Two weeks back to back! Will’s on a roll and with this article comes a point that I totally agree with. Sometimes we can get all wrapped up thinking about the glamor factor to our businesses and who and where we are seen, but at the end of the day, that’s not what pays the bills and not only that, but in the big city markets, people can be jaded and very hard to impress. I was actually just having this conversation with a friend of mine yesterday. I am a big fan of having relationships with people who appreciate it and will value what they are being offered.

Notes From The Field – A Revelation in the Kentucky Bluegrass…Catching the Long Tail

I’m sitting here in the Louisville airport thinking about tail.

Settle down there, sparky – and get your mind out of the gutter.  The tail I’m referring to is the one known as “the long tail.”

I first heard it coined in a book by the same name; as memory serves, the book was rather boring (I probably never finished it).  The part I read, however, grabbed me as very smart, and one we see evidenced a lot in today’s business.

According to the book, the “tail” is the long, asymptotic line that is created when you plot a graph with consumer demand on one axis, and categories of goods and services on the other (for those of us too old to remember high school geometry, an asymptote is an infinite line on a graph that approaches, but never reaches, zero).  The thrust is that as many categories of goods and services there are, there is (no matter how small) an audience for them.

The book maintains that the power of the internet and e-commerce allows us to access and mine this long tail better and easier than ever before; obviously, the market for fur-lined gasoline powered sinks had been woefully underserved for many years and only now can gas powered fur sink lovers rejoice (a free Hush Puppies key chain to anyone who can identify the comedian I ripped off for the previous sentence).  No matter what your product, you can now easily find someone to buy it.

My experience today proved that the long tail concept is relevant even offline; I was shown today that a great way to be successful is identify an underserved – maybe even unglamorous – market, and serve them well.  Even if it’s really hard and messy.

I spent three hours with a group of folks today who run a chain of shoe stores (many of them; I’ll say somewhere between 50 and 100 doors) that are ONLY found in small, rural markets.  Places where any of the big boxes, department stores or family shoe stores fear to tread, but where money is just as green as it is in NYC.  Each one is clean, bright, well staffed and a pleasure to shop, and offers a huge selection of brands.

What they don’t have are quick turns, high transaction amounts or celebrity shoppers – but they are allowing folks in these areas to have what they previously had to drive hours for.  And guess what?  They are making A LOT of money, growing and expanding in a down economy, and generally enjoying the fruits of their admittedly hard work and dedication.

They have created a destination point for consumers in their areas, and as a result have a dedicated and loyal customer base.  What does that mean for the brands that are featured?  They can develop long lasting relationships with these customers, lasting for years and generations.  Isn’t that what brands long to do?

The long tail concept makes you think twice about the majority of companies’ desire to “hit the middle” – that’s a big piece of a successful business, but there’s lots of low hanging fruit serving the fringes – it’s found money, and can only  make your brand perception richer.

Tail.  Think about it.

Best regards,

William Weiss

National Director of Sales

Hush Puppies USA

william.weiss@wwwinc.com

203 746 3620