Who’s afraid of the big bad (recession) wolf? Not Wichita small business owners

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Dave Mace

You know what you do when everybody says, “Don’t panic,” right? You panic. So, with everybody talking recovery one minute and doomsday the next, it’s hard to know what to think.

Fortunately for us, Wichita small business owners are resourceful, independent thinkers who don’t always accept the status quo or go along with the crowd. This innovative thinking extends beyond marketing and into how things are being made and distributed.

But if entrepreneurial thinking isn’t enough to convince you of why you should keep your chin up, then here are a few more.

1. Gasoline prices are at their lowest levels in months. If prices move another 25 or 50 cents lower it could contribute greatly to a prolonged economic recovery.

2. Retail spending is up leaps and bounds as Christmas has come early for many merchants.

3. Marketers and consumers seem to be reaching agreement on a new value proposition based on getting more (or better) for less.

4. There is a renewed effort on the part of government and other institutions to advance small business as much or more as big business.

5. Greater numbers of manufacturers are shifting their core strengths to new market foci in order to take advantage of opportunities outside dying or consolidating industries.

Indeed, there is much to give us hope. There is no nation like ours, particularly when it comes to small business. We are so much better, though, when we are fearless.

Scott Brown’s “Thank God!” statement kindles feminist uproar for all the wrong reasons

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Dave Mace

Recent political backbiting offers a keen insight into how a small business in Wichita can hone its marketing message to a razor sharp edge.

When Scott Brown indicated that the world was a better place with a fully-clothed Elizabeth Warren, he apparently upset feminists who saw the statement as insulting to the candidate’s physical appearance. But a better objection to his statement might have been that Elizabeth Warren has as much right as anyone to offer a quick retort when asked what she did to put herself through school:

“Well, I can tell you this, I kept my clothes on.” And while that answer elicited a snarky response from Scott Brown, it shouldn’t have created a storm of controversy about Warren’s ability to fill out a centerfold spread. It would make more sense to defend her right to be humorous, affable and just “one of the guys” when it comes to shaking off a derogatory statement from an opponent. A man probably would have created a lot of positive sound bites with such a remark.

If I were a feminist PR hack, I would be reminding people that Elizabeth Warren, in saying she never would have been caught dead naked, was poking fun at herself and is comfortable enough in her own skin to throw a disarming joke in the face of nastiness. Any other spin strategy leaves Warren open to being a Pelosiesque type of character in the political drama. Nobody likes a nasty person, but public opinion seems to be much tougher on women perceived to be, well, worthy of nasty names.

The lesson for the small business owner is to stay on message, which is the guiding light for every communication effort, especially in the face of controversy. In this case, the message for feminists is all about equal treatment, not victimization. In your case, it might be an emphasis on service, price or a specific value proposition. Don’t diverge from it, even when tempted by competitors.

Huge companies teach Wichita small businesses about marketing by screwing up

Posted on October 2, 2011 by Dave Mace

Domino's: Artisan pizza for $7.99. Really? Please.

The first time I heard the phrase “Domino’s Artisan Pizza,” I said to myself, “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” Then I thought, “Come on, Dave. Give a reasonable, objective review of this new marketing effort.”

So, I did. And I said to myself, “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve heard since the one unfortunate time I blurted out an honest answer when my wife asked for my opinion about a purse.” Then I thought it might be possible to use this colossal idiocy to help small businesses in Wichita market themselves more effectively.

OK, how many ways is this campaign wrong?

1. Artisan and Domino’s do not go together. It’s not a credible value proposition. As a small business, you need to make sure your products and your company’s brand are congruent. If you want to say your pizza makers are artisans, that’s great. But show us how you back it up. Otherwise, I’m going to continue frequenting my favorite local Wichita pizza joint, Knolla’s.

2. The product doesn’t even look like it’s that much better than anything else Domino’s puts out. It really needs to stand out from the crowd. As it is, it looks a bit like a petite version of the Bigfoot pizza from some years back. If you are a small business in Wichita and you introduce a new product or service, you’d better make sure it walks and talks significantly differently than everything else.

3. See if you follow this logic. Because I don’t. First, Domino’s introduces an Artisan Pizza. It positions the pizza as having better toppings and being made better. Then the company declares that its pizza makers aren’t artisans. More incongruence. Next, Domino’s runs TV spots making fun of artisans. I guess I could understand this strategy if Domino’s didn’t choose to call its new pizza an “artisan” pizza. Make their mistake your gain, Wichita marketers: make your product name, your pricing and your promotion align properly. (See #4.)

4. So, imagine you’re Domino’s. You introduce a new pizza that has “better” toppings, “better” crust and is made lovingly by Carlos or Debbie, who sign your pizza box and solicit your feedback. Great idea! (You’re just taking your copying of Papa John’s to a new level, but that’s OK.) It’s a fine strategy from a product standpoint. All I’m saying is to package it properly by saying something like: “You might have heard about these great pizzas called ‘artisan’ pizzas. They look like this, taste like this and are made by people who LOVE to make pizza. We have them at Domino’s, but we just call them great pizza. And or a limited time, they’re just $7.99.” Now, that’s a story. Tell me a story, Wichita small businesses!

5. Domino’s didn’t take the right page from the Subway marketing manual. In fact, it’s the same mistake all the big-name chain pizza places have made. It’s the mistake of focusing on the product instead of the price. Subway has made some mistakes of its own, don’t get me wrong. But Subway has been incredibly successful with its $5 Footlong campaign. This success has gone all the way from a special offer to an ongoing fixture on the menu that gives people another reason to go to subway. Don’t come up with a fancy new product before you’ve exhausted all avenues for your current product line–including how you price it, package it and deliver it.

Bottom line, Wichita small business marketers, don’t take it for granted that putting a cute name on something makes it better.

New Prudential ad offers insight to help Wichita marketers reach Boomers

Posted on September 11, 2011 by Dave Mace

Prudential is running a fantastic ad campaign about planning for the future. It is a hopeful campaign, filled with video and photos of sunrises, including photos taken by actual retirees on the first day of their retirement. I think it offers tremendous insight into how Wichita marketers can reach boomers in more effective ways. In may or may not surprise you to learn that how the wan to feel is more important that what they want.

Images of the sunrise on that first day of your “new life.” What an amazing way to pull viewers emotionally into a place where they are more likely to think seriously about starting to save, plan for retirement, structure an insurance plan or any combination of the services Prudential offers.

In the past few years, I’ve seen commercials that focus on amassing wealth and others that focus on the advertiser having some secret key to planning for the future.

But what this ultra-sensitive commercial says to baby boomers and even more imminent retirees is that Prudential understands that feeling of anticipation, hope and possibility that can be captured in a sunrise. Few things are more beautiful than a sunrise, and when a marketer can tap into the feeling of a single moment that is so loaded with emotion, the goal of capturing the viewer’s attention is nearly always accomplished.

This kind of creative construction can do incredible things to get attention. Then it’s up to digital marketing channels to receive contact with these customers and prospects so the relationship can develop and ongoing communication can occur. For no matter how effective the emotional appeal, their must be a conduit for two-way communication.

Remember, small business marketers, in everything you do, appeal to emotion. And once you have their attention, invite them into a conversation. It’s just that simple.

Wichita Marketing Just Got a Whole Lot Tastier

Posted on September 4, 2011 by Dave Mace

It’s not every day you walk into store in Wichita and become pleasantly assaulted by the sights, sounds and even smells that make the shopping experience so special. A local vendor hawking his salsa in Wal*Mart. Samplers in full swing at the Andover Dillons.

For many years, supermarkets abandoned sampling and direct sales. But for whatever reason, when I shopped my Wichita grocery store this week, there were people actively selling sushi and others were pushing samples.

The whole place had the air of an open market. The trouble is, I’m not sure if it was intentional. In any case, it got me thinking about the importance of experience to customers. It can also be a great way to differentiate your Wichita business from others in the market.

It can be very simple. Anything that makes life easier on your customer will be welcomed. Same for anything personal or customized.

It took me years to convince grocers just to put on a pot of coffee so customers would be stimulated. It’s just one example of how something small can pay big dividends.

It’s a new month, Wichita small business owners. What is the one small thing you can do this month to delight your customers? It might be a small change to your marketing program, such as trying a more regular email promotion. It might be an additional step in your customer service process.

Whatever you do, it’s a good idea to start with what you observe your customers consistently requesting. Listen to your frontline employees, too. And remember, it’s your job to read between the lines and make the ultimate call on what needs to change.

The only reason Dillons has enjoyed success in Wichita is that there is little competition. Put Dillons up against the customer service of Hy-Vee or the selection and ethnic sensitivity of Price Chopper, and it’s a very different story. To say nothing of the price competition. It might not be a coincidence that Dillons is stepping up its game if other regional competitors are thinking about opening here.

Don’t let competitive pressure be what moves you to act. Start heightening your customers’ experience now.

Don’t worry, Wichita small business marketers, you’ll find your own bacon connection someday

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Dave Mace

Today, I found my bacon connection. Today, the worlds of business, personal life and bacon collided in a delicious, greasy, explosion of network connectivity that rivals the best of multi-level marketing down-chains. Today, I received a Facebook friend request from someone connected to me in all three areas. When I looked at the person’s public profile, I realized we have 18 mutual friends, but we did not go to school together. We don’t even live in the same town. We don’t work in the same industry. We’re not related. But we both love bacon.

Wichita marketing tastes better with bacon.

As someone who advises dozens of Wichita businesses on marketing plans, digital marketing strategy, and creates digital content for Wichita Facebook pages, I was both bemused and amazed at the depth and breadth of the electronic network at our marketing disposal. After all, this person has never emerged as a Facebook suggestion before, despite being a friend of 18 of my 1,398 friends (as of 530 CDT Aug 16). It was our bacon connection that brought us together. And now, I’m thinking to myself, “What else can I find out about this person that will benefit us both?”

Well, it turns out this person is actually from the town where I went to high school, but I never knew her because she is five years my junior and I didn’t move to the town until my sophomore year. But because we both like bacon, and because I created a bacon page with a growing Facebook fan base, we got connected. I’m looking forward to learning more about what she does in her job and where further connections might lead.

With previous Facebook-kindled re-connections, I’ve actually been able to gain project-based business.

I think there are really three big takeaways from today’s experience:

1. Our network is more vast and complex than we can imagine.

2. Facebook brings us a quantum leap closer to comprehending and utilizing our network.

3. As a Wichita marketer, I owe it to myself to be everywhere in that network I can efficiently touch. Even if it means creating a new Facebook page about green beans.

Wichita Marketers Pay Heed: A Great Caddy Is Hard To Replace

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Dave Mace

Note to self: Don't fire caddy before comeback event.

If you’re any kind of a professional golf fan, then you know that Tiger Woods fired his longtime caddy, Steve Williams, a couple weeks ago.

Regardless of the reasons or which spin you choose to believe, there is no disputing the fact that Tiger has been changing up a good many things in the past couple years. His marriage fell apart, he has been nursing a serious knee injury, and he has changed swing coaches and swings.

So, what does all this have to do with Wichita marketing and creating small business success?

There are so many possible directions to take this particular post, it’s hard to choose just one. But I think the most pertinent would be a lesson on not giving your edge to competitors.

When looking at your marketing program, it’s sometimes easy to see things that appear out of place or to see gaps that might or might not exist. The first inclination is to make wholesale changes when, in fact, serious reflection–not action–is the order of the day.

With things in disarray, it’s easy to look for reasons to blame and things to change. Taking action is the easy thing to do. The difficult and more astute choice is to take stock and make strategic plans before putting any actions in play. Otherwise, your already-compromised status amongst your competitors could become even more tenuous.

In the case of Tiger Woods, this happened when he reacted, seemingly rashly, to Steve Williams’ choice to caddy for Adam Scott while Tiger was injured and in no position to give Williams a paying gig. Competitive karma seems to have granted Williams its grace since the veteran caddy was on Adam Scott’s bag as he won the Bridgestone this past weekend, beating Woods by 18 strokes. Woods chose a college chum for his caddy. Just one more major change after another.

Now, in this little analogy, your “caddy” might be a particular advertising channel, a special feature on your product or a level of service your competitors find difficult to abdicate. When the chips are down–and believe me, I know this is a tough financial and economic period right now–it’s easy to start cutting costs and changing things up.

Again, don’t “fire your caddy” only to allow him to be picked up by a rival. Don’t sacrifice the things that have worked in your haste to make changes. Patience is the currency of the successful small business marketer. Maybe your caddy is a trusted advisor who can sit down with you and carefully examine what needs to change and what needs to stay the same. It’s not that change is bad. It’s just that it’s a better idea to be cautious and deliberate about it, especially during turbulent times.

Teamwork Makes For Fantastic NASCAR Brickyard 400 Finishes and Great Wichita Marketing

Posted on July 31, 2011 by Dave Mace

Paul Menard and crew celebrate upset win over Jeff Gordon in Brickyard 400.

Like NASCAR, great Wichita marketing takes a great crew and great communication.

My dad introduced me NASCAR nearly 20 years ago. Back when the Intimidator and the King were still running circles around the young upstarts who would bring the sport to even greater heights today. Now, with Jimmie, Jeff, Tony and the Busch brothers winning everything, I have to admit I’ve become a little jaded. Still, there is nothing like the thrill of watching those cars come right at you, three, even four wide down the home stretch, giving it their all for a hard-won victory. There are many parallels to Wichita marketing success.

Today’s Brickyard 400 finish was probably the best finish to a race that I’ve seen in years. And not only because it was one of the few recent big races not marred a rash of major wrecks and subsequent yellow caution flags. The race actually ended on a checkered flag, with Jeff Gordon trying to catch Paul Menard on the last two laps.

There are many facets to a successful marketing team. Here are a few of them:

1. Communication

2. Skilled Leadership

3. Strong Crew

Gordon was in third with several laps to go. He and his crew chief made the decision to take two tires and fuel. Menard and his crew had decided to take fuel and tires earlier, enabling him to move to the front of the pack and stay there for the final 12 laps.

The truly beautiful thing about this race was that I could actually hear the communication between the crews and the drivers and see their decisions playing out right in front of me. The results of those decisions and the necessary adjustments were just as transparent–and inspirational.

When it became apparent that the race was down to Menard and Gordon with two laps to go and Gordon closing fast, it was tantalizingly obvious that Menard would have to do some very strategic driving to hold off No. 24. It made for good drama, but it didn’t reduce the team aspect of the win. With one lap to go and lap traffic in front of him, it took great communication from his tower and solid driving to keep a veteran winner of dozens of NASCAR races from stealing the win from Menard.

Communication. Skilled Leadership. Strong Crew. It all has to come together to win a NASCAR race, and it all has to come together to create a successful Wichita marketing team. The guy behind the wheel (the small business owner) and the crew (your marketing team) must be in constant communication. And not just talking. It is the content that matters. You must talk early and often about the strategy that will get you to your goals. And you must rely on your crew, trust their judgment and allow them to do what they do best.

Whether you have an in-house marketing team, an agency or some combination of the two, you must demand excellence and effective communication from yourself and your team. It’s the only way to be successful.

What is your favorite Wichita burger joint? The answer might guide your marketing effort

Posted on July 20, 2011 by Dave Mace

Maggie's Creation: Burger Dog!

Have you ever thought to yourself: “Does Wichita really need another burger place?” Judging by the fact that Smashburger just closed its Wichita locations, it would seem that the market is overcrowded.

In fact, there is a burger for just about every taste and price point you can imagine. What’s your favorite? I really like Bionic Burger, especially for the fresh-cut fries. The no-nonsense style of Five Guys is refreshing. Walt’s. TJs. Timbuktu.

Everyone has their favorite. And still the new joints come…and go. I gotta tell you, there is room for differentiation, but not everyone can occupy the luxury space. As a matter of fact, customers want more for less. That’s lesson number one.

Lesson number two is to be willing and able to shift your brand or business model if it doesn’t quite match what customers want. You might think you have a great idea, but the beauty of that idea is always in the eye of your beholding customers. The burger joints who haven’t taken note of that haven’t lasted as long as Freddy’s or TJs. You need to constantly strategize to avoid falling behind. (See “Don’t Let Your Wichita Small Business Strategy Become the ‘S’ Word.”)

Last, keep in mind that you can’t sell anything successfully over the long haul unless it is good. You can dress up a Wichita burger joint with cool colors and slick music, but without a great burger, finger-licking-good fries or a delectable shake, you’re dead in the water. As my good friend Vincent says, “It doesn’t matter how the package looks if the dogs don’t like the taste of the dog food.”

Take these basics to heart, and we can help you find how to communicate what’s special about your business through the web, Facebook and email, and get you more loyal customers.

You don’t have to look far to find good reasons to use social media for marketing your Wichita small business

Posted on July 18, 2011 by Dave Mace

While there are all kinds of benefits of social media for Wichita small businesses, some of the most important benefits are also the simplest. If you’re still on the fence regarding starting or increasing your involvement in social media for your Wichita marketing campaign, here is some more evidence to support it.

As highlighted in an article from American Express Open that has been referenced many times, having a social media presence and maintaining at least minimal contact with your audiences can help you keep tabs on competitors and get all kinds of feedback from customers. What would you rather do, conduct expensive research or get actionable data straight from customers on Facebook?

You can also use Facebook to build relationships with current friends, prospects and customers.

Best of all, it doesn’t take nearly as much time to engage with these people via Faceook as it does to write an email or even a blog post. But you can still communicate and offer deals with ease.