You’ve tried buying ads in newspapers, getting some space in the yellow pages, and you even have your very own website and Facebook Page. Despite all of that, you seem to just not get the leads your business deserves.
It’s understandable that you might feel discouraged. You might even be considering putting new marketing strategies on the backburner or even giving up on marketing your business online altogether. After all, it has been a waste of money, right? *buzzer* WRONG!
It’s all about being persistent. In a lot of ways, marketing is like fishing. You research what the fish are eating this season, bait your hook and cast. Do your homework; and then if you don’t catch anything, adjust your bait formula and cast again. It might takes several tries, but you have to keep adjusting and trying new techniques until you get some bites.
I recently read an interview that demonstrates how a small cake shop in New Jersey called Pink Cake Box found—through some degree of trial and error and a lot of creativity—exactly the right formula to reach loads of people online. Pretty insightful and promising for small businesses that are determined to get it right.
The folks at Pink Cake Box looked at what competitors were doing with their websites and realized that they were not connecting with their audiences. Pink Cake Box then created a blog, not just to advertise, but also to show off products and interact with Web surfers in a unique and positive way.
Soon, the bakery discovered that they were getting a massive amount of traffic and inquiries about recipes and techniques, but not a lot of business. So they adjusted their blogging approach to emphasize more on products and services specific to their business—striking a balance between promotion and information.
This just goes to show how the key to marketing your brand online is flexibility and a willingness to move in a different direction.
So what can you do to create an online marketing campaign that works for your business? You have to tailor it to your specific brand and its services. Beyond adjusting their blog formula, Pink Cake Box realized that their business has the potential for some fabulous visual appeal. As a result, they started a Flickr account where they post photos of the cakes that they make—a great way to get the customer’s cravings going.
Think about what is appealing about your brand. Maybe you can offer insight about a product or area of the market that would be perfect for a blog or online magazine article, or maybe you have the makings of what could be a great video series.
No matter your industry, it’s always important to find your niche and be creative! From there, you can bring it all together as a package with an integrated marketing approach and realize serious business growth.
