Power of a Sign, Puffing, and other marketing thoughts!

1.  THE POWER OF A SIGN

So I'm sitting at my French pastry spot with my breakfast buddies the other day.  A huge truck comes by and there is an enormous sign on its side touting a new adult alcoholic beverage...  A guy in a bomber jacket, unshaven, holding up a shot of something.  The name: Aviation Gin.  The truck disappeared and 10 minutes later, the same truck.  This time I noticed a name underneath the name of the gin: Ryan Reynolds.  I looked at the photo and didn't recognize the guy.  Curious, I took out my trusty Blackberry and... sure enough it was an actor.  I know the actor but the photo was inaccurate.  About 15 minutes later the truck rolled around AGAIN and I stared at the sign...

TAKEAWAY: Signage works.  A compelling ad on a sign works.  A big sign is better.  One with a celebrity endorsement the best!  I will never forget this ad.  I just now looked it up on Google and apparently, Reynolds hasn't a clue at all how gin is made or the business in general.  He decided to buy a small company and now it is big.  I don't drink gin, but I will mention it to my friends.  And they may buy some. Who knows?  Someone here on AR might try a taste. 

Do you see what happens?

The power of that sign was enormous.  I suggested this idea to a builder friend.  He showed me a van that they have with similar info:  a dramatic photo of a house and their name.  I have an architect buddy who has cornered the Winter Park market.  His name is tastefully painted on his Mini Cooper.  A few months ago Jeff Downler wrote a blog about this.  Looking back, it seems this discussion is ongoing?  I am thinking about a totally silver wrap with black letters... hmmm

2.  SERENDIPITOUS MARKETING

I accidentally came across some information that was vital to my SEO.  I thought: Brilliant!

I didn't look up "SEO Tricks to beat Google", but that might be my next move!

Do you prefer being 'sold' on something or does something convince 

you more when found serendipitously?

I was checking Google to see what would come up with 'Orlando Luxury Home Architect'.  The first two returns were for 'The Best Luxury Home Builders'!!  I was flabbergasted and dismayed.  How did they coopt architects? (this is something to discuss on another post).  It was the third organic listing that gave me the AHA moment.  It was a blog page on a custom cabinet company where there was a listing of the 'Best Custom Home Builders in Central Florida'.  In between the names of the builders were photos of cabinets with a nice intro on how he had serviced the area for over thirty years.  So... I did the same thing!  I added a page titled "Best Florida Luxury Home Builders".  I will report any additional activity on my web.  Which leads us to the next point...

3.  HUFFING AND PUFFING

The subject of puffing, exaggerating or even lying, about the quality,  aesthetics, durability, salability, relative value, etc. of real estate is a perennial AR subject.  I have found recently that using certain adjectives, by others, of course, tends to bump up their search results BIG TIME.  In case number two above I was not even looking for 'the best' but the first three returns included the words 'Best'.  I investigated YouTube and yes, sure enough, 'World's Best' - 'Top Quality' - 'Magnificent' - 'Famous' - 'Most Beautiful' - etc. were qualifiers that described real estate and many other commodities and services.  And they seem to be in front of other listings that do not have this puffing... hmmm.

4.  TOOTING MY OWN BLOG-HORN

Now that you've gotten this far, many of you probably have missed reading a great blog posted at the wrong time of day and which is in the AR bin right now.  If you liked the music of the 60s and 70s and want to see comparisons and what to do now about your name, branding, niche, content, marketing, etc. then please see this amazing blog.