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 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 to use a distinctive voice. A distinctive voice --- it does not by any means have to be a “famous” voice --- in your ads can make them standout.
You probably couldn’t afford James Earl Jones or Gene Hackman --- both of whom do ad voice-overs --- but there are distinctive and affordable voices locally you might use. For example, most radio and TV stations will provide what they call the “talent” (a voice) at no additional cost if you produce your ad with them. But of course that “voice” will be a familiar voice because it will not only be doing your ads, but lots of others ads as well. Consequently your ad will not stand out.
Instead, you could hire an announcer from a classical music station, which relatively few people listen to, or you might try recruiting a “voice” from the speech department of a local college or from your local community theater. Once again, a “voice” that will only heard in your ads, thus making them unique.
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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 smarter marketers. To receive a free copy of our information-packed special report “58 Free & Low Cost Tricks to Effectively 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