.png){kind=logo}
In our particular business landscape, temperatures vary, and the results can be slick. I mean that in both senses of the word. Alaskan Business Leaders are ready for anything. A slowdown because of challenging transport issues, or happy client, after happy client. Slick!
Many of the best brands that Alaska Means Business has encountered have a tendency to deal with “Slick Conditions” by building a habituated pipeline of customers that know everything that brand wants them to know. Be that the messages, “we will have your widget to you a 72 hours late due to the unforeseen weather challenges, thank in advance for your understanding and patience”, or “We have this great new widget you need, here is why, buy it now.”
Communication is key during easy and challenging times. It reinforces who you are and why they need you to those who have already had a positive buying experience with your company or operation. It reaffirms their decision to do business with you. When it comes to prospective customers/buyers; we need to remember that it is the brand that the buyer remembers first, that usually gets the nod. But this is strictly when that prospective buyer is in need of that product/good or service. So, it is important to have an on-going conversation about your brand with your prospective customers before they need you. So how do we go about doing that?
Every Alaska brand is different. Every customer base, economic geography base, product and the solutions they provide are all different. But the dynamics of humans and how we can be edified and called to action are pretty much the same. A long-held notion in advertising goes something like this, “Good Mind-Share is what you say, times how many times you say it and to whom you say it to.” In other words, repetition builds recall and recall is the thing that drives our decisions.
Example: your pipes burst, you need a plumber ASAP! You don’t know how much this is gonna cost, how bad the damage is. You need help now! You hit Google, you see 4 names. You haven’t heard of 3 of the outfits, but one has a jingle on the air somewhere and you’ve been hearing/seeing them for years. You pick that plumber with the ad campaign,(which we do most often) but why? Micro, subconscious decisions are going on at that moment of choice. In a split second, we calculate risk and work to mitigate it. In a moment, we consider, “The plumber has been advertising for years, clearly, that particular plumber is doing well, by doing right by their customers who live in the region that I am in. Those customers, (my neighbors) have dealt with similar challenges that this plumber has solved.” This is why we pick that particular plumber, most times.
If this is the first time you’ve considered this notion, you might be dogged by this thought, “Great, I need to talk all the time to everyone, all at once.” Yes, you need to be talking all the time about your brand until you are done with your brand. But you don’t need to talk to everyone.
Start your conversation by finding a small segment of your market that is predisposed to be your customers and then never stop having the conversation with them. Make it the segment you can afford. No matter how small the prospective customer segment, or budget. You gotta start somewhere. Over time, after those prospects have converted into customers, add the next audience segment, and the next, and the next. Be ruthless in regards to return on investment. Measure all advertising. If it doesn’t make the doors swing or phone ring, it shouldn’t be in your ad budget. Be patient though, that plumber needed to wait for enough pipes to break before the phone was ringing.
With that said, Look for long-term campaigns, aimed at one solid audience. An audience that you know actually exists.
Seek out strategic partners that showcase marketing excellence, compelling examples of prior work, and a track record of success. Ask for a list of clients who report ROI. Take their good advice, and discount what they say, that you know will not work for your brand.
If you think Alaska Means Business might be a good strategic partner, to help guide your Alaskan Brand in it’s advertising, we’d be pleased to give you a courtesy consultation, a sample of our work and a list of of our clients. Click here for more.
Stay safe in slick conditions.
Blake Messer
Alaska Means Business