Today I decided to take a walk to my daughter's school (something a bit unusual, but not unreasonable since the gas prices went up) for a change. I was totally enjoying the break from my small office routine when it hit me -- " my neighborhood has changed. Too many small businesses had just disappeared and on their windows were signs: "For lease"brbr
Being a small business owner myself, I know how fragile a startup can be, how easily your marketing efforts could be lost in this noisy world. There is an ocean of businesses out there, and everyone is fighting for survival.brbr
So how can you succeed? Well...it's easy -- you have to STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD! That, of course, is easily said than done.brbr
There is one very clever way which I strongly recommend: Use Humor! Clever humor is always appreciated and if you can make your clients smile, they will always come back to you.brbr
Before you start, ask yourself:brbr
1. What is the main message I want to send about my services, products, company?br
2. Who are my customers?br
3. What is my point of difference and how can I use humor?br
Once you are clear on your goals, there are many easy, effective ways to add humor and make you stand out:brbr
1. Get a Cartoon Logo: The logo is the very face of your business. You have to be really careful (read: not cheap) when you decide on a logo design. Too many places use the same fonts, the same colors, the same globe and whatnot. The final result? The all look the same. So set yourself apart -- get a custom drawn cartoon logo. There are too many benefits to mention, but I'll give you just one example: check out Eskimo Joe's in Stillwater, Oklahoma. His owner Stan Clark started with a simple Eskimo and dog cartoon logo design, created by an amateur designer. Today Eskimo Joe's is a multi-million dollar clothing company with t-shirt sales only surpassed by the Hard Rock Cafe! Now, that's amazing!brbr
If you want a a href="http://www.humorlogos.com/"bcartoon logo/b/a, I strongly recommend http://www.humorlogos.com/brbr
2. Humor advertising: It goes without saying - humor, at least in advertising, sells as much as sex. Just turn on the TV and observe. Do you know that the new Apple advertising campaign (Mac vs PC) is probably the most effective one ever? Why? Because it is funny, and people remember it. But there is much more to advertising... There are:brbr
bPrinted ads:/bbr
- newspapersbr
- fliersbr
- Yellow pages, etc.brbr
bOnline marketing:/bbr
- web sitesbr
- viral marketingbr
- email campaignsbrbr
bStreet advertising:/bbr
- Street bannersbr
- Vehicle wraps, etc.br
If you want a a href="http://www.funnysells.com/"bhumorous advertising campaign/b/a, I strongly recommend http://www.funnysells.com/brbr
3. Who said Presentations? If you have to do presentations, always consider starting with a joke or using cartoons in them. Humor is the most effective way to break the ice and add a flavor of trust to the audience. brbr
For a href="http://www.bettercartoon.com/"bPowerPoint Presentation cartoons/b/a, I recommend http://www.bettercartoon.com/brbr
Of course, there is much more that goes into building a successful small business. But my point is - work hard, work smart and get noticed!brbr
Good luck!
