Are we a guy in a suit?

[nominal]

If there is one thing I learnt about marketing in the last couple of years (and I have read a lot and know a little) - is that no one can tell me what will work and what will not work.

This means that I need to learn by myself and experiment a lot.

So one of the my next experiments is airing a 30 seconds TV commercial in a regional Australian TV network to try generate leads.

Now I know TV is about as focused marketing as a MLRS (I hope you don't know what that is) compared with a sniper rifle. But it is worth a shot.

So... I am producing a tv commercial which talks about the trouble of bookkeeping for small businesses and how Nominal can help.

The first version of the commercial is showing a guy with a suit as the business owner - which looked all wrong to me.

Is there a typical micro business owner? what is your image of yourself?

Anyway thanks for listening and I would love to hear any comments or ideas regarding the tv commercial.

Ah and please don't tell anyone from MYOB :-)

[gossipism]

this ad is getting pimped quite hard in Melbourne

was yours going to be something similar?

sorry if it was and you didnt know about this ad

[Visionlux]

Originally Posted by nominal

If there is one thing I learnt about marketing in the last couple of years (and I have read a lot and know a little) - is that no one can tell me what will work and what will not work.

This means that I need to learn by myself and experiment a lot.

So one of the my next experiments is airing a 30 seconds TV commercial in a regional Australian TV network to try generate leads.

Now I know TV is about as focused marketing as a MLRS (I hope you don't know what that is) compared with a sniper rifle. But it is worth a shot.

So... I am producing a tv commercial which talks about the trouble of bookkeeping for small businesses and how Nominal can help.

The first version of the commercial is showing a guy with a suit as the business owner - which looked all wrong to me.

Is there a typical micro business owner? what is your image of yourself?

Anyway thanks for listening and I would love to hear any comments or ideas regarding the tv commercial.

Ah and please don't tell anyone from MYOB :-)

Good question. I'd say go with your gut on this and get rid of the guy in the suit. That said, I wouldn't have a scraggly guy in boardies and thongs either!
Nice and neat is probably best, then again there may be a fair amount of tradies who will be looking to use your services. Maybe represent a diverse group of four if possible. Tradie, service (catering etc.) stay at home (semi casual/neat) and small brick and mortars businesses (salons etc..).

Being able to spot that flaw puts you miles ahead of most mate.

[AgentMail]

What about slacks and a polo shirt? Lot's of small business owners (myself included) go for the branded polo shirts, as a balance between smart and comfortable.

Particularly if you are going for a regional location, the demographic there is even less likely to be suit orientated.

[Khalid Adam]

no one can tell you what works but they can tell you what works for them and there are some fundamental truths to marketing that should not be messed with especially by small businesses.

Personally, i believe in emulating proven tactics than inventing my own. Swipe and deploy what works. most inventors are broke.

typical micro business owner? you bet. I suggest you research on creating your own customer avatar or profile. Write an ad that speaks to that person.

Problem : find out what keeps them up at night.

agitate it > > how long can u keep this going?, how do you expect things to change if nothing changes in your business?, don't let you competition get their hands on this..

Solution >>>peace of mind, success, more time, more money, family loves you, more friends, better lifestyle, sustainable business success, be an envy of you competition, etc

urgent Call to action - ask for "john" (that way you know it's from tv ad). offer to give out 100 reports on how to avoid getting ripped off by a book keeper or 10 questions to ask when hiring a book keeper, any valuable information that positions you as an expert. info you that you could sell but won't because it's a free for the first 100 or those who call in the next X minutes/hours. Please call back if the line is busy.

[David@Verve Recruitment]

Perhaps you can have more than one type of small business owner represented in the advert.

The tradie in their shorts with VB stubby in hand, the franchisor in their branded polo shirt and slacks, and the self employed "professional" in their business suit with briefcase.

It'll let people know that your services are suitable for all types of small businesses.

I think the advert that Gossipism mentioned is really good. The staff look professional, great tag line, and taps into the small business worker whilst they're clearly frustrated with their attempts at tackling the books.

[Couple It]

Instead of trying to guess how the different groups can be represented, why not go regional for a day and find these business owners?

I'm sure they wouldn't mind a 5 second shot of them at work if it could include some advertising...their sign written van in the background, inside their office with a logo shirt on...etc. etc.

You could gain some valuable insight into their requirements while you're there.

Wendy

[nominal]

Originally Posted by Couple It

why not go regional for a day and find these business owners?

That's an excellent idea. Talking to real customers over the phone has always been extremely valuable though it is often quite daunting.

I just watched this today on the subject on customer dialog -apparently is something that we (IT/developer maybe micro businesses in general?) are often afraid off. but it's the only way to learn what we're doing.

http://businessofsoftware.org/prevyear.aspx

Having said that I don't think I'll know regional Australia if it his me in the face - during my days here I managed to work for all the banks, energy companies and many government agencies but none of them are outside capital cities.

Thanks for your help everyone!

[Couple It]

Originally Posted by nominal

Having said that I don't think I'll know regional Australia if it his me in the face

Then you definitely need to get out there and meet your target market. You'll find your perception of who they are and what they need will probably be way off base.

Wendy
a regional West Aussie for more than half her life...and that's a long time !!

[Visionlux]

Originally Posted by Khalid Adam

no one can tell you what works but they can tell you what works for them and there are some fundamental truths to marketing that should not be messed with especially by small businesses.

Personally, i believe in emulating proven tactics than inventing my own. Swipe and deploy what works. most inventors are broke.

typical micro business owner? you bet. I suggest you research on creating your own customer avatar or profile. Write an ad that speaks to that person.

Problem : find out what keeps them up at night.

agitate it > > how long can u keep this going?, how do you expect things to change if nothing changes in your business?, don't let you competition get their hands on this..

Solution >>>peace of mind, success, more time, more money, family loves you, more friends, better lifestyle, sustainable business success, be an envy of you competition, etc

urgent Call to action - ask for "john" (that way you know it's from tv ad). offer to give out 100 reports on how to avoid getting ripped off by a book keeper or 10 questions to ask when hiring a book keeper, any valuable information that positions you as an expert. info you that you could sell but won't because it's a free for the first 100 or those who call in the next X minutes/hours. Please call back if the line is busy.

Mate, that was epic!
Clearly laid out and undeniably effective. I am now rewriting some of my copy to to follow this structure.
Thanks!