"As much as things change they stay the same."
As an OFFline marketer it's interesting to observe a trend emerging on the web.
What's this trend?
Well, what's now happening is that highly successful promotional techniques, - which have been part and parcel of everyday, (offline) small business marketing campaigns - now have their web-equivalents.
OFFLINE:
* Company A is in the marketplace competing with a lot of other Company A's.
Businesses have to find ways to keep their products and/ or services within the orbit of their potential customers ever- diminishing attention span.
* Advertising is expensive. Advertising Messages have to be continually repeated to maintain a presence in the marketplace. The Advertiser with the biggest budget can pay for the biggest presence (Note: this doesn't always translate into sales though.)
* Give-aways, freebies, contests, valuable guarantees, trial use, buy one - get one free, referral systems and loss-leaders are used to attract customer attention.
___________________________________________________________
ONLINE: Notice the web similarities with these existing bricks and mortar promotional techniques here? Many of these offline promotional techniques are now becoming common fare on the web.
ENTER The Fridge Magnet concept... "stickiness systems."
An excellent example of this trend in action is the old fridge (refrigerator) magnet technique. Offline, it's a simple, cheap and EXTREMELY effective technique. ONLine it will achieve the same results.
Why? Two phrases "Repetition & human laziness."
Here's how the fridge magnet system works, OFFline.
1. Company A makes contact with a potential customer through a variety of different promotional techniques. Smart companies know that a person is unlikely to buy from them the first time. Repetition is the key.
2. As one of their strategies Company A gives the potential customer their FRIDGE magnet, which has all of their contact details on it. The potential customer puts this magnet up on the door of their fridge to (usually) hold a variety of flyers and notes.
Why a fridge magnet and not a bedroom closet magnet?
Well, it's simple. Everybody in the household goes to the fridge many times a day. The magnet becomes a "familiar."
3. Next. The potential customer has a problem, "I need a plumber."
They've seen the Plumber's Fridge magnet many times. Repetition. It's now a familiar.
Enter human laziness... "Oh, there's that plumber's fridge magnet. I'll try them."
BINGO. New customer.
___________________________________________________________
Now, HERE'S HOW THIS SAME PROCESS WORKS ONline.
1. Person A has a problem. They search for a solution online, or come across a site through a variety of other methods (links, ads etc.)
2. The site interests them. It may well solve an existing or future problem for them, so they bookmark the site in their favorites. They fully intend to come back to the site later... "when they are not busy."
However, as they don't see this bookmark regularly it doesn't become a familiar. It fades from memory... "where was that site about...?"
SOLUTION..
TURN your site into an electronic FRIDGE magnet by using a simple, yet sophisticated stickiness system to get your "Ad" onto their desktop.
You then become a familiar, and when that customer is ready for your particular web solution they'll contact you first.
SYAS (See You Again Software) has 3 very cool stickiness systems that focus on claiming that desktop for you. You can get a FREE trial here.
http://hyperTracker.com/go/WEBpro1/SYAS/
Kenneth Doyle - e*Analyst
http://www.feedyourhungrymind.com
___________________________________________________________
"If you haven't worked this out, you soon will. There's a lot of NONsense zapping around in cyber-space.
Find out what works, what doesn't... and what's worth your money." Subscribe to the e*Analyst ezine -
mailto:editor@webpro.par32.com?subject=subscribe ___________________________________________________________