By: Catherine Crosbie
A lot of people think that marketing is all about creating new stuff. New ideas, new campaigns, new slogans, new websites…
That’s a lot of work, it’s risky, and it’s not always necessary. More often than not, the best way to get better results and to generate more profit is to find inspiration from what you’ve already created. Ask yourself the following four questions:
# 1. Can you build onto what you already have to make something new?
Take Coca-Cola for example. They used the original soda recipe and added to it to create a whole range of options including Diet Coke, Coke Zero, and various flavours such as Cherry.
So how can this concept work for you? Maybe you’ve authored multiple articles over the last few years. You could compile them to self-publish a book, which would be a great marketing asset moving forward.
Here’s a more advanced example. When I worked as in-house marketing director for my dad’s firm, he was representing victims of moose-vehicle accidents in a class action lawsuit. It was a high-profile case, so we routinely published news releases and organized media interviews. We eventually published a report titled “Advice to Newfoundland Residents About Car Accidents” by “Ches Crosbie The Moose Accident Lawyer.” The report shared the story of the moose-vehicle class action as a segue into how Ches Crosbie Barristers can navigate the most complicated car accident cases out there, which makes it the go-to law firm for road injury cases. In effect, we used the class action to brand Ches Crosbie Barristers as the top car accident law firm in the province. Instead of discarding marketing assets, we built on our marketing assets to retain our brand equity and re-position the business.
# 2. Can you use part of a product or service to make something new?
There’s a for-women-only law firm in Virginia Beach called Hofheimer Family Law, which developed an online service called Design Your Divorce. Basically, the Hofheimers created an online do-it-yourself system based on their standard service. This new service makes Hofheimer Family Law accessible to people in the market segment who think they can’t afford a divorce lawyer, and it generates a new, passive income stream for the business. There are other ways to use something old to make something new. For example, if you have a book, take out one chapter to use as a special report. Now you’ve created a whole different information product.
You could also create a VIP program. Most law firms have stuff they do for clients that is not part of their business model, like reviewing car insurance policies or affixing seals to official documents. When you call it a VIP privilege, suddenly you have a new and attractive service that sets you apart from the competition.
# 3. Can you take an item and change its use?
Once upon a time, barrels used for wine-making were thrown away. Then someone had the bright idea to use them for potted flowers. Now people buy wine barrels specifically for their flower gardens.
If you do an e-newsletter only, you could re-purpose your content to send a printed and mailed newsletter also. (Just make sure that your e-newsletter content is actually fun to read!) You could also be using your newsletter content on your blog, or vice versa.
# 4. Can you resurrect something old?
Donald Trump popularized the slogan “Make America Great Again”, but it was not his original idea. Ronald Reagan used the slogan “Let’s Make America Great Again” in his 1980 presidential campaign. Trump felt that it captured what people wanted in 2016. He also brought back the term “silent majority”, which was first used by Richard Nixon to describe the great body of Americans who supported his policies and positions.
I have a client who does a lot of radio advertising. I often recycle concepts that we’ve used in previous commercials because they are still relevant, they are still on-brand, and they still work. I do change the precise language and the voice of the commercial, but the concepts are pure gold and should be kept in rotation for as long as they produce results.
Now, can you imagine having a great campaign and getting rid of it just because it seems old? It’s usually better to build on your current marketing assets than to start fresh!
About the Author:
Catherine Crosbie of Proven Marketing for Lawyers Inc. is Canada’s only education-based marketing consultant exclusively for lawyers. Are you interested in building upon your marketing assets, but not sure where to start? Email Hello@
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