At a recent presentation I was told that more money is being spent on mobile advertising than on PC advertising. No source was given so I cannot verify the truth of that statement. Then again, it doesn’t matter.

The presenter was using that info to tell an audience of small businesses that since the big boys are spending on mobile, we should, too. “They know what they’re doing.”

Yeah, right. (See “New Coke”, see “Creepy Burger King Guy”, see whatever company that had all the monkeys, see pretty much 75% of all Super Bowl commercials…)

If your advertising salesperson or consultant or agency ever tells you to do something because all the major giant retailers are doing it, you need to fire them immediately.

YOU’RE NOT A MAJOR CHAIN

First, you don’t have the budget of those big boys. They spend money like no tomorrow hoping something will catch fire. They spend money in every medium out there. They are not discriminate in their spending. They chase every new opportunity like it is a Leprechaun with a pot of gold. They throw time and effort and resources at each one (and still get a lot of it wrong). You don’t have the same resources.

Second, what works for them isn’t necessarily the right thing for you and vice versa. Take the Mobile App for one. One of the most popular things to do with mobile is send your customers a coupon. We’ve already discussed the dangers of coupons. Even more bewildering to me is the coupon that gets sent after they have entered your store. Really? If they’ve already entered your store, you don’t need more marketing. You won. A coupon at that moment is simply you paying someone else to give away more of your margin. Once the customer is in the store, you wow them with your well-trained sales team.

YOU CAN STILL WIN AT MARKETING

Don’t take your cue from major chain retailers. Take your cue from your best customers. Chances are they aren’t in your store because of coupons and discounts and deals and silly ads that made them laugh. They are in your store because of the relationship you’ve fostered. They are in your store because of the fun they have when they visit. They are in your store because you make them feel like they belong.

You still need to do marketing. You just have to do it the right way for you. This will help…

• Go to the Free Resources page on my website.
• Start at the  top of the column titled “Improve Your Marketing”.
• Download each PDF (they’re FREE).
• Read them.
• Write down your questions.
• Email me your questions.

I’ll help you either through this blog or directly by email to get your marketing on track in a way that will work for you.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS You don’t see a cost attached to my offer up above. There isn’t one. That isn’t to say that we won’t enter some kind of consulting agreement down the road (if you really need that kind of hand-holding). But answering your questions and helping you get on the right track is always free.

PPS Why FREE? Why do I give away so much stuff? Simple. I want you to succeed. Period. I don’t want barriers between you and your success.  I am not doing this for my own gain. I’m doing it for yours. Is there some hidden ulterior motive? Yes. I like to do presentations for groups of retailers. I charge money for those. The more you use and share my stuff, the more likely your organization will want to hire me to speak. But most importantly, for anyone to hire me, first you have to succeed.