Business owners and marketing executives are constantly looking for subjects that capture the interest of their customers and communicate the value of the products and services that they offer.
We’ve all seen how celebrities are used in commercials and infomercials to effectively sell products. Some examples that come to mind are the George Foreman Grill, Chuck Norris and Christy Brinkley selling the Total Gym, and Jessica Simpson and Katy Perry appearing in Proactive infomercials.
We’ve also seen some infomercial pitch-persons become celebrities, such as Tony Robbins (Personal Power), Ron Popeil (Hair in a Can, Showtime Electric Rotisserie), and Mike Lindell (My Pillow.)
Most small businesses can’t afford the high fees that show business celebrities charge and yet they have access to individuals who can be just as interesting and possibly more believable, and who are possibly available at no charge. They are the customers who already use their products and services.
Sometimes these individuals are prominent in their communities. Sometimes they are simply neighbors that a few people know. Sometimes they are other business owners in the community.
Prospective customers and your other customers are more likely to identify with your other customers than with show business celebrities.
Why not have a “customer of the month” profile posted at your location, on your website, and in your newsletter? The profile could be in print, video or both. You can show what the individual or their family does – their business, their hobbies, their involvement in sports or the arts, their charitable activities, their community service activities – to develop human interest. You can show how your product or service contributes to their lives, possibly including a testimonial in their own words.
Dr. Gregg Nielson, a chiropractor in Waterford, Wisconsin, presents a framed copy of the profile to his “patient of the month.” Imagine local businesses displaying their profile, highlighting the benefits of your business, in their customer service area. Imagine having a “wall of fame” in your place of business displaying your “customers of the month”, which will grow over time. For local business owners, you are providing positive publicity for both of your businesses, with your own media.
You can also magnify the significance of the event of being “customer of the month” by giving another nice gift that can be displayed in the home or place of business, which can become a conversation piece. (“Where did you get that?”)
Don’t you think it will increase your business’s image as a provider of choice?
Don’t you think your “customers of the month” are more likely to become customers for life who will continue to do business with you again and again?
Don’t you think your “customers of the month” will be more likely to refer their friends and associates to your business?
Why not initiate “customer of the month” as part of your company’s marketing plan immediately?
I can help in that effort by interviewing and profiling clients for you. Contact Michael Gray at mgray@profitadvisors.com.