What could Seinfeld possibly have to do with marketing a small business? As it turns out, all small business owners could take a few lessons from the show that brought us such popular phrases as "Man Hands" and "master of your domain".
The Coffee Shop ? Jerry, George, Kramer, and Elaine spent countless hours in the coffee shop, talking about "nothing." You should spend some time there as well, but instead of talking about your parents or your date last night, get together with other small business owners and talk about your respective business and marketing activities. Many of you already participate in local business clubs and organizations, but the feedback and shared ideas that are generated in an informal business chat over a coffee are often the most valuable. My "coffee shop group" consists of 3 small businesses owners from different industries. Between us, we generate great marketing ideas for each other or in my case, new topics for small business articles. You can easily gather a few small business owners together for this type of meeting. Just be sure they are not competitors!
The Short-Term Relationship ? It seemed that every Thursday, Jerry was dating a different woman. In fact, outside of Elaine he rarely dated a woman for any length of time. Jerry understood that sometimes, you don't want to be tied down to a long-term relationship. The same rule applies to your small business marketing activities. Too many small businesses get drawn in to long-term advertising relationships by committing to a certain amount of advertising in exchange for a discount. Those who sell advertising try to convince business owners that you can't evaluate a particular form of advertising based on just a small sampling period, and thus a longer contract is required. This is simply not true. In the small business world, ads must at least pay for themselves before you agree to investigate any long-term advertising commitment. You're not building the next mega conglomerate (not yet, anyway), so ad money that doesn't produce a positive ROI is wasted money. Jerry understood that if the early part of the relationship wasn't perfect, the rest was bound to go downhill. Apply that rule to your marketing and advertising purchases and you'll maximize the effectiveness of your advertising. If it works on a sample basis, consider a long term plan. If it doesn't work in the short term, give them the "it's not you, it's me" routine and move on.
The Superman Effect ? Did you know that Superman appears or is mentioned in every Seinfeld episode? It's true, largely because Jerry kept a Superman figurine in his apartment that popped up in the background numerous times during each episode. For small business marketers, Jerry's Superman equates to your core business. With so many marketing opportunities to consider, it's easy to lose sight of your primary business in pursuit of new revenue streams. Unfortunately, this can often leads to the collapse of your business. Take a page out of Jerry's book, and be sure to keep your core business (your "Superman") a part of everything you do, even if it is only in the background. Every opportunity and every possible marketing strategy that you consider must relate back to your core product/service offering to ensure the continuity of your business. Don't allow yourself to become so sidetracked that you end up chasing marketing opportunities that detract from your current strengths. When evaluating a new business opportunity, ask yourself "How will this new marketing or business idea impact on my core business?" before you begin a new marketing venture.
The next time you are watching a Seinfeld Rerun, be sure to look for the hidden small business tips in each episode. You might find that it wasn't a show about nothing after all.
About The Author
Will Dylan is the Author of Small Business Big Marketing and owner of www.marketingyoursmallbusiness.com. Will also offers article and news release writing services through his website. You can contact Will at www.marketingyoursmallbusiness.com
family-safe home cleaners Morton Grove ..$37.4 million funded from venture capital today. $86.4 million funded... Read More
You have spent considerable time pulling your business plan together,... Read More
While I was hard at work last week, an everyday... Read More
Buying a franchise is not for everyone. This guide will... Read More
First, we need to define the different kinds of skip... Read More
What is in an information plan?Before you even meet with... Read More
Take advantage of world politics today and start your own... Read More
As you may know, there are many ways to incorporate... Read More
Why give freebies?We have all seen freebies at trade shows... Read More
Attorneys and Lawyers are ruining the franchise industry. It is... Read More
Cash is King... That is what everyone tells us and... Read More
What would happen if you decided to take an extended... Read More
One thing I have noticed in my travels to different... Read More
If you ask most small business owners what priority CRM... Read More
There are many little details that go into making sure... Read More
Many times small businesses want to expand their businesses and... Read More
Success is the desire of everyman on the face of... Read More
One way to determine your companies mission statement is based... Read More
The Boston suburbs seem to be rich with possible locations... Read More
There are almost as many opinions and views on marketing... Read More
There is a great deal of abuse going on in... Read More
Most small businesses simply go about their daily business and... Read More
This year, some 700,000 American businesses will be sold. Most... Read More
One of the greatest pitfalls in e-commerce is Field of... Read More
"What do you do?" It just might be one of... Read More
home cleaning services Wilmette ..If you are a franchisee of a large franchise system;... Read More
There is significant competition in auto detailing and car washing.... Read More
Becoming a contractor or sub-contractor for the U.S. government can... Read More
Let me get right to the point. The single most... Read More
Q: A friend told me that as a woman of... Read More
"If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't... Read More
Just when the entire state was kissing Wichita goodbye, economically... Read More
Many times small businesses want to expand their businesses and... Read More
One thing I have noticed in my travels to different... Read More
1. TargetYou are not all things to all people. Decide... Read More
Franchising Directory Sites-Paid Advertising, Lead Generation for FranchisingFranchising Directory Sites... Read More
So often small service businesses fail to exploit niches, which... Read More
Most businesses accept checks as form of payment for goods... Read More
The key to organizational focus and helping those who need... Read More
When is the Chamber ideal for your business?Joining a Chamber... Read More
BioTechs even with the latest news had shed over 1000... Read More
Until the day I learned to play chess I loved... Read More
During the California Recall Election, I was very interested. Without... Read More
Are you -- like 70 percent of small business owners... Read More
Why do you need an account plan?When you first decide... Read More
The modern Franchise business model and the much different business... Read More
Many smaller businesses choose niche markets for various reasons and... Read More
Contrary to popular belief, small businesses can survive a crazy... Read More
The home-based business market, sometimes called the SOHO (small-office/home-office) market,... Read More
Last summer the FTC put forth a report and then... Read More
Small Business |