Written by Jenny Nguyen, Marketing Manager, Signposter.com for Bytestart.co.uk
29th July 2009
”The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about”
Oscar Wilde was the master of the snappy one-liner, but unbeknown to him his words of wisdom were to prove particularly relevant, in the early 21st century, to small businesses. Several recent surveys have shown that word of mouth advertising – a personal recommendation about your product or service – is the most effective way to get people to consider what you have to offer, especially if you are relatively small or just starting up.
Satisfied customers are beyond any doubt the best form of advertising any business can get. People will always talk about a business with which they’ve had a good experience. And with the dramatic growth of online media options, social networking sites, blogs and business / product review sites can play a big role in spreading both positive and negative feedback. These are all prime locations for people to endorse a company or let off steam.
Online vs Offline
Online media is both exhilarating and terrifying in how quickly it can get a message out there. It isn’t possible to manage what people are saying about your product online, but if you are confident in the service you provide, and know that the vast majority of your customers are satisfied with it, this shouldn’t matter, and you can enjoy the viral effect of these individual recommendations. But it is important to bear in mind that an online message only reaches people one at a time, when they are sitting at a computer surfing the web.
It’s also important to remember that if you are relatively small or just starting up, you are unlikely to have so many people talking about you, so the word of mouth effect will not be so pronounced. Couple this with the fact that, as we said, online media only reaches people individually, at a computer screen, and you’ll find a catch-22 conundrum that may not initially appear to have a simple answer.
As a small business, you need to find ways to generate word of mouth beyond that coming from existing customers. You also need to ensure that your product stands above the rest in your marketplace by achieving greater exposure than the majority, being talked about because you are putting your name in front of consumers in a relevant, targeted and impressive manner.
By improving your visibility in front of potential customers it is possible to create a profile that belies your size or the length of time you’ve been in business. The best way to do this is to find ways to make your business look bigger than it actually is by quickly building your brand and giving you an ‘extra shop window’ for what your business is offering.
‘Offline’ media, such as posters and press, can increase your exposure and get your business talked about because potential customers see your message all around them on a regular basis. Billboards and press can be booked solely for your target local area, making the message you communicate through them as relevant as possible. By turning to offline media to build your business profile, you enhance the size of your company by appearing ever-present. Potential customers have more than one opportunity to find out about you and remember you as they see your name in a number of different places. Offline media is a big, bold statement, helping to build trust by making an emphatic point, which is that you have something that you’re proud to talk about and that you want to share as widely as you can, so as many people as possible can take advantage of it.
As a small or relatively new business, the ‘extra shop window’ of offline media can make all the difference. By being clever with it, you can really gain cut-through in a difficult market. Poster advertising, for instance, has traditionally been considered the domain of big brands only, but through the online service offered by Signposter.com, any small business can book the local poster or posters most relevant to their potential customers, at a very low cost. This will elevate your business name above the competition into big brand league, and create exactly the talking point that was needed. If people see your billboard then they are more likely to remember your name above your competitors, therefore more likely to pass on your details if asked.
Top tips for successful ‘offline’ promotion
And finally, let’s not forget, it is all very well to choose a poster site or a newspaper to promote your brand, but you need to use it correctly to get the maximum impact – and therefore, talkability – from it. Some good tips are:
· Make sure you know your customers and potential customers before you plan an offline media campaign – you will need to understand them to know what media they consume;
· Ensure that your ad is in the right place at the right time, using what you know about your customer base to decide where and when will work;
· Make sure the creative execution you use is right for your message and will appeal to your customers – perhaps ask some of them what they think while you are creating your ad?
Be brave – choose media that you may not previously have considered and that may not be the default choice for others in your field. Many local businesses use press so it could be a good idea to look for advertising opportunities beside this
Jenny Nguyen is Marketing Manager of Signposter.com, a revolutionary online business helping SMEs plan, buy and manage outdoor advertising campaigns. Jenny is an outdoor advertising expert with a depth of experience in advising businesses on how to use outdoor media in their marketing strategies. Previously, Jenny worked as a marketing specialist advising Fortune 500 companies on best practice marketing.
