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
scheduled cleaning services Winnetka ..In a quest for customers and to keep those customers,... Read More
Technical writing services are employed to explain the details of... Read More
Here are some sound debt collection techniques that can be... Read More
According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, since... Read More
Many new ventures are preoccupied with all the money they... Read More
New Franchisors and Entrepreneurs need to watch out as they... Read More
If small business had no important outside audiences, it wouldn't... Read More
Setting priorities in your business? Your first job is to... Read More
To get approval for your small business loan application, you... Read More
The FTC Franchise Rule maybe changed, as the Federal trade... Read More
You've always liked flowers and you think the idea of... Read More
Where do you find more customers?How do you compete with... Read More
A Mattress Cleaning Business might be just for you if... Read More
Since you own a business you probably have liability insurance... Read More
The American system of business management has been admired and... Read More
Why give freebies?We have all seen freebies at trade shows... Read More
What are the 5 best ways to gain new contacts?There... Read More
Who is responsible for maintaining the business relationship?Nurturing a business... Read More
No matter how small your small business is, it is... Read More
When should you leverage the relationship?Leveraging sometimes brings a negative... Read More
Before you start a business we encourage you to prepare... Read More
I agree that knowledge should be free, but the next... Read More
Many years ago, I had warned the carwash industry of... Read More
Q: I have outgrown my home office and need to... Read More
Everyday, customers and business owners are bombarded with billboards, logos,... Read More
reliable maid service Lincolnshire ..It's the dream of every person who starts a business... Read More
As a Boat Detailing Specialist, you may want to offer... Read More
If you are a franchisee of a large franchise system;... Read More
The Federal Trade Commission is assisting competitor to cheat and... Read More
Many businesses offer small business franchise opportunities. There are many... Read More
Incredible as it sounds, you have a goldmine of free... Read More
The start of a new year is a time for... Read More
"So what?" is a lovely question.It can lead to a... Read More
There is significant competition in auto detailing and car washing.... Read More
How many hours do you work a week? When was... Read More
Attorneys and Lawyers are ruining the franchise industry. It is... Read More
A lot of business owners I've spoken with lately have... Read More
Why should you describe your business to others in 5... Read More
"If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't... Read More
Let me get right to the point. The single most... Read More
Essentially there are 5 tremendously powerful methods to make money... Read More
A Brilliant Marketing Idea... sounds great but what is it?... Read More
Remember the cleaning business is all about time ratio to... Read More
Most smart entrepreneurs and all large corporations have Employee Relations... Read More
What would happen if you decided to take an extended... Read More
When pressure washing heavy equipment each piece of equipment has... Read More
Passion. Passion alone can make your business successful. As an... Read More
Q: I have outgrown my home office and need to... Read More
How do you make sure you have the business solutions... Read More
Macon, GA goes after garage-gas station conversion detail/hand car washes... Read More
Small Business |