We’ve all heard the old adage that ‘the squeaky wheel gets more grease’ – and, well, it makes sense doesn’t it. If you hear it squeaking, you’re more likely to put some extra grease on there to stop it.
Well, a similar thing can be said of businesses. If you hear a business ‘squeaking’ more than its competitors, you’re more likely to go check them out rather than their competitors.
That’s the advantage of establishing a level of familiarity with your target audience. The more they hear about you, the more ‘familiar’ you become to them and the closer you are to being at the forefront of their mind. And we know how important this is when customers are thinking of their next purchase.
You’ve probably heard the adage ‘even bad publicity is ‘good’ publicity.’ Again, this holds some element of truth. Even a bad news story will keep a business fresh in the minds of the target market. Eventually, people will forget the details and what exactly was so ‘bad’ about what they had heard… it may not even have been particularly relevant to them. But that business’s name will still be remembered.
We all want our businesses to be fresh in the minds of our customers – we know there are obvious advantages to this. Don’t miss any potential opportunity for a good news story about your business. And always be prepared to spin any potentially negative stories into a good outcome. Sometimes how a business chooses to respond to adversity or a setback is a valuable glimpse of their character and spirit – and a chance to demonstrate a little humility.