Local companies don’t have the same kind of money to spend on marketing that major corporations do. (No one may have pointed that out to you before so I thought I would get us started on the right foot.)
In fact, any money that is not spent on advertising goes to paying employees, more money for the owner, or reinvesting into their business. There is nothing wrong with growing a company big enough to provide you with everything you need in life. However, if you want to grow your business and reach higher goals, marketing will need to be a part of your life. Coca-Cola and Chevy don’t spend money on marketing and advertising just for fun, they invest in advertising because they need to grow their business and get new customers. There are a lot of different opinions about how to spend your advertising budget.
Mad Men was a super popular TV show a few years ago and it glorified the “great ad campaigns” of the time…and they were iconic. If you have hundreds of thousands of dollars to give to Don Draper, I will point you in the direction of New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles and wish you luck on scoring one of the iconic and memorable ad campaigns of the next decade. In my opinion, there were 2 iconic campaigns in the past 10 years. Dos Equis and Chrysler hit gold with “Most Interesting Man” and “Imported From Detroit” but other than that….nothing. Think about that. Think of all the money that was spent on marketing and advertising in the past 10 years. Which ads will you remember 10 years from now?
For local and small business owners those aren’t real options for you. You HAVE to see return for the money you spend. The safest, and honestly best, way to spend that money is to tell your story. No catchy tagline, no gimmicky “Everything Must Go” end of summer bash, but a well told story of who your company is and what it stands for.
Everyone wants to spend time with people that share the same values and interests. Customers feel the same way about businesses, they want to spend their money at places that attract people like them. If you’re not telling your story, how will people know what your business is about? It doesn’t matter if you are going to spend money on Facebook ads, Google keywords, or billboards…you need to be telling your story.
If you don’t know what your story is, don’t spend another dollar until you do. Finding your company’s story isn’t as complicated as it seems. Just ask yourself, your employees, and maybe even your current customers a few questions. Figure out why your company exists, why you enjoy coming to work everyday, and ask your customers why they choose you over your competitors.
Before long you will start to see a story emerge. Find a way to express those values, beliefs, and stories through your marketing. You will be blown away how quickly you will spend less and make more because your marketing is actually effective.
At Oddly Natural, we love telling stories. We can help you craft a personal and engaging story that you will love to tell and that will attract customers like you wouldn’t believe.
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