By Holland Cooke
Consultant
Small businesses often underestimate their greatest competitive edge. It’s not price. It’s not selection.
It’s localness. Big companies spend millions trying to sound personal and relatable. Small businesses already are those things – yet they often fail to exploit their advantage.
Common small business marketing mistake: Trying to sound big, speaking in an unnatural tone, a kind of “corporate costume.” It sounds like: “We are committed to excellence” or “Our mission is to provide unparalleled service” or “We pride ourselves on quality and customer satisfaction.” That’s verbal Styrofoam. Nobody talks like this and nobody remembers this.
Local isn’t just location
It’s a feeling. When customers say they prefer to “shop local,” they don’t necessarily mean geographically close, independently owned/noncorporate. Those things do matter, but they’re not the heart of it.
What customers really mean is:
- “I feel like these people understand me.”
- “They get what matters here.”
- “They’re part of this place.”
- “They care about the same things I do.”
Local is emotional
It’s relational, human. Show that you understand the place your customers live by referencing familiar landmarks, acknowledging local quirks, using neighborhood names, mentioning local events, speaking the way locals speak. Explaining that the advertiser is “just off the rotary at the bridge” tells would-be customers: “We’re here. We get it.” Big brands can’t fake that.
Tout personal service:
“You can buy the same shed from Lowe’s or Home Depot, cash-N-carry. Buy yours at Lorraine Lumber and Paul Jr. will set it up in your back yard.”
This is the second installment in a 3-part series about optimizing commercial copy, the fundamentals we’re covering in Sales meetings as I visit client stations this spring. If you missed last week’s column, here’s “If It Doesn’t Matter to the Customer, It Doesn’t Matter.” Next week here: “Anatomy of a Results-Producing Spot.”
Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn