Quick Tip
Black (eye) Friday?
Happy Humpday!
How was your Thanksgiving? Find any good deals during this year's promotional season?
According to several news reports, this was a disappointing year in terms of deals. It seems the discounts weren't as deep, and the sales started way too early (I saw some promotions in October?!).
I think there's a lesson here for us service providers - even if you don't offer Black Friday deals.
Two big things have traditionally been behind Black Friday success:
- The Offer
- Scarcity
Scarcity is often faked, and fake scarcity is one of the reasons people hate marketing.
But a calendar-driven deadline for taking action is real scarcity. At least it used to be until the "big boys" started ruining that.
[note - the "reverse-deadline" is a great way for service professionals to employ scarcity. Hit me up if you want to learn more.]
Then there's the offer. A good offer has several components, but the one focused on during this time of year is price.
It's the lack of deep discounting being reported in the news. However, I can't help but wonder if the shallower discounts are related to the erosion of the traditional time boundaries.
What do you think? I'd love to hear about your experience both as a business owner and consumer. So hit reply and let me know.
Yours for smarter marketing,
Bill
913.962.9261
News, Tips, & Tricks
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Learn Facebook Ads Tips in Quick Audio Shots
Facebook expert Jon Loomer is sharing his knowledge of Facebook advertising in 30 minute Pubcast Shots.
More info and subscription links here
How to use Outlook’s new calendar board view to organize your work
Kanban boards are a nice way to track your projects, sales pipeline, and other lists and notes. And now you can manage Kanban boards inside of Outlook.
And this...
Amid shortages, our friends to the north must tap into their strategic reserves - for maple syrup.
Learn why 133 million pounds just wasn't enough.
Book of the Week
The Back of the Napkin (Expanded Edition):
An oldie but goodie I recently re-read - Dan Roam's book about solving problems and selling ideas with pictures.
Grab a copy on Amazon (affiliate link}
Tool of the Week
Airtable | Create apps that perfectly fit your team's needs
It's like a database and a spreadsheet had a baby that lives in the crowd. I've used it for all sorts of "mini-apps" for myself and my clients.
