Check on your kids. Hold a contest. Build a fun connection with your client.

First, we’d like to thank all of you who have given us great compliments on our monthly articles in this great magazine. We often wondered if anyone was interested in our crazy, purple cow thoughts, and the response has been more than what we could have imagined. It seems like everywhere we’ve been recently, including ISC West, PSA-TEC or local security SoCal association meetings, dealers are screaming “Hey! Any purple cow ideas you can give me?” or “There’s those marketing madmen guys.” Either way it’s good to hear you’re enjoying these articles.

With this being said, the purple cow mantra we live by in our marketing agency is always evolving. We continue to learn about the everyday operations dealers go through in their marketing and sales process. It was this exact topic my partner and I were discussing at our local watering hole when a gentlemen next to us was ear hustling and asked us, “What do you guys do?” After explaining to him what it is we do and discussing all the cool features home security has to offer, he said, “Man! I’d sure like to know what it is my daughter is doing at home right now being that I’m a single dad and all. I trust her, but it would be nice to open up my mobile phone and just take a peek.” That was the “aha!” moment that sparked this month’s topic.

The belief in the purple cow is simply means to be different. In doing so your company’s brand will stand out from your competitors, and our thought for the month is why not try a fresh new approach with your marketing message. What do you think happens after you install a home security system? Do you think that your customer is going to work the next day and say, “Hey, I feel so much more secure after I protected my home.” We don’t think so. Being that we are in the security industry, we find ourselves speaking with our friends and families about home security time and time again, and it’s often the case they share funny stories about their home security systems. In one case, a friend of ours had her brother stay the night while she worked the night shift as a bartender. Not trusting her brother, she pulled out her mobile phone, logged in to her alarm.com mobile account and snapped a shot of her brother having three friends over drinking her alcohol and eating her food. So she snapped a pic and posted it on Facebook with the comment “BUSTED!” then tagged him to it. Another story we heard was a father putting on a scary movie for his 11-year-old daughter’s sleepover and turning on his lights with his mobile phone, scaring the young girls enough to call their parents and tell them they didn’t want to sleep over anymore.

Great stories, but what does this all mean you ask? Well, why not take a different approach to your marketing message — whether that be in a direct mail campaign, TV / radio commercial or other type of ad — and create messages that are fun and engaging that connect with your potential customers. Try creating a direct mail piece that says, “Besides securing what matters most, peek in to see what your kids are up to!” Or one guerilla tactic we love using is printing our customer’s logos on beer coasters with a witty little message and dropping them off at local neighborhood bars. Local bars love free coasters and it gets your message and brand across in a different way. But on these coasters put a message like, “Wouldn’t it be nice to know and see what your teenage kids are doing at this moment?” Again, it’s amusing and unique. Creating a fun connection with your targeted audience will get your ad campaign talked about, which generates more brand recognition, referrals and more RMR. For just once, try being “different”; don’t lead with “years of experience,” “great customer service” or “the trusted source.” Your potential customers see those messages everyday!

 Well that’s our thought for the month. Until next time, too-da-loo. Believe in the purple cow, and if you’re interested in more out-of-the-octagon ideas, visit our blog at MoreOnMoo.com.