How We DON'T Market Magic
By Andi Gladwin - Wednesday, May 15, 2019
Yesterday, Damian and I met with a marketing company who pitched to us because they apparently had some key “fixes" that we should make to our website. They suggested about ten things, including these:
- We should add the number of people viewing a particular product on the site at any one time. This would be a completely made-up number, to try to show people that other visitors are also interested in that product.
- We should add a game on the homepage that gives people the chance to win 50% off if they give their email address. Of course, the game is rigged so that nobody ever wins.
- We should add messaging on our product pages that suggest that a product is about to sell out, even when it isn’t.
- We should show artificial discounts on the site by pretending that the product used to cost more than it actually does.
After listening to these first few ideas, Damian and I looked at each other and left the meeting early. The truth is: these tactics do work, and they are in use by several other prominent magic shops, but they aren’t Vanishing Inc. Tactics like these are designed for the benefit of the company, not the benefit of the customer. That's not how we work.
We’ve built a brand on being on the customer’s side, and sharing honest information and curated products. I’m pretty sure we could grow much quicker if we employed these tactics, but we’ll never stoop this low to get your business. Our marketing consists of trying to offer the best service, not the best sales techniques. I couldn’t imagine any other way!
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