If your small business staff talks about marketing and throws around words like “shoestring budget,” “low cost” or “oh boy, we’re flat broke,” this is the post for you.
When it comes to getting your message out and attracting customers, your average small business just doesn’t have the money to hang with the big boys. That means no commercials with ninjas and talking elephants, no big money e-mail campaigns and probably not enough staff to push out some of the more ambitious campaigns. In short, marketing and advertising has to be done for less.
So start marketing like MacGyver. For those who aren’t familiar with the 80′s icon, this is a good place to start. In essence, he was a secret agent with a badass mullet, a background in science and a penchant for creating bombs out of crumpled up notebook paper and shoe leather.
You need to think like MacGyver when you’re putting together your marketing plan. Here’s three ways you can do so.
A Rubber Band, A Stick Of Gum And Some Bottlecaps
MacGyver was always resourceful. When he found himself trapped in a prison or a nuclear power plant about to melt down, he always managed to find a way out by using what meager supplies were nearby.
That’s a great mentality to infuse into your own business. Paid search can wind up draining your marketing budget…so why not push out SEO-friendly pages. Combine that with a heavy social media presence, intelligent use of e-mail campaigns and a few ads as they fit into your budget and you’ve got yourself a marketing effort that might just work.
Don’t actually use a rubber band, a stick of gum and some bottlecaps to market, though. Unless they’re your company mascots, your customers will be very confused.
Being Down To Earth
With his jeans, flannel shirts and vests, MacGyver exuded the average guy vibe. You should strive to do the same.
Marketing, after all, is about connecting with your customers. You can no longer do that by handing down screeds from on-high, or by dropping spam bombs on them daily. These days, marketing is about creating a connection.
You can’t do that unless you know your audience, understand your audience and can tailor your messaging in such a way that they won’t reject it out of hand. If it helps you to wear flannel, go ahead and do it.
Business In Front, Party In The Back
Think of your marketing efforts like MacGyver’s glorious mullet. What’s facing the customer can be fun, but it also needs to be professional, effective and as glossy as possible. It should be all business up front.
In the back end, though, have some fun with your marketing efforts. I work in a loose, friendly marketing department that manages to keep things light while getting serious work done. You’ll go insane if you don’t add a little levity to the proceedings, so
Remember: Be like the mullet.
So those are my three tips for marketing like MacGyver. If you have more, be sure to share them!
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Photo credit to http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-14133076-wonderful-world-of-the-stationery-drawer.php?st=f5cfbb5
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