State Fair State Of Mind
The Wisconsin State Fair new food list is always a ton of fun. It reads like a science fiction novel about food. I’ve yet to make the rounds at this year’s Fair, but some of my favorites from years past have been the Krispy Kreme Cheeseburger topped with Chocolate Covered Bacon, the Deep-Fried Stuffing Balls with Gravy, and the Deep-Fried Peanut Butter & Jelly on a stick – maybe the greatest food item of all time.
What’s interesting to me, though, is that the more deep-fried and bacon-wrapped the new items get, the more my eyes and taste buds start seeking out the simpler items. While an order of Deep Fried Maple Bacon Cookie Dough and a Mac & Cheese Bacon Burger Quesadilla both sound amazing, I’ll probably start with a corn-on-the-cob. I’m not alone on this one.
The same principle applies to marketing in general. If you don’t feel right promoting your business as the deep-fried, full-throttle, YOLO sort of company, that’s perfectly okay. There are plenty of prospective clients out there who actually prefer a nice corn-on-the-cob (or whatever simple item or service it is that you sell).
You don’t have to shock people into trying your goods and services. In fact, going the simple honesty route can help to establish your company as one that clients can rely on for the long-term. One can’t live on bacon-wrapped and chocolate-covered forever.
The key is to present your honest message in an honest way, but in a way that gets attention. What you’re selling may not have the attention-getting flash of some of your competitors, but there’s reliability and staying power in what you offer, and your prospective customers will see that. Be yourself, get some new business, and then go celebrate with a Peanut Butter Bacon Bison Burger!
