Funny Sticks!

I recently had someone hand me a funny ad he had clipped out of a newspaper he picked up on vacation (I am single-handedly responsible for consumers new interest in advertising).

It was for a product made of natural ingredients that would aid in 'cleaning out your system'.

The product was called "Crapola" -- of course, with a main ingredient being granOLA, that 'softens' the potentially crudeness perceived.

The slogan (remember that is not the same as a positioning statement) reads

"We made even weird people regular"

That's what you get when you hire a writer - an ability to use language that sticks!

I know, market research sucks

You can't sidestep it. Market research is a pain for everyone. But if you want to be in business, it doesn't all get to be champagne and caviar. Well, unless you did your proper due diligence -- your market research -- and found the niche market for your product or service that made you rich.

Sorry, campers. I can spot a 'because I said so' business a mile away. Market research helps you find out how to give the people what THEY want and that's how you survive and thrive!

Let there be colour!

'Marketing' is the whole enchilada - advertising, store signs, uniforms, customer services, products stocked -- everything that makes up the parts and bits of your business that tell your business story.

And colour is your friend if you are in retail or have a direct customer experience. Restaurant designed for long lingering meals -- low key lighting and soft colours that melt together - its relaxing. Are you a high energy restaurant? Reds, hard contrasts that jolt the system. Are you a creative environment -- lose the straight lines and monotones and go bright colours that go together but boost each other -- use colour to open up the imagination and provoke creativity!

Head to magazines for ideas. Let the professionals help you design your space (without having to pay their bill).

More Business Advantages offers small business consulting, training and professional writing services including creating web content.
Just after high school, Alison attended Centennial College in Toronto studying Advertising. As they say, ‘life happened’ and she couldn’t complete the full program but a professor said something that would ultimately guide her twenty year career and become her specialty – “understand what the customer wants – it’s all that matters!”

She would go on to graduate with Honours from Seneca’s School of Communication Arts and George Brown College for Creative Writing.

More than 1,000 clients later, she is committed to staying current with marketing and consumer trends. Business owners are busy! They need fact not fluff. Her knowledge provides the Advantages!

Marketing & Writing (web content, newsletters, slogans etc) for every size of business.

Selling off Season

Every business has a hot season, a warm season and cool season and a downright chilly season. That is primarily based on consumer motivation or lack there of.

But every month for business owners comes with bills -- rain or shine, hot or chilly. Maximizing sales is obviously every months goal but its impossible, okay -- I'll shake the pessimism and go with -- really hard --- to stimulate real sales when you are not the interest level of your customer is not there. Many business go straight to the old standby - sale pricing. Yuck. Will consumers ever think they need to pay full price again if we keep going red tag on them?

For this post, I offer this advice. Make hay when the sun shines. Start your hot season early and extend it longer. If you sell skis and the register starts singing in October, create a trade show or exciting new product launch to bring in customers in September. Have a contest that closes the end of April or have an event that includes customers --- a wall of photo's / stories / online posting of customers skiing highs of that season.

As they say in football, "go long"!

Death and Taxes

Just an ugly reminder that this Friday your income tax return must be filed. Yes, yes I know what you are thinking: I'm self employed -- my return doesn't have to be filed until June 15th. True but if you owe -- and you aren't really in business if you don't owe some income tax -- you are charged interest back dated to the end of April. So, dump out your garbage bags full of receipts and get 'er done. If you need a good bookkeeper, I highly recommend mine -- Sue Talsma 613 968-2220.

Customers are looking to 're' everything

We are riding out the tail end of a horrible, devastating drop in consumer spending due to the turbulence of the economy. But what a great chance for us to look hard at our services and see if there is a chance to expand to meet current needs in the marketplace. Here's a tip: Consumers will have one more year (anyway) on not replacing but renewing, refurbishing, repurposing, redecorating, refreshing what they already have. Can you jump on the bandwagon to offer services that takes what they have -- say a patio set that's weather beaten --- and revitalize it (in the case of the patio set -- repaint it). Instead of just selling new appliances, open up a reputable repair branch of your business. I'm not talking about services contracts which companies love love love to write up. I'm talking about actually saving the customer money while you earn a new stream of revenue. Think of fresh ideas -- or rather, re-fresh ideas.