Advertisement Ideas: KISS Delivers Important Message About Building Your Brand!!!!

 I remember when I was younger and my younger brother Joshua was a big KISS fan and we would listen to this song. Today as I listened to the lyrics I thought the message is to SHOUT OUT About who you are, what you do, and give people a reason to use your product or services. I started to think why do people buy NIKE Products when there are other brands that are just as good? The answer is because NIKE Shouts the loudest and is constantly on the top of the mind of the consumer.  Every where you look during a sporting event NIKE Has some type of presence. NIKE has also aligned itself with very well-known celebrities and athletes to build credibility.

 You may be thinking but I don’t have a NIKE type budget. I am here to tell you yes it would be nice to have a NIKE type budget, however you can shout it out loud with your budget. I visit with many smaller businesses on a regular basis and the biggest excuse I hear when it comes to advertising is I don’t have a budget for that. I then ask do you have a marketing and advertising budget and yes there is a difference marketing is about building a brand so that when someone is ready to purchase your product or service they will choose you first. Advertising is promoting offers to drive traffic so you see a return on your investment. Many times I am told no. This is one of my pet peeves as I ask in mind how do you open a business and stay in business without setting aside some money to reach your desired target audience? I have encountered many people who don’t know who their target audience and I then ask them to give me a profile of who their customer is and they say everyone to which I reply your target audience can not be everyone for this is to broad of a spectrum to tackle.  One must have a budget and know who their target audience is of they are to be successful. I ask businesses all the time how are you marketing and advertising and they tell me word of mouth. Word of mouth is okay however it must be augmented with other strategies because not everyone who needs your product or service is going to know your current customers. In order to shout it out loud you must have a strategic plan and you must find what your potential clients/customers are reading, watching, listening to, visiting on-line, and what they desire. A great way to shout it out loud is to answer the question of what problem do I solve in my clients/customers lives?

 I posed this question once before and I was surprise by how many people did not have a strategy to shout it out loud? How are people going to know you exist if you are not in the public’s eye or on top of the consumers/clients mind? I go back to KISS who after all these years still has a following. I attribute that to Gene Simmons being an awesome business man who developed a concept and built a brand that is easily recognizable today and now there are 2nd and 3rd generation KISS fans because their grandparents and parents listened to KISS. The key is to be in the public’s eye as much as possible. There is an old saying I don’t care if it is good press or bad press just spell my name right. Another adage is that controversy creates cash.  You can combat bad press, yes it is a bit more challenging but it can be done. Good Press is great as it builds a positive image in the market place. Being a bit controversial can be good as well because you will never please everyone so taking a stand on something can generate interest in your products or services.

Advertisement Ideas: How To Shout It Out Loud!!!

 It is important to maximize your message and amplify your voice in print and electronic media. You are not going to literally shout or take a cue from the BLUES BROTHERS when they put the speaker on to of the car and just drove around promoting their concert, however that may work.

1: DRAW ATTENTION TO YOURSELF – I recently saw a van driving in the neighborhood advertising Tijuana Taxi and it had Mariachi Music playing to draw attention to it. It would pull into a parking lot and play the loud music and the driver would hand out coupons and promotional items. I happened to be in Coral Springs, FL where they have a location and spoke to the GM about that tactic and he told me that the days the van goes out he sees an increase in sales of 18%- 25%. I asked why he doesn’t do it daily and he said because then the novelty would wear off.

 In addition to the van they host many special events and do give back nights for charities and advertise. I often refer to their restaurant as HOOTERS Gone Mexican.

2: ATTEND TRADE SHOWS – I recently had the opportunity to work as an emcee for www.uniquecreationsbyliz.com and those that attended the event and came prepared with items to promote their business did very well. There was a GOYA booth as the program was geared toward Caribbean Trade and they were sampling one of fruit punches and they gave a few cases away in a chance drawing and had many coupons purchase the product at the local grocery store. They also were collecting email addresses to be able to contact people after the show about special offers. When you attend trade shows make sure you collect information and follow-up with those you collected information from.

 

3: CREATE NEWS THAT IS RELEVANT,ENTERTAINING, AND RESONATING – Recently in West Boca Raton a local Sport Bar and Grill, Packy’s held a give back night for The American Cancer Society and also joined The American Cancer Society Relay for Life of West Boca Raton, FL by forming a  team. They have been featured in local newspapers, included on websites relating to Relay For Life and picked up a few new customers. I for one will be going to Packy’s when I am in West Boca. Hurricane Grill on 441 and Glades Road in West Boca Raton also joined The American Cancer Society Relay For Life of West Boca Raton as a supporter and is doing give back nights, where a % of sales is donated to the charity. Both these establishments have received good PR as a result for they made news that was relevant, entertaining, and resonating.

   

The important thing to remember this week is to shout it out loud by being proactive and creative in the marketplace.  Ask yourself how can I effectively and affordably reach my target audience.If you need some ideas connect with me for a one on one marketing planning session.