Rick Strater takes his turn at the Area 224 microphone today. Met Rick yet? He’s the other co-founder of 12 Minute Marketing. And he’s hungry…for the right messaging.
How many times have you seen that sign? It makes me crazy! What kind of messaging is that?
“Wow! That sign says that restaurant has good food. Pull over! I really want to go there than to any of those other restaurants that clearly serve bad food since they aren’t telling me they have ‘good food.'”
Another of my pet peeves is “Low Prices.”
Same reaction – “Let’s go there…now! I need some of those low prices.”
And when you combine them – Good Food/Low Prices — you have a real winner. Who wouldn’t want to go there instead of a restaurant that serves lousy food at really high prices?
Seriously, these signs are often four or five feet tall, so they’re not trying to send subliminal messages. These restaurants and retailers are trying to differentiate themselves and send important messages to their customers and prospects.
Frankly, these have just the opposite effect on me. If you’re blatantly shouting to me that you have good food and low prices, I’m immediately skeptical.
Now in fairness, I’m biased. I remember reading a review by a food critic that described the food at a local restaurant as being “like gold on the palate.” I think he made a typo. It was “like gold on the plate” because he was clearly getting a kick back for recommending such awful food. The fact that the atmosphere was worse than the food just added to my delight…
What’s the point of my grumbling? When you think about how to position your brand, you need to put a little more effort into the process. This messaging is really an important part of your marketing mix. Don’t take it for granted. What makes you different? What value are you bringing to your customers? Your business is worth the time and effort it takes to get your messaging right!
Hear more from Rick as part of the 12 Minute Marketing program. You can check out the Sample Lessons through this link.
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