With the din of advertising that bombards us each day, I am always impressed when a "little guy" can cut through the noise to get me to consider a particular message.
I was therefore tickled that a two-man, one-truck landscaping company produced the most effective marketing I personally encountered last week. And it wasn't because Joe's Lawn Services spent big money on advertising.
When I opened my front door one morning to get my newspaper, I found that someone had brought it up to my front door and put it neatly on the welcome mat. As I reached for it, I noticed a flier.
It dawned on me that whoever left this flier had done me the favor of walking my paper from the sidewalk to my front door. It may have saved me only 15 steps or so, but it did register as a nice gesture. I repaid the favor by taking a second to glance at the flier. The headline read, "Three Day Only Special!" The flier said that Joe's Lawn Services was running a sale on yard work that weekend.
When I walked to the cul-de-sac to get the mail, I noticed a similar flier was tacked to the oak tree near the mailboxes. I chuckled, thinking Joe had gone all out with this particular marketing campaign.
But chuckles aside, I can't remember any of the ads from the newspaper that day. Joe's fliers, however, were noticed and read.
Reflecting on this instance, two things got my attention. One was the "time sensitivity" of the advertised offer. Truth be told, I did smile while thinking about Joe creating a sense of urgency with a "limited offer."
Like many people, I have a habit of putting off giving much thought to most generic offers I read or hear. If it is not something I absolutely need right then and there — which covers most things — I usually figure I will consider it later. (And I seldom do.) But the impression that an advertised deal will soon go away tends to prod folks to at least consider it right then.
The second and more influential factor in getting me to consider the flier was the nice act that had earned my attention.
When I speak to groups, I make a point of frequently reminding them that they should never underestimate the power of simple gestures of good will. Our hard-wired desire for reciprocity drives us to want to repay gestures or favors in kind. In this case, my payback gesture was a few seconds of attention, and I kept the flier so I could contact Joe and have him trim a few trees that have needed work for too long now.
I like to use these types of very simple, real-world examples to remind bankers that some of our most effective marketing does not necessarily involve expensive media or highly sophisticated campaigns. I'm not suggesting that good deeds and fliers are a substitute for mass marketing, but I would suggest that there is an awful lot to be said for the kind of practices that may make some "erudite" marketers roll their eyes.
These old-school activities are made even more effective when accompanied by gestures of good will. How often do folks in your branches hold doors open for customers and personally welcome them as they arrive? When was the last time a customer at a drive-up window received a surprise (like a mint, a pen, or maybe lollipops for the kids) in the drive-up canister?
How many fliers are put into circulation each day at your "distribution centers" (branches)? I like kidding bankers, most of whom still spend considerable money on newspaper ads, that they are fliers you paid someone else to distribute for you.
And if creative resources are limited, a bank can produce effective fliers by simply reproducing some of its most recent print ads. When those fliers are distributed along with a friendly gesture, a small "prize," or maybe some useful nonbank material (a calendar of events, coupons to local businesses, coloring pages for kids, etc.), the chances that customers actually will keep and review them grows exponentially.
Think of it this way. How many advertising messages have you been exposed to this week? You probably could not possibly remember. But how many fliers (if any) have you held in your hands? How many times has someone opened a door for you and welcomed you to their business? How many folks have given you or your kids some small token of good will?
If you've had any experiences like these, they likely stood out. And isn't that what we hope our own marketing will accomplish?
As the competition for customer attention becomes more crowded and sophisticated, often the simplest tools and gestures are the ones that get through to folks. Borrow an idea or two from Joe. You just might have a few new relationships bloom.
