What could Seinfeld possibly have to do with marketing a small business? As it turns out, all small business owners could take a few lessons from the show that brought us such popular phrases as "Man Hands" and "master of your domain".
The Coffee Shop ? Jerry, George, Kramer, and Elaine spent countless hours in the coffee shop, talking about "nothing." You should spend some time there as well, but instead of talking about your parents or your date last night, get together with other small business owners and talk about your respective business and marketing activities. Many of you already participate in local business clubs and organizations, but the feedback and shared ideas that are generated in an informal business chat over a coffee are often the most valuable. My "coffee shop group" consists of 3 small businesses owners from different industries. Between us, we generate great marketing ideas for each other or in my case, new topics for small business articles. You can easily gather a few small business owners together for this type of meeting. Just be sure they are not competitors!
The Short-Term Relationship ? It seemed that every Thursday, Jerry was dating a different woman. In fact, outside of Elaine he rarely dated a woman for any length of time. Jerry understood that sometimes, you don't want to be tied down to a long-term relationship. The same rule applies to your small business marketing activities. Too many small businesses get drawn in to long-term advertising relationships by committing to a certain amount of advertising in exchange for a discount. Those who sell advertising try to convince business owners that you can't evaluate a particular form of advertising based on just a small sampling period, and thus a longer contract is required. This is simply not true. In the small business world, ads must at least pay for themselves before you agree to investigate any long-term advertising commitment. You're not building the next mega conglomerate (not yet, anyway), so ad money that doesn't produce a positive ROI is wasted money. Jerry understood that if the early part of the relationship wasn't perfect, the rest was bound to go downhill. Apply that rule to your marketing and advertising purchases and you'll maximize the effectiveness of your advertising. If it works on a sample basis, consider a long term plan. If it doesn't work in the short term, give them the "it's not you, it's me" routine and move on.
The Superman Effect ? Did you know that Superman appears or is mentioned in every Seinfeld episode? It's true, largely because Jerry kept a Superman figurine in his apartment that popped up in the background numerous times during each episode. For small business marketers, Jerry's Superman equates to your core business. With so many marketing opportunities to consider, it's easy to lose sight of your primary business in pursuit of new revenue streams. Unfortunately, this can often leads to the collapse of your business. Take a page out of Jerry's book, and be sure to keep your core business (your "Superman") a part of everything you do, even if it is only in the background. Every opportunity and every possible marketing strategy that you consider must relate back to your core product/service offering to ensure the continuity of your business. Don't allow yourself to become so sidetracked that you end up chasing marketing opportunities that detract from your current strengths. When evaluating a new business opportunity, ask yourself "How will this new marketing or business idea impact on my core business?" before you begin a new marketing venture.
The next time you are watching a Seinfeld Rerun, be sure to look for the hidden small business tips in each episode. You might find that it wasn't a show about nothing after all.
About The Author
Will Dylan is the Author of Small Business Big Marketing and owner of www.marketingyoursmallbusiness.com. Will also offers article and news release writing services through his website. You can contact Will at www.marketingyoursmallbusiness.com
affordable house cleaning Park Ridge ..Everyday more web based companies enter the business scene. The... Read More
Many pressure washing companies will be glad to take on... Read More
One major issue not being addressed right now in the... Read More
If your home business is not performing the way you... Read More
E-mail and Internet use are integral parts of the typical... Read More
The story is told of a tiger chasing some goats... Read More
During the 1980 presidential campaign, candidate Ronald Reagan vowed, if... Read More
What image do you and your people portray to your... Read More
Everyone is talking about small businesses. In 1993, when it... Read More
(Although this article is geared towards small business owners, the... Read More
-- The One Pager Shortcut Series --People do business with... Read More
Every business starts with an idea or a dream. To... Read More
How many "get rich schemes" have you joined? Or have... Read More
You're pretty proud of yourself! After all, only four months... Read More
Having their own business is something many millions of people... Read More
A cherished business doctrine is that growth must be a... Read More
Many ventures are faced with the challenging task of raising... Read More
Bookkeeping?the "dreaded" word is something we all have to worry... Read More
If an organization lacks a mission statement, it is worthwhile... Read More
You are selling your small business (business value under $1... Read More
Financial Consultants are one of the fastest growing industries today.... Read More
"I don't know the key to success, but the key... Read More
Your grandfather probably told you to "learn something new everyday".... Read More
If you want to start a business in 2005, and... Read More
Here are some sound debt collection techniques that can be... Read More
affordable house cleaning Mundelein ..Do you operate your business as a series of projects,... Read More
If you are a franchisee of a large franchise system;... Read More
A successful joint venture marketing effort is the goal of... Read More
Whether you operate a chain of restaurants, a mom-and-pop convenience... Read More
Q: Is the online world the best place to sell... Read More
Every business starts with an idea or a dream. To... Read More
When pressure washing heavy equipment each piece of equipment has... Read More
What types of companies do you want to align yourself... Read More
You can provide affordable health care plans to your employees.... Read More
Concrete Roof Tile Business: During the 2004 summer season, storms... Read More
Like most regulatory bodies in the United States, the Federal... Read More
Many small business startups fail within the first 2 years... Read More
In these days of insecurity and uncertain futures, the tendency... Read More
You bet it's worth it. Publicity via news releases, along... Read More
Which questions do you need to ask to even get... Read More
What image do you and your people portray to your... Read More
"Inch by inch, row by row...that's the way my garden... Read More
Shopping for a franchise is easy if you know what... Read More
What was your aim when you went into business for... Read More
"I don't know the key to success, but the key... Read More
It has been said that the only constant is change.... Read More
Anyone in business today realizes both the natural dependency on... Read More
You make the decision to go into business and for... Read More
Everything starts with a business plan: If you don't have... Read More
Running a business on the net these days can be... Read More
Small Business |