November 9, 2005

Intriguing name for a post, isn't it? It was even more compelling as the title of the American Marketing Association luncheon I attended yesterday in Portland, Oregon. John Jantsch, the founder of Duct Tape Marketing, was in town to reveal the 10 Natural Marketing Advantages of a Small Business.

Not surprisingly, John is a firm believer in the idea that bigger doesn't necessarily mean better - in fact, he says a growing number of large companies have recognized this and are now rushing to embrace their inner "smallness."

So what are these fabulous marketing advantages you wonder? They are:

1. Focus
2. Reach
3. Nurture
4. Surprise
5. Transform
6. Partner
7. Automate
8. Educate
9. Meaning
10. Play

I can't possibly do his presentation justice in writing, but I will highlight two of the points that I found particularly interesting: reach and surprise. For reach, John reminded the audience that small businesses are often extremely close to their customers - so close that they can "reach" out and touch them. From a marketing perspective, this means that a small business is in a much better position to conduct "true" market research on the fly because they can go straight to the source: a real customer with a real need.

Of course, this isn't to say big businesses can't do the same thing but it is a little harder and it takes a little longer.

In terms of surprise, John pointed out that a small company isn't burdened by ridiculous amounts of red tape or processes so it's easy to "surprise" customers (or partners or whatever) with a special discount or a random gift. He went on to say that people tend to remember these types of surprises -- and talk favorably about them for a long time. (Reminds of the experience Janet had with Umpqua Bank a while back.)

One other item I'll mention about the presentation is that I liked John's simple explanation of marketing: getting someone - with a need - to know, like and trust you.

Food for thought.

Posted by at November 9, 2005

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