Originally Posted by
not_for_sale
I think the different breed of syrup producer are pretty well classified in Don's post above. The hobbyist, whom doesn't need to rely on Maple Syrup sales and the Maple Syrup business.
While there may be a honorable approach, a better approach one thing is pretty clear: the customers decide with their feet. And I guarantee that 100 years of advertising have proven hat differentiation based on customers fears and worries work better than appealing to customers good feelings.
Ask yourself this:
1 - why do guns sell better when there is a shooting and a government push for gun control.
2 - why does insulation sell better if people are worried that energy prices rise?
3 - why so you believe that Obama is a socialist?
4 - why do you believe that Romney is (more) out of touch than Obama?
5 - why does hoarding happen
6 - why are there scores of people prepping for an economic collapse?
7 - why are there lines in front of gas stations when Bush invaded Iraq in 1990?
Fears! And there are many, many more examples.
The fact is that humans and other animals have primal fears that can be tapped into to influence them. All it takes is one business owner in a market to employ those techniques. It happens every day.
I have many years of experience in this. That is how I make my living. I am a hired gun, and if you hire me your competition is toast. And i don't employ a toaster. It doesn't mean my marketing is sleazy. All I do is use what works best. As long as its legal or ethical for the particular line of business.
I have yet to see a market where positive works better than negative. Not one. Not even marketing of a church.
I found this interesting. None of the above fears/actions apply to me. And it's not that I don't have fears, I have plenty. But I do think that they just don't motivate my decisions in that way. There are different kinds of people in the world, and if you want to use positive marketing, you may not catch as many fish, but I'm sure I'm not the only one like me. I go for the positive, not the negative, every time. The negative just makes me tune you out.
GO
2016: Homemade arch from old wood stove; 2 steam tray pans; 6 taps; 1.1 gal
2017: Same setup. 15 taps; 4.5 gal
2018: Same setup. Limited time. 12 taps and short season; 2.2 gal
2019: Very limited time. 7 taps and a short season; 1.8 gals
2020: New Mason 2x3 XL halfway through season; 9 taps 2 gals
2021: Same 2x3, 18 taps, 4.5 gals
2022: 23 taps, 5.9 gals
2023: 23 taps. Added AUF, 13.2 gals
2024: 17 taps, 5.3 gals
All on buckets