How do we market out of this?
It really is an easy answer but a hard one to say out loud. You can’t market your way out of it. It’s not that there is going to be message that you can say or a Facebook post that you can write or videos that you can distribute on multiple channels. It’s that EVERYONE […]
Coronavirus Update from our President – R&A Marketing
Dear valued partners, The marketing world just got different. The last 72 hours has shifted the way in which we account for and create success. There is a not a blueprint or a road map of how to navigate this nor a sure path forward for when life will turn back to normal. All we […]
Tasks
I’m a deadline-driven procrastinator. If a project doesn’t have a deadline, it will be done the day after never; If it does, it will never be early and will probably be a wee bit late. I work best under pressure—the ridiculous, self-imposed, pull-an-all-nighter kind of pressure that stresses me out and pulls my family in.
Fancy
I didn’t even know you could buy postcards with preprinted stamps, but apparently they’re all the rage in the 43130 zip code. We received one this week from Hank, the gentleman who cares for our lawn. It wasn’t anything fancy, as you can see for yourself. It was handwritten. Concise. To the point.
Prevention
There’s only one thing I like spending money on more than dental work and lawn care, and that’s shelling out a few hundred bucks for auto maintenance. You gotta’ do it, but it stinks. So it was with great joy that I contacted several local tire shops to price new treads for one of our cars. (Guys, this is like your wife asking you to buy her a lipstick.)
Marketing Has Evolved
A quick fix that is projected throughout the landscape of retail is to get a better website, build a Facebook profile, or start a blog and you have mastered today’s marketing. This is a knee jerk reaction that only creates problems—not solutions.
Another knee jerk reaction is to take this new way of marketing as “I better change everything right now to meet the customer’s needs!” Sometimes this is part of the solution but at the core is truly identifying who you are RIGHT now.
Tolerance
I’m a retailer, a supplier, just another B in the B2B world. But most days
I’m also a consumer, a customer, a Ms. Jones in heels and in a hurry. I’ve
been on both sides of the customer service counter.
Stray
She was aloof. She was afraid. Yet she was needy. She showed up at our front door with a bloated belly and a pitiful, “Meow.” This stray cat soon treated us to five little kittens born in our back yard. We cared for them from the day they were born, then found homes for all of them. except one. We kept one kitten who has grown into an very ungrateful cat.
What have you offered lately?
We know what Ms. Jones is looking for in her shopping experience. We also know that things that needed to be improved three of four years ago are expected to be running in tip top shape and things that were not top of mind even today are expected to be running in tip top shape.
Bottle
“We’re nice. Our customers love us. We do follow up surveys and people tell us all the time what a great experience they had. Our service sets us apart.”
Blah blah blah.
