Successful marketers are creative. They do things differently. They are not run of the mill.

This is good news and bad news. The good news is, you can put your own personal twist on your marketing. The bad news is, if you follow a success formula from another company, you’re going to blend in. Seth Godin, author of  Purple Cow (one of my favorite books), says to be as unique as a purple cow. If you were a purple cow and stood out from all the brown cows, people would stop, take pictures, show them to others, and talk about it. Your business should be a purple cow.

So here’s my top ten reasons your business just might be a regular old brown cow instead of a purple cow:

• Reason #1: Your prospective customers don’t know you exist.
• Reason #2: You look like every other business on the planet.
• Reason #3: People aren’t talking about you because you don’t have their attention.
• Reason #4: People don’t perceive your products to be helpful or fun.
• Reason #5: Another business is doing what you do, but they look like they’re doing it better.
• Reason #6: People are saying “so what?” They hear about what you do, but they don’t hear how your product is relevant to them.
• Reason #7: People who might buy from you don’t know how. Streamline your marketing and sales process.
• Reason #8: People who hear your message say, “huh?” Your marketing message may be convoluted and unclear.
• Reason #9: Your customer base is not turning into a fan base. They buy your product but never think to tell anyone about it.
• Reason #10: People who have heard about you in the past can’t find you.

Below is a link to Moo, one of my favorite online printers. They have cute mini-business cards and creative ideas for marketing pieces! Of course, they have all the standard stuff, too. Check it out!

Originally posted 2011-02-01 10:49:10.

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