[Marketing Memo] Humane Madness

Create some madness and be prepared to create some profit.

By Cary Weston

Each year there are thousands of non-college basketball fans who fill out brackets for March Madness.

Why is that?

Like the Super Bowl, the event itself gets the attention of sporting and non-sporting fans alike. Because there's hype created in a meaningful way -- a way that captures the attention of many who don't normally listen. It's powerful, profitable, and as someone concerned with growing your business, you should be taking notes.

Take a look at what just happened with the Bangor Humane Society this past weekend. In 164 years of operation, the society has never had to shut down due to lack of animals available for adoption.

But they did this weekend.

I recently toured the operation and was struck by the overwhelming numbers of animals in need of good homes. I am amazed at what they were able to accomplish.

You may say it's madness.

In four days, the organization found permanent homes for 101 animals and had to stop the campaign a day and a half early because every single kennel was empty. That's a successful campaign.

One of the elements to their success was lowering the cost and time associated with the adoption process. That act brought more attention, more traffic, and more business than they have seen in 164 years.

The truth is the organization tapped into a more important key to good business - connecting to the audience at an emotional level and then making it easier for that audience to become a customer.

Now, let's hope they were prepared as well as persuasive. The cost of acquiring a new customer can be easily reaped back many times over if your are prepared to make the most of the attention.

By ensuring that every person who reacts to the campaign provides contact information, provides email addresses, and knows how to engage and communicate with you via social media, the benefits of the individual event will long lasting.

The net result will be a larger audience that can be made aware of future needs, fundraise from, and help keep the needs of the organization top of mind for a greater number of folks in the community.

And if done right, that communication will cost little but provide much.

So My Challenge To You Today:

Be bold in the immediate to benefit the long term needs of your business. Design some madness with purpose and be prepared to make the most of the excitement. Just because you eat, sleep, and breath your product or service doesn't mean the world knows what you do and can do for them.

Connections mean everything to a small business trying to gain market share. Don't just put something on sale - go further and get our attention with something special.

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- Cary Weston is a partner of Sutherland Weston Marketing Communications in Bangor, Maine

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