By Dave Ramacitti
The one overriding goal of your small business’s marketing efforts, especially during a start-up phase, is to be noticed, is to be memorable in the eyes of customers or potential customers. You can achieve being memorable by finding something your customers or potential customers can identify with, an image that you can own. Then you deliver that image --- your marketing message --- in a unique and memorable way, that is, in a way that is different from your competitors.
One way you can present your marketing message in a unique way is use a humorous or quirky approach in your ads and other promotions. Who can forget the hilarious Budweiser lizards, or, more recently, the quirky Quizno’s sponge monkeys?
Never heard of the sponge monkeys? Try Google-ing them… They were certainly memorable and perhaps more than a little annoying --- hmmm, maybe memorable and annoying tend to go together.
This technique is not for everyone, though. As a business you have to be comfortable with what you’re doing. Could you deal with it if people said about your business, “Oh yea, you’re the guys with those weird sponge-monkeys.” Actually, you should be happy if they’re saying that, because it means you’re being remembered over your competitors.
Humor is a great way to be really exceptional if you can pull it off. Think about it: Don’t most businesses tend to take themselves way too seriously? If you are the one who doesn’t take yourself too seriously, you could truly standout.
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Dave Ramacitti is co-founder and chief content developer for Marketing Over Easy, a new website dedicated to helping small businesses be more effective marketers. To receive a free copy of our special report "58 Free and Low Cost Ways to Promote Your New Small Business" visit us at www.marketingovereasy.com/signup © 2010 by David F. Ramacitti. Excerpted from The All-Important Stuff You Gotta Do First to Effectively Market Your Small Business © 2009 by David F. Ramacitti