And Then I Saw Myself!
My bride and I were in La Jolla for our daughter’s audition with the Metropolitan Opera (yes, I’m bragging!) when we stopped in at Pavilions supermarket.
The receipt for our purchase had advertising on the reverse for cannabis, car washes and HVAC repair. So imagine my surprise to see myself there as well.
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Please understand I don’t advertise on supermarket receipts, as it’s the wrong audience for my services. I’ve found social media, monthly newsletters and personal networking are more effective at reaching my clientele. Thus I was momentarily perplexed.
Yet there I was looking at a cartoon illustration of myself; hat, glasses, boyish good looks, dog…
Wait, I don’t have a dog anymore!
It turned out the ad belonged to La Jolla-based realtor John Shannon. His illustration looked frighteningly like me, and his strategy of using his hat and pooch apparently helps him stand out in consumer minds.
Obviously, I no longer have a regional exclusive with the whole hat as a marketing tool strategy. Bummer!
Still, there’s a valuable lesson here for all business owners. Because while the marketing flavor of the week might grab your attention (and even deliver some results), it’s always smarter to take a holistic view of communications strategies to ensure you’re getting the most bang for the buck and reaching customers where they’ll see you and pay attention.
Were I starting a business from scratch today, I’d develop a communications plan by:
Knowing what I’m selling
Determining my audience
Establishing a budget
With this information in hand, I’d consider every marketing tool available — from public relations to skywriting — to determine how to best reach the audience within the available budget.
Because only by being completely open-minded can you ensure you’re not overlooking an opportunity.
Mr. Shannon has probably concluded his prospective customer does at least some of their shopping at Pavilions. The illustration makes him appear approachable and the hat memorable.
And because much of his competition probably ignores cash register receipts as a messaging tool, he’s got a much better chance of being remembered when someone is in their home talking about buying or selling a residence.
In my book, that not only makes John Shannon good looking and approachable, but smart to boot.
With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.
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