We market our small business on the bedrocks of provenance, quality and freshness, none of which would mean Bob Diddly if we didn’t back them up by giving the detail, telling the story.
For me big business marketing has long lost its sheen.
Clever advertising can be entertaining, but when you get down to it generating brand familiarity with snappy phrases, catchy tunes and neat labelling is nowhere near enough in this age of information. It leaves a great void of important knowledge about products, fundamental detail that is increasingly valuable.
This is where small businesses have a vital, increasingly important edge.
I firmly believe that in our sector of food, possibly in all trades, the customer wants to know more than ever the source, the ethics and the person they are trusting, and by putting both a face and reason to your business you build a stronger base.
Anonymity has been commonplace.
We are all changing that. The personal contact, maybe underpinned by an understanding of why you believe in so passionately about what you do, fosters trust and customer loyalty, and is something of increasing value.
So tell that story, give people what they increasingly appreciate is necessary. They don’t just want the essentials of a great product, great service and value for money; more and more people also appreciate the detail and certainty, to identify with the person they are relying on.
Sometimes we cannot compete on price, but both we – and a rapidly expanding number of customers – know the great worth of the adage “you get what you pay for”.
