Local Small Business And Advertising Made In America

By Author: Claude Whitacre
Total Articles: 164
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This is related to the "Saving The Environment" appeal. There are people who will buy a brand (assuming they want to buy anything) because it is made in America. This article isn't judging how we should feel about our country. This is about how we can us Made In America in our marketing.

As a local small business advertiser, I would use it as part of a headline...not as the entire appeal.
You want your local advertising to appeal to the widest niche you can find..and people who buy just because the product is made in America is a small group. There are lots of people who are attracted to products more because they are Made In America, but as a single reason for buying, the appeal is limited to a small percentage of the population.

We sell vacuum cleaners. Lots of them. Some are made in America and some aren't. When selling, I always mention the "Made in America"" feature when I can, but if I don't get any immediate feedback on it, I stop talking about it.

If the customer says "Made In America? Now you're talking!"...I'll talk about the quality of the product. If he talks about foreigners taking ...
... American jobs, I'll politely listen.
I'll be talking about quality...but he'll be hearing "Made in America Quality" which is just fine with me.

But what if your product is made out of the country? Was it designed in America? Will it be serviced in America? Isn't it shipped across the country by American truckers? If you find out that many of the parts are actually Made In America, but the product is shipped overseas for assembly, you can say that. It is almost the same thing. Made In America actually means "assembled in America". So you can always mention what part is made in America. If the prospect really wants the product anyway, it will be enough.

Back to advertising. If the product you are marketing is made in America, I would certainly mention it in your advertising, but as a single reason to buy it usually won't carry the sale. That's why we mention it in our advertising, but include lots of other reasons to buy. We want the best return on our advertising dollar, I'm not making a political statement.

I have an acquaintance that puts, on his door, a sign that says that he is a Republican..
He is turning off about 50% of his customers before they walk in his door. Republicans aren't going to buy more from him, just because they agree with his politics, and Democrats will generally be turned off from the sign. So it's not a way to generate more money. Now, if you are selling online, or by mail, and your customer base is heavily one political party or the other, it will help to mention your views. In fact it's a way to bond with your customers. But in retail? Never do it. His fellow retailers love the idea when he tells them, but it's an idea that will cut your business in half.

This is not a political article, it's a marketing article. The moral of the story is to use what works, not what we wish would work.

Remember, people think about their problems and needs about 99% of the time (you and I do it too). If you appeal to their wants in your advertising first, you'll have a chance at getting their attention, and their money.
Small Business Marketing and Local Advertising expert Claude Whitacre is author of the book The Unfair Advantage Small Business Advertising Manual. You can purchase the book for $19.95 at http://www.claudewhitacre.com You can also download your Free copy of the complete book at http://www.local-small-business-advertising-marketing-book.com