It’s all about the Impressions

Sunday I was sitting in a coffee shop and in walked a guy with a Coke Zero shirt.

A few minutes later I saw a can of Diet Coke on the counter that someone purchased.

That’s two Coke impressions in 5 minutes.

I had not seen any other soft drink ads or marketing materials that day, so Coke was Top of Mind for me.

Later at lunch the server brought my friend a diet cola of some sort, but I don’t know if it was Coke or Pepsi because instead of asking specifically for a Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi, he just ordered a Diet.

That’s a non-impression.

Each of us are bombarded with marketing messages, thousands every day that penetrate our subconscious if not our conscious minds.

And these messages, the ones that connect the dots, form an impression.

The ones that don’t connect the dots, like the Diet _______ my friend ordered don’t count.  Some say they are neutral.  I say they are a lost oppotunity and are borderline negative.

Why should you as a marketer care about impressions?

It’s a numbers game. The more positive impressions you can make on a person the more likely that you will be top of mind when they are ready to buy what you sell.

Let’s take a moment and thing about those wasted opportunities.  Does your business have company vehicles?  Do they have your business logo, business name, website, phone number on them?  Or are you wasting opportunities to make an impression?

I work for WOWO Radio, the most listened to radio station in Fort Wayne with a nearly 90 year history.  This summer I wore my WOWO polo shirts a couple times a week and every single week someone would ask me if I worked for WOWO.  I am now pushing to get WOWO winter wear to continue this trend.

What can you do to make a positive impression for you and your business that you have been overlooking?