Yesterday as I sat down to get a haircut, I noticed that for
first time that I was only customer in shop. My barber anxiously asked, "Are stores empty where you work?" He told me that 40% of his business has eroded; half of his customers had moved away and others had been laid off.Reality has hit his small business. Business is off in most sectors. People are staying home, seeking comfort and familiarity. I hear same cry everywhere I go—"We need more customers!"
Small businesses don't have advertising budgets of large companies to lure customers back with special deals. And government's messages to "go spend more" have right intent, but do not direct customers to doorsteps. How can small businesses reach these customers?
STRETCH YOUR TENTACLES!
With some imagination, will power and a technique I call "Octopus Marketing," small business owners can create new opportunities to increase sales.
Octopus Marketing is ability to make one marketing effort produce multiple effects, increasing returns without increasing effort. By tapping an Octopus on head, its tentacles stretch out and reach in different directions. Business owners can do same thing. By leveraging their own value and partnering with other businesses or organizations, a single marketing event can pay off again and again.
The head of octopus is any organization or group of business owners that partners together to reach more customers. Each member of organization or business is one of tentacles. It works like this:
First break rules. View other small businesses as partners, not competition. In these uncertain times, small business owners need to band together and develop a unique marketing program that will pull customers to neighborhood, into stores or onto web pages.
Observe how other merchants, whether they are florists, produce stands, café owners or optometrists, offer services and goods that benefit and support community. All of these products and services bring comfort and familiarity—which is exactly what customers are asking for right now!
