Small Biz Marketing Learning Curve Still Too High

As an agency hired to provide professional marketing counsel to our clients, we work with businesses large and small. As expected, the big guys have a much better handle on the concepts of brand management and marketing. But the learning curve for small businesses still seems to be a bit high.

It doesn’t take long to figure out that many small business owners don’t understand the basics of marketing in today’s digital age. Here’s our all-time top 3 things that most small business owners fail to understand when building their brand.

1. Thinking That a Logo is a Brand

Creating a professional looking logo is probably one of the first steps that small business owners undertake when developing their brand. And then they stop.

While it’s true your logo will be your unique visual identifier, developing your brand properly goes way beyond an icon and typography. To develop your brand the right way you must identify your unique offering, create a brand story around your offering, deliver on your promise to your customers and always practice what your brand message preaches. And you need to do this consistently, over and over and over.

If all your brand development effort includes is installing a nice logo above your door and printing the same on business cards and sales brochures, you need to take a longer look at the story your business tells — which is the essence of your brand.

2. Developing a Static Website

Static websites, sometimes called Brochureware, were common in the days of Internet 1.0 when businesses everywhere re-purposed existing printed sales materials, reconfigured them in some digital format, placed them online and voilà a website was born. This type of website no longer makes the cut.

Every website developed today for any business large or small needs to be a content-rich publishing hub that serves as the central point from which to push your marketing initiatives from and direct all inbound activities to. Without a modern, social media enabled, search engine optimized website that’s updated frequently your business will not be found through organic search. Proper site management and SEO activities are long-term, ongoing activities whose value cannot be overstated. The best way to develop a content rich business hub is to include a blog on your site, encourage social media sharing of your content and stimulate open, uncensored feedback.

If you want to drive your customers to your competition, then by all means rely on the old stand-by and build a static website.

3. Ignoring Social Media

Considered the least expensive method of marketing, social media sharing on sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are essential for any brand large or small operating in the modern digital age.

If your business isn’t actively using social media, you’re going to miss the boat on the best method to communicate your brand messages to your audiences. But don’t be fooled into thinking that social media activities are going to be easy. This type of marketing takes lots of time and effort.

The primary barriers for small business owners breaking into social media are 1.) lack of understanding and 2.) lack of available internal resources. The web is awash with information about social media. Search Google for information about Inbound Marketing. Create a LinkedIn account and join any one of a number of social media networking groups. There are plenty of resources at your fingertips to learn what you need to know to succeed. If you don’t have the resources to handle the level of work social media requires, partner with an external vendor that understands your business and gets your brand. Such a group will be able to get your up and running and help with ongoing community management.

If you want to make sure you’re business is a failure, ignore social media.

Join the Blue Key Campaign as it Storms into Chicago

Help us paint the town. Not red. But blue! Join us in supporting the USA for UNHCR Blue Key Campaign as it comes to Chicago for a one-night only meet-and-greet at the world-famous Drake Hotel on Monday, December 5, 2011.

The Blue Key Campaign is an initiative of the USA for UNHCR UN Refugee Agency and commemorates 60 years of working to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees and internally displaced people. The goal of the campaign is to generate awareness to the vast refugee crisis taking place around the globe by selling 6,000 Blue Keys by December 31, 2011. By supporting the campaign and purchasing a key, you will send the message to the millions of refugees worldwide that they’re not invisible. That they matter. And that you care.

The Tweet-Up is Almost Here

The Chicago Tweet-Up is sponsored by Blue Key Corporate Champions Ragan Communications — publisher of corporate communication, public relations, health care and leadership development newsletters and events — and Cision, provider of global public relation software and media tools. In addition, the event will be hosted by Chicago Blue Key Champions Gini Dietrich (Arment Dietrich), Sean McGinnis (312 Digital) and Anthony Rivera (Grey Matter).

Get your tickets today as time is running out. Ticket price covers the cost of your very own Blue Key and admission to the event. You’ll also have a chance to meet and mingle with countless other Blue Key supporters and local Chicago social media, public relations, and creative industry professionals.

43,700,000 Reasons to Show You Care

When you read the statistics, they are staggering. Currently, there are more than 43.7 million refugees worldwide. That’s more than the population of the 10 largest US cities combined! Many of the displaced are women and children. And every single refugee has been forced to flee their homes due to war, conflict or persecution. Through no fault of their own, the door to their homes have been closed and their futures forever changed. The symbol of USA for UNHCR, the Blue Key, has been chosen to illustrate how a safe, secure home can be found for these many refugees. But this task can’t be accomplished without your help and support.

Show Your Support For Blue Key — Animated Counter Widgets

Another way you can show your support for the Blue Key Campaign, is to place one of the following counters on your website or blog. Our agency developed this Blue Key Counter Widget that has been called both ‘nifty’ and ‘cool.’ (A working version is located at the top of this page.)

The counter gives supporters the ability to track ongoing sales of blue keys and to view firsthand how their work is helping support the campaign to open the door to a new life for millions of very needy people around the world. We also think it’s a pretty neat addition to any site. And there are three sizes to choose from!

Widget Instructions

Simply copy and paste the following code onto your site. If you have any questions about the Blue Key Counter, feel free to contact us at Grey Matter Interactive Support.

Large Blue Key Counter Widget (202px x 302px):

 <iframe src="http://bluekey.greymattercollective.com/bluekey-widget.php" width="202" height="302" frameborder="0" style="margin: 0;"><p>Your browser does not support iframes.</p></iframe>

Medium Blue Key Counter Widget (178px x 266px):

 <iframe src="http://bluekey.greymattercollective.com/bluekey-widget-175x263.php" width="178" height="266" frameborder="0" style="margin: 0;"><p>Your browser does not support iframes.</p></iframe>

Small Blue Key Counter Widget (154px x 227px):

 <iframe src="http://bluekey.greymattercollective.com/bluekey-widget-150x225.php" width="154" height="227" frameborder="0" style="margin: 0;"><p>Your browser does not support iframes.</p></iframe>