I don't market - I give away. By being involved in multiple charities I accomplish getting my company name out into the public and gaining attention - good attention. It works better than I could have ever imagined and it is very rewarding. I concentrate on what can I do to make my world and neighborhood better.
Advertising is just to expensive. We hear it all the time from the folks that do find us, “ I’ve lived here all my life and didn’t know you were back here.”
They are happy they finally found us. So we’ve found word of mouth is our best advertising.
We've Spent a lot of advertising dollars on a number of different platforms, YELP, ADWORDS, SIGNPOSTS, REV LOCAL,ETC. They were expensive and we had to cut our advertising .
KEY: REVIEWS REVIEWS REVIEWS- They drive the online search engines and make your company searchable. Although time consuming, send emails to your existing customers past and present and give them links to review you on FACEBOOK, GOOGLE, YELP, and not to mention the BBB.
The most difficult challenge lies in understanding the difference between marketing and advertising. And, to take a message that you want to convey and have a team or group of people do it all. Too often marketing/advertising firms are very costly, with no guarantee of return. Thus we seek less expensive alternatives which invariably means that we are then doing DIY marketing and advertising.
I want someone to target the new clients I want to attract....and provide a deliverable in terms of brand, to those we already have.
I am currently working several marketing avenues in my area. Some work better than others and at times, the slow ones pickup speed. Yes, the market is always changing and we have to figure out what the market is reaching for our customer wants. After three weeks, I change up marketing to see if I can attract new customer base. But you can never beat word of mouth referrals and good customer feedback.
Knowing the market. Businesses tend to plan without on-going deep research. Markets change all the time, driven by new products and approaches. They also change based on the global or local economies and politics. My market area is Power and it currently is in crisis mode due to all these factors. Many of the power related companies are expecting business to return to the same. It won't. As business leaders, it is imperative to know your markets and develop a good 3 to 5 year projection, and them make your plans. Grow when you can. Wait when you must. Shrink when necessary and wait for a better day. Plan realistically based on good research, not feelings.
One challenge is building trust. I don't really see marketing as marketing, I see it as a means of providing public service and value to other's lives. How can my "advertising" offer value simply from the ad itself? How can I offer authenticity in "marketing" that builds trust and loyalty? Keeping up with social media is a bit of a challenge for me. It's improtant to have a constant presence, daily posts, daily engagement, building relationships... that's time consuming, but very worth it. It's just finding the time in the day to dedicate to it.
As we all know marketing is extremely important to all businesses but strategies differ from each. The big decision is to paper vs. internet and social media. Where to spend the money. Fortunately most publications offer the internet option or additions to the paper ads. A balance of who, when and where in my business is the decision to make to weigh out where our best leads and exposure to the certain areas targeted will bring results
Answers (1-10)
I don't market - I give away. By being involved in multiple charities I accomplish getting my company name out into the public and gaining attention - good attention. It works better than I could have ever imagined and it is very rewarding. I concentrate on what can I do to make my world and neighborhood better.
(a) Finding ways to let people know you exist, and
(b) Finding ways to let them know what you do and why it might benefit them.
Both are difficult in a modern world where everyone is screaming for attention.
Advertising is just to expensive. We hear it all the time from the folks that do find us, “ I’ve lived here all my life and didn’t know you were back here.”
They are happy they finally found us.
So we’ve found word of mouth is our best advertising.
We've Spent a lot of advertising dollars on a number of different platforms, YELP, ADWORDS, SIGNPOSTS, REV LOCAL,ETC. They were expensive and we had to cut our advertising .
KEY: REVIEWS REVIEWS REVIEWS- They drive the online search engines and make your company searchable. Although time consuming, send emails to your existing customers past and present and give them links to review you on FACEBOOK, GOOGLE, YELP, and not to mention the BBB.
Its worth the effort.
The most difficult challenge lies in understanding the difference between marketing and advertising. And, to take a message that you want to convey and have a team or group of people do it all. Too often marketing/advertising firms are very costly, with no guarantee of return. Thus we seek less expensive alternatives which invariably means that we are then doing DIY marketing and advertising.
I want someone to target the new clients I want to attract....and provide a deliverable in terms of brand, to those we already have.
I am currently working several marketing avenues in my area. Some work better than others and at times, the slow ones pickup speed. Yes, the market is always changing and we have to figure out what the market is reaching for our customer wants. After three weeks, I change up marketing to see if I can attract new customer base. But you can never beat word of mouth referrals and good customer feedback.
Knowing the market. Businesses tend to plan without on-going deep research. Markets change all the time, driven by new products and approaches. They also change based on the global or local economies and politics. My market area is Power and it currently is in crisis mode due to all these factors. Many of the power related companies are expecting business to return to the same. It won't. As business leaders, it is imperative to know your markets and develop a good 3 to 5 year projection, and them make your plans. Grow when you can. Wait when you must. Shrink when necessary and wait for a better day. Plan realistically based on good research, not feelings.
One challenge is building trust. I don't really see marketing as marketing, I see it as a means of providing public service and value to other's lives. How can my "advertising" offer value simply from the ad itself? How can I offer authenticity in "marketing" that builds trust and loyalty? Keeping up with social media is a bit of a challenge for me. It's improtant to have a constant presence, daily posts, daily engagement, building relationships... that's time consuming, but very worth it. It's just finding the time in the day to dedicate to it.
As we all know marketing is extremely important to all businesses but strategies differ from each. The big decision is to paper vs. internet and social media. Where to spend the money. Fortunately most publications offer the internet option or additions to the paper ads. A balance of who, when and where in my business is the decision to make to weigh out where our best leads and exposure to the certain areas targeted will bring results
Giving people a reason to put their trust and resources in you.