Whether you’re a start up or a seasoned business, marketing is typically the first thing that’s cut when trying to trim the fat on spending. We highly recommend that you shy away from this practice, but if you need to slash your marketing budget, it is possible to promote your business for as low as one dollar per day. You may not believe it, but just like anything in life, you typically pay for convenience so you don’t have to work harder, which in this instance means that with just a little extra effort you can make a huge impression without spending very much at all.
 
Here’s how to do it in five steps:

1. Developing a strategic partnership with those businesses who align well with yours and have a similar target customer can be a definite route to explore. The first step is knowing your target market and being cognizant of where they shop, eat, and spend time during a normal day. Your being able to align with the right organization can help reach your target customer in a variety of different ways via a carefully selected partner.
2. If your target customer is family-based, explore the opportunity of aligning with a local non-profit that has a youth focus. Work together in producing the perfect event or program for families as many schools allow fliers to be placed in elementary school cubbies and backpacks when non-profits play a prominent role. 
3. If both you and your target customer use Facebook and/or Instagram, spending one dollar in advertising per day is a great way to reach those who will be interested in your product or service. Here's a how to video I created to show you how to do it. Diving into the intricacies of Facebook advertising allows you to reach those who have visited your website, specific city blocks and neighborhoods, as well as people who have interests in products just like yours. It can be a little overwhelming when diving in, but you can always tap the many tutorials Facebook offers.
4. Do you have an upcoming event or big news to share? Getting a little PR is a great way to spread the word, all it takes is your developing relationships with the reporters and influencers that communicate publicly about your industry. Just make sure that your email subject lines are so tempting that recipients can’t resist. Always try to send individual, personalized emails while picking up the phone and having a real conversation also works. Just make sure you’ve written down your top 3-5 points you want to convey, along with concise, memorable quotes that capture the essence of what you’re promoting. 
5. Using the film crew in your back pocket, a.k.a. your mobile phone, is a must for you as a business owner. When it comes to social media and building a loyal following, it’s essential to take your fans behind the scenes. From seeing where you source your ingredients to how you create your product or service, we always advise our clients to show people something they haven’t seen before.

If you'd like to dive deeper into the opportunity to develop your own customized, marketing strategy, we have a variety of options to help you develop what you need to make it all happen. We're here to help you go BIG, click here to learn how!

[4 Minute Read]
 
Many business owners open their doors, send out direct mail, run an ad and cross their fingers. This works for very few because one critical element is typically missing. The mistake we see each and every day is that assumptions are being made as to what will convince customers to jump in their car, find & pay for parking and walk into your store or simply call you. All of those actions require a lot of effort for most of your customers and if your marketing isn’t motivating them to do so, then your time and money is being wasted.
 
Here are 4 steps to make your customers want to spend money with you:

1. Examine the Largest Piece of Your Revenue Pie: Determine the category of product and/or service that brings in the largest slice of cold hard cash. If 65% of your income is derived from a specific product, you now need to know how to tell the customers who value that product that you have it sitting in your store waiting for them. But who is the customer that this offering will be most appealing to? Maybe you have two types of customers that find value in what you’re offering? Maybe they come from two different generations.
2. Stop Assuming & Have Conversations: Everyday, we meet with business owners and map out what they think makes their customers tick. From their home life to how they use social media, we cover it all, but the one area that is most impactful is talking through their customers’ pain points in life as well as with the process of making purchase decisions. This process can be quite eye-opening, but the next step is where the gold nuggets of intel come into play. The essential part of this process is to have actual conversations with your customers and ask them about their average day and week including what they do for fun, where they shop & dine, how they get their news and information and most importantly what are their frustrations in life and what’s on their wish list for making life just a little bit easier for them. This might mean taking some loyal customers to lunch or coffee or providing them a gift for their time, but this information will be intrinsically valuable both in the short and long-term when you find out what is going through their and their like-minded friends’ and family’s minds. You will now know where to spend your time & money, including where to advertise, who to make a strategic partner, which events to sponsor and so much more.
3. Speak To Customers in Their Language: Now that you have this valuable information, you can literally call out, many times in their precise words, why they need to spend some time with you since you’re providing a way to make their lives easier and happier. This also gets into the overall brand experience of your operation so your verbal description of your business, social media bio, website headline, every post card, every Facebook ad, every event, and every experience they have with your business must exhibit the vibe, persona, and feeling that reminds them that your business is the precise location to make their lives more enjoyable. This also gets into customer service but we’ll save that for a future write up.
4. Track Your Marketing: The last step is all about tracking everything you do. If you don’t do this and engrain this habit into your employees’ minds, you will likely end up spending more time and money than you need to. Fortunately, most online marketing tactics have analytics built into them, but even so, having an old school piece of paper at the cash wrap where tallies can be kept on what precisely brought them into your store will be key. If you ran a Facebook ad this month, sponsored an event and gave out coupons, or were part of a strategic partner’s e-newsletter, you want to know what literally brought that actual person through your door.

 
If you don’t mind a little excel, just download our “marketing tracker,” which allows you to be on top of all your marketing efforts, spending and resources, just download it below.
 
And if you need some assistance in getting your marketing program organized so more people walk through your door, check out our services page so you can gain access to a secret weapon for your business.
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[4.5 MINUTE READ]

I’ve noticed over the last year that a lot of different industries are experiencing what might be a real-life game of capture the flag. Real estate, insurance, coffee, orthodontics and many more local categories are seeing a surge of young 30-40 somethings who are extremely energetic and tech-savvy enter their competitive landscape and for the seasoned business owner, this can be a bit worrisome. The idea of a challenger to their target customer base can be frightening for those who have relied on handshakes and face-to-face meetings for the length of their career.
 
On the flip side, those young bucks who are masters at social media and online sales funnels may be finding it challenging to seal the deal since they don’t have a respectable number of years under their belt and find in-person networking a bit intimidating. If you haven’t “seen it all,” it could be a chink in your armor and if we’re talking about services or products that are on the higher end of the investment spectrum then that can be a definite problem when trying to meet monthly projections.
 
So what is the solution if you’re sitting in either of these camps? Optimally, you’ll want to explore how you can hire, collaborate or create a strategic partnership with the opposing team. If you’re able to do that, you’ve essentially assembled the A-team.
 
Whether you join forces or not, you’ll want to be sure that your marketing game is diversified and continually expanding, but before you do anything, there’s one thing both sides need to do. It’s simple, talk with your target customer(s) and if your target customer is gradually getting younger, it’s even more crucial to have those conversations.
 
Unless you do this, you’ll continue to be operating on assumptions and guesses. While these might be well-educated guesses, you’ll be experimenting with your hard-earned money, time and resources to see if you’re right, so find some time to hear it straight from your customers’ mouths. Invite your optimal customers to lunch, coffee or just a chat with you. In exchange, offer them a gift card, special VIP bonus, or something special that demonstrates your appreciation for their time.
 
As a local marketing strategist, I force my clients to hold these conversations as the smallest details that a client shares can mean the difference between them and similar customers walking through your door or shopping with your competitor. The beauty of this tactic is that 95% of local businesses DO NOT do this. So by now, you’re probably curious what to ask. Essentially, you’ll want to get to the point where you know your customers inside and out, from what frustrates them in life and with your industry to where they buy their groceries. All of this intel will be invaluable to you, some of it will be immediate and other information will be assist you 6 months down the line as you implement your marketing plan.
 
Here is a beginning list of questions to get the conversation started:

1. What is their geographic location & how far is their radius for gathering what’s important to them, whether it’s shopping, errands or leisure time?
2. How does the online world and use of their mobile phone fit into their lifestyle?
3. Are they athletic? Does this mean getting outdoors, the gym, Cross Fit, yoga, etc.?
4. If they have children, what are the children’s activities and when do they occur?

 
You get the picture, but as you walk through some of these questions, you’ll begin to pick up on the fact that the lifestyle they are living and breathing may very well dictate how you can infiltrate the marketing they’re already being bombarded with so you can get their attention to let them know you exist.
 
Now that you have an idea of what they’re all about, it’s time to dive a little deeper to determine what their essential needs and wants are, as well as what will ultimately make them happier and basically make their lives easier for them. Here are a few questions you should be able to answer so you can fine tune your brand messaging and overall marketing communications.

1. What is their first impression of your business and what it provides?
2. What is your customer fed up with or at least finding frustrating about your type of product or service?
3. What makes your customer potentially hesitant to try your product or service?
4. What makes up the wish list of your target customer when it comes to your type of product or service?

 
Once you have all this information in your hands, you will have been given the road map to reaching your target customer. And if you’re battling those who you feel have a leg up on you, you now have the secret weapon to race across the competitive landscape and grab that market share that you need to get your business back in the game. You may be feeling like you’re in a Spartan race right now, but with this new intel, the ability to now craft your brand communications so they resonate with your customers, and a marketing plan that’s rock solid, your competition is going to be shaking in their boots.

If you're looking for the secret weapon to adapt to your changing competitive landscape and ever-changing target customer, be sure to review our services as we're fired up to help you go BIG with your business.
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