Virgil Winston:Marketing Guru
As my Nana Winston used to say, “Keep it simple, Stupid!” The old gal was not a charming conversationalist, but she did know how to get her point across. Come to think of it, she wasn’t the soft hearted Nana a lot of folks were fortunate to grow up with—for example, she was fond of using the word, “Dummy!” when referring to one of us kids doing something, well, dumb. She never let me win me at Scrabble, made me help with the dishes and her idea of a bedtime story was reading my brother and I excerpts from the true crime novels she loved so much. But, I digress. The point is, she was a smart lady and, when it came to getting things done the right way, she knew what she was doing. Nana realized that overly fussy throw pillows and fancy doilies were a waste and believed that apple pie was a better dessert than a pomegranate soufflé.
The same applies to your promotional marketing plan. I’m not one to call names, so I’ll just say that sometimes simplicity is the smartest thing you can do for your company. Don’t over think your promotional plan; sometimes the best course of action is right there in front of you. We are smack dab in the middle of football season, so why not develop a promotion around America’s favorite sport? There are many things you can do to capitalize on the spirit of the season—sponsor a local peewee football team and parents and fans right in your neighborhood will see your name every game day. Or, you can plan a fun give-away around football. Show clients, employees and prospective customers that you can play with the big boys by gifting them with a game of Football Paddleball. If you have a storefront, consider creating a game day promotion for customers who enter your store . You can give away Colossal Football Twist Pens imprinted with your company logo to the first 100 people through the door. Offering an incentive will bring clients in, and offering a great take-away that includes your company’s logo will ensure that your name will go out into the world when they leave.
Tom Brady may be out for the season but you have plenty of opportunities to score for your company. So, get out there and play to win. I’ve got to go help my son with his Columbus Day school project—we’re creating buttons imprinted with Christopher’s picture to hand out to the class. Remember, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me—at least not for very long.”