What's the Difference?

“But we’re different.”

I hear this from clients all the time. I think it’s great. A business owner can’t succeed unless he has that attitude. And it’s my job to help them define that difference, and then let potential customers know that experiencing that difference will make their lives better.

And that’s usually where my challenge lies. In response to the above declaration, I’ll ask, “Okay, how are you different?”

“We have great customer service… We have a wide selection… We have 0% financing… We’re open Saturdays… We’re the biggest… Our expert staff is professionally trained…” I’m sure that’s all true, but everyone has that stuff. And while you may actually have the best customer service, no competing business would ever admit they didn’t. And besides, every customer has his or her own idea of great customer service.

Lately, I’ve taken to playing a bit of a game with a few of my more understanding clients. When we’re trying to find a unique selling point for their advertising, and we get to talking about things that set them apart, I often counter with a couple very simple “customer questions:” So what? and Why? to help bring the picture into clearer focus.

For example, Me: “What do you guys offer that no other mattress supplier in the area has?”

They: “The Springless Supercoil 2000.”

Me: “So what?”

They: “So, it’s the best mattress on the market!”

Me: “Why?”

They: “Because it responds to a person’s sleep cycle, and offers support based on an individual’s body type.”

Me: “So what?”

They: “So, whoever uses this mattress will get a better night’s sleep, cause they won’t be tossing and turning trying to get comfortable. The mattress knows how you like to sleep.”

Eureka. Now we’ve uncovered a unique selling point that’s pertinent to the customer. Instead of just saying, “We have a great mattress, come shop here,” we now have a reason why you need to get this mattress -- in a way that's meaningful to the customer. From here, creating an effective ad campaign is a snap. Maybe something along the lines of:

“I know you’re not getting enough sleep. I know you spend night after night tossing and turning, sometimes lying awake for hours, going through your days sore and unrested. But I can fix it. How? Because I’m the Springless Supercoil 2000 mattress, and I’m designed to respond to your sleep cycle and your body type. Need more support? I’ll give it to you. You’ll sleep long, and you’ll sleep hard. Eight hours? No problem. Take nine or ten, if you like. You’ll wake rested, and you’ll feel better. Because I’m the Springless Supercoil 2000, and I know how you like to sleep.”

Does that mean that once this ad starts running our mattress shop is gonna throw open their doors and thunderous herds of poorly rested shoppers will be lining up to get their good night’s rest? Not quite. There are other factors that contribute to the success of an ad campaign… where to run the ad, how often, how many months, etc. But we have defined what our fictional mattress shop has to offer (Springless Supercoil 2000), who can use it (the unrested), and why they benefit (individualized support).

So what, you ask?

Tellya next time, wise guy.

Who Am I?

I’m someone very important in your life. I’m someone you want to impress. And it’s likely that you have never even met me. But I assure you, there are few people more important to you than me.

I am your Next Potential Customer. I’m the next guy who needs what you’re selling. Doesn’t matter what it is -- a car, a lawnmower, insurance, a hat, a meal… What does matter is that I have a great big wad of cash, and I’m ready to buy now! Matter of fact, as we speak, I’m thinking about where to go to buy what I need. Maybe I know the place to find it. Maybe I’ll shop around. And maybe, eventually, I’ll get around to visiting your business…

Unless I find what I need before I think of your business. But you do not want that.

I am your Next Potential Customer. Your mission, should you choose to accept it: Make me think of you first when I need what you offer.

Advertising is the only way, save for blind luck, for the buying public to learn what you have to offer them. The trick is to make your ads stand out, so that I, your Next Potential Customer, think of you when I need what you sell. A hundred places do what you do. And if you listen to their ads, you’ll notice they all have “friendly customer service,” they’re all “conveniently located” somewhere, and they all have “the best selection.” I’ve heard those words so often they don’t mean anything anymore. So how do I, your Next Potential Customer, tell you apart from your competitors?

Your ad copy must be fresh. Use powerful, effective words that touch my mind and my heart. You must, MUST speak to me about me. Not about you. I don’t care that you’ve been in business since 1855, or that you have qualified technicians, or that you won the Bunsen Prize three years running. I care about my needs. When you’re ready to talk to me about how you can help fulfill them, I’ll be ready to listen.

So, advertise. Your business is unique; tell me why, and tell me often. I am your Next Potential Customer. Persuade me. Seduce me. Use language that makes me remember you. But make it about me, and I’ll be right there, money in hand, I promise.

*Thanks to Michael Coleman, radio ad-man extraordinaire, with whom I had a recent conversation which inspired this post

As Easy As Falling Off A Blog

Hey, look at me, everybody! I’m “blogging!” All the articles I’ve been reading talk about how small businesses like this need to take every advantage to maximize their web presence. They say a website is simply not enough. You have to cross-reference your site with others to increase exposure and gain traffic from other areas.

And they say one way is by having your own blog.

“Blog,” apparently is short for “weblog,” I have recently learned. It’s essentially a place where one can post, well, pretty much anything. Journal entries, idle ramblings, recipes, movie reviews – whatever. But, being that this one is supposed to help me promote my business, Slater’s Garage Ads and Audio, the majority of my posts will likely pertain to ads, audio, and related topics.

This entry, however, is primarily an introduction of myself to you, an invitation for you to visit my website, www.slatersgarage.com, and frankly, to see if I can actually post something to my brand-new blog. Which, apparently, it seems that I can.

Pretty easy, indeed.

"In advertising not to be different is virtually suicidal." - William Bernbach