I mentioned several months ago why Groupon was wrong for your window cleaning business and apparently I wasn’t the only one that thought so. An article published over the weekend details their current financial struggles and reminds us that using Groupon for marketing does not do small business owners any favors. In fact, they get the short end of the stick when dealing with a company that can be compared to a “sub prime lender”. The author, Rocky Agrawal over at Venturebeat.com, even goes on to say that:
For U.S. based businesses, the only time I can definitely recommend running a Groupon is if it is otherwise going to go out of business.
That’s pretty harsh! If you need to be reminded why this is true, read our previous post on this epic fail. There are so many other ways to advertise without risking your bottom line. The key to your marketing success is not putting all your faith in a passing fade, like Groupon, but rather in constantly testing to see what works for you and your business.
Do your clients (new and existing) respond to a personal phone call or mail? Do fliers left on doorknobs work for you or do informational newsletters do the trick? Try new things and see what gets the best response. Think about what you like when you are being marketing to.
Personally, I respond to “outside the box”. A single serve microwave popcorn was once mailed to my home with a funny note: We loved to pop by and see you! That got my attention. What gets yours? Funny? Informational? Statistics? Pretty pictures?
I also know what I don’t like. I hate stuff shoved next to the flag of my mailbox (pay for a stamp). I hate stuff left on my front door or, worse, the new “stickie note” fliers stuck right on my garage door. I hate fliers on my windshield and I know for a fact that in most municipalities in Southeastern Michigan, it is illegal. What are your pet marketing peeves?