I talked to a small business owner recently who has a lot of great advertising already implemented. He knows he has to deliver more than the customer expects… and he knows his marketing has to be different.
But some of his marketing efforts mention that his company has been around for 33 years. My question is – does anyone care? Do YOU care? Maybe to a few, but not like you wish it would. It’s because a lot of people have been burned by 25, 50, or even 100-year businesses. You may have a competitor that’s been in business for as long as you – or even longer. But I bet you can think of ways you’re better than them.
It does have SOME merit though. I would just tie a few stories into it. Explain how those 33 years have made you a better person and a better company. If you’d like to talk about longevity in business, I’d recommend saying something a little more than just how many years you’ve been around. How about something like this to give you an idea. It’s generic, but it might help you see what I’m talking about…
“I remember back when we first started out. It wasn’t easy and we had to learn on the run. Sure we’ve made some mistakes over the past 33 years, but I took a personal oath that I would learn from my mistakes and serve people better each and every day and each and every year. Looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing. I think we got to where we are today because we care about the customer. That had to come first. We knew that just ‘being in business’ wasn’t going to cut it. If we weren’t doing it better than the other guys, it would be a long tough road.”
Maybe you care about how long someone’s been in biz, maybe you don’t. But doesn’t it mean a heck of a lot more when you tell a story about it? After all, I’ve done business with veteran businesses before – and was still disappointed. And I’ve done business with newbies that had a lot of fire and energy in them and received excellent service.
I guess I just want you to be mindful of how to best use the number of years you’ve been in business in your marketing.
Have a great day!
Duane Christensen
Non-Fat Advertising
