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I’ll tell you. About two years ago, these signs started popping up all over Fargo as a new and convenient way of marketing. I have to say that the very first bright, neon signs I saw like this did catch my attention and cause me to stop and read them. The problem was that after a little while, others thought they would make some money with this new and successful advertisement and set out to replicate the success of the originator. I am not sure exactly how much it costs to put one of these signs in front of your business. I believe about $150 / week. As you can see, it would only take about two weeks to recover the cost of the materials used to make and alter the sign’s message, then pure profit.

The major problem now is that the novelty of these signs wore off and now they are just like all the other billboards in town begging to interrupt our lives in the hopes of selling us something. The bang for the buck advertisements these signs once had is now gone. They only attract the people who were already looking for whatever is being sold. What are people to do now when they want to get their message out about a new deal or gizmo? Doing something different works for a while, but that requires lots and lots of change to stay ahead. How does this relate to online advertising?

Remember when the fold down ad corners popped up online and everyone went crazy to stick ads in there because people were intrigued? Well, that novelty has worn off and pretty quick I might add. Or how about Google Adsense? It is no wonder Google always has to invent new ways and places to stick ads in order to keep up ad generated revenue. Ads in video, ads on the sidebar, ads in email, ads on their own version of Wikipedia now named Knol, ads on cellphones and the list will go on.

What if, and I mean a big what-if, you took all of the money you planned to spend on advertising and interrupting people’s lives and used that money to better your service or product. You would probably end up with a product that people will start talking about because it has become truly useful or over the top in a way that will separate itself from anything similar to it. It would be like spending the time to run a free clinic to get people interested in a sport or new hobby. The end result could be more sales of your product for helping others get involved, or perhaps more recognition as an authority on the subject increasing your demand.

A funny thing happens when your demand goes up, so does your salary. This will never happen overnight, but it will eventually happen as you increase the value you contribute to others. In other words, you separate yourself from the pack and distinguish yourself or product, allowing for people to talk about it openly. When was the last time someone was ecstatic about the McDonald’s dollar menu and told you about it?

edit* If you don’t have these signs in your town yet, you could make a lot of money by being the first to start.

The two greatest items that can be marketed are either a one-of-a-kind, patent pending contraption that is the only thing that can do its job (at least better than the rest), or a not so valuable, cheaply made, easy to replace item that comes in bulk.

Everyone has probably heard of the Dyson vacuum cleaner by now. If you haven’t, they are the end-all, be-all of vacuum cleaners. The key to its success and also the justification of its price is the ability to vacuum the whole house without losing one pound per square inch of suction. I really don’t know if a $500 vacuum is worth purchasing, because I have never bought one. But I do know that my family’s Hoover vacuum is over 20 years old and still works like a charm.

This leads us to the Farberware cook set. The Farberware 19-piece cook set can be found on Amazon.com for about $60. Why on earth do people buy cheap cooking ware? I know I have bought cheap sets of pots and pans because they were a “great deal.” The truth is, I only use 3 of the 19 pieces, and I have to watch the food like a hawk in order to not eat charcoal for dinner. When I finally make the cross over in buying a nice pan, pot and sauce pan, I am going to go all out and buy the best or close to best I can find. If you have ever cooked on an $80-100 pan, you will instantly notice the difference. Not only does the food cook more evenly, but the pan lasts forever. This brings us to the tale of two marketing strategies.

1. Provide the highest-quality product possible (HOM furniture).

2. Provide the most you can for the least you can (Costco).

Both of these work really well when it comes to making money. The first option is to sell something that is valuable for a higher cost, meaning it takes less to sell in order to make good profit. The second choice is to sell as much as possible with a smaller profit margin to a lot more people. Both will make good money, but one typically has a lot less inventory and takes up a lot less space.

Personally, I think standing behind a great, one-of-a-kind product is much easier to sell and feel proud of than a bunch of cheap knock-offs. The people who support their product 100% are going to have happier customers and deliver a higher-quality product. I am not saying there isn’t a marketing place for lower-quality products, because there is. The point is to provide the product you are most comfortable selling and ideally know the most about. Nothing turns someone away quicker than a salesman who doesn’t know enough about his or her own product. If I know more than you about what I am buying, you have probably lost my sale.