Great discussion topic, Duke! Let's get some dialog going here, folks. How do you approach your marketing campaign? What are the most important things to consider? How do you differentiate yourself from the pack?

Great discussion topic, Duke! Let's get some dialog going here, folks. How do you approach your marketing campaign? What are the most important things to consider? How do you differentiate yourself from the pack?

Duke - you raise an interesting issue here. Perhaps one questions might be "Do you think about your marketing, at all?" There have been quite a few small business owners I've spoken with who, when asked what their plan was, or approach was, for marketing their business, product or service, they either had no answer at all, or rambled on mumbling something about ads not working and moved on to another subject.
If you've not crafted a plan, the first of the year is a great time to start. If you have a plan, a flexible adaptive one, review it every three months, see if changes are required after reviewing your results.
Once that good habit is in place, you've established a baseline, (if your results are good) and now it's time to "get creative" and that's where Duke's mindset and approach comes into play. You can't simply mimic your competitors for two reasons: 1) If he's already doing it, and it's come to your attention publicly, you're so far behind the curve as to have lost before you start. and 2) How do you know if what your copying is actually working for that other firm? Prettly lousy to copy his cast-offs and losers, when the real winners may not even be visible!
Best advice is to zig when they zag, be where the audience is but not necessarily where you THINK they are, be where the other guy isn't, and take full advantage of EVERY opportunity to promote your business for free that meets your goals and brand promise.
Differentiation is key, hence, "being where they aren't" is an effective strategy for standing out from the pack. Find one area where you are particularly strong, and create a key differentiator out of it. If you're more "Green" than the next guy, make sure folks know it. If you're faster, make sure that speed is of value to customers, and promote that. If you're the most expensive, show how your expertise actually SAVES money for customers, making you the best value. Breaking out means being better, not just being different. That's the midset needed for success!
Good luck.

Duke - you raise an interesting issue here. Perhaps one questions might be "Do you think about your marketing, at all?" There have been quite a few small business owners I've spoken with who, when asked what their plan was, or approach was, for marketing their business, product or service, they either had no answer at all, or rambled on mumbling something about ads not working and moved on to another subject.
If you've not crafted a plan, the first of the year is a great time to start. If you have a plan, a flexible adaptive one, review it every three months, see if changes are required after reviewing your results.
Once that good habit is in place, you've established a baseline, (if your results are good) and now it's time to "get creative" and that's where Duke's mindset and approach comes into play. You can't simply mimic your competitors for two reasons: 1) If he's already doing it, and it's come to your attention publicly, you're so far behind the curve as to have lost before you start. and 2) How do you know if what your copying is actually working for that other firm? Prettly lousy to copy his cast-offs and losers, when the real winners may not even be visible!
Best advice is to zig when they zag, be where the audience is but not necessarily where you THINK they are, be where the other guy isn't, and take full advantage of EVERY opportunity to promote your business for free that meets your goals and brand promise.
Differentiation is key, hence, "being where they aren't" is an effective strategy for standing out from the pack. Find one area where you are particularly strong, and create a key differentiator out of it. If you're more "Green" than the next guy, make sure folks know it. If you're faster, make sure that speed is of value to customers, and promote that. If you're the most expensive, show how your expertise actually SAVES money for customers, making you the best value. Breaking out means being better, not just being different. That's the midset needed for success!
Good luck.

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jewelry/accessories/clothing/bags,hi-tech electrical ,pls contact us :
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This is a great topic. I am the owner of Plan B Media which is an advertising agency in Arkansas. My specialty has been direct response advertising and I have mostly worked with small businesses.

What I find is that most do not think about their advertising at all. Most just feel that they can open their doors and the people will come. What I also find is that most small business don't feel that they can afford an agency or consultant to help them so they end up wasting their dollars on campaigns that some sales rep pushes on them. This in turn gives them a bad taste in their mouth about advertising (or certain mediums) because the campaigns fail.

Locally, I have tried to talk to small businesses and let them know that they can afford to have an agency and that they don't have to hire one of the large agencies in town that will take half of their advertising budget for fees/commissions. It has been interesting and frustrating at times.

This is a great topic. I am the owner of Plan B Media which is an advertising agency in Arkansas. My specialty has been direct response advertising and I have mostly worked with small businesses.

What I find is that most do not think about their advertising at all. Most just feel that they can open their doors and the people will come. What I also find is that most small business don't feel that they can afford an agency or consultant to help them so they end up wasting their dollars on campaigns that some sales rep pushes on them. This in turn gives them a bad taste in their mouth about advertising (or certain mediums) because the campaigns fail.

Locally, I have tried to talk to small businesses and let them know that they can afford to have an agency and that they don't have to hire one of the large agencies in town that will take half of their advertising budget for fees/commissions. It has been interesting and frustrating at times.