The month of May is Better Sleep Month. That means you are getting your marketing plans in place and preparing to SCREAM to the rooftops about our industry’s moment of truth. What? You’re not prepared? I understand, believe me. As a matter of fact, I think last May came and went without the industry doing much at all, and I am part of the problem. I sit on the Better Sleep Council, so what is going on out there?!

Let me suggest that you put some thought into doing SOMETHING to support Better Sleep Month this year. You can visit the Better Sleep Council’s website to get some ideas and marketing assets, or simply link to its website. If you are a retailer, how about a big SALE? If you are a bedding brand, is there an event you can support retailers on, with a special product to draw some attention?

We all know that it is not about the THING as much as it is about the BENEFIT of the THING. We can beat the better sleep drum and create that opportunity to connect it right back to the mattress, which we all want to do, right? Remember, consumers easily understand that sleep is important to their quality of life, but YOU are the one that has to connect that sentiment to the products you sell. What better time is there to do that than Better Sleep Month? If it were Better Biking Month, wouldn’t you expect your local sporting goods store to feature special promotions around bikes, shoes, those very fashionable spandex shorts with butt pads, cool biking glasses, water bottles, and everything else associated with cycling? If they didn’t, wouldn’t you think they missed an opportunity?

Remember the DirecTV ads?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7udQSHWpL88

When you don’t have a good mattress, you don’t get good sleep, and if you don’t get good sleep, you don’t pay attention when you drive to work, and when you don’t pay attention when you drive to work, you can get in a wreck with a truck carrying live chickens. When you get in a wreck with a truck carrying live chickens, you go to the hospital, when you go to the hospital you can end up with huge hospital bills, and when you have huge hospital bills you can’t pay your mortgage, and when you can’t pay your mortgage you wind up homeless. Don’t wind up homeless, buy a new mattress.

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this blog are mine and mine alone. They do not represent the company I work for, or anyone else with whom I am affiliated. Except my wife of course, who is good at telling me what not to say.