As a local business owner, you need to make sure that every advertising dollar counts, and that it’s reaching the specific target audience that is more likely to be interested in your products and services. Internet advertising is the answer for local business owners. But not just any form of Internet advertising...
From a distance, local business advertising can appear extremely intimidating to the average local business owner. Imagine hovering over the city of Atlanta in a helicopter watching cars zipping in and out of different lanes and going in all directions while passing one another and fighting for pole position. At the surface, it looks extremely chaotic, seemingly without organization or structure. But below the surface, inside each individual vehicle there is someone special trying to deliver a special package or make it home for dinner on time or pick their kids up from school... everyone has their own special path amongst the chaos.
Your business is also very special to you and to many other people who rely on your services day in and day out, whether someone enjoys a simple cup of coffee and a bagel at your local neighborhood coffee shop each morning to start their day, or an urgent courier delivery that absolutely cannot be late. Every business is special, and therefore every business has a special place amongst the chaos and confusion of the local business advertising world. The trick is the find that special place where your target audience is listening!
10 years ago, literally any local business owner could throw a little advertising money at the wall and at least some of it would stick... and good money could be made with very little advertising skill or experience. But that's not necessarily true in today's advertising world. Not only that, but the world population is growing at a staggering pace. The combination of more and more people and business owners fighting for pole position in your mind, and the fact that consumers are getting smarter about making buying decisions makes life extremely difficult in the local business advertising world. Oh, and lest we forget about the “sagging economy” to boot?
Listed below are three (3) “secret ingredients” that can help you “crack the local business advertising code” and put your local business back on track for success.
*Please keep in mind that advertising, especially online advertising is an art form, and there are increasingly few people and companies who understand marketing and advertising as the art form it truly is. In fact, online marketing and advertising is one of the only “business art forms” still in existence today that is not driven solely by statistics and numbers. There is an amazing level of creativity and creative thought that goes into getting your message into the minds of your target audience.
Not only that, but it’s constantly changing amongst a constantly changing group of consumers. Although it is highly recommended that you use an Atlanta marketing company to handle all of your online marketing, the three (3) secret ingredients below will, at the very least, provide enough education and knowledge for you to be able to shop intelligently for the Atlanta marketing company that's right for you.
Code Cracking Secret #1: Forget About Bulk and Mass Advertising
Most local business owners cannot afford to spray entire cities or zip codes with expensive mailing pieces time and time again, or pay for expensive, overinflated radio and newspaper ads that spray your message into the marketplace like a shotgun without there being any sort of real targeted niche audience on the other side of the pellets. While it's true that most large companies or corporations with shareholders and a seemingly endless budget can afford this style of marketing and advertising, the average local business owner cannot afford to pay several thousands of dollars, or even tens of thousands of dollars month after month for several months until that style of marketing begins to grab hold of the general audience.
As a local business owner, you need to make sure that every advertising dollar counts, and that it’s reaching the specific target audience that is more likely to be interested in your products and services. Internet advertising is the answer for local business owners. But not just any form of Internet advertising. There’s a lot of “grey area” in the online world, so it's your job to make absolutely sure you are working with the right company that can bring you the results you need to succeed in your business, both over the short-term and long-term.
Code Cracking Secret #2: Focus on Customer Service
Assuming you have chosen a good Atlanta marketing company to handle your online needs, and your online local business advertising campaign is now generating steady, good quality leads, the most important thing that follows is that you satisfy those customers and clients. Today's consumer demands more than ever, and if you cannot deliver what your target niche truly wants and desires in an entertaining and unforgettable fashion, then your customers will leave as quickly as they showed up from your online advertising campaign. A good, solid Atlanta marketing company should also be able to help you to develop a strategic game plan for customer and client retention.
Code Cracking Secret #3: Don’t “Fish With a Hole in Your Net!”
Not everyone likes fishing, but just imagine for a few moments that you were out in the middle of the deep blue sea with the sun shining down...music playing and your fishing poles dragging in the water behind the boat on a lazy afternoon. Then in one shining moment, your fishing pole bends from the sky as the drag sets in and the zipping of the line instantly pumps your heart full of adrenaline as you jump from your seat to grab the fishing pole. As you tug and pull and reel, the line continues to “zip” while your mind gets completely engulfed in excitement. “That” should be your feeling when a new customer walks into your door. Now imagine how bad you would feel if you reeled that trophy fish all the way to your boat and then tried to scoop the fish out of the water with a great big net only to find out the net had a hole in the bottom and your great big fish got away.
One of the best ways to ensure that your business is not fishing without a hole in your net is to have some sort of “client retention program." Some examples of this would be: having a clipboard on your countertop with a “preferred customer” mailing list. When people come into your store they could enter their name and e-mail address so you can send them special offers and deals so they continue to return to your store. Having this same type of form on your website is a great idea as well. A lot of your clients would buy more from you if you only gave them a good reason. You could send out limited time offers and coupons, etc.; An incentivized “recurring” or “residual” program is another great idea… something like a “buy 10 subs get one free” card. No matter what your business “sells,” there are always plenty of ways to come up with great ideas to sell more products and services to your existing or former customers.
“Customer generation” is great, but “customer retention” is also extremely important in today's marketplace. Simply apply these new ideas to your local business and watch as your business flourishes.
