The important info, please

Have you ever spent a Sunday afternoon house-hunting based solely on Open House signs? I have, and let me tell you, the average Open House sign leaves much to be desired.

Let's review of what is on a typical sign:
1. "Open House"
2. Real Estate Company/Broker name (here it's "Coldwell Banker")
3. Realtor's name (e.g., "Smith & Smith Realtors")
4. Directional arrows

That's fine and dandy if there are enough signs for me to follow each turn, but I've missed the house I was trying to find too many times to count. Don't realtors realize this happens? Why not fix the problem? Here are my suggestions:
1. Don't waste prime real estate saying "Open House." It's Sunday afternoon. We know what those metal signs are for. Let other realtors waste space with a large "Open House" sign.
2. Address, please. Like I said, I've missed the house I was looking for a number of times because either I missed the next arrow or who-knows-what. It would have been wonderfully helpful to have known what the final destination was. I know, I know, it costs money to make riders with the address on it and that money comes out of your own pocket. But, wouldn't you rather spend a few bucks and make sure people find your open house? Besides, riders (6" x 24" signs that can be attached above or below the main sign) made from corrugated plastic are inexpensive and reusable. Call your local sign shop for a quote. (I like Access Signs in Aiea, HI 808-488-1795)
3. Make it as easy as possible for the customer to express interest. This point is for every piece you use to advertise, not just Open House signs... Let your potential customers know how to reach you. Give them at least a phone number. Even if you don't take suggestion #2 about the riders, do this one. If I get lost and I care enough to drive back to the last sign I saw, at least I can call you and ask you where I'm supposed to be going.

Here's another idea that I don't see implemented in Hawaii:

an Open House schedule on the For Sale sign. This is particularly helpful for properties on streets that get a lot of traffic.

For those of you who aren't realtors, you can still apply these general concepts:
1. Know your audience and find out how they find you. How? Ask them. When they come in the door, when they call you on the phone, when they send you an email, always ask them, "How did you hear about me?"
2. Think through their experience in finding you and see if there are ways you can make it easier for them or if you could gain more potential clients with a few modifications.
3. Put your contact information on everything. You don't have to put your office phone, cell phone, fax, email, street address, web address, digital pager, AIM ID, etc. on everything. But do make it as easy as possible for people to contact you. I'd suggest phone and website at a minimum. (If you have a good, up-to-date website with a short and memorable web address, put your URL on everything.)

Ubiquitous Supergeeks

There are some companies that I just hate working with.  When their bill comes across my desk every month, it reminds me how taken I am with them -- feeling like I'm taken advantage of, taken for granted, and taken to the cleaners.  As I begrudgingly send them a payment, I shake my head, wishing for an alternative.

I don't feel like that with Supergeeks.  I like Supergeeks.  They make me smile.  I see them everywhere and I don't mind at all.  When I see their marketing, I nod my head in approval. Wanna know what they're doing right?

Customer Service (an intangible, integral part of the Product)

Courteous, professional, helpful, accessible, friendly.  This is probably  the key to my liking Supergeeks so much.  From my first interaction with them over the phone until I called after I reached home with my fixed computer, they were all of these things.  (But offer stinky customer service and your customers won't rave about you no matter how well you do the rest.)

Competence (another integral part of the Product, also known as "quality")

When I had problems running Windows on my Mac, I got only  so far with the support at Mac's Genius Bar.  Mac supports their product, but won't touch Windows with a ten-foot pole.  And Windows doesn't give support, period.  So, I was kind of stuck... until  I found out Supergeeks was fluent in both PC and Mac.

They  fixed my problem and recommended solutions to me that I could choose from.  And they were able to talk to me in non-technical terms that I could understand.

Fairness (Pricing)

The cost of hardware and the repair was not exactly pocket change, but when a company adds value to the service you pay them for, you feel they've actually earned what you're paying them.  And you're glad to pay them... even if it makes you wince.

Convenience (Place/Distribution)

My computer is a laptop, so it was easy enough for me to take my computer down to the closest service center which is conveniently located less than ten minutes away, but they also have online and onsite repair available.  Supergeeks recently increased their convenience by teaming up with Hawaiian Telcomm at their service centers.  I thought that was brilliant -- way to take advantage of an opportunity!

Promotion

Since all of the above reasons show why I like Supergeeks so much, you can see why I cheer when I see their promotion.  Here are some of their best marketing practices :

• Column in PBN -- Owner James Kerr writes a column in the Pacific Business News that addresses computer issues like avoiding viruses and network security.  Having a regular column like this boosts credibility and people begin to see you as a resource.
  
• Spot on KHON2 morning news -- sometimes it's a little goofy (like the morning news crew), but it's usually timely.  Ditto the credibility and resource comment above.
  
• Videos on YouTube -- you can catch past morning news segments here as well as Supergeek mini racing. This reinforces that the company is technologically savvy.
  
• Supergeek vehicles -- those minis with the flashing lights are so cute!
  
• Free seminars -- furthering their Positioning/Branding that they are here to help you -- in Pearlridge Center and in downtown Honolulu
  
• Website -- totally integrated with a blog and media coverage, and takes advantage of their technical know-how by offering live chat with a tech, and easy Twitter signup
  
• Email newsletters -- sign up for the newsletter and get updates on the free seminars, latest virus news, and more. I look forward to learning something new when the latest newsletter hits my email inbox.
  
• Logo and mascot -- when we drive by Supergeeks on King Street, my son likes to shout "Supergeeks!" and remind me that they "helped mommy fix her computer when it was sick." (All that love from my son was bought at the price of a Supergeeks sticker they gave him when we picked up my fixed computer.)
  

I look forward to seeing what Supergeeks comes up with next.

Creative Packaging

We all know the 5 Ps of Marketing: Product, Pricing, Place (Distribution), Promotion, and Positioning. But there's a subcategory P that I like to think of when devising a marketing plan and that's Packaging. It's a little bit of promotion, a little bit of pricing, and a creative approach to the product. This past Christmas, I saw some creative packaging ideas at Sam's Club that made me smile and say (out loud!), "now that's clever."


This is a three-pack of similarly themed DVDs in a colorful, somewhat stylish carrying case for $23.50. I'm not a fan of baseball movies, so I can't speak to that, but I did like The Devil Wears Prada, and was somewhat amused by Legally Blonde, but never heard of In Her Shoes. The informal math I do in my head says $23.50/3=about $8 per DVD plus a free carrying case... makes a great gift for just a little more than $20. I didn't end up buying this one, but I thought it was a clever way to upsell to people looking to buy a DVD as a gift.



Another set of DVDs took a different angle on the same movie: selling it by the star. In this case, Legally Blonde was sold in a two-pack with Man in the Moon as Reese Witherspoon movies. Desperate, last-minute shopping is vulnerable to the logic of "I know she likes Keanu Reeves..." Other actors in this boat were Jim Carey, Morgan Freeman and Harrison Ford. Not appealing to me, but I'm sure it lured some buyers with it's cheap price point ($8.45) to buy movies that aren't selling that well anymore.


This one was my favorite:

The new release, Hancock, with an "exclusive beanie." When I first saw it, I laughed and walked away. But I liked the movie and the character Hancock reminds me of someone I had to buy a gift for. Sometimes he wears beanies when it gets cold. And this winter was pretty cold. So, after walking around Sam's Club, I came back and bought it. They got me to purchase a DVD when I normally wouldn't have.

$20 from my wallet to theirs. That's marketing!