Ideally, the cost of the promotion is offset by the revenue generated on the first sale, and the rest is gravy.

Put a pencil to it and see if you could actually let your potential customers experience a sample of the value you have to offer for free. If it’s really good, they’ll come back and pay for it next time. If they keep coming back and keep paying, you’ve got yourself a nice revenue stream.

If they tell others how happy they are with you, digitally or otherwise, they’re now doing your marketing for you.

For FREE!

The post The best things in life, and marketing, are FREE! appeared first on Dr. Burt.

How about a little trivia for starters? Did you know Veteran’s Day was originally called “Armistice Day?”

“To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations.” – Woodrow Wilson, U.S. President 1913-1921

I know a lot of my readers have worn our country’s uniform. I have floated the idea out there in years past of asking you to let me list your name on Veteran’s Day just so I can give you a little much deserved, likely far overdue, recognition for your service to our country. I have typically received a lot of resistance from you service men and women who I am fortunate enough to have as readers when I have in the past reached out with the request to list your name in a post on Veteran’s Day or the 4th of July. You’re always very polite but adamant in your refusal. You say you don’t want that kind of attention, that it wouldn’t be appropriate since you were just doing your duty. Many of you even try to downplay the importance of what you have done for your country as a result of your service. I respectfully disagree, but I also respect your wishes.

That being said, I won’t be naming you by name in this post, but I would appreciate your allowing me to express my thanks and that of my family for your service to our nation for your contributions to our FREEDOM. And if you say I’m overdoing it because you just “did your duty” or that you weren’t in harms way during your service, may I ask you to go back and re-read the oath you took when you joined the armed forces? Did it not say that you basically were committing to give your life for your country if necessary? That’s pretty significant in my estimation.

If you’d do like to read more about why I feel so strongly about Veteran’s Day, you may do so here. I’d appreciate it, in fact.

And if you are a veteran and are reading this, my apologies if such recognition makes you uncomfortable, but please know your service is something my family appreciates greatly. Lest we forget…

There can be no real peace while one American is dying somewhere in the world for the rest of us.” – Ronald Reagan

The post Veteran’s Day 2022 appeared first on Dr. Burt.

I think this tactic would work for just about any brand, so give it some thought.

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Who your target market is going to be.

One of my favorite marketing authors liked to fancily call this “customer selection.”

The reason this is  the most important decision you’ll make (and continually make) is because your every action thereafter will be about how to use your limited resources to provide value to those customers, for which you will receive value in return.

The best customers equal the best returns.

It is a huge investment, so make that investment decision wisely.

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Tom Landry, the late coach of the Dallas Cowboys, used to tell his players that everyday they had to do what they didn’t want to do, so someday they’d have what they always wanted. Certainly that’s true. But the thought of a distant reward seems to become a more and more unpleasant thought when we live in a society where we’re so conditioned to instant gratification.

So why not practice some instant gratification with your goal setting?

Instead of waiting until you achieve the ultimate goal, take a moment and celebrate every time you take an action toward it. Especially if that requires that sacrifice of doing what you don’t want to do.

For example, if weight loss is your goal, next time you decide to pass on dessert, don’t be disappointed. For that matter, don’t even put the most focus on the fact that this short-term commitment will lead to that long-term goal you’ll celebrate when you step on the scale, however distant that may be in your future. Instead, why not congratulate yourself right then and there for just having the discipline to make the harder choice that moves you closer to that goal?

Adopt that attitude and you may find you not only get to enjoy the journey as much as the destination, but you may change your whole attitude toward the practice of discipline, which could in turn help you create a much more powerful habit.

“Don’t count the days; make the days count.” – Muhammad Ali

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If the next question is, “Does that mean billboards don’t work?”, the answer is also “No.”

Yes, I am aware that it is 2022 and there are plenty of more sophisticated marketing tools we could be discussing, but hear me out…

Using billboard advertising to flank your other marketing messaging can be very effective as a way to really raise your visibility among your target audience. It could even help create the impression that they “see you everywhere,” which in turn can help raise your credibility, keep you top of mind if your product is in the consideration set for their purchase decision, promote your overall brand, and so on, all of which could help result in your cash register ringing.

Whether billboard advertising is a good component of your marketing strategy will depend on your specific situation and your specific budget, of course, but billboards may at least be worth a look.

“I know half the money I spend on advertising is wasted. I just don’t know which half.” – John Wanamaker

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In his timeless classic, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, Dale Carnegie advised us to count our blessings, not our troubles. This not only helps avoid stress but can help foster an attitude of gratitude and help us attract so much more good in our lives. True when Mr. Carnegie first wrote it and true today.

My family and I rate your support very high on the list of things we are grateful for this year just as we have been for so many years.

From our family to yours, THANK YOU, and our very best wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving!

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”
—Oprah Winfrey

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This can be as simple as just doing something different from, or better than, your competition. Nothing at all wrong with simple, after all, and maybe even being “better” wouldn’t require that much extra effort or expense.

But the big question is whether or not what you think is your competitive advantage is actually a sustainable competitive advantage. In other words, how difficult  would it really be for your competition to replicate what you’re doing? Or do it better?

One of many examples can be found in the concept of “aluminum-free deodorant.” I remember seeing a new brand on the shelves a year or so ago and thinking that was a neat idea. As more and more health concerns around how having aluminum in products could result in us ending up with aluminum in our bodies began to mount, a product that was aluminum-free definitely had some appeal. Enough appeal to allow aluminum-free brands to even command a higher price than traditional deodorants that contained aluminum.

While I applauded the idea, I wondered at the time how hard it would be for the established brands to reformulate their deodorants and offer their own aluminum-free products. I had my answer almost as soon as I asked the question. If you’ve been on the deodorant aisle lately, you know that if you’re looking for an aluminum-free deodorant, you’ve got plenty of brands to choose from.

I’ll go ahead and predict that “aluminum-free” will become the new standard in deodorant.

That being the case, where’s the competitive advantage in being “aluminum-free” if everyone else’s product is made with an “aluminum-free” formulation as well?

The big strategic question you have to ask yourself is this: “Is your competitive advantage sustainable?” Really, truly, sustainable?

Incidentally, this isn’t just good advice for the seller, but for the astute investor as well. Here’s what Warren Buffett has to say about the matter:

“The key to investing is not assessing how much an industry is going to affect society, or how much it will grow, but rather determining the competitive advantage of any given company and, above all, the durability of that advantage.” – Warren Buffett

So a great strategic lesson to reflect on constantly is this: If your competitive advantage isn’t sustainable, it isn’t a competitive advantage.

The post If your competitive advantage lacks this, it isn’t a competitive advantage… appeared first on Dr. Burt.