Mid-Missouri Marketing Resource Blog

When times are tough, it's easy to believe that your situation is unique...that no one has ever faced adversity in business and that the options are limited. In this series of blogs entitled "Comeback Companies," our goal is to share stories of companies that stood in the face of hard times and refused to give up. In fact, they were often berated at the time for their stubborn refusal to do what other companies where doing - cut back or give up. We hope their stories of hope and persistence inspire you to press forward in your own journey.

Marketing for small businesses is no longer focused on a divide-and-conquer strategy. Due to Google, mobile consumption, on-the-go lifestyles, social communities, and many other trends that have impacted the consumer journey, we can no longer expect our marketing messages to perform in silos. Instead, many businesses have found that most advertising works best when they are created to complement one another. By pairing two—or more—platforms together like social media and radio, you’ll be able to extend your reach and increase your overall return on investment (ROI) with a cohesive, effective strategy that engages your current and potential customers.

Consistency builds trust. Why? Because you teach people that they can depend on you, that you'll be there every time they need you. You become familiar.  Familiar becomes safe. And we trust "safe" - especially now. So consistency is the golden rule when it comes to marketing. Wouldn't you think that McDonald's and Ford and M&M's would lay off the advertising for a while?  Especially when it's fairly safe to assume we all know what they are and where to find them?  Yet they don't.  In fact, they wouldn't dream of stopping. Why? Because they understand that consistency is simply THAT important. Here's why.

As a business owner, you have a unique opportunity.  You own something that has a chance to become a part of local culture, to join the regional vernacular, to contribute to the zeitgeist… to be a BRAND.  

But what IS a brand?  More than just a slick logo, a brand encapsulates ALL mental associations, both good and bad, that consumers have about your business… so building yours goes well beyond coming up with a cool business name and tagline.  It means taking control of EVERY aspect of a consumer’s experience that you possibly can.  Once your brand identity is fully realized, your efforts to develop and market your business become exponentially more powerful. 

The last few months have shaken the business community to its foundation. While many are reeling from the instability in our local economy, it’s imperative that we find the opportunities in the shake-up. They’re there...if you look for them. Every change, while difficult, brings with it a chance to return smarter, stronger and better than before. Here is Director of Sales Carrie Berkbuegler with 10 tips for business owners to consider when preparing your company to return to the marketplace.

We are all in need of a little push of pandemic positivity. In the last 8-10 weeks, quarantine has brought out the best...and the worst...in each of us. We bounce back and forth from “I can do this!” to “Why me?” in a matter of minutes. As we start to poke our heads outside and cautiously step back into the marketplace, what mindset will we embrace? You can’t go back and change what’s happened...you can only move forward. Our hope is that this pandemic positivity pledge will be your start to positioning yourself to power forward.

You’ve just invested in advertising. You’re nervous, but optimistic. It’s more money than you’re used to, but you understand that you have to spend money to make money. Customers won’t spend money with your business if they don’t know about your products and services – so you pulled the trigger on what you believe will work wonders! Your ads started 2-3 weeks ago…but so far…nothing. Nada. Crickets. Then the first invoice for your advertising comes in. It’s a lot of money. Tempted to cancel, you pick up your phone to call your sales rep and cancel the campaign. They remind you to stay the course. Who do you listen to?  Your nervous internal voice as you write the first check…or the sales rep who tells you it takes time. When advertising doesn’t kick off with the results you’d expected, what do you do?

Inside Columbia Magazine recently held an online CEO Roundtable with 38 local business owners and government leaders including City Manager John Glascock, Mayor Brian Treece and Boone County Public Health Department Director Stephanie Browning to discuss a way forward for central-Missouri's economy. It's no secret that COVID-19 has disrupted more than just our daily routines, as many business owners are left dealing with lost revenue and uncertainty on what this means for the future of their businesses and employees. In all, it was a healthy discussion with respect given to both the need to proceed with caution and the desire to get back to work. Here are a few quotes from that conversation:

Success is a combination of behaviors, techniques and attitudes. We spend a lot of time refining our behaviors, getting better at what we do...but sometimes, the key to success is between your ears. That’s when we can depend on the wisdom of others who have gone before us. We recently asked our sales team to identify the quotes they lean on when mental toughness starts to wane. Here’s 25 that they shared. We hope you find them as inspiring as we do!

As businesses continue to adjust operations during this unconventional time, many employees have begun working remotely. While there may be a learning curve to this transition, technology has given teams the resources to maintain standard operations while still growing their business. Rather than postpone recruitment and hiring, check out our five tips to successfully recruit and hire remotely below!