BLUE CHIP TIPS Issue 1

<< back

****************************************************************************
Blue Chip Tips: Blue Chip Marketing Secrets...Revealed!
Caroline Melberg
caroline@melberg.com
www.melberg.com

Published every-other Wednesday.

To manage your subscription, see the end of this message.
****************************************************************************

THIS ISSUE:

1. Blue Chip Tip: How to Run With The Big Dogs...Even With an "Underdog" Marketing Budget!
2. Pop Quiz: Blue Chip Grammar Quiz ­ Can You Pass This Quick Quiz?
3. Blue Chip Quip
4. Questions and Feedback

1. HOW TO RUN WITH THE BIG DOGS...EVEN WITH AN "UNDERDOG" MARKETING BUDGET!

"How do I gain an advantage in my market when it seems like all of my competitors can outspend me by at least double or more?"

This is one of the main questions I hear from our customers and it's something that businesses everywhere struggle with - not just small businesses, but any company that is not the leader in their category. (Think Pepsi or Burger King - both have large marketing and advertising budgets, but they are not the category leader, and they are routinely outspent by their larger rivals).

In order to compete effectively, your marketing needs to be DIFFERENT and BETTER than your competition. By "better" I don't mean that you need to spend a fortune on your advertising. You do need to reach your audience BETTER than your competition, and you can do that - even on a relatively small marketing budget.

Start by THINKING DIFFERENTLY - what ways can you market to your target customers or gain publicity that are DIFFERENT than other companies in your industry?

A locally-owned ice cream shop in Bloomington created a stir when they opened their location by sending a press release to just about every celebrity they could think of, announcing the opening of their new business. "Scoops" was overwhelmed by the responses they got from close to 400 "personalities" with autographed pictures inscribed with "good luck on your new venture" messages. The walls in their shop are adorned with these framed celebrity photos providing a great "buzz-factor" for a new, privately owned business.

A small lingerie company in New York didn't have the budget to compete with their big-spending rival, Victoria's Secret. They realized they needed to THINK DIFFERENTLY so they came up with a crafty marketing campaign. They couldn't afford New York's high media prices, so they stenciled their message (with environmentally-safe, washable paints) on sidewalks outside the convention center and other high-traffic areas:

"From here, it looks like you could use some new underwear."

Risky? Yes. Edgy? You bet. Did it work? Absolutely! Not only did consumers see it, but the press noticed it and hundreds of articles were written all over the world about Bamboo Lingerie. You just can't buy publicity like that!

It's not enough to just "be different" though - you need to reach your customers BETTER than your competition too.

A small bank was looking for ways to attract new customers. They realized the impact that the fear of identity theft was having, with lots of stories in the media, bills before congress, newspaper articles and television commercials all talking about "identity theft."

They capitalized on this ongoing discussion by hosting a "shredding event" at their local branch banks. Customers were invited to bring in all of their old bank, credit card and utility statements and have them shredded while they watched, protecting their identity while learning about the bank and it's services.

They partnered with a local office supply company to bring in shredding machines, and a local restaurant to cater the event. They issued press releases to the newspapers and handed out flyers to their existing customers. Once word got out about the event, the local newspaper ran a story about the event and the local news station did a spot on it as well.

For the cost of a few hundred flyers and a press release, the bank earned tremendous goodwill with the community, got great coverage in the newspaper and television and increased their new customer sign-ups that month by over 50%!

Start thinking today of ways that YOU can market DIFFERENTLY and BETTER than your competition, and run with the big dogs...even without a huge marketing budget!

****************************************************************************
Melberg Marketing specializes in powerful copywriting, compelling graphic design and professional marketing consulting that gets you noticed. If you'd like to start marketing DIFFERENTLY, give us a call!

Ask us about our new 360s Business Intelligence System and Surround Your Business With a Definite Competitive Advantage!

Caroline Melberg ? Melberg Marketing ? 952-473-1007 ? http: www.melberg.com
****************************************************************************

2. POP QUIZ: BLUE CHIP GRAMMAR - CAN YOU PASS THIS QUICK QUIZ?
(Answers all the way at the end of the e-mail).

It's amazing how many times I catch myself making a simple grammar goof - and I write for a living! (The fact that I catch *most* of the goofs before I run my computer spelling/grammar check would make Mrs. Baker, my 10th Grade English teacher very proud - she wouldn't let us out of her class without demonstrating a profound understanding of the basics, for which I am very thankful!)

See if you can spot the right choice in these sentences below (choices are separated by the "/" symbol):

1. Everyone NEEDS/NEED to finish their project by June 21st.
2. The finance team, along with the consultants, ARE/IS at an off-site planning session today.
3. There WERE/WAS many reasons Nancy had to shorten her script.
4. John's favorite pair of shoes ARE/IS being repaired.
5. Her best feature IS/ARE her eyes.

See how you did by scrolling down to the end of the e-mail for the answers!

****************************************************************************

3. BLUE CHIP QUIP:

"Most of the things worth doing in the world were said to be impossible before they were done."
- Louis Brandeis

****************************************************************************

4. QUESTIONS AND FEEDBACK

Have a Blue Chip Marketing question, problem or idea to share? Send it to us at: bluechiptips@melberg.com.

We'd LOVE to hear from you!

****************************************************************************

OK - Scroll down for the answers to the Grammar Quiz.....

Keep scrolling (don't want anyone to be able to "peek")

Ok, check to see how you did:

1. Everyone NEEDS to finish their project by June 21st. "Everyone" is a singular noun, and requires a singular verb.

2. The finance team, along with the consultants, IS at an off-site planning session today. Read the sentence without the information between the commas: The finance team IS at an off-site planning session today vs. The finance team ARE at an off-site planning session today. IS is the right choice.

3. There WERE many reasons Nancy had to shorten her script. "There" isn't the subject of a sentence, in this case the subject is "reasons" and the verb WERE needs to agree with it. Same applies when you use the word "here" in a sentence.

4. John's favorite pair of pants IS being repaired. This one's tricky! When used alone, "pants" requires a plural verb (are). In this sentence, the subject is "pair" which requires a singular verb. This is a good example of a place where I might choose to break the rules knowingly and say: ARE being repaired.

5. Her best feature IS her eyes. "Feature" (singular) is the subject, not "eyes.

****************************************************************************
That's it for this edition of Blue Chip Tips. Look for your next issue on June 28th!

Until then, Happy Marketing!

Caroline Melberg
Blue Chip Tips
****************************************************************************

© 2006 Caroline Melberg
Melberg Marketing, Inc.
1290 Lyman Avenue
Wayzata, MN 55391
952-473-1007
caroline@melberg.com
www.melberg.com

Please pass this issue to your friends and associates! Just keep the entire issue intact and unaltered.

You are receiving Blue Chip Tips because you subscribed to it on our website. If you've had enough Blue Chip Tips and want to cancel, just send me an e-mail at: bluechiptips@melberg.com with the word "Cancel" in the subject line.

If you've received this from a friend and want to start receiving your OWN copy of Blue Chip Tips, just send me an e-mail at: bluechiptips@melberg.com with the words "Subscribe" in the subject line, and we'll sign-you up AND send you a copy of our free report, "Thinking Differently: How This Little-Known Marketing Concept Can Improve Your Speed to Market, Save You Money and Enhance Your Marketing Programs!"

<< back