Rabbit. Rabbit. Rabbit…

No, I’m not going to launch into a Chas & Dave song. And nor is the picture showing a recreation of Watership Down.

This is a smart piece of thinking in a city with a pedestrianised shopping centre.

Grey paving is reassuring to walk on but it’s not the sort of surface which says, when the warm sun shines,  “Sit in comfort here”. And though this city does have parks and green space, there is very little of it in this particular area. The solution?

If people can’t get to the green grass, bring the green grass to the people. Okay, in this case it’s a giant mat of artificial lawn. But it does the trick.

Within minutes, a grey area has a patch of green. A dose of colour. An artificial and admittedly tiny lawn. Add a soft rabbit or two, a giant brown bunny and comfy cushions – and suddenly you have a different space  for shoppers, visitors, families and children to use.

A place to sit.

A place to lie down and relax.

A place to put on your shades and grab some sun.

A place to play.

A place to have a picnic.

A place to enjoy your packed lunch.

A place to have fun.

A place to ‘rabbit’… to talk, that is.

Maybe a space to reflect on your business?

This simple idea – a green mat, some cushions and some cuddly toys – transformed a space which was just filled with people walking by into a space where people take time out from the daily hubbub.

Is there an idea, a twist, a bit of colour, a bit of drama you could put into your business to give it a different feel, vibe or  attraction.

The green mat proved a real hit in this city. With the warm sun out, people flocked to it. The fun and relaxing space was enjoyed by mums with their children, shop workers on a break, visitors, students and shoppers.

Imagine if you had one simple idea that could draw people in like that?

And as you ponder on that, here’s my suggestion around the word rabbit.

Rabbit can mean conversation or to talk a lot.

And if you are marketing your business it’s important to rabbit. Otherwise people may not know you are there or what you have to offer.

But remember to think BEFORE you rabbit. Ask yourself these questions…

WHY are you rabbiting in the first place? What is your mission? What is your vision? What is it you want to achieve?

WHEN do you want to rabbit? Every day? Once a week? Twice a week? Monthly? The word on the street is it’s BETTER to rabbit more than rabbit less. (And, no, people don’t seem to mind if you rabbit more… as long as you have something to say which interests them).

WHERE do you rabbit? It may seem these days as if ALL the rabbiting is done on Social Media – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and so on. But that’s not the case…

Email is still a VERY strong marketing tool if used wisely. Direct mail can work beautifully (if the copy and the design of sales letters, leaflets, flyers, postcards, envelopes, coupons and brochures are done well).

WHO do you want to rabbit to? Who is your audience? Who is your ideal prospect, client or customer? The more sharply you can define this, the easier it is to do your marketing, write your copy.

WHAT do you want to rabbit about? Keep to one topic or theme. Talk less about you and more about your prospect, client or customer. What can you offer them? What problem can you solve? What challenge can you help them overcome?

From what I see, most businesses are not in the habit of rabbit.

They do not talk enough to their prospects, clients and customers. They do not mention ALL the products or services they have to offer – so how could anyone buy from them?  They do not  seem to know how to present  themselves as unique or different, to craft a persuasive message or to make the buying decision easy.

Could they do with help on branding? Maybe.

Could they do with help on strategy? Probably. More than likely.

Could they do with help on copy, on writing better words? Almost certainly.

Will those businesses ask for help? Mmm…

On that subject I could rabbit a lot.

P.S. By the way, congratulations to Bath in South West England for their simple, fun and comfy idea of creating green space in a grey place.