wall Street Journal about the marketing strategy Major League Baseball parks are using to sell less popular, and frequently unsold, seats?
To fill its right-field bleachers, Dodger Stadium is now wooing fans with an offer of all-you-can-eat food. In fact, you don't even need to be a fan to enjoy the complimentary hot dogs, nachos, peanuts, popcorn, and soda - you just have to be hungry and pay the $20 to $40 entry fee. And at the St. Louis Cardinals' Busch Stadium, you can even get free-flowing beer, although the tickets there start at $60.
While I applaud the stadium's move to entice fans back to the park with a tactic that has worked well for cruise ships and casinos, my concern is whether money is really being made here.
The WSJ article reported that the Dodgers estimate the average fan who takes advantage of their all-you-can-eat offer eats 2.5 hot dogs, one bag of peanuts or popcorn, and one plate of nachos, on top of all the soda they can drink. Given the high cost of stadium food, I imagine that fans view this as a bargain, since they probably would spend more than $20 on food during a game anyway. With this deal, they get the food and a seat at the game for the same price.
Marketing is all about identifying potential fans and giving them a reason to attend more games. The Dodger's all-you-can-eat food strategy certainly does that well. But successful marketing strategies also generate a profit for the organization, and I question whether this offer qualifies. Is it a homerun or a foul ball? We'll have to wait and see, I guess.
But the core strategy is a good one - offer an enticement to help sell off less popular products. Retailers often have sales, consultants make a limited-time offer, and information product gurus bundle a bonus or two with their products to make them harder to resist. Think about what bonus you can offer to help increase demand - even short-term - for products that are languishing or services that have not been as hot lately.
To fill its right-field bleachers, Dodger Stadium is now wooing fans with an offer of all-you-can-eat food. In fact, you don't even need to be a fan to enjoy the complimentary hot dogs, nachos, peanuts, popcorn, and soda - you just have to be hungry and pay the $20 to $40 entry fee. And at the St. Louis Cardinals' Busch Stadium, you can even get free-flowing beer, although the tickets there start at $60.
While I applaud the stadium's move to entice fans back to the park with a tactic that has worked well for cruise ships and casinos, my concern is whether money is really being made here.
The WSJ article reported that the Dodgers estimate the average fan who takes advantage of their all-you-can-eat offer eats 2.5 hot dogs, one bag of peanuts or popcorn, and one plate of nachos, on top of all the soda they can drink. Given the high cost of stadium food, I imagine that fans view this as a bargain, since they probably would spend more than $20 on food during a game anyway. With this deal, they get the food and a seat at the game for the same price.
Marketing is all about identifying potential fans and giving them a reason to attend more games. The Dodger's all-you-can-eat food strategy certainly does that well. But successful marketing strategies also generate a profit for the organization, and I question whether this offer qualifies. Is it a homerun or a foul ball? We'll have to wait and see, I guess.
But the core strategy is a good one - offer an enticement to help sell off less popular products. Retailers often have sales, consultants make a limited-time offer, and information product gurus bundle a bonus or two with their products to make them harder to resist. Think about what bonus you can offer to help increase demand - even short-term - for products that are languishing or services that have not been as hot lately.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Custom-branded Postage Stamps
With U.S. postage rates going up effective Tuesday, May 14th, I realized that I'm going to have to have some new stamps printed up. Yes, I have my own stamps printed featuring the cover of my book, The Unofficial Guide to Marketing Your Small Business, which I use on everything from bills to correspondence with editors.
You can have your own stamps printed up too, at www.photo.stamps.com. Just scan or upload the image you want to use and edit it onscreen until you're happy with how the stamp looks.
I used my book cover, but you could just as easily feature your corporate logo, a product image, or a photo of your Employee of the Month. There is a fee for the service, but if the reactions I've received are any indication, the few pennies extra per stamp you're going to pay are totally worth it.
You can have your own stamps printed up too, at www.photo.stamps.com. Just scan or upload the image you want to use and edit it onscreen until you're happy with how the stamp looks.
I used my book cover, but you could just as easily feature your corporate logo, a product image, or a photo of your Employee of the Month. There is a fee for the service, but if the reactions I've received are any indication, the few pennies extra per stamp you're going to pay are totally worth it.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Jump on the Blog Bandwagon
Ok, I'll admit I'm a late entrant to the blogosphere. No, this isn't my first blog, but it's taken me time to figure out that this is probably a great place to post some of those marketing "ahas" that come to me. Granted, they may be ahas to me and last week's news to you, but hopefully once in a while I'll offer an idea that you've haven't heard a hundred times before.
Like blog advertising - buying ads on blogs targeted at people with certain interests. I just heard about it at a NYC conference for writers, but it makes a lot of sense. Publishers are increasingly buying ads on special interest blogs through www.blogads.com to promote up-and-coming books. Makes total sense to me and sounds like an excellent outlet for virtually any product or service. I'm going to investigate and do a little testing of my own. I'll let you know how I make out, but I'd seriously suggest you consider it for your small business.
And bloggers, there is serious income potential here if you're a thought leader in your market. Check it out!
Like blog advertising - buying ads on blogs targeted at people with certain interests. I just heard about it at a NYC conference for writers, but it makes a lot of sense. Publishers are increasingly buying ads on special interest blogs through www.blogads.com to promote up-and-coming books. Makes total sense to me and sounds like an excellent outlet for virtually any product or service. I'm going to investigate and do a little testing of my own. I'll let you know how I make out, but I'd seriously suggest you consider it for your small business.
And bloggers, there is serious income potential here if you're a thought leader in your market. Check it out!
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