Add Some Fun to Your Marketing Efforts

by BlogEdmiston Group

It’s safe to say that during the course of 2020, businesses had to adapt and learn how to do things differently. While some were able to step outside the box and pivot, other businesses closed their doors. One thing that was consistent across the board is the fact that business as usual took on a whole new meaning.

Through my relationship with Bridgeway Capital, I work with several new business owners who are reaching for the stars in their quest for business ownership. One of the lessons learned is that growing your business requires PATIENCE!

Building your tribe can be done through a variety of methods. Social media is a great way to develop a following and share news, events and sales, but it requires consistency and planning. One of the keys to success is to find out where your customers hang out and become active in that space. Written content, videos, podcasting, print ads, google ads, billboards and more leaves one to wonder where to spend their advertising dollars.

When business owners take the time to identify holidays, sale timeframes, class offerings and customer appreciation events and open houses, to develop a marketing plan for the year, it helps guide not only the messaging, but also ad focuses. For example, many publications are running back to school focuses for August. If your business sells to that market, you will already be planning your ads and social media content. September is Healthy Aging month targeting seniors and by the first of August you will be planning out that strategy.

Some ideas for inspiration for B2C businesses.

  • Host a grand opening party or a customer appreciation event.
  • Become part of a community scavenger hunt.
  • Create a customer loyalty program.
  • Offer a Back-to-School sale.
  • Partner with a nonprofit organization to support a cause.

Although these types of activities require planning, by partnering with others you can share in advertising costs and increase exposure through cross promotion of each other’s customer lists.

For B-to-B businesses, hosting educational events, networking and partnering with complimenting businesses to expand your brand and create awareness are good marketing strategies. People want to do business with those they know, like and trust. For some of the clients we work with sharing “get to know our staff posts” have resulted in high social media engagement.

If you haven’t already done so, I challenge you to list the remaining months of 2021 on paper and identify each month your marketing focus, activities and outreach that you will execute to grow your business.

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 strategies, website creation and management, social media management, marketing, strategic planning, and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real-world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business.

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Communication Crisis Planning

by BlogEdmiston Group

During 2020, businesses were thrust into pandemic mode in communicating with staff, clients, vendors, and their customers. The fluid changes in operations were dictated by the government’s mandates of the current pandemic situation.

According to HubSpot, when a business goes into crisis, it generally falls into one of five categories:
  • Financial – Financial loss such as announcing a bankruptcy or store closures.
  • Personnel – Changes to staff that may affect operations or reputation such as employee furloughs or layoffs.
  • Organizational – An apology for misconduct or wrongdoing as a result of organizational practices.
  • Technological – Technological failure that results in outages causing reduced functionality or functionality loss.
  • Natural – Natural crisis that necessitates an announcement or change of procedure. For example, defining safety precautions in the midst of a health crisis.

By preparing to address how each of these areas will affect your business operations, business owners will be able to quickly to execute a crisis communication plan. Lack of planning for a given situation will leave a business owner trying to figure out in those first critical moments who to notify, what information is needed, how the business will rebound and what long-term effects the crisis has.

For example, because of the pandemic, Christopher & Banks decided to close their brick-and-mortar stores and shift to online operations. Many big box chains reacted similarly. They notified customers via email and other sources of store closings.

Personnel crisis communication occurs when a person affiliated with the company makes statements or takes actions that don’t align with the company’s brand. An organizational crisis occurs when operational procedures aren’t followed. Ellen DeGeneres faced crisis from both personnel and operational fronts in 2020 amidst revelations of a toxic workplace culture and sexual harassment issues regarding senior executives.

How many times does technology and ransomware attacks hit the news? Most recently Microsoft faced backlash for its lack of transparency in a recent hack into their exchange networks exposing millions of businesses to hackers.

We have seen countless news reports over the past year on COVID-related policy changes.

What does this have to do with your business? You may think you’re a small business and these major things won’t happen to you, but in some form or another, they can and often do. As a business owner, preparing for these types of situations will give you the framework to structure your efforts and prepare your contingency plans accordingly. Building a plan that includes communicating with stakeholders, informing employees, and creating adaptive solutions once the crisis has happened will enable you to react quickly.

Being prepared today will enable you to react to adapt and remain open for business tomorrow.

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 strategies, website creation and management, social media management, marketing, strategic planning, and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real-world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business.

strategy-planning-sessions

Q2 Spring Planning

by BlogEdmiston Group
strategy-planning-sessions

The first quarter of 2021 is over, and many businesses are recovering from 2020 one of the most challenging years in business. Some business owners were devastated and were not able to shift thoughts and processes to stay open or adjust to a new way of doing business. They closed their doors for good.

Not all is lost. These businesses and many more have gone outside the box to create opportunities to grow by creating new ways of thinking and delivering business. As businesses start to return to some sense of normal, some of these business strategies will continue. These new services will increase revenue and market share.

Event planners, keynote speakers, and conference centers no longer had events that drew in crowds. Some keynote speakers became certified virtual speakers and conference planners figured out how to how to prepare for virtual and hybrid events. Conference centers adjusted their space planning and technology to host hybrid events featuring in-person and virtual opportunities.

Restaurants pivoted and began offering curbside pickup, bundled meals for special occasions and more. A local winery increased its wholesale business by expanding its reach into multiple Giant Eagle and Walmart locations. This action allowed them to stay afloat during mandated restaurant closure.

A furniture company created an office in a box as many people shifted to home offices. They developed products that shipped easily keeping in mind what someone would need for a home office setup.

Regular networking groups offered zoom and hybrid meeting options to keep members engaged and referrals flowing. As a result of more remote office work, people are picking up the phone more to make a connection.

National Small Business Week is May 2-8, 2021. Are you planning to highlight the event through customer loyalty programs, special sales, employee recognition, aligning with other small businesses and more?

Perhaps you’re stuck in a rut and need a strategy session to get you going strong again. As you move into the 2nd quarter of 2021, how is your business positioned to continue to recover, adapt and be innovated to grow in 2021?

Need some inspiration? Our strategy sessions are designed to guide you to new ways of thinking and business growth. Email us to schedule your session today.

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 strategies, website creation and management, social media management, marketing, strategic planning, and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real-world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business.

Businessman thinks of a new creative idea

NOT BUSINESS AS USUAL – COPING WITH COVID-19

by BlogCommunications

New Ways to Do Business Post COVID-19

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has changed the face of business. For retail establishments, many doors are closed to customers. Restaurants have shifted to take out. Essential businesses are operating in an adjusted work environment. Business operations have shifted online and business development personnel are reaching out through phone, LinkedIn, video and voice conferencing, and email. Health care personnel and first responders are on the front lines of the pandemic and are stretched beyond belief.

What does all of this boil down to? Do you wonder if life ever goes back to the way it was? Fear of what is happening and what may be yet to come fills your mind. Will you be able to pay your bills? Will your family be safe? Will kids ever go back to school? Will you have a job? The changes all amount to loss and the grief you feel about things lost.

I have also read positive things with social distancing. Families are once again gathering around the table, life is existing at a slower pace, families are hiking, businesses are helping each other by supporting one another through online gift cards, and manufacturers are shifting operations to provide health-related products and sanitizer.

Many business owners are pivoting and thinking outside the box to stay top of mind or to prepare for opening their doors again when the time is right. They are part of a solution to a problem. A supply company instituted an online order system that not only will work during this challenging time but can also be utilized as a sales tool for their salesforce moving forward. A consulting company set up call times for monthly lead exchange meetings. A construction company is leveraging this time to update records and connect via LinkedIn. A construction labor force company is taking this opportunity to update their website and set up processes for a newsletter.

These businesses and many others are looking at the situation as an opportunity to continue to reach out, or prepare for a major push once we are able to be “open for business” again.

As you look at your current situation, is the glass half empty or half full. Here are some tips to make the most of your new norm.

  • Review your goals – we’re still in the first quarter of 2020. Did you set goals for the New Year such as developing a vision board, writing a blog, or taking a class? If you haven’t set goals with target dates, perhaps now is the time to do so.
  • Learn something new – a new platform for online meetings such as Zoom or how to create branded images using Canva.
  • Read – books, online publications, and a little fiction just for fun. The most successful entrepreneurs are avid readers.
  • Listen – to podcasts from thought leaders and business coaches.
  • Join – Ted Recommends and receive TED programs and initiatives sent to your inbox.

I challenge you to step up and try something new. If your business has been stuck for a while, perhaps a business strategy session is in order. Maybe your website needs a refresh or marketing materials that need updating. Pick up the phone and give me 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 strategies, website creation and management, social media management, marketing, strategic planning, and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real-world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business.

Business-Continuity-Plan

BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLANNING – PREPARING FOR THE UNEXPECTED

by BlogCommunications

Business-Continuity-Plan
Benefits of Business Continuity Planning

Are you preparing for the future? Is a Business Continuity Plan a part of your company’s growth? If your business had a disaster, could you be up and running within hours, days, weeks, months, or never recover?

A Business Continuity Plan (BCP) is a proactive plan to avoid and mitigate risks associated with a disruption of operations. It details steps to be taken before, during and after an event to maintain the financial viability of an organization. Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) is a reactive plan for responding after an event. This plan should provide guidelines for emergency responses, extended back-up operations, and post-disaster recovery.

There are many components to a BCP to be considered and here are some key pieces to the plan.

Personnel is your company’s greatest asset and one of the first things to consider. If disaster has struck – has there been loss of life? Has a key member of your management staff had a crisis? Did you have an active shooter situation at your place of business? How are the staff coming together following a crisis? Do they have the proper training to know what to do in the event of a disaster? As a leader having a plan is critical. Your staff looks to you for guidance on what happens next. They can remain calm and execute a plan if a plan exists and they are properly trained.

Communication – how will staff, vendors and the company as a whole communicate if all phone lines are down? What is your plan if you have no email access? Do you have a phone chain or text message chain established?

Technology – is your information in the cloud or is there a secondary data center outside of your building? How will staff access email and critical information to keep your company running? This includes A/R and A/P, proposals, proprietary information, etc. Who can access what information?

Facilities – have you made arrangements for housing of key personnel and employees if necessary? Taking care of your employees and their families will help them remain calm, committed to business recovery and ultimately create loyalty to you as the business owner. If your building was destroyed – do you have a backup location in mind or will staff be able to work remotely?

Have you set up electronic payment systems to continue to send and receive payments? Will you need to resort to manual operations? If so – what might that look like?

Different than a BCP, a Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) is a documented process or set of procedures to recover and protect a business IT infrastructure and other operations necessary to run your business in the event of a disaster. Such a plan, ordinarily documented in written form, specifies procedures an organization is to follow in the event of a disaster.

The City of Baltimore has made national news recently regarding their vulnerability in regard to a cyber-attack, but businesses and government should also consider other types of risk such as fires and flooding that could affect their day to day operations.

As we have recently seen of the floods and hurricanes in various parts of the country, in Western Pennsylvania we think we are safe from disaster. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Every day there are new stories of flooding, burst pipes, fires, landslides, hacking, tech outages, downtime, and data loss – even at the best of companies. Are you prepared to do business if today you walked into work and there had been an electrical surge that fried all your computers?

No matter what the cause of the disaster, the organizations that manage them most effectively, and with the least amount of collateral damage, are those with a strategic Business Continuity Plan and a comprehensive, easy-to-follow, and regularly tested Disaster Recovery Plan.

No one wants to think gloom and doom, but I hope these questions will offer food for thought as you look to put together a program for Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery testing. Execution of a best thought out plan will ensure your business can remain “Open for Business” should disaster strike.

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 strategies, website creation and management, social media management, marketing, strategic planning, and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real-world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business.

creativity-for-business-owners

Creativity for Business Owners

by BlogCommunications

creativity-for-business-ownersAre you finding it difficult to be creative when it’s summer? Are sunshine and fun hampering your creativity? Perhaps you’re convinced that you just aren’t the “creative type” to begin with? Hey, not everyone gets all the good genes.

With some effort and practice, creativity can be learned. The key is in the planning. Do you create “To Do” lists and follow them?

Do you have a yearly marketing plan in place that helps to spur ideas? If not, feel free to download our 2018 Marketing Calendar with dates, events and marketing ideas to grow your business.

Here are some tips to keep the creativity flowing.

  • Be still…Give Yourself Time and Space. Thirty minutes a day to be still will allow thoughts to flow.
  • Engage in brain dumps from your head to paper. These don’t need to be complete paragraphs but rather thoughts and ideas. You might be surprised what quiet time can unveil.
  • Technology overload – minimize distractions. Put the social media to the side and turn off email while you work on your project.
  • Prioritize your projects and don’t let distractions get in the way. Tackle new projects first thing while you’re fresh. here’s a saying, “If you have to swallow a frog, don’t look at it too long. f you have to swallow more than one frog, swallow the big one first. (source unknown) Tackle big projects when you are fresh.
  • Attend a seminar or take an Online Course. Have an interest in a particular topic that you want to explore? Online training sites like Udemy offer over 80,000 low-cost online courses you can take in a variety of subjects.
  • Learn new things and open your mind to new ideas and possibilities.
  • Do You Doodle? Why do you think adult coloring books have become so popular? It brings out your inner kid and allows you to be creative.
  • Keep an Idea File with you. Your smartphone can easily store notes and ideas.
  • Find Friends. You become like those you hang out with. Surround yourself with creative people who get excited about new ideas – business owners, artists, creatives, writers, web designers, etc.
  • Make Time for Exercise – I personally struggle with this one! Exercise reduces stress and clears the mind.
  • Read from a variety of sources…books, magazines, journals and blog posts.

New behaviors can become automatic through the process of habit formation. There is a simple process to Developing Good Habits:

  • Identify the habit. …
  • Make the decision, and then the commitment, to change. ..
  • Discover your triggers and obstacles. …
  • Devise a plan. …
  • Employ visualization and affirmations. …
  • Enlist support from family and friends. …

Remind yourself that creativity can be a learned skill. Schedule in some time in the coming weeks to try out the strategies above. Feel free to share your creativity with us!

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.

managing-business-growth

Seasons of Growth

by BlogCommunications

managing-business-growthAs spring changes to summer one of the biggest things you may notice is how all of the plants that were coming to life in April and May have reached their climax. The spring flowers have bloomed, then fallen, the plant has survived and stabilizing itself for the summer. As a business owner, I appreciate this process and feel as though it relates to not only my business, but to businesses everywhere.

The first few years as a business owner are usually pretty rough, struggling to turn a profit and build a client base. Once you do have the base, the flowers fall off and you’ve become stable, knowing that you made it. In my 10 years in business I can fully assure you that this is one of the most gratifying feelings you will experience as a business owner. But now knowing your roots are firmly planted in the ground and you are stable, has it become time to grow?

Every season your business grows or changes you will feel the excitement that you felt as a new business owner. You will realize and appreciate the process of getting through the spring season without getting nipped by the frost and coming out the other side bigger and better than you were prior to growth. Before making the decision to grow, you need to answer a few important questions and set a business plan in place.

This process is similar to how you trim back your bushes each year and let them grow in the areas you want to expand.

  1. Plan. What is the worst thing that could happen in growing the business, whether your growth involves a new employee, expanding your office or a whole new location all-together? Having a back-up plan for the “what if” is important to planning your growth.
  2. Expectations. What are your expectations for the growth you have planned? Be sure to lay out short-range, mid-range, and long-range goals.
  3. Outcomes. You need to be optimistic. Plan for how you will handle the potential growth and what you will do to keep up with growing business. Adding a new location is not the only part of growing business, you need to have a plan on how to keep your reputation up and handle the growth.

Building your team and getting them on board is the next step. Having the right staff on board will determine the level of your success. Share your growth plans with your team so they understand your dream, and have their buy in for helping you achieve your goals.

Planning for the growth both financially and by building the right team will help to ensure your success through your next seasons of business!

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 growth.