To perk up, you have to be remarkable – stick out from the crowd in a positive way – unless you are a rock star then a lot goes. Some age groups don’t even seem to have to like you as long as you are different they will give you the audience. In many ways, it’s controversial but works.
This has made mainstream media e.g. Newspapers, TV, and radio to lose their impact as the number one strategy for creating awareness. There are other ways to put your message out there, faster and cheaper, then traditional media follows. If you have put an advert in a paper for a new product then you know what we’re talking about. However, if you make it on the gossip line, if someone refers you if they are twitting about you, then, you hit the home run. Making it on the gossip column also means you get radio advertising and other mainstream media advertising free.
This is a new reality, people learn about you and your service and product from what others are saying about you. Being remarkable is about sticking out enough so that they have a reason to make a remark. Companies look for different ways to be in the limelight, from giving endorsement deals to trendsetters – who often are stars – to sponsoring jazz concerts and being involved in CSR activities.
It is important to note here that sometimes being remarkable – depending on the target client – is not really about whether people like your product or not but because you are absolutely different – the fastest, the highest, the widest, the hottest, etc. This seems to be well understood by Dubai. For decades now, the city has managed to remain very attractive based on having the most unique attractions. China’s economy has thrived on being the cheapest – as well as the easiest place to get counterfeits.
For a small business, you may not have the resources to give endorsement deals. There are other ways you can create a buzz about your business or your product. This will start at the conception (thinking stage) of the idea or business model. Should you not have done this then and you have a normal – read good – product what can you do?
a. Attitude: To start with you should have a different attitude from other business leaders. The mindset that it is okay to offer a good product or service will not cut it if you intend to perk up and be rewarded for it for years to come. You must be number one in what makes you attractive to your target market. Work on delighting your clients so they keep talking about you each time they experience your product or service. It is a fashion /fad mentality to business.
b. Grab the attention of your target market: not standing out is the same as being invisible. With all the noise around us, things will not get noticed unless you actively make an effort to grab the attention of the trendsetters in your target market. Your goal is to impress these trendsetters/early adapters so they can spread the word about you. The minute you want to grab the attention of everyone you stop sticking out as this means you compromise on what would make you stick out e.g. if it is pepper sauce be the hottest, a car the fastest, etc
This has been the strategy of Apple for a long time. Each new product launch is preceded by a focused 2-hour advert for early adopters. The masses then naturally follow based on their recommendations. For you, it could be targeted bloggers, the teachers in your village, the chiefs, etc depending on your offering.
c. Don’t be a one-hit-wonder: To be remarkable, you should take the time to prepare a series of hits. What delights your customers today will be normal after they have experienced it a couple of times. Most likely your competition will also try to copy it. Being on top of your game is your only option. Plan a series of things to do, and, as you start rolling your plan, the buzz will not fizzle out.
d. Don’t flog a dead horse: If something isn’t going to work, move on. Understand fads – they pick fast and end abruptly with the next new thing. If you have chosen your early adopters well, it will not take time before you get feedback. If they are not talking it may simply mean you are on the wrong trajectory. Don’t expect them to, move on.
For example, you may have a new brand of flavored water. Your natural early adopters may be sportspeople, your brand ambassador an athlete. Now if the lot of sportspeople who try it say the flavor makes them thirstier and they would have preferred something that makes them cooler and feels fresher you may want to immediately move to a new flavor or none and focus on the bottling. A shape and size that is comfortable to carry or that could act as a weight that adds value to their routine. You may not have changed the product but they will start talking about it because of the convenience and added value.
e. Think outside the box: if it is in a manual, it is normal. You have to think beyond what has been the norm. When seeking ideas that make you remarkable, they are not, cannot be in a manual or book. Read the books and manuals but look at your target market to come up with something fresh.
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