As I watched the Vancouver Canucks lose in overtime last night at my favourite local hangout — Village Taphouse in West Vancouver — I was reminded of several of the most obvious marketing tactics… that so many business owners forget to employ!

First, there was the creation of desire – last night’s game was shown only on Pay-Per-View.  Instead of forking over the $15 or so to have the game shown at home, I went to VT because they give a Canucks jersey away in the 2nd intermission on PPV nights.  I haven’t yet won, but I usually watch the PPV games there just to have the chance.

Second, was the camaraderie – they’ve done a great job of building a community of Canuck fans at Village Taphouse, in part by giving away a free round every time Alex Burrows scores a goal.  Burrows happens to be the favourite Canuck of the management.

Finally, the upsell — Village Taphouse has, in my humble opinion, the best nachos in Vancouver.  And even though I eat there regularly (and the staff now know me) they always ask me if I want to add beef or chicken to my nachos.  (I don’t, I’m vegetarian, but they always ask — it’s part of their SYSTEM of marketing and selling.)

So what can we take away from my beer-infused marketing lesson?  Ask yourself these questions:

1. How can I create desire in my prospective customers so that they will choose me over my competitors?
2. How can I create camaraderie or a sense of community amongst my customers?
3. How can I systematize the add-on or upsell marketing in my business, so that it happens as a matter of course?

Not rocket science, I know — but they could be business-changing questions if you carefully consider your answers.

Go Canucks Go!

Tags: marketing lesson, marketing tip