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Be specific to attract more buyers

By Becky McCray

Are you ready to attract more buyers? Then be more specific.

If you’re offerings are too general, few people can get excited. By trying to appeal to everyone, you’re really not all that appealing to anyone.

In New York City, we saw this sign outside a tiny steak place, advertising just “Lunch.”

Are your offerings too general? Be more specific to be more attractive to customers.
What would you put on the chalkboard
to draw in the lunch crowd?

Inside, we had terrific cheeseburgers made of ground sirloin with incredible slabs of bacon and tasty waffle fries. Much more exciting than just “lunch.”

New York City
“Lunch” hardly begins to describe it.

What could the business owner have put on the chalkboard to draw in customers? Share your ideas in the comments.

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About Becky McCray

Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.
  • Zoom Towns: attracting and supporting remote workers in rural small towns - December 10, 2020
  • In an economic crisis, spend your brainpower before your dollars - November 25, 2020
  • Video: How to fill empty car dealership buildings for the holidays - November 6, 2020
  • How has 2020 changed the challenges rural small towns face? Tell us here - October 20, 2020
  • The Idea Friendly Method to surviving a business crisis - October 6, 2020
  • Join me for the Rural Renewal Symposium online Oct 13 - September 26, 2020
  • Cheap placemaking idea: instant murals - September 11, 2020
  • Refilling the rural business pipeline - July 7, 2020
  • Huge vacant buildings: grants to renovate? - June 9, 2020
  • Economic self defense for small towns  - June 7, 2020

June 22, 2011 Filed Under: entrepreneurship, marketing, mistakes

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Comments

  1. Rufus Dogg says

    June 22, 2011 at 2:22 pm

    I would put “Great cheeseburgers. Dogs eat free” :-)

    And then if the place was close to the 92Y last week, “Welcome #140conf 10% off; just show us your badge.”

  2. Becky McCray says

    June 22, 2011 at 2:25 pm

    Rufus,there were a bunch of us with purple lanyards in there that day. :)

  3. Fred Patterson - The SBIR Coach says

    June 22, 2011 at 3:11 pm

    Appeal to the senses in a whimsical way to attract attention:

    “Sirloin Bacon-Burger Special Today! Juicy and Lip-Smacking good! Oh My!!”

  4. Becky McCray says

    June 22, 2011 at 3:55 pm

    Good one, Fred. It was absolutely all of that.

  5. Kikscore says

    June 23, 2011 at 2:27 am

    “Burgalicious Lunch Special for only $6.99” or whatever the cost was could have made for a better chalkboard sign. Writing just “lunch” is so ambiguous. However, a great picture of a burger with the heaping toppings speaks to the person and says “let me get the burger in front of me because that will solve my problem of being hungry from walking around and I will feel a lot better once I start eating that burger!!” And Becky, you are completely correct. When marketing your product or service, you shouldn’t try to appeal to everyone; instead, you should be specific with your marketing message and limit your focus to only your niche market. Therefore, you don’t waste any time or money attempting to convey customers who are not interested in your product. the more specific you can get the more your message will resonate that you can help someone.

  6. Becky McCray says

    June 23, 2011 at 3:28 pm

    Raj (Kikscore), you are so right that a pic of that burger does so much more than anything we can write in chalk!

    Reminder to everyone, please use your own name when commenting, not your business name. (Yes, I cut some slack for Raj and Rufus today because I know them both.)

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