BlackBird Copywriting

Dear Fellow Dream Builder;

I want to share some Calgary marketing strategies that I’ve been using to help local businesses that I know will be able to help you improve your business wherever you are in the world. I’m basing this on the belief or my belief in relationship marketing. To me, everything is about relationships and relationships are built on trust. And people all around the world build relationships every day with businesses and with each other. My argument is that we aren’t all that different from each other deep down. In fact we have more similarities than differences.

That’s my treatise for this blog post. If you get it, your business will improve in leaps and bounds.

This is why the Calgary marketing advice that I’ve been offering folks here in cowtown will help you too. The biggest marketing tip that I can offer  businesses is to see every single customer as a real person.  This is what this Calgary copywriter keeps trying to drum home. Step back from the hard numbers of your business for a minute. Close the accounting books and put away the spreadsheets. Forget about profit and loss statements and push yourself away from the table.

Have a look around you. If you’re in most businesses in the world there are other people very close by. Your customers are very real people and take a moment to appreciate that. It is easy to let the fog of numbers cloud that fact, but your customers are people just like you with similar needs and desires.

If you’re fulfilling those needs and desires then your business is doing well. You don’t have to look at the books. You’ll know it from the telephone calls you our your customer service reps get. You’ll know from the sales that your sales reps or business is bringing in. This isn’t rocket science. So many piss poor businesses do well because they excel at understanding the customer as an individual human just like them. So many great businesses fail because the forget this very simple fact. Calgary marketing is all about relationship building. When you build that relationship with another human being and not just a customer, wonderful things happen. Your business improves and you get rich as a side benefit.

So next time you’re looking at those numbers and you’re not happy with the results just remember who your customer is. He or she is likely someone very similar to you. Are you treating them like you would want to be treated or better yet how you’d like your grandmother, child, wife or husband to be treated? This one Calgary marketing tip is worth millions of dollars to the long term success of your business. If you get it.

Seeing YOUR big picture,

Jason

Dear Fellow Dream Builder;

In the left corner we have the heavyweight champion of the world. The 800lb gorilla called “A-D-V-E-R-T-I-S-I-N-G”. In the right corner we have lithe and nimble, 150lb soaking wet “M-A-R-K-E-T-I-N-G”.

And here’s where the story gets interesting. The David known as marketing is going to kick Goliath known as Advertising’s butt. I’m going to tell you why exactly that is. I see this way too often in my clients, they get bamboozled by fast talking ad execs and other advertising salespeople. How do I know? Well besides the fact that they tell me, I can see it in their marketing which really is just advertising.

Now, I don’t necessarily have anything wrong with advertising per se. But leave it to the big boys. Those who can spend millions just on some cute jingle or brand awareness campaign, and those who don’t care about testing or tracking.

But for small business owners like yourselves, confusing advertising with marketing is going to be the kiss of death to your business. Let me explain.

Advertising is money spent on putting your name out there with no consideration about your customer or what they might like. Furthermore, advertising is very often not tracked. Sure, Superbowl ads might look flashy, but are they trackable? And if they aren’t who can say whether they are effective.

Marketing on the other hand is reaching out to your customers with information they want and need. It also requires tracking and testing in order to find the best message or offer. Think about it from a personal point of view. Which of the following scenarios is likely to get your attention but further than that, get you to buy.

a) A plumbing company who leaves a door hanger on your front door, which is flashy, has lots of images and talks all about how great that plumbing company is. Or,

b) A plumbing company who leaves a door hanger with a neat picture of a smiling plumber in a clean uniform. The rest of the hanger gives you 5 tips on how to check for leaks yourself and then they mention that they were just servicing a neighbour and would love to offer you a free inspection with no strings attached if you call now.

This is based on a real example. And you likely know which plumbing company had the most success. It’s b.

All of your marketing (and I’m using that term now) is about building a deeper relationship with your customer so that will be with you longer and spend more money. You do this through conversation. You do this through thinking about what is in the best interest of your customer. You do this by seeking first to be of service. It is then that you will receive the business bounty you desire.

Seeing YOUR big picture,

Jason