Who’s your marketing competition? Las Vegas versus Disney World

I had an interesting conversation with the Vice President of a local web design firm the other day at the Twins game. I do some copy-writing and search engine optimization for their marketing and web design clients and they were kind enough to invite me to a company outing at the Metrodome (the Twins beat the Kansas City Royals 4-3).

Anyway, he told me he went to Las Vegas with his girlfriend to attend his sister’s wedding. The ceremony only lasted 12 minutes so they had plenty of time to go to shows. and they only gambled $10. Although he had a good time watching the various Broadway show they saw, he was, overall, very disappointed with the whole experience.

He said Vegas was noisy and dirty. And everything except the food was really expensive. And he said that for what he spent, he could have done a cruise and a land pass at Disney World. The last thing he said was that although he’s glad he went, he’d never go back to Vegas.

I wonder how many casino owners in Las Vegas think of Disney World as a direct competitor? I wonder how many of them are so busy thinking about what people see inside their doors that they don’t notice (or care) what people see outside their doors? And I wonder how long it will be before someone takes a look at what makes Disney World special and what makes Las Vegas an unpleasant experience for people like my friend, and decides to create an American Monte Carlo or an Adult-focused Disney World-quality experience?

i took some interesting lessons out of that conversation. Am I sure I know who my competitors are? Have I looked outside my own industry to see who might be getting my potential customers? Are there other industries where I might find new customers where I just haven’t looked for them? is there a potential Netflix out there about to blindside my Blockbuster? And lastly, how many of my customers might be telling their friends, I’m glad I used his service but I’m never going back to him?

Quick suggestion: I have a free sample testimonial letter you can download off of my website to use as a format for your own letter to solicit testimonials from recent or former clients. Using it can not only net you some new testimonials, it can also open the door for a simple and innocuous question like, “By the way, would you do business with me again? If not, why not? If so, what did you like and what didn’t you like about my product/service/buying experience? And what would you like to see improved?

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