50 marketing mistakes / Mistake #09
Mistake #09 of 50Don’t put your logo on something nobody wants.
Your logo doesn’t magically make a bad product useful.
What it costs you
Junk with a logo is still junk.
Take a walk through your own house.
There’s a magnet on the refrigerator. A jar opener in the kitchen drawer. A T-shirt from the charity 5K in the closet. You still wear it.
Every one of those businesses is still in your home. Some of them for years.
Now think about the giveaways you threw away. You don’t remember a single name on them.
If they won’t keep it, don’t buy it.
A real example
The jar opener in the drawer
A realtor helps a young family buy their first house.
At the closing, along with the keys, she hands them a jar opener with her name and number on it. Nothing expensive.
It goes in the kitchen drawer. It gets used every couple of weeks. Pickles. Salsa. The spaghetti sauce that never wants to open.
Eight years go by. The family needs a bigger house. “Who should we call to sell this place?”
Somebody opens the drawer to find a pen. Her name is right there.
She didn’t send them an ad every week for eight years. A $2 jar opener did the job for her.
It worked because it was useful. A logo on something nobody uses never makes it to the drawer.
Why it happens
Why junk gets ordered
Your name on junk doesn’t say “remember us.” It says “we didn’t really think about you.”
Do this instead
Set the scene first.
Before you look at a single product, stop. Picture one real customer, and answer six questions. Answer them, and the right item almost picks itself.
| Ask | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Who is it for? | One real customer. Not “everybody.” |
| Where are they? | The kitchen, the office, the car, the ballfield on Saturday. |
| When do they reach for it? | The morning coffee. The dead phone. The leak at 9 p.m. |
| How will they use it? | Every day, every week, or once a year when it really counts. |
| Where does it live afterward? | The refrigerator, the desk, the keychain, the closet. |
| Would you keep it? | If you wouldn’t, they won’t. |
Imagine an auto shop that puts a tire pressure gauge in the glovebox of every car it services. One morning, the tire light comes on. They reach into the glovebox, and there’s the shop’s name. That’s a thing somebody wants.
Do this today
- 1
Walk through your kitchen, your desk, your car and your closet.
- 2
Write down every business name you find, and how long it’s been there.
- 3
Notice which ones you still use. Those are the ones that got it right.
- 4
Pick the one spot in your customer’s life you want to own.
Somebody else’s name is already in your house. Now go get yours into theirs.
Stolen from the masters · Robert Cialdini
In 1984, a psychology professor wrote a book called Influence, about why people say yes. One of his big ideas is called reciprocity. In plain words:
“When someone gives us something, we feel like we want to give something back.”
But only when the gift is worth having. Hand them something useful, and they want to call you back. Hand them junk, and nothing comes back.
From the book
Chapter 7: People Keep What You Hand Them
Starts on page 57. The whole chapter, plus 250+ ways to market your business, in the free book.
Download the free bookIdeas that fix it
Things people actually keep.
Idea 88 · book page 305Jar Openers$0.75–$2 eachLives in the kitchen drawer and gets used.
Idea 122 · book page 322Tire Pressure Gauges$2–$6 eachLives in the glove box for years.
Idea 180 · book page 351Power Banks$10–$30 eachRescues people when their phone is dying.
Idea 164 · book page 343Cutting Boards$6–$18 eachUsed constantly in the kitchen.
Idea 82 · book page 302Key Tags & Keychains$0.50–$4 eachRides on someone's keys every single day.
Idea 93 · book page 308Microfiber Cleaning Cloths$1–$3 eachCleans glasses and screens every day.Want a plan full of things your customers will keep?
Our team hand-curates a marketing plan for your business, your location and your market. Free, and ready in 2 to 3 business days.