Ideal Marketing Company Blog

We all like to complain about things from time to time.  This BBC page has a summary of the past 12 months most controversial and complained about adverts.

What I always find interesting about these lists is how some things which seem harmless to me WILL cause offence in others.  Also how some very uncontroversial products of service will rely on sex or violence to sell. Judge for yourself at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8020881.stm

Busy week next week with a free evening seminar on Tuesday and a full day seminar on Thursday.  If you are one of the busness owners attending I’m looking forward to meeting you there.

Thank you to everybody who came to The Business Club meeting on Tuesday evening.  I was asked to speak on the ’9 Steps to successful marketing’ which I’m pleased to say received very positive feedback.

If you have never been to a Business Club event, I would suggest you try one of them.  They run in Leicester, Northampton, Peterborough & Hertfordshire.  The format of the meeting works well and all the events I’ve spoken at have been very well attended and seem very well liked by the members. I’m due to return to run another marketing seminar / marketing talk at the Leicester event again this June.

marketing seminar

Have you got a ‘shark’s mouth’ approach to marketing?

In my marketing seminars, I sometimes talk about the term a ‘shark’s mouth approach to marketing.  What do I mean by this?

After the film ‘Jaws’ was released in 1975, most people who saw it felt at least a little twinge of fear the next time they ventured into the sea. However, despite all the image problems that the shark has, the shark can teach us a couple of useful lessons. It’s certainly not to do with PR – sharks get pretty bad PR in general – it is to do with the principle behind a shark’s mouth and how we can use this idea to our approach to marketing.

A shark’s main weapon in staying alive is its teeth. Most sharks have about 3-5 rows of teeth at any time. The front set does most of the work. The first two rows are used for obtaining, killing and cutting up prey; the other rows rotate into place as they are needed. These sharp pointy teeth will tear open a passing fish, boat or other shark. However during some of these attacks, sharks will often lose a tooth, which may remain embedded in the flesh of its victim.

Losing the odd tooth wouldn’t be a big problem however as it happens quite regularly, and the shark has two ways to overcome this.

First of all it has lots of teeth – a single toothed shark would not be such a terrifying sight if it tried to suck you to death with it’s gums. However many companies are, in effect, a ‘one toothed shark’ as they have only one main way of marketing their business. Over the years they have stopped putting the effort into finding what marketing works for them and now rely on only one or two methods. A shark’s mouth is such an efficient ‘killing machine’ because it has so many sharp teeth in it. How many different marketing channels do you have working for you? Are you in effect a one tooth shark?

Secondly, sharks have the ability to re-grow their teeth. A shark has seven replacement teeth behind its visible tooth. That means when its tooth gets knocked out, there are plenty more waiting to take its place. From a marketing point of view, this is a good lesson in resilience and results. Every time we try a piece of marketing activity – say a direct mail letter – we get a result. It just might not be the result we want. At that point, many people just give up. I once worked for a company that told me ‘direct mail doesn’t work for us’. Within a few months were sending out thousands of direct mail letters each month, and generating hundreds of enquiries. Don’t give up on an area of marketing too early. Your first attempts might not work out, but be prepared to use a few extra ideas that you have in reserve.

Action Points:

1. Look at how many ‘marketing teeth’ you have – actively capturing new clients. Is it time to develop some new ones?

2. Have you given up on a marketing area before giving it a proper chance to work? Could you have some ‘hidden teeth’ which will give the project some bite that lie buried just under the surface?

Book a free place on my next marketing seminar or find out how you can enrol on the complete marketing mentor programme for free by calling 01858 44 55 43 or e-mail charlie@themarketingmentor.co.uk

Free marketing seminar on April 28th

We are now around 70% booked upfor the next free marketing seminar at Hothorpe Hall on the evening of April 28th.  Full details are on the seminars page or at www.themarketingmentor.co.uk.

The evening seminar lasts just over an hour and there is a chance to network, win a bottle of champagne or just to sit and learn about low cost marketing ideas.  People have come from London, Manchester and Birmingham to attend my previous marketing seminars, but most people come from Leicestershire & Northamptonshire.

If you would like more details call 01858 44 55 43 or e-mail seminar@idealmarketingcompany.com to reserve a space – and bring up to 3 people with you.

How do easyJet do it?  I’ve read books on the low cost airlines including easyJet and i still don’t understand how they can strip away so many costs.  For examle last week we flew to Crete.  For 4 of us (including all the extras that they charge) it cost £600. Two years ago XL, who have now gone bust, charged more that double that for the same destination at the same time of year.

I understand the idea behind easyJet and the other low cost airlines, but it still staggers me that a 4 hour flight to another country regulalry cost me less that a 1 hour train ticket into London, one hour from my house.

What’s more I have always had a good experiance when flying with them. The flights have always been on time, the staff friendly etc.

They are a great example of giving added value to customers – even if I don’t understand how they can do what they do and give such good value!