Actually, it's more of a late-evolving thought.
Here's an idea for a last minute PR event for those of you inclined or in need for some good & easy publicity.
Set up a Halloween Safety Stop either at your firm or somewhere close where trick or treaters can go if they feel scared or threatened or if they just need a rest. Get a tent from your vault company and set it up in your parking lot or nearby park or other high traffic (foot traffic, that is) area for kids trick or treating. Coordinate with your local police/sheriff to have an officer there (better yet, the DARE car if they have one, or their Department mascot or McGruff the Crime Dog, you get the idea. )
Have candy to hand out, maybe bottles of water for the parents. Giveaways are always good, people love the freebies. Decorate with hay bales, cornstalks and Jack o'Lanterns.
Then publicize the heck out of it. Send press releases to the radio/TV/newspapers. Mention in the TV releases that there are photo ops of kids and the families, or the DARE car or McGruff if you get him, and make sure you're set up by 4:00pm so that a TV crew can set up and do a live broadcast from your spot for the 5 o'clock news.
If you do it right, you can probably get this done for $200 or less. You'll get a lot of exposure and good PR in exchange for that paltry sum.
Just food for thought!
Happy Halloween! (My personal favorite holiday, in case you were wondering.)
Dan
www.guerrilladirector.com
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Merry Christmas, Norman Rockwell!
My soon to be new boss was walking me through on a tour of the funeral home. He spoke with misty eyes and froggy throat about the years of family tradition and his personal favorite...their holiday remembrance service.
"The music, the fireplaces crackling, the tree and decorations...it just feels like Christmas."
He also told me that the owners and staff were just like one big happy family. He failed to specify that he meant the Manson family. :) But I digress.
If you haven't jumped on the holiday program freight train yet, I highly recommend you do so now, while the pumpkins are still in the windows, so you have time to plan it appropriately.
I'll leave it to you whether you think it should be an open house type format, or a memorial remembrance service...you should do whatever you believe your community would like. Saturday or Sunday afternoons are times when these have been most successfully held.
Whatever you do...go heavy on the Norman Rockwell.
Music, food, decor-think Martha Stewart meets the Saturday Evening Post. Sights, smells, sounds, tastes-here's your ultimate chance to do some serious primal marketing. Wrap up the experience in a neat little bow and reap the benefits of making numerous primal connections with your community. Lucky for you, it happens to be just before one of the busier times of the year!
Inside and out...deck the halls. But do it right. Too much is gaudy...too little makes it look like an afterthought. If you have the budget...consult with an interior designer (or if you don't, talk to a friend or acquaintance whose house is always the best in the bunch). At the very least, pick up Southern Living, Better Homes and Gardens, Martha Stewart or any of their ilk when they have their special holiday issues. Page through until you see a style that harmonizes with your firm's architecture and interior design. When in doubt, ask a professional. Ambience sets the tone for the whole experience...do it right or not at all.
Here's one of the tricky parts-if you decide to pursue the remembrance service event, avoid asking your favorite preacher to host it. Instead, reach out to a new pastor or priest. It's a great opportunity to connect with them and introduce not only to the community, but to your firm and staff in a way that's more comfortable for them. After all, they've all done Christmas services before...at least they should have. The firm I worked with used both a Catholic priest and a Protestant minister for each holiday event, inviting new ones every year. This actually worked out quite well, and we made sure to give each one equal billing and time.
Music is very important. Low budgets might have the local school choir (acappella if they have one) or bigger budgets have a string quartet, or quality soloist.
The final touch would be your refreshments...these can be simple, easy and low-cost. Christmas cookies and punch, coffee, hot chocolate, hot cider. Easy stuff to buy at a warehouse club or local bakery. You can't go wrong by offering more, but don't feel like you need to.
The true guerrilla would make sure the attendees leave with a meaningful parting gift with some lasting memory value. An ornament for the tree, a wreath lapel pin, a Christmas tree seedling, etc. After all, they took the time on their weekend to come see you when they didn't have a need to. Reward them with some thoughtful planning and an inspiring event, and they'll reward you with their dollars later.
Thanks for the comments that keep coming! And for those curious among you, no one other than the reader I mentioned last week stepped forward in defense of Proper English. Bad grammar carries the day!
Here's to a profitable last quarter for us all!
Warm Autumn Wishes,
Dan Heaman, CFSP
The Guerrilla Director
http://www.guerrilladirector.com/
PS - No one was able to guess the quote from the last post - it was Kurt Cobain.
I'll make the same offer this time for this quote - a free one-on-one hour long coaching session to the first one to correctly name the author:
"The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple."
Peace,
D
"The music, the fireplaces crackling, the tree and decorations...it just feels like Christmas."
He also told me that the owners and staff were just like one big happy family. He failed to specify that he meant the Manson family. :) But I digress.
If you haven't jumped on the holiday program freight train yet, I highly recommend you do so now, while the pumpkins are still in the windows, so you have time to plan it appropriately.
I'll leave it to you whether you think it should be an open house type format, or a memorial remembrance service...you should do whatever you believe your community would like. Saturday or Sunday afternoons are times when these have been most successfully held.
Whatever you do...go heavy on the Norman Rockwell.
Music, food, decor-think Martha Stewart meets the Saturday Evening Post. Sights, smells, sounds, tastes-here's your ultimate chance to do some serious primal marketing. Wrap up the experience in a neat little bow and reap the benefits of making numerous primal connections with your community. Lucky for you, it happens to be just before one of the busier times of the year!
Inside and out...deck the halls. But do it right. Too much is gaudy...too little makes it look like an afterthought. If you have the budget...consult with an interior designer (or if you don't, talk to a friend or acquaintance whose house is always the best in the bunch). At the very least, pick up Southern Living, Better Homes and Gardens, Martha Stewart or any of their ilk when they have their special holiday issues. Page through until you see a style that harmonizes with your firm's architecture and interior design. When in doubt, ask a professional. Ambience sets the tone for the whole experience...do it right or not at all.
Here's one of the tricky parts-if you decide to pursue the remembrance service event, avoid asking your favorite preacher to host it. Instead, reach out to a new pastor or priest. It's a great opportunity to connect with them and introduce not only to the community, but to your firm and staff in a way that's more comfortable for them. After all, they've all done Christmas services before...at least they should have. The firm I worked with used both a Catholic priest and a Protestant minister for each holiday event, inviting new ones every year. This actually worked out quite well, and we made sure to give each one equal billing and time.
Music is very important. Low budgets might have the local school choir (acappella if they have one) or bigger budgets have a string quartet, or quality soloist.
The final touch would be your refreshments...these can be simple, easy and low-cost. Christmas cookies and punch, coffee, hot chocolate, hot cider. Easy stuff to buy at a warehouse club or local bakery. You can't go wrong by offering more, but don't feel like you need to.
The true guerrilla would make sure the attendees leave with a meaningful parting gift with some lasting memory value. An ornament for the tree, a wreath lapel pin, a Christmas tree seedling, etc. After all, they took the time on their weekend to come see you when they didn't have a need to. Reward them with some thoughtful planning and an inspiring event, and they'll reward you with their dollars later.
Thanks for the comments that keep coming! And for those curious among you, no one other than the reader I mentioned last week stepped forward in defense of Proper English. Bad grammar carries the day!
Here's to a profitable last quarter for us all!
Warm Autumn Wishes,
Dan Heaman, CFSP
The Guerrilla Director
http://www.guerrilladirector.com/
PS - No one was able to guess the quote from the last post - it was Kurt Cobain.
I'll make the same offer this time for this quote - a free one-on-one hour long coaching session to the first one to correctly name the author:
"The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple."
Peace,
D
Sunday, October 14, 2007
A Little Sugar Helps The Medicine Go Down!
Greetings Friends!
Sorry for the unusual absence...time is a precious commodity and that being said, let's call the meeting of the Order of The Sleepless Knights to order, please! (With apologies to Mr. Buffett!)
There's something to be said about rattling cages, and my article on FuneralWire provoked an interesting reponse from one of the readers.
This nice lady took me to task for the article I wrote about Holiday Marketing Plans...not about my theorys or observations, but my writing style. She found such things like my referring to our client families with the generic "Joe and Jane Jones" (a variation of the technique called Seussing, for all you copywriting folk out there) and my using vile words, like "crap."
Oh, crap.
As I typed a response to this reader (by the way, I'm ALWAYS read and respond to feedback from my readers, so if you want to weigh in, fire away!) I found myself befuddled and amused by her concerns, for this reason:
Due to years of our own selfishness and ineptitude, the crystal ball is murky at best. Don't we have more important things to address, like the future of our firms and our industry?
There are a number of us working to recharge and renew funeral service as we know it. My knowledge base is funeral service marketing/advertising, public relations, and customer service excellence. I write how I talk, which is one of the first rules they teach you in any successful writing course. Dutifully sit through your English classes, and if you choose to write as a vocation, bid Mr. Warriner goodbye and write how you speak.
So here's what my thoughts are:
Normal marketing article *snore*
Classroom style lecture *ditto*
Adhering to the Queen's English *major snore*
Best,
Dan Heaman, CFSP
The Guerrilla Director
http://www.guerrilladirector.com/
PS - Do I dare risk ruffling a few more feathers?...I'll give a free coaching session to the first person who emails me with the name of the person who said this:
"I'd rather be hated for who I am than loved for who I am not."
Have a great week!
D
Sorry for the unusual absence...time is a precious commodity and that being said, let's call the meeting of the Order of The Sleepless Knights to order, please! (With apologies to Mr. Buffett!)
There's something to be said about rattling cages, and my article on FuneralWire provoked an interesting reponse from one of the readers.
This nice lady took me to task for the article I wrote about Holiday Marketing Plans...not about my theorys or observations, but my writing style. She found such things like my referring to our client families with the generic "Joe and Jane Jones" (a variation of the technique called Seussing, for all you copywriting folk out there) and my using vile words, like "crap."
Oh, crap.
As I typed a response to this reader (by the way, I'm ALWAYS read and respond to feedback from my readers, so if you want to weigh in, fire away!) I found myself befuddled and amused by her concerns, for this reason:
Due to years of our own selfishness and ineptitude, the crystal ball is murky at best. Don't we have more important things to address, like the future of our firms and our industry?
There are a number of us working to recharge and renew funeral service as we know it. My knowledge base is funeral service marketing/advertising, public relations, and customer service excellence. I write how I talk, which is one of the first rules they teach you in any successful writing course. Dutifully sit through your English classes, and if you choose to write as a vocation, bid Mr. Warriner goodbye and write how you speak.
So here's what my thoughts are:
Normal marketing article *snore*
Classroom style lecture *ditto*
Adhering to the Queen's English *major snore*
Can you imagine if Stephen King wrote his tomes in the style of a textbook?
My goal is for YOU to feel as if we were sitting down together on a Friday at a tavern in our neighborhood...sipping a frosty one and talking about our week. This week's blog entry is all about you...how do you want me to present these morsels to you? Harvard Grammarian or Guerrilla Director? I want to do it the way YOU want me to!
Thanks for your time, and I look forward to your comments!Best,
Dan Heaman, CFSP
The Guerrilla Director
http://www.guerrilladirector.com/
PS - Do I dare risk ruffling a few more feathers?...I'll give a free coaching session to the first person who emails me with the name of the person who said this:
"I'd rather be hated for who I am than loved for who I am not."
Have a great week!
D
Sunday, September 30, 2007
The Guerrilla Leader
"One who commands an army but does not know the techniques...will not be able to control men." - Sun Tzu THE ART OF WAR
"We have met the enemy and it is us."-From some comic strip whose name I can't recall.
Whether you are a location manager for one of the corporate chains or the owner of a small family firm you can and should heed the advice of our dear friend Mr. Tzu up there.
You see, we can be our own worst enemy.
Many managers or owners fail to live up to or acknowledge one shampoo simple strategy for major business success.
Treat your employees BETTER than your clients.
I see the dumbfounded looks of disbelief already!
Client families come and go, but your employees are there forever...at least you hope the good ones are, anyway.
"But Dan," you protest, "clients pay our bills."
"No" say I. "Your employees that serve them, make them happy and wow them so that they tell all of their friends. THEY pay your bills."
Without good employees, chances are, you're nothing.
I've seen the absolute destruction of one of the most talented staffs a funeral home could possibly want (by the owner's own words!) by incompetence and indifference to their employees.
Case in point - the firm in question used to have two employee appreciation parties a year. One in the summer and one around Christmastime. As of this writing, they've had none since 2003.
This is something the staff is keenly aware of, and has been brought to management's attention, and yet absolutely nothing has been done. No company appreciation for 4 years, despite record-breaking business growth.
Does that seem like wise or competent management to you?
I'll add something else...this same group thinks nothing of letting a few years go by without raises and then making small token raise amounts when they do get around to it.
How do you think those employees feel? Loved? Appreciated? Or taken advantage of?
As I watch this destruction as an observer from the sidelines, I cannot help but think of something that one of the employees told me. One of those rare quiet days, the funeral directors were sitting around enjoying the respite and shooting the breeze when the owner sashayed in the door. With exaggerated finger-pointing he called out gaily "overhead, overhead, overhead" as he motioned to each director.
I was told that the response to this "joke" was stunned silence from the staff. He might as well have slapped each of them in the face. For only a day or two before, when the staff was backed up against the wall handling more services and arrangements than they should have been able to, he didn't walk in and say "thank you, thank you, thank you" or "profit, profit, profit!"
He is his own worst enemy. Don't be yours.
Thanks for staying tuned...I've got lots of ideas for low cost and easy ways to reward your staff and help keep them motivated. Just send me an email with "employee rewards" in the subject line and I'll send you a copy!
Best,
Dan Heaman, CFSP
The Guerrilla Director
www.guerrilladirector.com
"We have met the enemy and it is us."-From some comic strip whose name I can't recall.
Whether you are a location manager for one of the corporate chains or the owner of a small family firm you can and should heed the advice of our dear friend Mr. Tzu up there.
You see, we can be our own worst enemy.
Many managers or owners fail to live up to or acknowledge one shampoo simple strategy for major business success.
Treat your employees BETTER than your clients.
I see the dumbfounded looks of disbelief already!
Client families come and go, but your employees are there forever...at least you hope the good ones are, anyway.
"But Dan," you protest, "clients pay our bills."
"No" say I. "Your employees that serve them, make them happy and wow them so that they tell all of their friends. THEY pay your bills."
Without good employees, chances are, you're nothing.
I've seen the absolute destruction of one of the most talented staffs a funeral home could possibly want (by the owner's own words!) by incompetence and indifference to their employees.
Case in point - the firm in question used to have two employee appreciation parties a year. One in the summer and one around Christmastime. As of this writing, they've had none since 2003.
This is something the staff is keenly aware of, and has been brought to management's attention, and yet absolutely nothing has been done. No company appreciation for 4 years, despite record-breaking business growth.
Does that seem like wise or competent management to you?
I'll add something else...this same group thinks nothing of letting a few years go by without raises and then making small token raise amounts when they do get around to it.
How do you think those employees feel? Loved? Appreciated? Or taken advantage of?
As I watch this destruction as an observer from the sidelines, I cannot help but think of something that one of the employees told me. One of those rare quiet days, the funeral directors were sitting around enjoying the respite and shooting the breeze when the owner sashayed in the door. With exaggerated finger-pointing he called out gaily "overhead, overhead, overhead" as he motioned to each director.
I was told that the response to this "joke" was stunned silence from the staff. He might as well have slapped each of them in the face. For only a day or two before, when the staff was backed up against the wall handling more services and arrangements than they should have been able to, he didn't walk in and say "thank you, thank you, thank you" or "profit, profit, profit!"
He is his own worst enemy. Don't be yours.
Thanks for staying tuned...I've got lots of ideas for low cost and easy ways to reward your staff and help keep them motivated. Just send me an email with "employee rewards" in the subject line and I'll send you a copy!
Best,
Dan Heaman, CFSP
The Guerrilla Director
www.guerrilladirector.com
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Bling bling has no place in funeral business!
Here's one of my least favorite attributes of some of our esteemed colleagues... Bling, bling. Overdressing. No matter how successful you are (or want to appear to be) you should give serious consideration to the amount/style/visibility of the jewelry you choose to wear. The same goes for designer clothes and luxury cars. It's very hard to argue that funeral costs are not out of whack when the funeral home owner drives a Rolls-Royce, wears giant flashy rings/necklaces/earrings and brags about what was paid for his/her suit, etc.
Plain and simple-it's UNPROFESSIONAL.
Before too many of you get fired up, let me state that I have no argument with anyone enjoying the fruits of their successful business. You work hard, and you deserve it. However, the families you serve should not have their noses rubbed in the obvious fact that you are wealthy and they may not be.
Lest any of you think I'm exaggerating-come on, we all know of one (and probably more) funeral associate or colleague that fits this mold.
If you think that this sort of thing is acceptable, just try and place yourself in the families position. Your mom has just died, you're worried about whether or not the small life insurance policy is going to cover her funeral costs, and all of the sudden a swaggering character dripping in jewelry and wearing clothes that cost more than your last mortgage payment is trying to feed you a line about "just being here to help you."
And you're thinking, "Bull crap. This guy's going to try and take me to the cleaners."
An immediate sense of distrust is forming in your mind, and will color your opinion of the firm
that will simply be reinforced each time you see this person over the next few days. Even if the funeral director is the most honest and trustworthy person, their lack of judgement on professional attire torpedoes that image every time.
So the next time you're dressing for work, think about what message you want to send to your clients. Are you here to help them? Or is your manner of dress telling them that you really here to help yourself to their money?
Thanks for stopping by. You stay classy, funeral service!
Best,
Dan Heaman, CFSP
The Guerrilla Director
www.guerrilladirector.com
Plain and simple-it's UNPROFESSIONAL.
Before too many of you get fired up, let me state that I have no argument with anyone enjoying the fruits of their successful business. You work hard, and you deserve it. However, the families you serve should not have their noses rubbed in the obvious fact that you are wealthy and they may not be.
Lest any of you think I'm exaggerating-come on, we all know of one (and probably more) funeral associate or colleague that fits this mold.
If you think that this sort of thing is acceptable, just try and place yourself in the families position. Your mom has just died, you're worried about whether or not the small life insurance policy is going to cover her funeral costs, and all of the sudden a swaggering character dripping in jewelry and wearing clothes that cost more than your last mortgage payment is trying to feed you a line about "just being here to help you."
And you're thinking, "Bull crap. This guy's going to try and take me to the cleaners."
An immediate sense of distrust is forming in your mind, and will color your opinion of the firm
that will simply be reinforced each time you see this person over the next few days. Even if the funeral director is the most honest and trustworthy person, their lack of judgement on professional attire torpedoes that image every time.
So the next time you're dressing for work, think about what message you want to send to your clients. Are you here to help them? Or is your manner of dress telling them that you really here to help yourself to their money?
Thanks for stopping by. You stay classy, funeral service!
Best,
Dan Heaman, CFSP
The Guerrilla Director
www.guerrilladirector.com
Saturday, September 8, 2007
How I turned $500 into $75,000+ (and you can, too!)
One of the delightful marketing reps I've dealt with (for more than ten years now) once had gotten on my nerves so bad...I just didn't know how to tell her to take a hike.
You see, she was trying to rope me into signing up for a booth at "Bavarianfest," which was a local event sponsored by the Business Association (of which I was a member). The event would feature German food (and beer!), rides, polka bands, games and lots of booths from local businesses trying to huckster a few bucks from the locals.
Not exactly the funeral marketing sweet spot...or so I thought.
So I pondered this rotten dilemma, and came up with a half-hearted PR plan that I really didn't put much stock in. I would rent a booth ($50) and man it myself (in khakis and a polo shirt with the company logo on it-I always believe funeral folks are much more approachable in garments outside the realm of the suit). I would hand out left over giveaways items from previous events (pens, matches, scratch pads, calendars, etc.) and chocolate chip cookies (about $70 worth from the local bakery). I also requested the purchase of a 20" color TV ($200) to raffle off. To justify this expense to my superior, I showed him a raffle ticket I had designed for each entrant to complete, with one single but very important line at the bottom..."Are you interested in funeral prearranging? YES/NO." Those that circled YES would be contacted by our preneed counselor du jour and those that circled NO wouldn't be contacted. With a skeptical gleam in his eye, he agreed.
That evening, as I stood there sweating and mentally composing my resignation letter (which would surely be warranted after this dismal flop), I sipped a cold one and waited for the crowds to fly past me and crowd like vultures amongst the Avon and Shaklee Vitamin offerings to my left.
I never got to finish that resignation letter.
When people saw that I had nothing to sell, only freebies to snag and cookies to snarf, they came, they saw, they stayed. I got to hear all about how we buried Aunt Mabel back in '58 and everything was SOOOO beautiful. I got to hear about the late owner's generosity and college hijinks (I'm sure they had him confused with someone else...) and most were more than happy to enter in the drawing for the TV. At the end of the evening, I got up on stage to announce the winner of the drawing and was carrying the TV to the lady's car when she curtly informed me that she had her arrangements already made (at our competitor)...
ME-(forced phony smile)-"All that matters is that you've had the foresight to help you family like that."
I tried not to drop the TV too hard into her trunk.
The end result of that night was about 20 people indicating that they were interested in prearranging, and the preneed books swelled by more than $75000 from those interested folks.
An investment of less than $500, with advertising included and valuable PR opportunities to connect with people and a tidy sum in the old preneed bank. Hmmm, I think we could all use some "dismal flops" like that, eh?
I'd like to here of some brave things you all have tried...long shots that may or may not have worked. You never know when a little tweak might send that idea right to the bank!
Thank goodness fall is coming soon!
Best,
Dan Heaman, CFSP
The Guerrilla Director
www.guerrilladirector.com
You see, she was trying to rope me into signing up for a booth at "Bavarianfest," which was a local event sponsored by the Business Association (of which I was a member). The event would feature German food (and beer!), rides, polka bands, games and lots of booths from local businesses trying to huckster a few bucks from the locals.
Not exactly the funeral marketing sweet spot...or so I thought.
So I pondered this rotten dilemma, and came up with a half-hearted PR plan that I really didn't put much stock in. I would rent a booth ($50) and man it myself (in khakis and a polo shirt with the company logo on it-I always believe funeral folks are much more approachable in garments outside the realm of the suit). I would hand out left over giveaways items from previous events (pens, matches, scratch pads, calendars, etc.) and chocolate chip cookies (about $70 worth from the local bakery). I also requested the purchase of a 20" color TV ($200) to raffle off. To justify this expense to my superior, I showed him a raffle ticket I had designed for each entrant to complete, with one single but very important line at the bottom..."Are you interested in funeral prearranging? YES/NO." Those that circled YES would be contacted by our preneed counselor du jour and those that circled NO wouldn't be contacted. With a skeptical gleam in his eye, he agreed.
That evening, as I stood there sweating and mentally composing my resignation letter (which would surely be warranted after this dismal flop), I sipped a cold one and waited for the crowds to fly past me and crowd like vultures amongst the Avon and Shaklee Vitamin offerings to my left.
I never got to finish that resignation letter.
When people saw that I had nothing to sell, only freebies to snag and cookies to snarf, they came, they saw, they stayed. I got to hear all about how we buried Aunt Mabel back in '58 and everything was SOOOO beautiful. I got to hear about the late owner's generosity and college hijinks (I'm sure they had him confused with someone else...) and most were more than happy to enter in the drawing for the TV. At the end of the evening, I got up on stage to announce the winner of the drawing and was carrying the TV to the lady's car when she curtly informed me that she had her arrangements already made (at our competitor)...
ME-(forced phony smile)-"All that matters is that you've had the foresight to help you family like that."
I tried not to drop the TV too hard into her trunk.
The end result of that night was about 20 people indicating that they were interested in prearranging, and the preneed books swelled by more than $75000 from those interested folks.
An investment of less than $500, with advertising included and valuable PR opportunities to connect with people and a tidy sum in the old preneed bank. Hmmm, I think we could all use some "dismal flops" like that, eh?
I'd like to here of some brave things you all have tried...long shots that may or may not have worked. You never know when a little tweak might send that idea right to the bank!
Thank goodness fall is coming soon!
Best,
Dan Heaman, CFSP
The Guerrilla Director
www.guerrilladirector.com
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Enhancing Your Firm's Primal Appeal
Greetings! Here's hoping that you all are having a great week!
Here's some quick thoughts on your funeral firm's "primal" appeal...
Joe & Jane Consumer are literally pounded by hundreds or thousands of ad messages every single day...your commercial on the radio, TV or newspaper ad will likely fall into their mental recycle bin unless you happen to have something truly mentally sticky or unusual in your ad visuals or copy.
We're all jaded...in fact, even I, as somewhat of a marketing geek, love to hear some cloying advertising syrup on the radio and scream "CRAP!!!" at its conclusion. I can do this with just about any product, even those charity commercials that are designed to tug the heart strings all the way down to your wallet. Nowadays, there are a lot more defenses that marketing messages must traverse in order to hit home.
BUT...shhh...don't tell anyone....there IS a secret backdoor you can use that slices through those defenses - like a cruise missile launched at a bunch of hooting cavemen...
The secret is to trigger strong primal (almost animal) instincts in the consumer. It hits dead on in some subconscious subatomic particle area in the brain which has no defense.
There, my friend, is where you want to be.
Consider the Cracker Barrel restaurant chain. They have this technique NAILED. Here's how it goes:
You walk in on a cold winter day. After your seated, you notice a real wood burning fireplace and BAM...instant positive association. Fire signifies warmth, food, safety and light. This instant visual primally connects you to the source of the fire, (ie the restaurant). The smell of the wood burning and the tangible warmth reinforces the visual stimuli to confirm what the primal monkey is craving..."HERE ME FIND FOOD, FIRE WARMS ME" etc. etc. You get the idea.
Intermingling with the trigger scent of woodsmoke is the savory fragrance of food. Hearty food dishes that fill you up and are specially created (I assume) to be comfort-food based and BAM...another primal instinct trigger! Comforting foods usually bring forth memories of childhood, long lost relatives and past holidays...two positive primal associations made with one meal. The satisfaction of a large hearty dinner and memories of Christmas at Grandma's house + a roaring fire and you've got some serious primal connections with this place.
"Hey Dan," you say, "what's this got to do with me?"
You can use these same type of tactics not only on your client families, but on the visitors to their visitation/funeral/memorial services.
Using fireplaces (real wood are the most effective) at the right times, pleasantly scented air (food based scents are strongly attractive to the primal human), temperature modification
or a water feature inside (the sound of falling water and the action of waterfalls creates positive ions in the air-both will act as primal triggers) can create the sort of primal connection with a consumer that can sway in your direction the next time they have a need...and these primal connections often surpass other obstacles, such as physical distance.
Utilizing primal attraction factors in your firm could be just the boost you need to cut through the clutter and help more people find their way to you.
Keep cool to those of you (like me) that are "enjoying" this August weather!
Best,
Dan Heaman, CFSP
The Guerrilla Director
www.guerrilladirector.com
Here's some quick thoughts on your funeral firm's "primal" appeal...
Joe & Jane Consumer are literally pounded by hundreds or thousands of ad messages every single day...your commercial on the radio, TV or newspaper ad will likely fall into their mental recycle bin unless you happen to have something truly mentally sticky or unusual in your ad visuals or copy.
We're all jaded...in fact, even I, as somewhat of a marketing geek, love to hear some cloying advertising syrup on the radio and scream "CRAP!!!" at its conclusion. I can do this with just about any product, even those charity commercials that are designed to tug the heart strings all the way down to your wallet. Nowadays, there are a lot more defenses that marketing messages must traverse in order to hit home.
BUT...shhh...don't tell anyone....there IS a secret backdoor you can use that slices through those defenses - like a cruise missile launched at a bunch of hooting cavemen...
The secret is to trigger strong primal (almost animal) instincts in the consumer. It hits dead on in some subconscious subatomic particle area in the brain which has no defense.
There, my friend, is where you want to be.
Consider the Cracker Barrel restaurant chain. They have this technique NAILED. Here's how it goes:
You walk in on a cold winter day. After your seated, you notice a real wood burning fireplace and BAM...instant positive association. Fire signifies warmth, food, safety and light. This instant visual primally connects you to the source of the fire, (ie the restaurant). The smell of the wood burning and the tangible warmth reinforces the visual stimuli to confirm what the primal monkey is craving..."HERE ME FIND FOOD, FIRE WARMS ME" etc. etc. You get the idea.
Intermingling with the trigger scent of woodsmoke is the savory fragrance of food. Hearty food dishes that fill you up and are specially created (I assume) to be comfort-food based and BAM...another primal instinct trigger! Comforting foods usually bring forth memories of childhood, long lost relatives and past holidays...two positive primal associations made with one meal. The satisfaction of a large hearty dinner and memories of Christmas at Grandma's house + a roaring fire and you've got some serious primal connections with this place.
"Hey Dan," you say, "what's this got to do with me?"
You can use these same type of tactics not only on your client families, but on the visitors to their visitation/funeral/memorial services.
Using fireplaces (real wood are the most effective) at the right times, pleasantly scented air (food based scents are strongly attractive to the primal human), temperature modification
or a water feature inside (the sound of falling water and the action of waterfalls creates positive ions in the air-both will act as primal triggers) can create the sort of primal connection with a consumer that can sway in your direction the next time they have a need...and these primal connections often surpass other obstacles, such as physical distance.
Utilizing primal attraction factors in your firm could be just the boost you need to cut through the clutter and help more people find their way to you.
Keep cool to those of you (like me) that are "enjoying" this August weather!
Best,
Dan Heaman, CFSP
The Guerrilla Director
www.guerrilladirector.com
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