I personally hate Marmite the spread, but I LOVE Marmite the pony (my daughter has a little black pony called Marmite for those that didnt know). The salty smell alone of the stuff in a jar is enough to make me feel ill, let alone the taste. My family on the other hand. They LOVE it and will go through jars at a time even an opportunity!
There’s no doubt that Marmite has split the population. As the saying goes, you either love it or hate it! As a business marketing specialist, it speaks volumes to me that their brand name gets used in common parlance. Talk about clever marketing! I know myself that what I offer doesnt work for everyone or every business too, but those that it does appeal to and that love working with me get fabulous results!
Being a Marmite brand or business takes guts, of course it does. Nobody wants to start their business knowing that probably half of the population is going to hate whatever they have to offer. That’s why so many of us avoid it and instead go for a more middle of the road vanilla flavour for our business endeavours. Vanilla doesn’t offend anyone. Vanilla is plain. Vanilla isn’t emotion-provoking. Vanilla is safe. People won’t love it or hate it, they’ll all just be ok with it… I must say at this point however that I adore the luxury vanilla products as they are something else.
I do understand why people stick with plain old vanilla marketing though. I’m sure the thought process goes a little something like this – “I need customers. If I appeal to as many people as possible I’ll make more money. So I need to be as inoffensive as i possibly can.” But as a word of warning this middle of the road marketing won’t attract your ideal client and before long you’ll have bad-fit customers, no customer loyalty and you’ll end up in price competitions with your competitors because, let’s face it no-one can tell the difference between you (you’re both Vanilla) so it HAS TO come down to price. Being vanilla actually costs you time and worst still costs you money when it comes to marketing and especially paid advertising like PPC or SEO.
Boring, inoffensive Vanilla products and services don’t really speak to anyone. They aren’t memorable. They don’t make people say ‘Oh my god she’s talking to me, I NEED her in my life!’ Vanilla doesn’t inspire anyone. No-one talks about vanilla. Vanilla is boring. Vanilla when it comes to business and business marketing is trying to be all things to all people – it just doesn’t work!
So now you’re wondering I bet how do you become a Marmite business – “How can I add some Marmite to my business?” well, you need to BE YOU! The best way to stand out in a crowded room is to let your fabulous personality shine through. Remember that no one is you and that is your superpower. I personally love a polarising social media post, it really helps separate your raving fans from people who just aren’t your people! Remember people buy from people and people build relationships with people so be yourself.
I’m definitely a bit of a Marmite business with my approach to marketing – some people can’t stand it! And that’s fine, because for every person who feels that way, I have another who really enjoys my approach. So I work with them instead! I believe that every business needs real marketing, a real marketing strategy and a structured approach to marketing with a realistic marketing budget as you can only do so much with no budget for free and trying to stuck social media and your friends or family dry for contacts!
So today and each day from now on I challenge you to add some Marmite to your business marketing mix!
If you need some help adding some Marmite to your business marketing get in touch and ask about my initial marketing assessment sessions – book your free consultation today and let’s get spreading the Marmite marketing mix in your business!