Strategies to get your business noticed
One of the big challenges most of us face in business is how to stand out and get noticed in a crowded marketplace.
So here are a pair of simple ‘‘get noticed’’ strategies that you might like to try.
Strategy one: Have an unusual title
A PR consultant I interviewed many years ago called himself a ‘‘mediaologist’’ as he was an expert at helping clients get positive publicity in the media. And I still remember this unusual business title years later.
My good friend Tom Poland calls himself Chief Leadsologist as he helps thousands of businesses to generate qualified leads.
Dean Salakas is the owner of The Party People in Australia. The Party People is the largest party supply store in the country and he calls himself ‘‘Chief Party Dude’’.
A few days ago I asked him to comment on his unusual title and here’s what he told me:
‘‘The nickname ‘Chief Party Dude’ was an idea I just came up with one day early on as a CEO.
‘‘I wanted to have a fun title. It wasn’t originally meant to be anything other than a bit of fun. Then my graphic designer did a caricature of me as an Indian
chief for my signature and then it just stuck.
‘‘As our business grew I started to work on my personal branding and so the name ‘Chief Party Dude’ became something I ran with. It’s very media friendly and fits my brand and the company brand well so adds value and gives me a unique identity.
‘‘Certainly being catchy is important, but the key is to do things that align with your brand and who you are. I go to dress up parties and dress up, I have fun, I hit the dance floor when the music plays and I do all the things people would expect from someone called ‘Chief Party Dude’.
‘‘So in short, don’t hold back with things like your job title, have some fun, be who you want to be and love your work.’’
Strategy two: Have a memorable message on your vehicle
I was driving behind a bright green van recently and it had an interesting message on the back that read like this: ‘‘Kitset Assembly – Save Your Marriage – Call Today – 0800 454 873.’’
The three words ‘‘save your marriage’’ made me laugh because it reminded me of the times my wife and I have tried to put together flat packed furniture, which sometimes ended up being a stressful experience.
And right in front of me today was a business that offered to eliminate any stress from doing this. In fact, they said that calling them was a good way to ‘‘save your marriage’’.
I had never heard of Kitset
Assembly Services before seeing this van. When I checked on their website I discovered it was a franchise organisation and it operated in a number of countries, including New Zealand.
The reason I mention my experience is that words ‘‘save your marriage’’ on the van made me notice their business. And here I am telling Stuff readers about it today.
Your memorable message could be an interesting phone number, a clever slogan, and even a catchy name.
A plumbing business has this slogan on their vehicles: ‘‘We repair what your husband fixed.’’
Another plumber has this message: ‘‘Call the best, flush the rest.’’ An electrical contracting firm has this slogan: ‘‘Babinda Electrics – We remove your shorts’’.
A business installing burglar alarms has an 0800 Burglar phone number on their vehicle.
A septic tank cleaning firm called Burnett’s Septic Tank Services has the tag line: ‘‘Our business is in the s...!’’
There are dozens of simple and inexpensive things you can do to make your business get noticed in a crowded marketplace.
The key is to take action and try some of them, because when more people notice your business a nice side benefit is you often increase your sales at the same time.