Scaling-Your-Business

TIPS FOR SCALING YOUR BUSINESS

by BlogCommunications

Scaling-Your-BusinessIt’s time to scale your business but you’re not sure how. As a business owner, you may be working 6-7 days a week, wearing numerous hats, and are like a hamster running on a spinning wheel. The key here is you’re too busy working IN your business to take the time and work ON your business. The first quarter of 2019 is nearly over. Are you on target? Here are some tips for taking your business to another level.

Ready Set Grow….

Intel – do you know your competition?

By understanding the competition’s strengths and weaknesses, you may be able to capitalize on their weak points. Or…at least you are prepared to go head to head with their strengths. Are you ready to offer a new product or product bundle? Can you create an added value service to leverage that strength? Why does a client come to you?

Pick Up The Pen

Handwritten notes and thank you notes take some time, but it’s one of the best ways to keep clients and get new referrals. Those notes become treasures for small business owners who may not otherwise receive much-deserved accolades and you’ll be top of mind next time they or a friend is in need of your product or service!

Develop 5 Star Customer Service

Think about service at the Ritz Carlton or an upscale restaurant. Your water glass isn’t half empty but what it’s being refilled. Train employees to value each client (even the difficult ones) as they choose where to spend their money. Let it be with you.

Build Referral Relationships

A professional service consultant that can partner with a complimenting business to refer businesses back and forth. The Edmiston Group has some strong referral partners and our businesses collaborate to help each other grow. If you have a brick and mortar business located next to other businesses, collaborate and promote as a city or neighborhood. The more ways that you can find to work and promote your businesses together, the more ways you will create a friendly and warm environment that your clients will love and increase your business exposure not only to your client list, but theirs as well.

Understand Your IDEAL Client

Are you using surveys to poll clients on what you’re doing right and things that can be changed? This will allow you to better meet their needs. Remember the reason you’re in business is to satisfy a client need. It’s about what they want and how your business can design a service to meet that need. If you master this concept, you truly identify your “ideal” client.

Pick Up The Phone

Set yourself apart from the pack. Do something unique – pick up the phone or have face to face contact to establish trust and maintain that strong relationship.

Is Your Website Tired

Simple changes such as logo placement, a call-to-action, using concise, keyword-rich content that is understood easily; and the addition of hyper-linked buttons to your product or service page placed above the “fold” or “scroll” line can make a big impact in user experience and bounce rates. If your site is 5 years or older – platforms have changed. It’s time for an update.

Plan Your Cash Flow and Go Broad for Financing

As your sales increase, it’s even more important to do this, since your inventory and payroll expenses will probably occur before your client’s money hits your bank account.

Usually, the front line of financing sources are the banks and rightfully so. That is what they do best. There are some who use the SBA guarantee programs and others who don’t. Other options that start at the neighborhood level, are Community Development Corporations (CDCs) whose mission is to improve their own business districts and have funding to do that from tax abatements to grants. Municipalities have an economic development component helping businesses located within their jurisdictions. Kiva has crowdfunding options. Bridgeway Capital, a nonprofit organization that ignites economic growth across western PA, may also be an option for financing. Business owners need to explore as much as possible in their quest to get financing

Delegate and Let Go

Are you clutching every detail of your business with closed fists? As a business owner, we wear a lot of hats. Whether you have employees, subcontractors or family pitching in, learning how to delegate effectively can be the difference between reaching new heights and burning out. Because small business owners are working IN their business, they are accustomed to doing a variety of things themselves instead of enlisting the help of others. It can be challenging to identify the tasks you don’t need to do yourself and assign the work to someone else. Once you overcome the challenge, though, you will have more time to dedicate to what you do best — grow your business. My philosophy – if it’s not your specialty that is making you money – find someone who can do it for you.

Schedule Downtime

The reality of running your own business is that you can work 24/7 and there’s still more to do! When helping clients prepare an operating plan, I always recommend scheduling time away. Let colleagues and clients know you aren’t available and/or find a person who can cover for you while away. You’ll come back recharged and ready to go. Are you up for the challenge of business growth? Need some help, email or give us a call at 724-612-0755.

About the author: Autumn Edmiston is the CEO and owner of the Edmiston Group. The Edmiston Group is a multifaceted Pittsburgh based marketing consulting firm providing senior level marketing management services to businesses and non-profit organizations on a short or long-term basis. Core areas of service are business development, marketing, strategic planning and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real-world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business.

Difficult-Clients

IS IT TIME TO FIRE A DIFFICULT CLIENT?

by BlogCommunications

Difficult-Clients

Difficult clients cannot only rattle you in the moment but also cause long term stress and strain on your business. When a client is upset, you’re going to want to solve the problem, not only for your current situation but also to prevent any in the future. To do this, get feedback on potential solutions from the client. Together, you can work out a solution that fits both of you.

Have you ever had a client that caused your stomach to go in knots when the phone rang? Nothing ever seemed right and no matter how hard you tried, they were never satisfied. Some people just aren’t a fit. Long-term stress can cause you and your employees to experience a variety of symptoms that can all translate into business downfalls, such as:

  • Decreased morale
  • Decreased motivation
  • Reduced productivity
  • Strained relationships with clients and employees
  • Decreased business and financial performance

Working with clients isn’t always easy. To handle an unexpected client blow up, consider these tips:

Stay calm

You don’t want to respond to your angry client in an emotional way – this only escalates the situation. Instead, use a calm and understanding tone when you respond. Always stay neutral and keep a calm facial expression.
When responding to an online complaint– acknowledge the situation and apologize – then take the conversation offline.

Actively listen to what they’re saying

This means stopping and really hearing what they’re saying. Consider the validity of their complaints.

  • Make eye contact
  • Ask questions when you don’t understand something
  • Express positive body language. Open your posture while you’re either sitting or standing. Closed positions such as folded arms may communicate that you’re not interested in what they’re saying
  • Repeat back to the client your understanding of the problem

Show concern and sympathy for the situation

Certain phrases that help you do this include:

  • “I hear what you’re saying…”
  • “I see your point…”
  • Always ask questions

Ask key questions

Asking key questions to bring focus and discover important details that can help you solve the problem. Some questions to consider include:

  • “What could we have done differently?”
  • “What would you consider to be a reasonable solution?”
  • “How can we make it up to you?”

Apologize

This is an important step when dealing with an upset or difficult client. You want the client to leave feeling understood, feeling heard, and knowing the problem is going to get fixed. Apologizing can help retain the client.

Sometimes, no matter how you respond to a client, they still won’t calm down. Clients who are out of hand typically:

  • Won’t stop saying personal insults to you or your employees
  • Won’t stop yelling or screaming at you or your employees
  • Won’t listen to any logic you present
  • Make threats to you or your employees

In a situation where a client is demonstrating the behaviors outlined above, your first step should be to warn them in the nicest way possible. At this point, you must take control and defuse the situation or ask the client to leave your business. In the event you have a virtual business, you may decide that you just aren’t the best provider for them.

Learn to take difficult clients in stride

Difficult clients don’t have to bring you or your business down. With proper client management strategies, you can effectively de-escalate situations in no time. From there, you can strategize with your team ways to meet even the toughest client’s requests. If all else fails – perhaps they aren’t the right fit and will be happier with another provider.

About the author: Autumn Edmiston is the CEO and owner of the Edmiston Group. The Edmiston Group is a multifaceted Pittsburgh based marketing consulting firm providing senior level marketing management services to businesses and non-profit organizations on a short or long-term basis. Core areas of service are business development, marketing, strategic planning and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real-world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business.

Emotional-buyers

ARE YOU AN EMOTIONAL BUYER?

by BlogCommunications

Emotional-buyersEmotions drive most of our decisions, and that includes what we purchase. Think about it – when you attend a trade show the smell of freshly baked cookies or popcorn will draw you into an exhibitor’s booth.

What is your company’s purpose in forming a connection with consumers that inspires trust, turns them into a lead, and might even spark a sale? The more brands can humanize their content, the more likely they are to incite an emotion that fosters a relationship between the consumer and brand.

Are you spotlighting your team in either your social media or email marketing campaigns? If you have an e-commerce site – how are you addressing abandoned shopping carts? An abandoned cart email is a gentle reminder, from a business to a customer, about the products added to a shopping cart and ‘abandoned’ there.

Why does this happen?

  • Better Price
  • Customer Distraction
  • Indecision

As business owners, we may not realize how poorly this affects our sales and business. Abandoned carts lead to billions of revenue being lost for online retailers every year.

All is not lost if you take action. Salesforce data shows that 60% of cart abandoners went back and purchased the products after receiving an abandoned shopping cart email. A personalized abandoned cart email reminder shows your potential customers what products they left in their cart and offers them another chance to complete their order.

Here’s one example of something to say in your campaign:

Hi (Customer First Name,)

We noticed you never checked out on (abandon date). Did you forget about your awesome items? We saved them for easy reference. Click here to open your cart. (Cart Link). Here’s a quick summary of your products (Products Cart)

If you have any questions, please feel free to email or call our customer service team.

A number of businesses also add a “How can we help make your experience better?” questionnaire to show their customers that their feedback matters. This is also a great way to know why the customer abandoned the shopping cart in the first place. If there are issues regarding a given product, the data gives you the information needed to make adjustments.

Create a positive emotion. Pull potential customers right back in with an abandoned email cart campaign and realize an increase in revenue instead of forgotten items left in an online shopping cart.

About the author: Autumn Edmiston is the CEO and owner of the Edmiston Group. The Edmiston Group is a multifaceted Pittsburgh based marketing consulting firm providing senior level marketing management services to businesses and non-profit organizations on a short or long-term basis. Core areas of service are business development, marketing, strategic planning and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real-world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business.

Online-Reputation

MANAGING YOUR ONLINE REPUTATION

by BlogCommunications

Online-ReputationAre you helping your customers or selling? When you remember what your customers’ needs are and offer a solution to those needs, you’ll stand apart from the competition. By helping through offering insights and resources you take on a more humanistic approach in how you’re assisting your customers.

As you create content, identify how you can bring in the human element. Outline a case study of how a customer benefited or highlight how a customer can benefit from using your product or services. Your content should find a way to spark friendly conversations between your business and customers.

Social media can play a role in the humanness of your business. Encourage discussion about content on social media, reply to comments, use customers and staff members in your content, and create content about the issues that are most important to your customers. They may be consuming it through a screen, but you can still make them feel something in their hearts with your content. That’s part of the connection they have with you.

When asking people to review you online, you open yourself up to bad reviews, too – and that’s okay. Just remember to respond to every review, in a calm, helpful fashion and seek to turn any poor review into a positive experience. What’s important is that you shouldn’t respond just to acknowledge negative reviews; you should respond to positive reviews, as well. Replying to your reviews will show other future customers that you’re active in your online communications.

Social media has played a role in helping to level the playing field for small business. Most consumers look at online reviews before purchasing a service or product. The Edmiston Group has recently been involved with two separate situations where online reviews were not as favorable. The companies had totally different customer situations that cause the less than favorable review. Here’s the difference in their response:

  • One company didn’t respond to any reviews – a thank you, acknowledgment that they were happy the reviewer liked the service, etc.
  • The 2nd company wrote something for each review they received. Upon receipt of a negative review, they contacted the reviewer via phone, explained the situation as to why something couldn’t happen due to regulations and wrote a response.

So, if your potential customers are coming across your small business online and running away in the opposite direction once they see your lack of endorsements or your lack of engagement, what can you do to turn that around? Online reviews are here to stay. Ask your customers to become raving fans by taking a couple minutes to write a review. Be sure you are monitoring your social media channels and engage.

Set yourself apart from the crowd. Be different by saying “please” and “thank you,” sending a personalized thank you note in their online order, giving a small discount to apologize for a customer service issue and so on. Be customer service focused. Your customers will remember your kindness and may return the favor by leaving you a positive review.

About the author: Autumn Edmiston is the CEO and owner of the Edmiston Group. The Edmiston Group is a multifaceted Pittsburgh based marketing consulting firm providing senior level marketing management services to businesses and non-profit organizations on a short or long-term basis. Core areas of service are business development, marketing, strategic planning and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real-world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business.

Marketing-Calendar

HOW TO CREATE A MARKETING CALENDAR

by BlogCommunications

Marketing-CalendarCreating a marketing calendar (editorial calendar) is critical to your success and will be the cornerstone of the activities you will do to promote your business in 2019. It is simply the act of thinking through the year and putting a plan in place. You can make the calendar as simple or as complex as you like. Additionally, we recommend taking some time to create a social media calendar as well. The Edmiston Group creates a general calendar every year, but we also customize these calendars for particular businesses allowing them to easily execute. Click here to download our 2019 calendar. Here are a few steps to get you started to customize your own plan.

  • Start with a 12-month calendar. If you need to share a calendar with staff or outside consultants, we have found online Google calendars work well for us and you can share it with others.
  • Incorporate each of your desired offerings into the calendar. Account for holidays, peak seasons, etc.
  • Next, incorporate community events, trade shows, and any other event that will affect your promotional dates.
  • Work backward from each key date with high-level promotional features. Think about press release dates, paid traditional advertising, time to develop and print promotional materials, and social media marketing. Be sure to calendar drop-dead dates for each promotion.
  • Leave flexibility for your social media promotions. You will want to be consistent, so set a pattern for each of your social media channels, and then accommodate the promotion into your posts when the time is right. For example, perhaps you will post to Facebook three times a week, Twitter twice a day, and incorporate Instagram, LinkedIn or Pinterest depending on the type of business you have.

Technology is always changing. Use it to your benefit by looking for efficiencies. Schedule a week’s worth of posts each Monday. Use one of many dashboards to manage your social media. Set Google alerts on subject matter that you can use for blogging or for your newsletters.

Are You Measuring?

Just because you think something is a good idea, your customers may not. Don’t rely only on your own intuition. Talk to your customers to see if they are struggling with anything in particular. That can help you understand what their needs are.

Before kicking off each promotion, be sure to write down your desired outcome. You may remember what the results are this month, but unless you write them down, are you really going to remember those results 9 months from now?

These measurable objectives hold you and your staff accountable for the end results. This likely includes a financial aspect, but may also include increased awareness as identified by growth in social media followings and/or expansion into a new market.

  • Capture your baseline for each promotion and compare it to the end result. Depending on your goal, your baseline may be financial or a number related to the number of customers or followers. For example, if you’re running a Facebook ad or social share campaign, know the number of fans you had when you started, measure downloads of information and increased likes for your page.
  • Track your financial expenditures and income for the promotion. This determines the actual cost of obtaining a new client.
  • Track all other related metrics (growth in customer base, number of increased leads, etc.). When using a variety of print material, code coupons to measure what worked and the type of client the coupon generated. A Valpac ad may generate a different type of client than a social media campaign or printed newspaper ad, but without coding the coupons and tracking the results, you don’t know the type of customer you’re attracting and the dollars that customer is willing to spend with you.
  • After each promotion, note what worked and what did not work. This will help you tweak promotions throughout the year and into the next year

The experts at the Edmiston Group can help you create your 2019 marketing program, an editorial calendar, or can work from it to help with content creation. Wondering how to get started in identifying business objectives and overall growth in 2019? Call 724-612-0755 or email us to get started.

About the author: Autumn Edmiston is the CEO and owner of the Edmiston Group. The Edmiston Group is a multifaceted Pittsburgh based marketing consulting firm providing senior level marketing management services to businesses and non-profit organizations on a short or long-term basis. Core areas of service are business development, marketing, strategic planning and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real-world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business.

Starting-a-Blog-Post

STARTING A BLOG FOR YOUR SMALL BUSINESS

by BlogCommunications

Starting-a-Blog-PostFor businesses that are serious about creating great content, having a blog is more important today than ever before. Blogs fit into your email marketing campaign and allow you to humanize your marketing with thoughts, advice, and insights. They help to establish you as an expert in your field.

If you’re serious about getting started, here are things you’ll want to consider:

  • Why are you creating a blog? How does it benefit your business and more importantly what information are you providing that is of value to your readers? These goals will guide the rest of your decisions.
  • Who are you going to be speaking to? Know your audience – is it a business to business or business to consumer.Who are the people who are going to be reading your blog? What type of knowledge can you share with them? What are the questions to be answered?

Our blog, for example, is all about providing helpful insight and practical advice for small businesses and nonprofits that are interested in marketing and growing their business. Every piece of content we create is written with that audience in mind.

  • What are you going to talk about? Every blog is built on certain “cornerstone” topics. This plays a key role in the marketing plan established for 2019. By establishing the topics you’re going to focus on, you’ll be able to make better decisions about what ends up on your blog. This will enable you to build a community around your blog and increase the chances of having readers referring other people to it. This won’t only put your content in front of a wider audience but will also be valuable for boosting your presence on search engines like Google. Google alerts on general topics are easily shareable on your social media, but also may give you ideas for upcoming blogs.
  • How frequently will you be able to post? Like with all the stuff you’re already doing to market your business online, the frequency will need to be an important consideration when starting your blog. Be careful not to go great guns at first and burn out. Commit to posting and create hard deadlines in your marketing calendar when you want the posts to go up.
  • What type of content do you want to create? One of the biggest misconceptions people have about blogs is that a certain level of writing expertise is required to create one. What questions can you answer for your audience? Write out these answers or simply record yourself answering the questions. The fact is that for a lot of people, writing isn’t something that comes easy nor is it something they particularly enjoy doing. For those people, incorporating other types of content like photos and videos may be a better alternative. Additionally, blogging can be outsourced. The Edmiston Group writes a number of blogs for different businesses.
  • By creating a Marketing Calendar first your blog can flow with other marketing efforts. For example, as trade show season approaches, the Edmiston Group talks about how to prepare for a trade show utilizing social media and email marketing to drive traffic to your booth. We also blog about the follow-up after a show and incorporating those leads into your newsletter and sales funnel.

By having a blog on your website it creates new content for the web crawlers for SEO purposes. This also establishes you as the original author. We put a standard About the Author at the end. Over time, when searching for particular topics, you will see various blogs pop up in Google search.

The good news – by answering these questions you’ll already have the bulk of that first post written. Why are you creating a blog? Who are you speaking to? What topics will you be writing about? How often will you be posting?

Okay, you know what you need to do—now it’s time to do it! Need some help? Email or call 724-612-0755.

About the author: Autumn Edmiston is the CEO and owner of the Edmiston Group. The Edmiston Group is a multifaceted Pittsburgh based marketing consulting firm providing senior level marketing management services to businesses and non-profit organizations on a short or long-term basis. Core areas of service are business development, marketing, strategic planning and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real-world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business.

Master-Marketing-Plan

THE MASTER PLAN

by BlogCommunications

Master-Marketing-Plan2018 is coming to a close. As a business owner or someone who works for a company, do you take the time and reflect back on the year to see if you hit the mark or where you fell short? If you don’t measure, you’re missing opportunities to either do more of what’s working or shift from actions that aren’t working. The one thing for certain is there will always be change.

Often, I’ll talk with business owners and ask how did that client come to you? They typically can tell me where the last client came from, but when we dive deeper into how many new leads have you had in the past 3 months and from those, what turned into business, they haven’t written the information down in some format – either a CRM, Excel sheet or whatever system works for them.

We are coming into the last month of the year. For many, that means a plethora of holiday parties and vacation days. Is your company preparing for a customer appreciation event? Add the stress of preparing for the holidays and often you will hear, “Let’s touch base after the first of the year”. So, how are you using some of the downtime toward the end of the year? Perhaps that is the time to lay out 2019’s plan of action.

Here are some things to consider:

Have you established strong referral partnerships? The Edmiston Group works closely with McKibbin Consulting. We look for opportunities for each other and as a result of this partnership, many of our clients are in the commercial construction field. We’ve made introductions for them and manage their marketing efforts. Some people have strong ties to BNI or are involved in other category specific networking groups. The point is, find what works for you to grow your business and nurture those relationships. Be certain that the giving of referrals and looking for business for each other is a two-way street.

Do you speak? There are often missed speaking opportunities for breakout sessions at trade show events, but you must plan ahead and submit the required outline that will position you as an expert. Are you trying to hit a niche market? Does that market have a Continuing Education Unit (CEU) requirement for licensing? Can you create a program to meet those requirements? Think about it, if you’re marketing to accountants, nursing, social workers or attorneys that have CEU requirements – you become a subject matter expert in front of a room full of potential customers. This takes some effort on your part, but it certainly is targeted advertising.

Email marketing is a great way to stay top of mind when the need arises. A client of ours, Wright Business Systems recently talked about branded apparel and corporate gift giving for the holiday season. They have over 400 people on their email list. We can see who opened the email and which contacts clicked on the links within the newsletter. They are now warm leads for the team to follow-up with. Undeliverable emails represent opportunities to touch base with companies to determine who the new purchasing agent is and set an appointment.

Social Media helps level the playing field for small business owners. In working with many smaller businesses, they don’t have the big bucks to compete with the large box stores, but through engagement with social media, they have grown their followers. Sometimes business owners we speak with say I don’t have the time or know what to post. At the beginning of the year, the Edmiston Group offers a free social media calendar to download. Look for that in our January issue. However, in 2018, we’ve developed some customized calendars for specific businesses. Branded sales and/or holiday wishes touch their social media audience. Business owners are given a plan and taught how to preschedule postings. For those that are too busy, they outsource this service to us or someone else, but there is a plan to follow.

Sample Customized Social Media Images

Thanksgiving-Social-Media-Sample    Custom-Social-Media-Sample

If you haven’t picked up on the theme of this by now, it’s having a plan and setting aside time to think about goals for next year. Write down monthly activities and execute the plan for 2019. This makes it easier for you and your staff to look ahead to first quarter and see things such as we’re attending a trade show, something for Valentine’s Day or a St. Patrick’s social media post that should happen.

The Edmiston Group helps you create a yearly marketing plan, customized social media calendars, and branded social media images specifically for your business. Customized programs can be designed to fit your budget. Take some time as the year comes to a close, reflect on your successes and plan for 2019. Want some help in putting together your 2019 plan? Download a sample of a Custom Marketing Calendar or give us a call at 724-612-0755 or email [email protected] for more information. Make 2019 your best year yet!

About the author: Autumn Edmiston is the CEO and owner of the Edmiston Group. The Edmiston Group is a multifaceted Pittsburgh based marketing consulting firm providing senior level marketing management services to businesses and non-profit organizations on a short or long-term basis. Core areas of service are business development, marketing, strategic planning and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real-world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business.

online-reputation-management

CONSISTENT BRANDING AND ONLINE REPUTATION MANAGEMENT

by BlogCommunications

online-reputation-managementYou’ve worked hard to build a good business and reputation, but how do you spread the word to existing and new customers? Are you being found online? Is your information consistent? Local SEO plays a role in helping businesses grow.

Through a new service offering, and by leveraging technology, the Edmiston Group can help you manage and maintain and consistent online brand and messaging. Think about all the business directories and online opportunities out there to put your business on the map. Be present, be consistent and be found!

Once people know you are out there, now you need to manage your online reputation! We help businesses preserve their brand and create a positive digital experience for new and existing customers.

Components of our service include:

  • We can integrate your business directly with 75+ business directories including all the top maps, apps, search engines, GPS Systems, social networks, and digital assistants, making it easy to update your business information in one fell swoop.
  • Know that you have control over how your business is promoted and listed over the entire web. You can continue to update and promote your business regularly with new services, imagery and/or special hours for holidays. Imagine if your business has to close last minute due to an emergency and drive relevant messaging. It would be important to let a potential customer know this as quickly as possible. You can ensure that updates are delivered immediately so your customers are always in the know.
  • With Reputation Management you can take control of your online reviews! Online reviews are necessary in today’s digital world and also help your businesses with local SEO if managed properly. Good third-party reviews help a business grow. People buy as a result of reading third party validation on service delivery. Being alerted to unfavorable reviews and responding to the customer before they go live is now an option. This service allows you to be proactive in making sure your online reputation is at the top of its game.

To schedule your online reputation evaluation, email [email protected]. We are offering a free audit of your current web listings and can demonstrate how it can be improved.

About the author: Autumn Edmiston is the CEO and owner of the Edmiston Group. The Edmiston Group is a multifaceted Pittsburgh based marketing consulting firm providing senior level marketing management services to businesses and non-profit organizations on a short or long-term basis. Core areas of service are business development, marketing, strategic planning and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real-world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business.

small-business-saturday

SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY

by BlogCommunications

small-business-saturdaySmall Business Saturday celebrates and helps you discover small businesses. The Shop Small® movement began in 2011 and each year has continued to evolve and become a springboard for small businesses to leverage the holiday shopping experience.

According to the Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey commissioned by American Express and the National Federation of Independent Businesses, in 2017, an estimated 108 million consumers reported shopping or dining at local independently-owned businesses on Small Business Saturday — generating roughly $12 billion in reported spending.

As shopping small catches on in communities everywhere, Small Business Saturday goes from a cause to a day of community celebration. In 2017, there were 7,200 neighborhood champions organizing shop small events throughout their local communities. These champions spread the word about shopping small and supporting local businesses and encourage fellow business owners to unite in a community effort to attract new customers.

If you’re an independent business owner, now is the time to think about how you can leverage Shop Small Business on November 24, 2018!

By garnering support from fellow business owners, you can save by:

  1. Combining monies in a coordinated advertisement. Participating business owners, share in the cost of a print ad resulting in larger ad size at a fraction of the cost.
  2. Branded marketing piece featuring event highlights. It is recommended that this piece is professionally created by a marketing specialist and cost shared. Then each business participating in the event will be sharing the same message.
  3. Coordination of branded social media imagery and messaging. For those of you who manage your own social media – a joint calendar of standard messages can be created and shared amongst participating businesses. Therefore, all participating businesses are sharing the same message.
  4. Leverage newsletters and email lists. Tell your customers what you’re planning and to save the date. With each business sharing the same information, your business reaches new audiences.

Perhaps you’re a service business and not a brick and mortar store. How do you leverage this movement? Find a group of businesses to partner with. Participate as a sponsor. Have a grand prize give-a-way and collect contact information for follow-up. Be a breakfast or beverage sponsor.

The Edmiston Group works with a number of small businesses. By leveraging the power of the #shopsmall movement and planning ahead, small business owners can compete. Social media has made has helped to level the playing field. Create buzz around your event and get shoppers excited to see what each business has to offer. Download your Small Business Saturday Marketing Assets today. Need help to plan and execute? Give us a call at 724-612-0755.

About the author: Autumn Edmiston is the CEO and owner of the Edmiston Group. The Edmiston Group is a multifaceted Pittsburgh based marketing consulting firm providing senior level marketing management services to businesses and non-profit organizations on a short or long-term basis. Core areas of service are business development, marketing, strategic planning and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real-world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business.

Welcome-emails-first-impressions-count

FIRST IMPRESSIONS COUNT

by BlogCommunications

Welcome-emails-first-impressions-countFirst impressions count and with 4th quarter fast approaching businesses want to make the most out of their customer contacts and how they view your brand. What processes to stay in touch do you have in place when you meet someone at a networking event, they walk into your office, or enter your brick and mortar store?

As part of your overall marketing plan, email marketing programs are very effective with many of the clients we work with. However, we have a process and customized Welcome letter when adding people to our newsletter list. But how about the first impression a customer has with your brand’s email marketing?

Have you put any thought into the type of experience you’re giving your customers or supporters when they receive an email from you for the first time? More often than not, those expectations will come from the initial experience that the reader had with your business or cause.

What is most often done wrong?

Welcome emails are the automated messages subscribers receive when they sign up for your email newsletter. These signups can be by way of text messaging or from a sign-up form on your website. When done correctly, business development people create a “pleasure to meet you” letter to add people they meet at educational or networking events. We typically like to include a headshot photo with the letter. How many times do you return from an event with a pocket full of business cards, yet can’t remember what the person looked like?

Because the welcome emails are automated, most email services provide stock content for businesses to put into them, but this isn’t reflective of your business or brand. Unless you take steps to change the content and brand, many business owners don’t even know what the first experience they’re providing their readers looks like.

With the average open rate for a welcome email is between 50-60 percent, it sets the stage for low expectations for upcoming emails. Make sure your Welcome Email delivers a fantastic first impression, is written in your words so you can establish strong relationships. It’s your opportunity to introduce your email marketing and reintroduce your business or nonprofit to your target audience. Make sure it’s written in your words and that it reflects the personal experience you plan to provide your readers.

Here are four things Your Welcome Email must do:

  • Reaffirm they made the right decision – thank them for subscribing or tell them it was a pleasure meeting them. Assure them that you will protect their information.
  • Inform subscribers what to expect in the future. Our message for the Edmiston Group is:
    • We will send you information to help you brand and grow your business, with a focus on:
      • Marketing
      • Business Development
      • Strategic Planning
      • Public Relations
  • Make sure future emails get through. Ask to be white-listed and add your business to their trusted contact list.
  • Personalizing your Welcome Email will not only improve the first impression you’re able to make on your readers, but it will also help set you apart from your competition.

By avoiding static and un-engaging messaging, you’ll be providing an experience that will shape the way customers and supporters think of your brand.

Don’t miss out on the value of First Impressions in your Welcome Email. Have questions, email or give us a call at 724-612-0755.

About the author: Autumn Edmiston is the CEO and owner of the Edmiston Group. The Edmiston Group is a multifaceted Pittsburgh based marketing consulting firm providing senior level marketing management services to businesses and non-profit organizations on a short or long-term basis. Core areas of service are business development, marketing, strategic planning and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real-world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business.