Small Business Marketing
  • Home
  • About
  • Services
    • Marketing Plans
    • 1-On-1 Boot Camps
    • Business Consulting
    • Hire Bryce To Speak
  • Service Locations
    • Santa Cruz, California
    • San Francisco Bay Area
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
    • Tour

The Marketing Rx B/Vlog

Small Biz Mktg Rx Tour: Marketing Tips For Any Industry in Monterey, CA

7/8/2018

0 Comments

 
(Tap/Click to Subscribe)
​
​In this episode, we visited the world-renowned Monterey Peninsula to visit with four local businesses about all things marketing:
  • [0:50] - Mad Dogs & Englishmen (Premium E-bike Store / MadDogsCarmel.com)
  • [5:20] - Carmel Valley's Folktale Winery & Vineyards (FolktaleWinery.com)
  • [5:20] - Monterey Bay's KRML 102.1 FM (KRML.com)
  • [8:50] - Sand City's Monterey Epicurean (Food Manufacturer & Packaging Company to the Stars / MontereyEpicurean.com) 

We spoke with Carmel-by-the-Sea's Jennifer Blevins, Co-Owner of 8-week-old Mad Dogs & Englishmen about online resources to save time and easily gain exposure while also discussing an easy way to structure all of your marketing each month including the power of video that many local businesses are hesitant to try.

We toured California's Winery of the Year, Folktale Winery and Vineyards with Director of Business Development & Marketing, Chris Whitman as Jeff White, Program Director of KRML 102.1 FM joined us to showcase their tremendous strategic partnership. With several awards under their belt, Folktale has collaborated with KRML to create a highly distinctive concert series that attracts musicians that are featured on some of the world's biggest stages. With award-winning KRML being one of the only, truly community-based radio stations in Northern California, their model is unique and they compete quite well with the large-behemoth corporate stations and this is just one of the ways they're winning at the local ratings game.

While Bryce and his video crew traveled through the region, they eventually made it to Monterey Epicurean to speak with Andy Banton, President of their operation to discuss the power of LinkedIn, its 2-month video capability and the power of creating content that aligns them with the nation's top chefs and foodie influencers to get ahead of the ever-changing B2B marketing landscape.

Watch our next episode as we visit the Burlingame + San Mateo region of the San Francisco Bay Area's Peninsula. 

​The Ultimate 1-On-1 Boot Camp
Picture

​Vetted Sponsor
Picture

Get Marketing Tips In Your Feed
0 Comments

Tour Vlog #2: Santa Cruz, CA - Small Business Marketing Made Simple

6/1/2018

0 Comments

 
(Tap/Click To Subscribe)

On our second Tour Stop, we visit with local small business owners in Santa Cruz, California where we talk influencer marketing, content creation as well as Instagram and event marketing. Watch as we travel down historic Pacific Avenue and venture out to the coast with the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and world class surf spots as our back drop.

Interview Breakdown:
  • True Olive Connection (Artisan Gourmet Food Store - 0:56): How to go from traditional to digital media via content marketing and reduce your spending on marketing
  • ​Botanic and Luxe (Home Decor Store Specializing in Plants - 3:12): Our May Marketing Award winner share their top 2 tips for their success - Instagram and event marketing
  • Food Trucks A-Go-Go (Food Truck Event Production Company - 5:00): We walk you through how to tackle influencer marketing

Stay tuned for links to the full interviews with each business owner, plus audio and our transcription of each interview.

Enjoy this episode and get ready for our next Tour Stop when we visit Monterey and its Peninsula of cities from Marina down to Big Sur.

To check out our full Tour schedule, press release & more visit our Tour page.
​

Follow For Marketing Tips

​Vetted Sponsor
Picture
0 Comments

5 STEPS TO END YOUR HATRED FOR SOCIAL MEDIA

11/28/2017

0 Comments

 
[5 minute read]

For most business owners, the words “social media” makes them cringe since it takes so much time to manage and it’s just too tough to keep up with the latest trends, but you never want to get left behind either. I want to simplify social media for you today and put your mind at ease. Here’s the skinny on how to make social media work for your business, all in 5 easy steps.
 
1. Change Your Mindset
  • First and foremost, go into airplane mode and block out 2 hours to devote to mapping out a top-line view of your annual social media program, this practice will help provide clarity and get those strategically-creative juices flowing.
  • Internalize that social media is the news ticker that gives your loyal followers up-to-the-minute updates on why they need to keep you on their radar.

2. Get Back to Basics
  • What is your top business goal? Maybe it’s promoting your summer season services & products or launching a new product line.
  • Completely place yourself in your customers’ shoes, what is actually going to make them read, watch, share, like and help promote you?
  • What are the words/images that will “click” for them? If you were them, would a boring vendor photo with 10% off, “come by and save” post work OR would a video of you showing how it works out in the real world and how this product will simplify their lives and make them happier be the golden ticket?
  • Think of what would provide the WOW factor in getting you as a customer to pay attention. Determine what actually will make you say “I NEED THAT!” Go back to your observations of customers’ comments, actions, wishes, habits, and conversations with family and friends they're visiting your business with. All of this information is telling you how you can make their lives easier and happier (check out these corporate-GoPro & local-Pour Tap Room examples to give you an idea of what's possible). Time-strapped soccer mom? Just think how you can make their trip to see you more efficient and showcase that extra perk!

3. Map It Out
  • Based on your business goal(s), create a “campaign” or theme that embodies that month or season that all your marketing tactics, from décor to social media can correlate with.
  • Create a calendar of events that impact both you and your customers for each month and use those as inspiration for your social media posts.
  • Determine how you can multi-purpose your content. So if you take a “how-to” video, you can now integrate that into content to submit to your Chamber’s e-newsletter, your e-newsletter, a social media post, content for your website, a quick reply email to a customer that calls asking if you have that product, Facebook/Instagram ad, and I’m guessing you can come up with a few more ways to use it too.

4. Automation on the Cheap
  • If your customers use Facebook or Instagram and you come up with a great video or photo shoot, you can use this content to create an ad that automatically gets placed in your fans and customers’ feeds to keep you on their radars and to remind them to come and see you. As people visit your website, provide their email, and/or sign up for your newsletter, they can begin to be regularly exposed to what you’re up to. Here’s what’s possible:  
  • Did you know that for $1/day (watch video), you can run a Facebook & Instagram ad that is sent directly to: 1) Your website visitors (including specific pages they’ve visited & not visited) within the last month, 90 days or more; 2) people whose email you have; 3) an entire new set of people that match the lifestyles of the first two people mentioned (Facebook creates a “lookalike” audience); 4) people that sign up for your email newsletter (link ad to a specific MailChimp distribution list in Facebook ad manager). All of this can run on autopilot.
  • On the posting front, utilize a service like Hootsuite.com or BufferApp.com (both have FREE options) to schedule your posts days, weeks or even months ahead of time during the times and days that your customers are most active on social media (just use the analytics built into each platform to see your stats). Plus, they have apps and browser tools that allow you to “clip and share” things as you browse the internet.

5. Quality over Quantity, Use Your Phone & Don’t Be Salesy
  • Remember, people want to see and hear about what you’re up to, so post quality content that isn’t just about you making money. But be sure to not just put out “fluff” to fulfill posting something every day. It’s time to entertain, educate and take them behind the scenes to show why your different. So if you’re not posting everyday, that’ ok, just make sure that what you put out is quality.
  • Never forget that you have a video crew in your back pocket, aka your phone. Take your customers behind the scenes, so if you’re on a road trip to source ingredients or putting the finishing touches on your hand-made products, show your customers what goes into making yours different. If your brand is all about organic, handcrafted goodness, then take them in the kitchen or into the fields with your go-to farmer.
  • Look through your feed of previous posts, if it’s all the same and you’re always talking about a sale, do you think that’ll be very captivating? Probably not, so be sure to mix it up and use your month’s or season’s theme to come up with cool content you know your customers would love to see and profile how it could fit into their lifestyle.
0 Comments
    Picture

    Author

    As founder of The Root Group, Bryce Root has a sincere passion for helping small business owners via his 20+ years of diverse marketing experience.


    Weekly E-Newsletter 
    * indicates required

    Archives

    March 2020
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    November 2017
    October 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016


    Categories

    All
    Advertising
    B2B
    Branding
    Cash + Coffee
    Cash Flow
    Competition
    Content Marketing
    Curb Appeal
    Customer Experience
    Digital Marketing
    Geographic Barriers
    Influencer Marketing
    Marketing
    Marketing 101
    News
    Online Presence
    Root Of The Matter
    Social Media
    Top Tips
    Tour
    Video Marketing
    Word Of Mouth

    RSS Feed


What Our Clients Are Saying

"I own a fitness studio in San Francisco, which requires constant marketing. We used to market on an as-needed basis, not strategically, and our business wasn't as profitable as we knew it could be. I was looking for someone to help us establish a brand image/strategy that excited people to join. Bryce encouraged us get to know our clients more than on a surface-level before our first meeting, which has turned out to be the foundation for every business decision we've made since then. 

Bryce is methodical in his work -- giving us spreadsheets, handouts and homework. He's a great teacher in that he asked us questions (instead of lecturing) so we could arrive to the best marketing decisions on our own. Our sales are more than DOUBLE what they were this time last year, thanks to Bryce!! I could go on and on about everything I've learned from this invaluable experience. If you love working on your business and watching it grow, your time with Bryce will be worth every minute. It's exciting, thought-provoking and most importantly he helped us make a lot more money than we thought possible in such a short amount time!!!"

Shala M., Co-Owner - YuBalance Fitness Studio


View more reviews

Contact Us

(831) 824-4135

Location

By Appt. Only
180 7th Avenue #105
Santa Cruz, CA
​95062

Privacy Policy
Disclaimer
Copyright 2021
  • Home
  • About
  • Services
    • Marketing Plans
    • 1-On-1 Boot Camps
    • Business Consulting
    • Hire Bryce To Speak
  • Service Locations
    • Santa Cruz, California
    • San Francisco Bay Area
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
    • Tour