This Issue: Power Marketing for a Fast-Changing World

In today's competitive marketplace, marketing makes the difference between failure and success. If you doubt that statement, look at your shoes. With millions of different shoes on the market, how did those two particular shoes make it onto your feet this morning?

You might say that you picked the shoes with the most innovative design. But is that really true? If you browse a footware website like Zappos.com, you'll find thousands of highly innovative designs. There are sandals that look like sneakers, loafers that look like hiking boots, perforated shoes that let the air in but keep the water out and sneakers with wheels built into their soles. There must be a reason you didn't pick those other shoes to go on your feet this morning. And I'm willing to bet the reason is marketing.

Will You Be a Marketing Success or a Failure?

Despite all the competition, some shoes shoulder past the competition and make staggering profits. Look at Uggs.Consumers will spend more than $120 million on those sheepskin boots this year.

Then we come to phenomenal Crocs, those injection-molded, brightly colored plastic sandals that will claim more than $300 million of this year's footwear market.

Why have those shoes dodged the remainder racks and made their creators rich, while other innovative shoes have failed? It boils down to powerful marketing strategies that will work for you too:

1. Target a small, clearly defined customer base. Uggs were closely targeted at upscale tweener and teen girls and quickly became the must-have shoe in the segment. Soon wanna-be-cool moms were wearing them too. Crocs targeted the young active market - kayakers, for example - but are now selling to teenagers, baby-boomers and graying elders. But the point is, Uggs and Crocs were tightly targeted. They didn't start by trying to appeal to everyone.
2. Get word-of-mouth buzz working for you. Uggs were positioned as boots that Australians wear year-round, without socks. Crocs were pitched as boating shoes made from a material that discourages bacteria and foot odor. Stories like those travel via word of mouth and keep a product from getting lost among all the others in the marketplace.
3. Deliver a consistent marketing message. The makers of Uggs and Crocs reinforce their image in every component of their marketing, from their Websites to their ads, to their in-store displays. Everything fits.
4. Match your pricing to your image and target consumers. At about $35/pair, Crocs are within reach of any teenager or parent who has a wallet. Uggs are a costlier proposition at $125-150 for the more basic styles, just right for upscale "nothing is too good for my girl" moms and dads.

Those four elements lead to effective marketing that gets any company ahead in highly competitive industries. Apply them vigorously and you will bon on the path to creating wealth and outdistancing your competitors in the marketplace.

When it comes to money, churches are getting smart.

They know that people don't always carry around a lot of cash - or at least that's their excuse at collection time. So some smart ministers are forgetting about the collection plate. Instead, they're installing ATM-like machines in their lobbies. One minister calls it "an ATM for Jesus."

These machines allow churchgoers to use their bankcards to make donations. No more excuses about not having any cash or leaving the checkbook at home. Because nobody travels without plastic anymore.

So far, most of the churches that have picked up on the money-making trend are Protestant and in the South. But if the machines are successful enough, I think this will be a belief that will span all faiths.

Because if there's one thing that can cross all boundaries - color, politics, religion - it's money.

In my post of November 3rd, I promised that I would follow up in a few days with a post about guerrilla advertising. Here it is - a packet of ideas on how to create high-impact advertising on a low budget.

• Use newsletters to stay in touch with customers or clients. Your publications should have the same look as all your other communications and contain information of value. If you own a hardware store, for example, give advice to do-it-yourselfers.
• If you would like to use mass media such as print or broadcast advertising, keep in mind that some print and broadcast advertising can be purchased as remnants, which are advertising spaces or times that are unsold and can be purchased at the last minute at relatively low rates. Call newspapers, radio stations and other media outlets and ask about it. Also be sure to run ads on days your business is open.
• Make your signs work for you. They should be easy to see, make clear what you do, and show your contact information.
• Put circulars on local bulletin boards that are likely to be read by your target consumers.
• Print up one-page, multi-purpose advertisements that you can use as mailers, circulars, signs, mini-posters, inserts or handouts.
• Send personal messages to your clients on holidays, birthdays, anniversaries or other occasions.
• Send out reminders when your customers need a medical checkup, a furnace cleaning or whatever service you provide.
• Send clients thank-you notes for their business.
• Send videos that let your clients see what you do. Many service businesses, for example summer camps and bands, send them out to give customers a feel for the experiences they provide.
• Use unusual media to deliver your message. Consider banners, sidewalk displays, searchlights, skywriting, or tethered balloons or blimps.
• Use Yellow Page ads in our area. Review your competitors' ads, then decide on the size of your ads and the use of color or photos to make them stand out. Provide as much information in the ad as possible, including why a customer should buy from you and how to find your business.
• Think of your business cards as small billboards. They should look good, perhaps embodying multiple colors or photos. They should also give reasons why customers should buy from you. Use both sides of the card if necessary.
• Your stationery should also be well designed, include your logo and tagline and explain how you can satisfy your customers' needs.

Remember, there are many precisely targeted ways to advertise that are more cost-effective than mass media. Be creative, come up with new ideas and improve on what your competition does. With this focused guerrilla outlook, you can build million-dollar visibility without draining your pockets.

Donald Sexton, PhD, is Trump University's professor of marketing and sales. He is instructor for our Marketing Mastery Program, with enrolment now underday.

He is also Professor of Business at Columbia University and President of The Arrow Group, Ltd.,a leading marketing consulting group. Dr. Sexton is author of Trump University Marketing 101. Contact Dr. Sexton at marketing101@thearrowgroup.com.

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