About two weeks before Thanksgiving, the American consumer starts to get bombarded by Black Friday advertising: Buy Here! Spend More! Bigger Discounts! Doorbuster Deals! Every year, it seems get turned up another notch to the point that, in recent years, many stores open on Thanksgiving Day to get a jump on the competition.
On Black Friday, most retailers employ doorbuster deals – special prices on specific products available only when the store opens – to differentiate, begging consumers to visit their store first. While this tactic may work on a specific target audience seeking a specific product being offered, it’s hardly a point of differentiation and it certainly won’t lead to long-term loyalty. Why? Other than an early wakeup call following a turkey-induced coma, there is no value offered other than price.
Countless distributors with a "Black Friday Mentality" market themselves in a similar fashion by clogging the inboxes of their prospects/clients by offering them the latest supplier specials, simply letting them know that it can be “customized” with their brand. Today’s promotional product end user understands that your competition has access to the exact same product, likely from the same supplier, at a very similar (if not exact) price. Merely sending an email – an email that your competition will likely send as well – and hoping for an order is not going to add value to your audience nor will it build loyalty. Instead, you will end up slotting yourself as the lowest cost provider.
Rather than blindly passing a supplier special directly to your audience, take some time to think about how the client would use the product to achieve their objectives. In fact, you might want to contact your local supplier representative and ask for some collaborative help. They are the true merchandise experts and usually bring a different perspective – from how it has been successfully sold to the true benefits for your client. Together, you can formulate a quick plan to:
- Tailor a message that goes far deeper than simple price
- Target a specific audience that will truly benefit from using the merchandise
- Share a possible use for the product showing that you not only understand the prospect/client, but are continually thinking of ideas to help them
When your prospect/client receives your message that contains the above, you begin to separate yourself from your competition that just sends an email with special pricing. Sending a message that highlights only price will only lead you to lower profits and your prospect/client will view you as offering the least amount of value. Leverage your communication opportunities to ensure you are adding a value beside price and you will truly begin setting yourself apart from the distributors who have a "Black Friday Mentality."
Bill is president of PromoCorner, the leading digital marketing service provider to the promotional products industry, and has over 17 years working in executive leadership positions at leading promotional products distributorships. A featured speaker at numerous industry events, a serial creator of content marketing, president of the Promotional Products Association of the Mid-South (PPAMS), and PromoKitchen chef, Bill has extensive experience coaching sales teams, creating successful marketing campaigns, developing operational policies and procedures, creating and developing winning RFP responses, and presenting winning promotional products solutions to Fortune 500 clients. He can be reached at bill@PromoCorner.com.