Before you get to the marketing, though, you have to pass the litmus test – is there truly a market for your product.  A perfect example of this is a direct mail piece I received yesterday from a local office supply retailer.  I have not done business with him in the past, however, I know that he is a reputable business person and sells his products at a fair price.  The letter was sent to my company, not to me personally – I’m the recipient of all the “occupant” mail that enters our office.  But what struck me first was that this business man was selling reconditioned typewriters.

No, that’s not a typo – and, unfortunately for him, he had an “ample” supply of reconditioned typewriters with 48K of “menory” – yes that is a typo and it was in the letter.  At first I thought it was a joke – no one could actually be selling typewriters in 2010.  However, upon further inspection, this retailer truly was selling reconditioned Smith Corona typewriters.  He had spent the time and money on a marketing piece for a product that has limited, if any, possible users.  He could have spent the same time and money on a direct mail piece promoting pricing on copy paper, ink jet cartridges (for those of us that use printers instead of typewriters), or selling customer service – same day delivery, order on phone or online.  But instead he chose to spend his precious marketing dollars on a product that, as far as I can tell, has no customer base, save perhaps on eBay as a relic.

The lesson here is to view your marketing from your customer’s perspective.  Marketing strategies start with “what’s in it for me” – answer that question as if posed by your target customer.  The “what’s in it for me” for an office supply consumer is price, delivery, availability of product, accuracy of billing, friendly delivery staff.  It’s not “do I want to buy a typewriter” – a product that is, and has been, obsolete.

There’s just no substitute for common sense, especially when it comes to marketing!

There are two rules of thumb when it comes to advertising. First, advertise when people are in the market for your product. For example, advertise perennials in the spring as that is when gardeners are planting. Second rule of thumb, advertise when people are not necessarily shopping for your product or service to build your brand awareness. Tires and mattresses come to mind in this instance. Tires and mattresses are advertised day in and day out, but the average consumer probably isn’t aware of this UNLESS he needs a new mattress or she needs new tires. In general, most consumers tune out advertising messages until they are in the market for the product unless something about the product or the messaging grabs their attention.

It’s always important to advertise when consumers are in the market for your product. If your product is one that is seasonal (perennials, snow tires, beach balls) then you need to focus the majority of your marketing effort on the time when consumers are buying your product.

However, if your product is one that consumers don’t think about until they actually need it then it is important to keep your brand out among potential customers. For me, this hit home about a year ago. I began searching for a long term care facility for my mother who could no longer live with me at home. There were dozens of choices and I didn’t have the first inkling of what to look for, so the first place I went was to the internet for research. Then I began paying attention to all advertising with messages about in-home care, senior daycare, long term care, rehab care. The messaging had been there all along but until I was ready to hear it, I had tuned it out.

The answer to the question I posed earlier is “yes, you should advertise”. Yes, you should advertise even when the economy is weak and even when you think that no one is paying attention. Because there is always someone paying attention and you need to be in their cross hairs when that person is ready to make a purchase. There’s a rhyme I learned in high school Junior Achievement that I’ve never forgotten: He who has a thing to sell and goes and whispers in a well is not so apt to get the dollar as he who climbs a hill and hollers.

It’s all about passion – if you have passion for what you do, you do it well and it shows. Passion is contagious. Passion can be the difference between being a success or a failure, average or stellar. And passion shows in marketing and business. Business owners and managers that are passionate about their product and/or service are like beacons for me. They are willing to take the risks, make the investments and hard decisions to be successful. Passionate entrepreneurs inspire their staff to be passionate about their jobs, their product and meeting client expectations.

A company or product with passion is worth more than one without, so the money follows the passion. A business owner that has a passion for her product will go the extra distance to make sure that others recognize the significance of the product, the worth, the value.

One of my clients, an automotive dealer, is so passionate about his business that he can rattle off stats about how many units have been sold, how many are “out” (potentially sold), how he’s pacing with the same month last year, what his profit margin will be at the end of the month, and on and on. I always enjoy meeting with him because his passion is overflowing. I feel energized after a meeting with him. Even though his business has been adversely affected by the economic downturn, he is still turning a profit. I think the difference is passion.

My friend who is changing careers is passionate about his potential new position. In fact, he’s so passionate about it, that he’s been working as a volunteer for several years for this entity. Now that the prospect of being paid for his passion is becoming a reality, he’s even more passionate. Like I said earlier, passion is contagious. Pass it on…