Speaking of Stunts…
For a startup or a small business, marketing is the elephant in the cash register. Among all the other expenses – payroll, rent, utilities, equipment – marketing is the most difficult on the list. You cannot forego the essentials… you have no choice on rent, or phone bill. But marketing and advertising always fall in the “if we have any money left over…” category. Look at it this way: You are planning a dinner party. You set a gorgeous table with candles, china, silver and crystal… prepare the finest food products… but just run out of steam when it’s time to deliver the invitations. Now, that’s a shame, because nobody will show up.
You must consider a marketing budget to be as essential as meeting payroll or paying the rent on time. Marketing is, after all, an investment in future earnings.
Conventional wisdom used to say that an established company should aim at spending about 3 to 5 percent of its gross on advertising. I don’t think anyone knows the magic number, especially when it comes to a startup. And, there are more guerilla-type options than ever with the Internet, cell phones and all the other digital and wireless technology we have.
That’s why so many people are looking to public relations stunts to try to get attention for their business. Yes. they are stunts. Why not use the real word? And, they have proven themselves to work time after time.
Even Mt. Rushmore, South Dakota’s majestic and somber national attraction, was conceived in 1924 by the state’s director of tourism to try to attract visitors to the state! Cha-ching.
There are countless success stories of PR stunts that caught on and blew everybody away. Of course, for a small business, it’s a matter of scale… you need not carve faces into a nearby mountain to get attention.
Look around in your market area to find any one of dozens of opportunities. Own a holiday, like St. Patrick’s Day or Arbor Day. Contests are great, and contests for kids are solid gold. Plan a parade of kids who have decorated their bicycles, and award prizes. Buzz, buzz, buzz.
Set up something in or outside your local shopping mall – a booth or demonstration of some kind. The possibilities are endless and only limited by your product or service, your market area, your budget and your imagination!
