Written by Cherie Larson

Very few business owners have the luxury of unlimited funds to spend as they want. This makes it that much more important, and difficult, to figure out how to spend the limited resources. As the business grows, so do the places to spend that money! 

One important expenditure is marketing. Every business owner knows that they need to let others know they are out there in order to grow the business. Marketing your business takes many forms and choosing which ones to use will vary from business to business depending on your goals, resources, time, and needs. We are not experts on choosing how you market but we do have some insight into how to pay for it!

To begin with, you must have some idea of what money you have (or think you will have) coming in and what fixed expenses you need to cover. Expenses such as payroll, taxes, certain software, and purchases of inventory are all considerations. There are a whole host of other variable expenses that you can spend money on - additional employees and software, professional help, travel,  and marketing are a few.

Next you will want to look at how much you need to spend on marketing to maintain where you are at and how much you need to spend to grow. Don’t forget about initial or incidental costs such as an evaluation of your current marketing, or the development or upgrade of a website.  We suggest that you come up with the monthly amount you are comfortable spending and also begin setting aside money upfront for those one-time costs.

While we aren’t a proponent of building your business exactly the same as others, there are some guidelines for what many spend on marketing. Again, the type and size of your business makes a huge difference. In general, 2-5% for B2B and up to 10% for B2C  of revenue is generally reasonable. This may not include your initial or nonrecurring charges.If you’re a new business and have no idea how much to spend, consider starting at $1,000 a month. You may need to put money in the business to fund this. Be sure to watch it carefully to make sure you are spending in the best way possible. A good marketing advisor can be a key player in this process. While it will cost you some to have them advise you and do some of the work, the value in what they do can save you money in the long run…and make you a lot more! We do recommend that you regularly talk with your marketing team and make sure you understand what they are doing and what the reports they are giving you mean. It is ultimately your money and you want to spend it in the best way possible.

Also, don’t forget about no or low-cost marketing tools. Talking to your network, joining a free or low-cost group, as well as sending emails or making phone calls are all ways you can remind people of what you have to offer.

One of the best tools we have found for managing your overall cash flow and your spending plan is the Profit First method. This method looks at where your money is going now and where you want it to go. You then set aside dollars regularly to fund where you want it to go. This helps the business owner to set aside that money for taxes, payment to themselves, payroll, etc. A shortage in one of the accounts helps you stop and evaluate what’s going on with the business and forces you to make wiser decisions about the money you’re spending. We highly recommend an account for marketing. This ensures that you are setting aside this money and that you are watching where it is going.

Need help figuring out your spending? We’d love to help! Reach out to us here.

As a business owner or part of a growing business, it’s important you understand what you’re paying for and why. Every dollar counts. We never want there to be questions about what you’re paying for or why, so wanted to explain everything in clear terms for you to understand.

There are three primary things that businesses need to pay for when establishing their online presence:

• Domain name
• Website Hosting
• Email Hosting

Let’s start by defining a few terms.

What is a domain name?

A domain name is the URL that your website is found at. For example, The Social Brand’s domain name is thesocialbrandtn.com. Everyone has to pay to register their domain name with a registrar company. There are many to choose from. For example, GoDaddy, Google, CheapName, and more. The one we recommend is Hover. They have excellent customer service in case there’s ever a problem and their system is easy to use. 

What is hosting?

Hosting is a service that allows you to publish your content online. This service provides server space in the cloud that allows you to publish your website, access your emails in the cloud and even access your files that you may be storing in the cloud.

So, now let’s talk about the difference between website hosting and email hosting.

Website hosting is the service of putting your website online at your domain name. So for example, when you go to www.thesocialbrandtn.com, you will see The Social Brand’s website there at that URL.  At The Social Brand, we offer care plans that include hosting. So our care plans keep your website online, as well as provide maintenance for your site so that you can keep things up to date. 

Email hosting is the service of allowing your emails to live in the cloud where you can access them online from anywhere (your phone, your home computer, your work computer, etc.). We recommend the Google Workspace for your email and you can either set it up yourself and pay Google directly or work with a trusted IT provider and they will facilitate the hosting for you. If you need help finding a great IT provider, we know a few and would be happy to make a referral for you! 

Beyond these three basic things to get started, there are some other costs that may be recommended based on what your business needs and goals are. 

• Premium plug-ins
• Email marketing platform

Sometimes our clients will request additional functionality on their website. This may be something like MLS integration for a realtor or auto-importing events from Eventbrite. This additional functionality often requires what is called a premium plug-in.  A plug-in is like a piece of software you put on your computer, only a plug-in is meant specifically for a website. When plug-ins are premium, that means they have either a lifetime, annual or monthly cost. Just like on your computer, there are free softwares available but they are usually not as polished as premium options.  If your website requires the use of a premium plug-in, there may be additional cost on a monthly or annual basis. If you’re working with The Social Brand, we will be very upfront with you from the beginning about the existence of this additional cost and what it is. There should never be surprises in this arena. 

Additionally, email marketing platforms are often closely tied into the strategy of your website. This is because if you’re collecting email addresses on your website, here at The Social Brand, we will often encourage you to set up an automated email drip campaign or a monthly newsletter. Examples of these strategies include, asking for an email address in exchange for a free guide then automatically emailing the guide to the user immediately after they sign up. This functionality requires the use of an email marketing platform. The one we recommend is Mailchimp.

There are many things to spend your money on in marketing and in business. These are just a few basics that most clients have questions about. It’s always important to know exactly what you’re spending your funds on and why it’s important to your overall strategy.  As a client of The Social Brand, please never hesitate to ask if you don’t understand something, especially when related to what you’re being asked to buy!

When I talk to established business owners, they usually know exactly who their client is. They work with them day-in and day-out. They can tell me what their name is, their favorite color, what side of the bed they sleep on, their kids’ names, and anything else I need to know about them. But, when it comes to developing a message that will appeal to their customers, they often become frozen, awkward, and unsure of themselves…. Or even worse, they just start talking about themselves and forget all about their customers altogether. In this article, you will learn why your messaging isn’t working, how to clearly communicate your value proposition and how to be confident that you’re speaking the right language to your customers. 

Why Your Messaging Doesn't Work

If I’ve said it once, I’ve probably said it a thousand times… your marketing is not about you as the business owner. Your logo shouldn’t reflect what you like.  Your brand colors shouldn’t be your favorite color.  Your tagline shouldn’t be the very words that speak to your soul. No, your marketing is about your customers. Your logo should reflect what your ideal customer likes, what colors they prefer, and your tagline? It should reflect the way they describe the problem you fix. 

This is the very reason we recommend strategy as the first step of the Promotion Path so that you know exactly how to position your brand to attract your ideal customer. So that any step we take after that is in the right direction. 

The reason why many businesses’ messaging doesn’t work is because it’s about themselves. Ever been to a website that starts out something like this, “Acme, Inc was founded in 1877 on a foundation of integrity, family tradition, and honesty. We make our handcrafted gadgets with real wood from the Arctic and…” ….In all honesty, who cares?  That language is about the business, not the customer. Your messaging should quickly and clearly identify that you understand the problem your customer is facing and that you’ve got a solution. 

Instead it should sound something like:

• “Know Your Numbers Every Month” - Account4’s (a bookkeeping and payroll service) 
• “Intensify your Nonprofit’s Impact” - Leaf Spring Consulting (a nonprofit consulting firm that helps manage the business stuff so nonprofits can focus on their mission) 
• “Helping Couples Build Deeper Relationships” - Infinite Clarity (a Licensed Marriage And Family Therapist And Leading Certified Enneagram Coach)

These clearly speak to the pain point of the customer and how the business helps. 

How to Clearly Communicate Your Value Proposition

I’m honestly pretty embarrassed to share this in a public forum… but I’m going to. Marketing fluff just doesn’t work. Your customers don’t believe your claims of grandeur. They don’t believe that the mattresses you sell are the softest in the South. They certainly don’t believe that you have the highest quality window installers in the United States. So claiming these things doesn’t benefit you - in fact, it lowers the trust factor.

So what does work? Offering facts. Rather than filling your website with poetic and flowery marketing language (or corporate-speak as I call it), just tell them what you do. Offer statistics, the clear perk they will benefit from, and share the process of how you do things differently than your competitors in plain language. I’m talking things like “100 5-star Google reviews,” “carrying 178 brands of mattresses,” or “proven to cost 22% less than the competition.” 

Now when I say perks, I’m not talking about offering a free Yeti cooler with an installation of any AC unit. I’m talking about the actual perks of your service. How will they benefit from working with you? LCommunicate those benefits in a clear bullet point list and you’ve got a value proposition. 

A good example of a value proposition sounds like this:

“Manage Your Finances in Less Than 1 Hour a Month

• Get a cover sheet every month that alerts you to any potential issues, things to watch, or concerns.
• Explanations are provided with each report to ensure you understand what the numbers are telling you.
• Know where you stand every month - no playing catch up at the end of the year.
• See where your money is going at a glance with all the reports you need every month from balance sheets and profit and loss statements to convenient accounts payable reports”

Account4 understands that the biggest pain point for their customers is the time that it takes to keep up with books and payroll. So they addressed it clearly in their value proposition. 

How to Be Confident You’re Speaking the Right Language to Your Customers

Now that you know why your messaging isn’t working and how to clearly communicate your value proposition, we’ve got one more topic to discuss: talking in the language your customer talks in. I’m sure you’ve heard it before - you should parrot what your customers say. Yet, we go off and think we have to give them a Yetti cooler to get them to buy from us. All they want is to know that you understand their problem and that you can fix it for them effectively.

The easiest, most effective way of doing this is to simply talk to your customers. Listen to the words they use. How do they describe their problem? Forget your industry’s jargon, and pay attention to how your customer talks. Not only will using this language help your message connect with your customers on a deeper level, it will also help boost your findability online (helloooo, SEO!) You want to be found when a customer searches for you and using the words they are searching for is the best way to do it!

So there you have it! Transitioning your marketing message from you to your customer, clarifying your value proposition to facts, not claims, and speaking your customer’s language is the key to success in marketing. I hope these three tips will help you better understand why your marketing isn’t working so you can successfully make adjustments to scale your business faster.

A hot topic in content marketing is thought leadership. You watch YouTube videos, read articles online, and see posts on social media that tell you the secret to growing your business is to become a thought leader. You should be seen as the authority in your space. In our experience, it’s pretty rare that business owners or organizations actually achieve this goal. But it’s still the carrot at the end of the stick… if only I could achieve THIS.  In fact, according to one SurveyMonkey survey, 66% of marketers consider thought leadership to be a major priority of their organization. 

A thought leader is an expert who, “based on their expertise and perspective in an industry, offers unique guidance, inspires innovation and influences others.” (BusinessNewsDaily)

So, here are the top themes of those who are successful at reaching the goal of becoming a thought leader.

1. They share their own opinions, even if they’re unpopular.

A lot of content is recycled and simply a reworded version of someone else’s thoughts or information. But thought leaders share their own thoughts and opinions even if they’re unpopular. Typically, thought leaders will take stands on topics that create a reaction. Once they see there is a reaction to that topic, usually they continue creating content on this topic. 

2. They clearly define and then, stick to their area of expertise.

Thought leaders are most effective when they’re focused and dial into what they know best. Typically they’ll focus on one industry or even just one niche of that industry.  For example, one thought leader we love at The Social Brand is Donald Miller with StoryBrand - he focuses on clear messaging in your marketing. He has created videos, written books, and built an entire business around this one topic. Another great example is Mike Michalowicz, author of Profit First. He focuses on profit for entrepreneurship.  He has written many books and creates a lot of content around these topics.  Both of these thought leaders have clear messages about what they talk about.

3. They consistently deliver content.

In order to be a thought leader, you have to be consistent. It’s not enough to write a book or have one viral video and then forget all about it. Thought leaders are on social media consistently speaking to their audience about their topic. 

One common thing we hear back is, “Well how much do people want to hear about (insert your topic)? The thing about thought leaders is that people eat it up because they are interested in the topic that they talk about. Going back to our examples, if you aren’t interested in entrepreneurial profit, you probably won’t follow Mike Michalowicz.  But if you are and you agree with his methodology, everything he releases is going to be interesting to you. So he has a captivated audience!

4. They are passionate about their topic. 

This isn’t a phase for them. This is their career, the stake they are putting out to build upon. This isn’t the same thing as jumping on Twitter and sharing random opinions. This is their passion and it’s not something they’re going to get tired of talking about. 

So is thought leadership for you? Pursuing the path isn’t for every business or business owner.  But one valuable lesson to be learned from thought leaders is that they aren’t for everyone and they are okay with that. The fact that they share their unpopular opinions ensures that everyone is not going to be their follower. But the ones who are followers are dedicated and engaged.

Another thing to note here is that this type of content is difficult to outsource. Although there are certainly ways to do it, it requires a lot more participation from the leader or organization to flesh out this type of content than more generic content. That’s not necessarily a bad thing at all. Just something worth noting.

As business owners, understanding that every person isn’t our customer is often a hard but profitable lesson to learn. But, for some of us, the idea of sharing unpopular opinions online in a frequent manner makes us squeamish inside. If that’s you - you’ve probably found your answer to whether or not thought leadership is for you. 

As we approach the end of 2022, we approach the five-year anniversary of the founding of The Social Brand. Five years. So, I wanted to write a more personal blog sharing the five biggest lessons I’ve learned in the last five years. These lessons aren’t all connected to marketing, but rather just life lessons, entrepreneurial lessons… you know, just lessons. So here we go. 

1. People matter the most. 

After five years, I understand now better than ever that people are what matter. Success and financial gain are part of why we do this, it’s a business. However, the people we meet, the people we choose to love, and the people who choose to love us back, are way more important than any of that other stuff. That sounds nice and fluffy, or even the right thing to say. But, I can say that in learning this lesson, it has caused it to be very real to me. 

The decisions we make impact people. In the last five years, I’ve made dozens of decisions that affected my team poorly. I’ve chosen work over family time. I’ve made all the mistakes you can make. At the end of the day, if this all went away and The Social Brand was no more - all I’d have left is the impact it made on the people around me. So how I treat my team, when I choose to spend time with my family, the way I choose to talk to people - that’s the most important thing. I have learned that I truly define success by the quality of my relationships. 

2. Hustling is toxic.

In the beginning, it was all about the hustle. I told myself it had to be, after all, I was starting a business! I would be up at 12:30 AM editing a video and up at 6 AM posting on a client’s Facebook story. I was at every networking event even though they drained me (introverted hermit, here!) I was doing all of the things… because I had to. Or so I told myself. 

But hustling can be toxic. Hustling, for me, led to a sense of desperation. I needed every client I could get, every job, and there was never enough time. I had to do all of the things… I couldn’t get enough. Then I realized…. STOP. There’s enough. There is BALANCE. There is enough time in the day to get what I need to get done. If there’s not, then I’ve overcommitted. There’s enough business to go around for everyone. I also realized I could grow my business in ways that were healthy and sustainable for my mental health and I didn’t have to do things I hated because I didn’t have to do anything. I was my own boss. 

I still remember when I set boundaries around time. I started taking evenings and weekends off. I didn’t work past 7 PM and I didn’t work on the weekends. My life transformed. I didn’t lose my business… or any clients! I was happier and the quality of my work actually improved. Because I wasn’t running on E anymore. Now, I’m happy to share that I’m off at 5:00 PM most days. I was achieving balance. 

3. Pretty doesn’t always mean effective.

You can put lipstick on a pig, but that doesn’t make her a prom queen. Is that the saying? Or did I just make that up? Some marketing campaigns are just that. I have learned that the strategy behind the campaign and the messaging can be a lot more important than the presentation. And booooy, does that hurt to say! I love great design, I thrive on making things pretty and on brand, and that is important. However, a poorly messaged (yet on-brand) campaign isn’t effective. 

For me, this lesson means that I had to shift. In the beginning, I would take whatever message my clients gave me. I considered my job to simply get the message out there. But I quickly learned, that it’s our job to help grow their business. If the message is wrong, we have to change it. This means that I have to slow down, evaluate things closer, do more research, and test things. Ultimately, our clients get much better results. 

4. Growing before you’re ready can be detrimental. 

“Scaling” is the term I see everywhere. I see ads on Facebook one million times a day, “Are you ready to scale your business?” But what I have learned (both from personal experience and from walking alongside clients in this) is that if you don’t have the processes in place to scale, then growing can be detrimental to your business. More money = More problems. You’ve grown a broken business. 

Taking the time to build processes, leadership, and relationships for your business is vital. Developing smooth pathways for prospects to follow as you onboard new clients, training manuals for staff, and writing out standard operating procedures (then implementing them) are a few steps we’ve personally had to take at The Social Brand to help stabilize after tremendous growth in 2020. We still are working hard on improving our processes every day. It must be an  evolving work.

I’ve also seen clients make this same mistake. Spending money on lead generation, then the leads come in and they don’t have a system to follow up with them. Or maybe their receptionist doesn’t know how to properly field calls when they come in, so that conversion into a customer doesn’t happen. The system can break down at any point. But that’s why taking your time is important.

5. (Good) Leadership requires a lot of accountability. 

Being a leader is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I’ve done a lot of hard things. I have had to be really honest with myself about my shortcomings… I’ve had to be accountable for my choices and answer to people other than myself.  The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that good leadership requires a lot of accountability, and setting the right examples. But that is where the beauty is. That’s where personal development comes along and growth happens and suddenly things become a little bit easier. 

Good leadership requires attention, relationships, and intentionality. It wasn’t something I could “hustle” my way through. There are nuances to it. So, it takes time to master. I’m still working on it. As I should. As we all should. 

So. My five biggest lessons in five years (almost). January makes five years, so I think it counts. 

The bottom line is this: being an entrepreneur is really hard. It requires growth in places you don’t expect at the beginning of the process. I’m sure most of the people reading this are on the same journey. You have to develop expertise on topics you never expected (or intended to).

The Proven Path to Marketing Success

How on earth do you start promoting your business? It can be overwhelming to think about the possibilities — websites, ads, emails, social media, and more! 

If you’re like a lot of business owners, you may think you have to do it all. Or, you may know you can’t do it all, so you avoid any new strategies. But there is a proven way to build a marketing plan that doesn’t waste your time or your resources. We call it the our strategic marketing roadmap or promotion path.

Start with Strategy

The first leg of the Promotion Path is strategy. The truth is, you can create a lot of neat marketing materials without a strategy — but the question is whether they’ll help you reach your goals. 

A website, a blog, and a social media presence are all great! But are they aligned with each other? Are they reaching the right people? Are they leading customers to a consistent course of action? Building a marketing strategy is about making sure your efforts are as effective as possible. You’re intentionally designing the experience your clients will have at every stage of their journeys.

To get started, you need to identify your primary goals for your business. These should be SMART goals, meaning they are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-stamped (read more about this strategy here). Goals like “gain a deeper connection with clients” are nice, but it’s hard to know when you’ve achieved them. In our example goal, how deep is “deeper”? Instead, set goals that will direct your company in a specific direction.

Next, identify who you are. Who do you serve, and how do you solve your customers’ problems? What are your core offerings? Nailing down these key components of your business will help you create content that is relevant and effective. Create buyer personas so you can constantly have your ideal buyers in mind.

Finally, take a look at other businesses like yours. Competitive analysis can show you how your competitors market themselves and how your offerings are different. Identify your top three competitors and learn as much about them as you can. Who are they targeting? What do they offer? What are their strategies? Use this knowledge to see how you can stand out.

Develop Your Branding

Branding is about far more than designing a logo. It’s about how the visuals, messaging, and offers from your company align to say who you are and what you’re about. Everything — your logo, your website, your business card, your messaging — should feel like it came from the same place, with the same goal. 

Take a moment to think about your favorite brands. How do you feel when you encounter their materials? Do you know what to expect from their messaging? A well-defined brand will be recognizable even when customers can’t see your company name.

If you have a creative mind, you likely have a lot of thoughts about how your brand could look. Remember, though, that your branding should always tie back to who you’re serving. It’s about their pain points and preferences, not just what you like. 

What visuals will give them confidence in you? What messaging will answer their concerns? What elements will help your audience make an emotional connection? 

The answers to these questions should impact every stable asset of your brand — your website, your messaging, your logo, etc. As you plan, we recommend creating a brand guide. It’s a record of colors, fonts, messaging and other elements you’ll use to define your brand. Use it every time you create something new so that all your materials present a united front.

Create Valuable Content

Now that you’ve created your branding, it’s time to push your message into the world through content creation. Despite what some people might tell you, there’s no “correct” format to use for this. It’s all about who your target audience is.

Go back to your buyer personas and think about where they seek out information. How do they entertain themselves? What apps do they use to communicate? You don’t have to be on every single social media platform — just the ones most popular with your audience. You may find that your customers prefer email newsletters or blogs over Facebook. If that’s the case, be in those places. 

Next, think about the topics that will be most helpful to your potential customers. What questions do people often ask about your product or service? What concerns are driving them to seek out a solution? What mistakes do people commonly make in relation to your specialty? What tips or advice can you give them for free? 

Whatever content you create, make sure you’re pursuing value first. You can’t force anyone to read what you’re publishing; you have to create something they actually want. Speak to their needs, give them quality advice, and your audience will grow.

Generate Leads

Once you’re creating valuable content, it’s time to turn your efforts into leads! Use search engine optimization (SEO) strategies so people can easily find your blogs online. Invest in Google ads to direct traffic to your latest download. Use your videos to advertise on social media.

As you point people to quality content, they’ll come to see you as an authority. They’ll recognize your desire to educate them — not just make a sale. And that builds trust in the long run. 

Of course, generating leads isn’t just about bringing people to your site. Make sure you’re giving them clear calls to action with every interaction.

If you offer consultations, mention that in your blog posts. Invite readers to give you a call or fill out your contact form. Use social media and email to share about upcoming promotions. When you give away a download, ask people for their email addresses and add them to your newsletter list. 

Take these opportunities to show off your expertise and build deeper connections. And when people are ready to make a purchase, make sure they know how to do it!

Chances are, you didn’t start your business because you were excited about marketing. And yet, here you are, running a Facebook page, sending out emails, updating your website and more. 

If you feel like you’ve been thrown into the deep end, don’t lose hope! Our team got together and created a list of seven tools and resources to make your marketing efforts easier and more effective. (And, no, we’re not sponsors for any of these tools. We just love them and hope you will, too!)

1. Hemingway Editor: For clear, compelling writing

Did you know you should be writing at a sixth-grade reading level to reach customers? It’s not because they can’t read at a higher level. It’s that they have thousands of messages vying for their attention every day. They don’t have time for each one, so only the most compelling and easiest to read get through. 

So, how do you make sure your writing is on the right reading level? We recommend the Hemingway Editor. This free, online app not only grades your writing but also shows you exactly what you need to do to improve it. It highlights when you’re using too many adverbs or too much passive voice. It highlights hard-to-read sentences and gives suggestions for how to simplify phrases. 

You might worry that writing at a lower grade level will be too simple for your readers. But a low-grade reading level doesn’t mean childlike content. In fact, we ran this entire piece through Hemingway to make sure it reads at a grade six level.

2. Unsplash: For beautiful, free images

We generally advise against using stock photos, but sometimes you just don’t have the resources for a photoshoot. In these cases, Unsplash is a great asset. The site has over 1 million free, high-quality images. You can sort by categories and keywords, and creators add new images every day.

When you click on a photo, Unsplash will show you how many times it’s been downloaded. This knowledge can keep you from using the same photos everyone else in your field is using.

It also helps to be specific in your search. For example, if you search “doctor,” your first results will likely be the most popular images. They’ll be overused and generic. Instead, type terms like “doctor holding clipboard” or “doctor examining patient.” These searches will give you more tailored results

3. Mailchimp: For easy, drag-and-drop emails

Simply put, Mailchimp makes email easy. It has a drag-and-drop email designer so you can make classy communications without professional design skills. The analytics functions show which emails your customers like and how they’re engaging. It allows you to expand beyond email with landing pages, sign-up forms and social media. And you can start for free with up to 2,000 contacts.

In Mailchimp’s paid platforms, they provide email and landing page templates, testing options and 24/7 support. But the prices are still affordable, starting at $11 per 500 contacts. So, if you’re looking for an email program with usability and your budget in mind, Mailchimp is a great place to start!

4. CoSchedule Email Subject Line Tester: For higher open rates

If you’re going to invest in an email strategy, you’ll want some killer subject lines. CoSchedule’s email subject line tester uses years of data to help you create them. 

You type in your subject line, and CoSchedule gives it an overall score. Then it breaks down which words you’re using that increase or decrease opens. Is the subject line too long? Too short? Should you add an emoji? What will it look like in people’s inboxes? CoSchedule has the answers.

After you read their tips, go back to the top of the page and write a new version. CoSchedule lets you see the scores of every subject line in your current session, so you can easily play with all your options.

5. HubSpot Academy: For learning core marketing strategies

Tools are only so useful if you don’t know how to use them strategically. HubSpot Academy teaches beginners about email marketing, blogging, social media and more. Each lesson is broken down into short video segments, with an occasional worksheet. And at the end of the module, you’ll take a short test to make sure you’ve understood the material. 

The program is provided for free by the digital marketing platform HubSpot. They have a whole team creating new lessons — and updating old ones — so you’re always learning relevant information.

6. Canva: For every kind of design template

Need a new email header? Trying to create social media graphics? Designing a presentation for potential clients? Trying to do it without a graphic designer? Canva is the place to go. 

This platform has templates for just about anything you might want to create. Start with a blank canvas in the right dimensions, or use one of the designs they’ve already created. Then, personalize your design with your company colors, logos, uploaded photos and custom text. The free version includes over 250,000 free templates and hundreds of graphics. However, it only costs $120 a year to update to the premium package with even more features.

7. Google Analytics: For analytical reports on your website

Are people actually visiting your website? Google Analytics is the easiest way to find out. This free program lets you see traffic patterns on your site, including which pages are visited most, how long people stay on them and where they come from in the first place. If lots of people are finding you through Facebook, you can know. If people are coming to your site and quickly bouncing away, you can know that, too. 

Google Analytics is a powerful tool that experts spend years learning. But you don’t have to be an expert to use the basics. This helpful guide can get you started, and you can also learn through the Google Skillshop. 

Marketing your business can be a challenge, but with the right tools and a willingness to learn, you can succeed. And when you’ve grown to the point of needing a marketing team, we’d love to work with you!

When it comes to marketing, you’ve probably thought of a website, emails and Facebook. But one of the most powerful places you can start is one you probably don’t think of much: your Google Business Profile.

What are Google Business Profiles?

Google Business Profiles are a free tool anyone can take advantage of. When you search for a business on Google or Google Maps, this profile pops up and gives you business hours, a description, reviews and more. Your business’s profile may already exist, but taking time to make it shine can be a powerful investment. Here’s why:

• About 80% of internet searches start on Google.
• Customers are 50% more likely to consider purchasing from a business with a complete GMB profile. 
• And if that weren’t enough reason, 32% of consumers believe Google Business Profiles have the most accurate information about a business. They trust it over your own website!

The best part is, this tool is completely free and easy to use. And we’re going to teach you how to make a profile that will draw in customers and build your business.

1. Claim your business and verify basic information.

Start with Google’s instructions to claim your business or add it through Google Maps. Then, go through the basic information and make sure it’s accurate. Verify your business name, address, website, phone number, and business hours. You can also add your opening date to show how long you’ve been in business.

Remember, nearly a third of customers think Google’s information about your business is more accurate than your website’s information. When they need your address or phone number, they’ll go to Google first. Make sure they’re getting the right information.

2. Add your services.

Next, it’s time to tell people what you do. You’ll have a chance to write a description later, but the services section is about specifics. Select your business category and then jump into services. Google has a variety of suggested services based on your business category (e.g. “install faucet or “repair toilet” for a plumber). You can also add custom services if you don’t see yours listed.

This is a guide to potential customers, but it’s also a guide to Google. If someone searches for your services in your area, they now know to pull up your listing.

3. Upload photos and videos.

Now it’s time to add some personality to your profile. As we talked about in our blog on why we avoid stock photos, custom visuals build authority because people trust what they can see. When they see you and your team at work, it’s easier to imagine you doing the same work for them. Further, many profiles don’t have quality photos, so this can be a fantastic opportunity to stand out in people’s minds.

Google suggests uploading a logo and several photos showcasing your services and location. 

4. Write your business description.

While the services section is about your specific offerings, your business description is about the big picture. What is your overall business? Why do you do it? What makes you different from your competitors? Most importantly, what will customers want to know about you up front?

Google gives you 750 characters, but it will only display the first 250 initially. Customers have to click “more” to see more. Make sure your most important information is at the top and that your business’s personality shines through in those first 250 words. 

5. Select attributes to describe your business.

What are attributes? Think of the last time you searched for a restaurant near you. You could see labels for the types of food they served or whether they had dine-in or carryout options. These are attributes. They give your customer some more baseline information before they dig into your description or website.

Google has objective attributes and subjective attributes. Objective attributes are the types of attributes listed above in our restaurant example. There’s no arguing over them; they’re just facts about your business.

Subjective attributes include things like, “lively,” “good for groups,” “popular with tourists” and “cozy.” They’re attributes based on your observations of your business but are ultimately a matter of opinion. When it comes to attributes — as with all aspects of your profile — honesty is key. If you promise one type of experience and customers get another, they’re unlikely to return.

6. Ask customers for reviews.

Reviews are a key part of your Google Business Profile. Nearly 90% of consumers read reviews before making a purchase, and 79% say they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. However, reviews are naturally the one part of your profile that you can’t do yourself.

If you run your business long enough, they may show up on their own. However, it’s important to remember that a great many people will only write a review when they’re angry, so it’s better to be proactive. You aren’t allowed to selectively ask happy customers for reviews. However, proactively asking everyone makes you more likely to get positive reviews. 

• Send a review link by email after someone has had an appointment or made a purchase.
• Ask for reviews after someone has made a repeat purchase or after they’ve been using your service for a set amount of time.
• Ask for reviews after customer service satisfaction surveys (while they’re still thinking of the things they like about you). 
• Include review links in your newsletter.

Google doesn’t allow you to remove negative reviews, but you can respond to any review. Doing so not only allows you to possibly repair your negative relationship with that customer, but it also builds trust with future customers. When people see how you handle complaints, they see what lengths you’ll go to in order to serve them well.

Keeping Your Profile Up to Date

Once your profile is set up, Google allows you to make short posts about current sales and other news about your business. These posts can attract new customers and show Google you’re active (and thus, should show up higher in search rankings). 

Additionally, make sure you’re checking your Google Business Profile periodically to make sure your attributes, services, contact information and description remain accurate as your business develops.

With a little effort, you can build deeper trust with potential customers before they even visit your website. We can’t wait to see how your business grows!

Why does your business exist? What is its purpose?

For a lot of small business owners, the answer goes something like this: “My business’s purpose is to use my skills so that I can pay my bills.” 

It’s an honest answer that can get you started. But if your purpose is only ever paying the bills, you run the risk of becoming another Kodak.

For generations, Kodak ruled the world of photography. They led the charge from dry plates to film and black and white to color. And in the 1970s, one of their researchers invented something revolutionary: the digital camera.

But instead of celebrating this feat, Kodak’s executives got scared. Their whole business model rested on selling film. So, while their competitors started creating their own digital cameras, Kodak kept focusing on film, emphasizing in their marketing how special it was to hold a physical photograph. By the time they realized digital cameras were not going away, it was too late to catch up, and the company went bankrupt in 2012.

Kodak failed because they lost sight of their original purpose: helping ordinary people use the magic of photography to capture life’s special moments. Instead, they put all their focus on money. 

When a new technology threatened their money-making model, they doubled down in marketing the same products. They stopped listening to customers, and they went out of business. 

The Power of ‘Why’

In the business world, paying the bills is important, but it won’t help you innovate as customers’ needs change. It won’t inspire you when you have a rough year. 

Author Simon Sinek went deeper in his 2009 TED Talk: “People don’t buy what you do,” he says. “They buy why you do it. If you talk about what you believe, you will attract those who believe what you believe.” Your “why” is how you draw people into your business in the first place.

Let’s look at a couple examples:

REI: At first glance, REI is just another store that sells hiking boots. But their stated purpose is “to awaken a lifelong love of the outdoors, for all.” That purpose drives the quality of products they sell, their year-long return policy and their choice to close on Black Friday so people can go hiking. The result is a deep loyalty from customers who consider REI to be key to their outdoor experiences.

Hearon Construction: Now let’s talk about a small business. Hearon Construction’s purpose is “to help people create a space they love and enjoy.” They believe your home should be your haven, and that shows when they help a couple fix their badly built deck or think through which screened enclosures are easiest for residents to clean. Their purpose drives them to create a safe, easy experience that homeowners crave.

When you look at both of these companies’ websites, their purposes come through clearly. They aren’t just selling products and services. They’re communicating who they are at the core, beckoning to people who share the same values and dreams. Your website, emails, social media and other messaging should do the same.

Creating a ‘Why’ Statement

So, how do you determine your “why”? First, it’s important to realize that this is not the same as your mission statement. It’s not what you do or how you do it; it’s why. In Start with Why, Simon Sinek suggests using this format to create your purpose/why statement: “To ____ so that _____.”

For example, a dental office’s purpose might be, “To provide high-quality treatment in a caring environment so that patients can experience lifelong dental health without fear.”

With that framework in mind, consider these questions.

1. Why do you do what you do? You don’t have to run a business. And you certainly don’t have to run your specific business. So, why do you? What inspired you to get started? What makes you say, “This is why I left my job to start this thing”? 
2. What are your business’s core values? What values drive the way you do your work? What do you want to be known for? At the heart of your business, how do you want to be different from your competitors? 
3. What core philosophy drives your business? In his book Building a Storybrand, Donald Miller suggests thinking in terms of “ought” and “shouldn’t.” For one travel agent, it was, “Because summer should be remembered forever.” For Hearon Construction, it’s “Your home should be your haven.” 

Once you have your “why” statement, take a look at your marketing. Does your purpose come through on your website? In your emails? In your brochures and other materials? You can ask current customers these same questions.

While you may not give your “why” statement in every piece of communication, it should still come through clearly in the way you talk and what you talk about. If it doesn’t, take a moment to ask what you might be unintentionally communicating instead. 

If this exercise reveals some holes in your marketing plan, we’d love to help you fill them. Send us a message at the bottom of this page to create a marketing plan with purpose!