Replacement Marketing (A Must Read)

Have you ever heard of the lady who used replacement marketing to start her art business and brand herself as an artist?

Well, you’re in luck. Today is your lucky day.

Have you ever been to a giant IKEA store? These stores are filled with home decor at amazing prices. What do you think it would take to get your product into an IKEA store? Huge discounts? Large inventory? Who knows what it would take, but I’m sure it is not easy!

That’s the problem this aspiring artist faced as she attempted to get her art into the main stream, large retail box stores. It’s not easy getting your name out there!

As this lady tried over and over again to get her art into the stores, she was faced with rejection after rejection until she just couldn’t take it any more!

That is… until she got this brilliant idea. Replacement marketing.

She went into the store and quickly purchased 4-5 art pieces. Nothing too fancy, just your standard run of the mill art in a nice frame. After carefully peeling off all the labels, she replaced the artwork with her own and included a nice “about the artist” on the back. Then, she returned the labels until it looked good as new… except with a new art piece and a new about document.

She did this for each art piece, one by one.

The next day she took all the art back and placed them all on the shelf, not even bothering to return the items for a refund. Her main objective was not to make money right away, but to build a following.

As the months went by she learned how to replicate the labels and began bringing in more and more art of her own – even in frames she had purchased elsewhere. It didn’t matter, because she was not refunding the item but rather walking in and placing the art on the shelf.

Ok, ok. I’m not sure if this is a true story, but the idea is pretty epic.
I mean think about it, you’re essentially using another’s following (IKEA in this example) to build your brand. The only cost is simply the cost of your product. Pretty cheap advertising if you ask me!

So… how does this apply to the online world?

In the online marketing community this is called SYNDICATION and according to the top internet marketers like Frank Kern, it’s one of the BEST quality of leads you can get.

Let me explain a bit more relating it back to the story.

You find a larger, well established service or product that is related to your own product or service that is just starting. In this case, our starving artist!

Then you offer to GIVE YOUR PRODUCT AWAY to all the users of this other established service. Ok… I had to use all caps because it can be scary to say you’re going to give your product away.

Now, think of all the well qualified, people who will be viewing your product. Sure, you’re not making a cent off of it unless you offer an upsell of some sort in your product, but you’re branding yourself to the most important type of person. Willing and qualified buyers.

This my friends is one sure fire way to build up an awesome following for your product or service.

Enjoy!