Authors of New Book Help Small Retail Businesses Compete With the "Big Boys"

The National Retail Federation predicts tax rebate checks will pump $43 million into the waning economy. So, how does the small mom and pop business, and what the Small Business Administration calls the backbone of America, get their fair share of these second quarter consumer dollars when people are flocking to the "big boys" like Wal-Mart, Target or Costco to get the best bang for their buck?

Newport Beach, Calif. (PRWEB) April 16, 2008 -- How can the small retail business owner capture a piece of the $43 million the National Retail Federation (NRF) (www.nrf.com) recently predicted would be pumped into the economy in the coming months as Americans receive their tax rebate checks? 41percent of Americans surveyed plan to spend their windfall.

Even with President Bush's Economic Stimulus Package starting to take effect, most economic experts say we are now in a recession with the stock market all over the board and the cost of staples such gas, food and even a cup of your favorite Java going up. So, how does the small mom and pop business, and what the Small Business Administration calls the backbone of America, get their fair share of these second quarter consumer dollars when people are flocking to the "big boys" like Wal-Mart, Target or Costco to get the best bang for their buck?

Authors Steve O'Leary and Kim Sheehan of the new book, Building Buzz to Beat the Big Boys (ISBN-13: 978-0-313-34598-2; Praeger Publishers, $39.95 hardcover, www.grabbinggreen.com) say a small business owner's competitive advantage is word of mouth marketing (WOM). WOM is simply defined as the process of information exchange, especially recommendations about products and services, between two people in an informal way.

Today's marketing environment has changed. Traditional advertising such as television, newspaper and direct mail is still important to build awareness of a business - but it is not longer enough. WOM is now the most effective form of promotion available as it combines the most modern strategies, tactics and channels with the most basic human behavior: People talking to people.

"The Internet -- web sites, blogs, and social networking sites -- is pushing this change in marketing to consumers and giving the consumer more control and choice," say O'Leary and Sheehan. "This change can provide the small business owner with an advantage over the big chains. There is a basic road map to the process of creating word of mouth and customer communities which we call the 4Cs - customers, conversations, community and commitment."

Here is a highlight of how the 4 Cs, combined with WOM, can help owners of small retail businesses "beat the big boys":

* Customers - It is important to remember that today's consumer is different from your customer of five years ago. They want more information, and they want opportunities to provide feedback to you - the store owner. These dialogues are the first step in enhancing relationships with your customers.

* Conversations - Word of mouth leads to "buzz." Newsweek defines buzz as "infectious chatter; genuine, street-level excitement about a hot new person, place or thing." That is why it is so important to identify your "store Champions" who can help create the "buzz" for your store and its products or services.

* Community - Community is a group of people who share social interaction and some common ties and who share an area (that is a physical space) for some of the time. Think of the TV show Cheers - a place which welcomes many different kinds of people and where "everybody knows your name." Local coffee shops and good old Starbuck's have embraced and marketed this concept to build "store Champions." Your online community (where you share cyber space) is also a key element of your WOM marketing campaign. According to a Synovate/Marketing Daily (www.synovate.com) survey, eight out of ten Americans know what a blog is and almost half have visited blogs.

* Commitment - Your online community should be the central focus of your community-building efforts. There are three different ways to support and enhance your online community: in-store (get community members off their computers and into your stores); employee (have your sales staff meet the members of your community); and outreach (become involved in an issue, a cause or a charity organization that is of interest to you). One key market to target is the senior community - over the next 10-15 years, the number of Americans aged 50 plus will total more than 115 million. And, seniors 50 and over own 80 percent of financial assets in the U.S. and control 50 percent of disposable income.

In addition to Building Buzz to Beat the Big Boys, O'Leary and Sheehan operate the web site, www.grabbinggreen.com, an interactive, knowledge exchange for small businesses that includes in-depth, up-to-date information on WOM, a blog, and an online community where small business owners can share their experiences and learn from others.

About the Authors:

STEVE O'LEARY is chairman of O'Leary and Partners, an advertising agency in Orange County, California. In his thirty-five-year advertising career, he has worked on over twenty retail brands that range from single-store operations to large chains, from dry cleaners to fast-food restaurants. His clients have included Coca-Cola, Miller Brewing, Century 21 Real Estate, and Taco Bell. He has been a speaker at various industry events and client conventions and workshops and a guest lecturer at numerous universities.

KIM SHEEHAN is associate professor at the University of Oregon, where she teaches classes in communications and advertising. She spent twelve years in the advertising industry, working with fast-food clients such as Wendy's and McDonald's, and with retail store clients like Kinney Shoe and Laura Ashley. She is the author of Controversies in Contemporary Advertising and a coauthor of Using Qualitative Research Methods in Advertising.

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