If you’re taking the time to read this article, congratulations! You have taken your first step on a journey that we can guarantee will be like no other.

Somehow or another we (Security Dealer Marketing and no, not the magazine) have convinced SDM Magazine to graciously give us a section in their great publication to preach and show security dealers how “out of the box” marketing ideas, trade secrets and how-to guides not only generate more recurring monthly revenue (RMR) for your company, but to also help your security company stand out from your competition and to make your marketing efforts more memorable. Welcome to what we like to call “the purple cow zone.”

Let’s start by telling you who we are. If you haven’t guessed by the name of our company, no worries. We are a full-service marketing agency dedicated to the security industry. Why does this matter, you might ask? It matters because every single day we are speaking, working with and managing security dealers’ marketing strategies nationwide. You don’t have to tell us why it’s important that your marketing message be different for residential versus small business versus commercial end users, nor why it’s important to get the latest videos or images your manufacturer provides that will increase your chances of generating Web leads, or to help guide you on a direct-mail campaign that has been proven with results for other security dealers nationwide. So there it is in a nutshell, a little bit about our marketing company.

What does this have to do with a big fat purple cow, you ask? Let us tell you.

Having the knowledge and experience with helping your security company reach its demographic is one part of the equation; getting you to take action is another. Through our combined 30 years of experience in marketing, we have followed a belief called “The Purple Cow Theory” by Seth Godin. The belief is pretty simple: imagine driving down a long highway in the countryside and to the left and right are cows, grazing and doing what cows do. In the beginning they are interesting — you may talk about them briefly — but as time continues, they become forgettable. You will never remember them again. The same can be said about marketing in general. Over time our brains have been programmed to tune out any marketing effort thrown at us. Some experts say that on average we will see between 247 and 350 marketing images, ads or commercials in a single day. Now, how many of those ads or images do you remember? Why not?

Now back to our highway scenario. Imagine that during your drive amongst all the mundane cows you see a great big fat purple cow, one that is purple like a grape. That burnt image in your mind will be remembered for hours, days and even years to come. You will forever talk with friends and family about the day you saw a purple cow on the highway.

Be a purple cow. Be remarkable so your security business stands out from the competition. What is a purple cow example, you might ask? How about paying for a Sunday ad in your local paper, blacking out the entire page with a simple message in big white lettering, “Prospective client! We see 10 mistakes with your security system. Call us to find out what they are.” Or, sending a check via FedEx to a prospective client for $100 with a message that reads: “We know your time is worth value, so we’ll pay you for 5 minutes of it.” These are just small examples of standing out from your competition and getting noticed by potential customers.

So there you have it — an introduction on what you can expect from this column every month. More to come, including how-to, step-by-step videos on SEO and other strategic marketing efforts.