• About
    • History of Dallas SEO
    • SEO Expert Witness Service
  • Contact
  • Topics
    • Bing
    • Blogging
    • Branding
    • Domain Names
    • Google
    • Internet Marketing
    • Link Building
    • Local Search
    • Marketing
    • Public Relations
    • Reputation Management
    • Search Engine Marketing
    • Search Engine Optimization
    • Search Engines
    • Social Media
    • Tech
  • Advertise
  • Email Newsletter

Bill Hartzer

Bill Hartzer on Search, Marketing, Tech, and Domains.

traffic analysis tools

Home » Marketing » Marketing Tactics – How The Victorian Barrow Boy Did It

Marketing Tactics – How The Victorian Barrow Boy Did It

Posted By Bill Hartzer on January 30, 2014at 4:05 pm

Whilst long lambasted as unsophisticated in both technique and patter, personally I think we have a lot to learn from the humble barrow boy.

If unsophisticated is substituted for simple, I think we can all agree that one thing the barrow boy or girl does well, is effectively communicate their message to their customer base. In the days when weekly markets were the hub of the community, you knew exactly where to find everything from groceries to meat, because barrow boys and girls would shout their wares and their prices from the top of their lungs, occupying the same stall week in, week out whatever the weather.

Another key component was their product range. They kept it simple, perhaps selling no more than half a dozen different items at once. The stock they carried might vary from season to season, but barrow boys and girls the length and breadth of the UK knew how to stick to what they were good at and make it work.

Whilst on-line sales continue to grow at an incredible rate, so does the number of providers. So how do you stand out from the crowd and get your message heard? Taking a leaf out of the barrow boys book, consistency (and volume!) is key.

Mixed messages can be the death of an on-line business. For sure, there are plenty of options to extend your product line thanks to the ability to drop ship and acquire huge catalogues of items from all over the world, but should you?

There is no easy answer, but with the likes of Tesco citing an investment in giant superstores as a reason for a slump in profits, it can be concluded that tyranny of choice offered when being ‘all things to all people’ can sometimes be off putting to customers, especially those who have just popped in for a loaf of bread on their way home from work, or who just want to rapidly click their way to a purchase without the hassle of scrolling through multiple pages to find what they want.

With supermarket aisles cluttered with not one, but twenty different varieties of potatoes, the idea of a back to basics shop has definite appeal.

So in my view there is a lot to be said for limited choice when paired with convenience. Perhaps this is why, in contrast to their bigger brothers, mini stores that offer a more basic range yet one that is delivered in the heart of the community, are thriving.

The design of your business is key. What is it, a provider of everything to everyone or a specialist? If an entire new line of products is at odds with your existing range or ethos, a separate yet linked brand is likely to have significant advantages over cluttering your website and confusing existing customers.

Separate branding for distinct products and services can yield several advantages, not least the ability to give your business depth and focus with PPC campaigns and SEO, written specifically to penetrate a particular community. This helps to increase the volume of your pitch if not quite with the language of the barrow boy, certainly with his effectiveness.

Fail to do so and you risk customer’s losing patience with your site and moving on, particularly if your Google tag line says one thing and your home page and product catalogue say something altogether different.

So think like a market trader. Set your stall out to be distinct, go with what you know and do better than anyone else, and offer an on-line experience free of clutter, dynamic and satisfying.

By sharing functionality and back office between your brands, you can even encourage existing customers to cross over with helpful links, landing pages and perhaps even a common user-interface to help them feel right at home.

So for happy customers and repeat business, adopt the On-line Barrow Boy’s mantra that simplicity, communication and community = sales.

Filed Under: Marketing

traffic analysis tools

Listen to "Digital Marketing with Bill Hartzer" on Spreaker.

About Bill Hartzer

Bill Hartzer is CEO of Hartzer Consulting, LLC, an SEO Consulting firm that includes services such as search engine optimization, technical SEO audits, domain name consulting, and online reputation management.

Recent Posts

  • RightoftheDot Live Online Domain Auction February 25 February 18, 2021
  • Jabez LeBret on Digital PR, Journalism, and Media Coverage February 5, 2021
  • Someone Stole My Domain Name: Here’s What You Do February 1, 2021
  • 23 Top Level Domains TLDs Up for Auction January 27, 2021
  • GotConn Privacy Search Engine Launches January 26, 2021
  • Andrew Muller on Testing Google Ads Using Facebook Ads January 15, 2021
  • Mike Rhodes from Web Savvy On Google Ads January 8, 2021
  • How to Opt Out of Google Analytics December 16, 2020
  • Majestic Just Changed SEO and Linking Forever December 15, 2020
  • Yext Consumer Search Trend Predictions for 2020 December 8, 2020
  • SearchBox Launches SearchAI SmartSuggest, SearchAI Answers and SearchAI Personalization December 7, 2020
  • Google Poly is Shutting Down December 2, 2020
  • Domain Name Brokers Put FFF.com and HHH.com Domains Up for Sale December 1, 2020
  • Google Webmaster Tools Moves Twitter Account November 11, 2020
  • Email Deliverability, Setting Up DMARC, DKIM, and SPF on Your Domain October 29, 2020
  • The Bing Search Engine is Now Microsoft Bing October 6, 2020
  • Beck Power on Building Authority on Social Media and Repurposing Content October 2, 2020
  • Naira Perez on Paid Media, and an Intro to Social Paid Media, and Audiences September 17, 2020
  • Fake Birth Date Used on Google and Apple Accounts Is on Credit Report August 17, 2020
  • What is Bill Hartzer Disease? July 20, 2020

DFWSEM logo

Bill Hartzer is a Brand Ambassador for:



Industry Friends

WTFSEO
SEO By the Sea
Jeff Lenney
Jeff Gabriel
Phil Drinkwater
Dixon Jones

Connect With Bill Hartzer

Bill Hartzer on Twitter
Bill Hartzer on Instagram
Hartzer Consulting on Facebook
Bill Hartzer on Facebook
Bill Hartzer on YouTube

Categories

  • Advertising (19)
  • Bing Search Engine (6)
  • Blogging (42)
  • Branding (12)
  • Domain Names (200)
  • Google (228)
  • Internet Marketing (24)
  • Internet Usage (84)
  • Link Building (52)
  • Local Search (38)
  • Marketing (176)
  • Marketing Foo (30)
  • Pay Per Click (1)
  • Podcast (9)
  • Public Relations (8)
  • Reputation Management (9)
  • Search Engine Marketing (44)
  • Search Engine Marketing Events (47)
  • Search Engine Marketing Firms (19)
  • Search Engine Marketing Jobs (33)
  • Search Engine Optimization (156)
  • Search Engines (203)
  • Social Media (187)
  • Tech (7)
  • Web Analytics (16)




Note: All product names, logos, and brands are property of their respective owners. All company, product and service names used in this website are for identification purposes only, and are mentioned only to help my readers. All other trademarks cited herein are the property of their respective owners. Use of these names, logos, and brands does not imply endorsement.




Hartzer Consulting



Website, Content, and Marketing by Hartzer Consulting, LLC.

Copyright © 2021 by Bill Hartzer and Hartzer Consulting, LLC.

Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
Go to mobile version